# Impact Report 2021 JUNE 2022 Presented by **Edward Dean** ## **Welcome to our 2021 Impact Report.** Inside, we set out the progress we have made and the impact we have had, thanks to our amazing funders, team and partners. At Anxious Minds, we believe everyone should have access to quality mental health support. Our reason for being, is to ensure people in the North-East receive fast access to mental health services, and that people affected by mental health and addiction issues receive the support they need to live a fulfilling life through recovery and discovery. With the right support, anyone can change their life for the better. ## _**WHAT’S INSIDE?**_ _CHARMAN’S STATEMENT PG4 A LETTER FROM OUR CEO PG5 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR PG6 ANXIOUS MINDS - AWARDS PG7 OUTCOMES PG8_ PROJECTS _PG9_ VETERANS _PG10_ WOMENS CENTRE PG14 RECOVERY CENTRE PG15 COUNSELLING PG18 OUTDOOR THPRAPY PG19 THANK YOU PG20 ## **An introduction from our Chairman** The year continued to be impacted by Covid-19, with most of our team working between our centres and home, and continuing to offer our services face-to-face, over the phone and online. The whole team stepped up to the challenge of supporting the people we serve and adapted to new ways of working. We are still working six days a week and putting the community we serve first. The bravery and determination of our employees and volunteers has been second to none, supporting hundreds of people struggling during this crisis. This has been our best year financially due to donations, enabling us to continue to strive to be the leading mental health charity in the area. However, we still need to grow more financially to keep up with demand for our services. The charity has continued to grow, evolve and expand its offerings, increasing the number of people we can help and support. We have seen an increase in the need for our services due to the impact of the pandemic on mental health and our work with veteran families. The charity launched two new projects in 2021 –the Women’s Crisis Centre in Blyth, Northumberland, and the Veteran Recovery College in North Tyneside– both have been extremely successful winning us three national awards. We increased our staffing levels with an additional eight members of staff and two trustees. A small grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust allowed us to nearly triple our support to provide over 200 veterans, compared to a forecast of 80, with urgent support through our counselling programmes. Alongside our membership of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, we joined and the National Counselling Society, setting the standards of the work we deliver through our 35 counsellors. We also partnered with SMART Recovery UK to train nine addiction support employees. Finally, we are working towards becoming an accredited member of the Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services. I would like to personally thank our volunteers, supporters, partners, professionals and employees for all they have done to give people the support they need during this especially challenging time. I and the trustees are so proud of the staff and volunteers at Anxious Minds. As we move into 2022, we look forward to returning to face-to-face fundraising events and training. I look forward to the difference we will make together in the coming year. Dr Chris Bowman, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Anxious Minds ## **A letter to our funders from our CEO** Last year was extremely challenging for all of us. The health, financial and emotional impacts of Covid-19 continued to be felt and growing NHS waiting lists put additional strain on mental health services. We saw more vulnerable people than ever before requesting our support services. Demand for our services continues to grow as people come to terms with the loss of loved ones at the hands of Covid-19. We have also seen an increase in the number of children requiring our services. Many have experienced anxiety due to school closures resulting in social isolation, disconnection from friends and uncertainty about exams and prospects. It’s been the first time in several years where we have worried about how we can fund the amount of work the charity is doing and not knowing what we are going to do if demand keeps rising and funding does not pick up. Although we received more funding than previous years, it is not enough to cope with rising demand for our services. A high proportion of funds are being directed to sign-posting services rather than to frontline service providers. These signposting services send clients to us, but most do not pass on any funding, leaving a worrying gap in funding. By funding the work of Anxious Minds, you will enable us to increase access to professional and person-centred support for vulnerable people in our local communities when they need it most. This will undoubtedly change and save many lives. I am so proud of the team, winning three national awards in 2021, showing the standards of work we deliver to the community we serve. I am also immensely grateful to our funders and look forward to building on these relationships and developing new partnerships to deliver our vital services together over the next year and beyond. Edward Dean GCGI SAC Dip, CEO, Anxious Minds ## **HIGHTLIGHTS OF THE YEAR** **8800 Counselling Hours Delivered** **1700 Recovery Centre Online Community Members 110 Women Supported 201 Veterans Supported** **250 Adults Per Week Accessing Counselling Services Supported 300 Children Supported 1600+ Vulnerable People Supported 97%** **FIVE STAR FEED BACK** **3** **Winner of the Soldiering On Award 2021 Health and Rehabilitation** **Best Vulnerable People Support Provider North East England Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards 2022** **Leading Mental Health Support Service of the Year 2021 UK Enterprise Awards Winner** **10** ## **Supporting the most Vulnerable People in our Community across the North East** S I G N I F I C A N T I N C R E A S E I N A L L T H R E E S E R V I C E S Counselling, Veterans & Women's services ## **60%** **----- Start of picture text -----**
50
40
30
20
10
0
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5
**----- End of picture text -----**
icrease in services users 1600 People Supported We have 42 Counsellors, 9 addiction support staff and 20 volunteers across our four centres Our Projects Mental Health Charity ## **Re-Group - Project** ## **Veteran Support Services** The Local Infantry Regiment, (The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Association) contacted the charity asking for our help after losing more veterans to suicide than ever before. We then got a visit from the Fusilier Association from the Tower of London and we agreed to help: getting a little funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust, to support 40 families a year, for the next two years. Within two months we had over 60 families, 7 months on and this number is well over a hundred and forty veterans and still growing. We also provided an outreach counselling service in Sunderland and Durham at Veterans in Crisis and East Durham Veterans Trust, with the NHS and other statutory services struggling to meet the demand. This is something that we are working on to change to make a real difference and support those who have served by opening of the Veteran Families Recovery College in the Wallsend Memorial Hall: this project is set to provide vital life changing support to the veteran community. ## **93%** **Veterans Completed Counselling** ## **200** **Veterans Supported** ## **100%** **Positive Feedback** ## **100%** **Seen within two weeks** 20% **increase in veterans treated for addiction** ## **Veteran Families Recovery College** Our Veteran Families work is going from strength to strenght in the North East. It was praised by the Prime Minister and has won National recognition and awards, including, the Soldiering on Award for healthcare and rehabilitation in 2021 and winning the GHP Mental Health Awards 2022 for Best Veteran Focused Mental Health Service - North East England. The project was funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust in 2020 and 2021 receiving a total of £70,000 over the two year period. The project has provided fast access to over 140 veterans and their families into counselling, addiction support, housing and other support services. We have now received a 3 year grant of £100,000 from the Trusthouse Charitable Foundation to enable us to continue to grow the project. It has also received funding from the Veteran Foundation: another £30,000 over two years. We are hoping the Armed Forces Covenant Trust see the value in the project and provides more funding as our PositivePathways Project was a massive success. The project has been moved to Wallsend in North Tyneside next to the metro station and local bus routes, making it even more accessible to the veteran community we serve, and have been renamed The Veteran Families Recovery College. We have partnered with the Learning Curve Group and REED in Partnership to provide courses and back to work support for veterans and their families and we are also working with SMART Recovery UK to enhance our addiction support project. This Project will provide life changing support to the veteran community at a time when NHS mental health and addiction services are struggling. to VeteransOpenedand **Veteran** their Families **Recovery College** Veteran Support up by Women Crisis Support up by # **20% 30%** Addiction Support **With your** up by **continuous support we can do even more 20%** ## **Addiction Support Services** Anxious Minds has partnered with SMART Recovery UK to provide more addiction and Counselling service to the Veteran Community, and also expand its well-being support to the wider community. We currently have nine fully trained SMART recovery facilitators to work in our Veteran Recovery College and will be providing well-being support for their service users in the future. ## **Women's Crisis Centre** ## Blyth Women’s Centre is for the benefit of Female Veterans, local women & girls The charity opened the Blyth Women’s centre in Market St, Blyth town centre to provide support to women across Northumberland; delivering counselling, addiction support, well-being support groups, support back into education and work, and support with domestic violence. The project was featured on BBC’s Look North and is already making a massive difference in the community. Over 110 Women Supported Safe Space for Women in Crisis 1700 Members Our Recovery Centres Ah ## **Our Community** The Recovery Centre offers over 15 educational courses and groups about mental health and well-being, to help aid recovery, and to increase knowledge and skills to help people feel more confident to manage their own mental health and well-being. We deliver a programme of courses, workshops and meetings to support and promote mental health, well-ness and recovery for people in the community of all ages from across the whole of North Tyneside and Newcastle. We now have over 1,700 members on our Facebook group Our Recovery Centre has been a lifeline for hundreds of people over the past two years, enabling them to access educational and well-being support groups to help and improve their mental health We thank for you your continued in support our . projects **Making the North East A better place to live** # **You are never alone when you're part of the Anxious Minds Community** ## **Our Standards** ## **Counselling Services** Our Counselling Services continue to grow and has anything from 32 to 40 counsellors a year delivering support six days a week from two centres. Our charity now has 21 paid staff and offers trainee placements and clinical supervision to 40+ trainee counsellors a year from all of the North East Universities and Colleges. We are the biggest provider of counselling services outside of the NHS North of the Tyne - supporting hundreds of people a week. We also sell this service to other charities and companies bringing in an extra £60,000 of income last year, we will be looking at growing this in 2022. Our counsellors have all been retrained to deliver telephone and video counselling at the start of the virus outbreak: over the course of the year, this has grown expanding our reach across the North East with potential to grow further. ## **Children’s Services** Our work with children and young people continues to grow, providing counselling to children in Schools in Newcastle and North Tyneside and a donation counselling service to children and young people in Wallsend, North Tyneside supporting over 300 children this year - we are hoping to secure funding to grow this service. Organisational member of the BACP Organisational member NCS Member of Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services (QNVMHS) Member of the Association of Mental Health Providers ## **Outdoor Therapy** We were lucky enough to receive two thousand pounds from Your Homes, Newcastle to provide outdoor well-being support as part of the recovery from Covid-19. We worked with the Wing Outdoor Club and Newcastle Hiking to provide canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, forestry skills and mountain biking. It was a massive success with over seventy people attending the event days, and the feedback was all very positive. We are looking at expanding this service into the Veteran Recovery College whilst continuing to provide it to the local community. The charity also purchased two acres of woodland in an area spanning 200 acres as a base for our outdoor therapy programme. It is located just outside of Prudhoe in a village called Mickley. ## **Testimonials** ## **I will be forever grateful** I will be forever grateful for Anxious Minds and my counsellor. For the first time in my life I actually felt heard. I always felt I was in a safe place, where I was never judged and could put my full trust into the service. I now have many coping mechanisms I will carry with me forever. Thank you ## **Counselling** I was able to work through my problem effectively with this service, I am my ‘old’ self with happiness in my heart, I would recomend this service to anyone, Group counselling has helped too. ## **Great Counsellor** Vital-Helpful more than I could have thought. Really Great, awareness of issues, talking. ## **Safe Haven** Brilliant Support and Guidance, It is like a safe haven. My counsellor was brilliant kind and gave me just the right amount of support. Thank you. ## **Glad I went** After talking about my issues was given strategies to manage and talk further about them. Because of various reasons meds, motivation etc. Have not fully put into action strategies suggested yet. No reflection on the counsellor just me needing to adopt a little more to my current situation + use the tools I have been given. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Iwfiy1'1 ## **Anxious Minds** Trustees Report and Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31 October 2021 Charity No. 1164040 ## **Legal and Administrative Information** Name: ## **Anxious Minds** Reg'd Charity No: 1164040 Trustees: Dr Chris Bowman Shoaib Mazhar Tony Wright Janice Wilkinson Bryan Craggs Andrew Swan Address: The Vault Station Road Wallsend Bankers: Lloyds Bank Independent Examiner: Mark Thompson MAAT VODA Linskill Centre Linskill Terrace North Shields NE30 2AY ## **The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 October 2021** ## **Structure** The charity was registered as a CIO on 20 October 2015. Trustees for the financial year are listed on the previous page. ## **Governance and Management** The trustees all hold individual roles, i.e. chair, treasurer etc. they also attend appropriate training courses. The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that the systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the assessed risks. All trustees and staff have been DBS checked. ## **Financial Review and Reserves Policy** The organisation regularly reviews its financial position and systems. Trustee Selection The trustees are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and must have an interest in mental health issues and/or relevant skills/experience. A number of trustees must be service users. Potential new trustees must be proposed and seconded by members of Anxious Minds board and must complete an application form and provide one written reference. If a reference is difficult to obtain, trustees can be co-opted by the Board on a six-month trial period to enable inclusion. New trustees are voted on to the Trustee Board at any board meeting. All trustees may offer themselves for re-election at the Annual General Meeting for up to a maximum of seven years. After standing down, members are ineligible to stand for re-election for a minimum of one year. Officers of the Charity may serve for up to five years as officers, after which they may continue to serve on the committee until the seven year’s service is completed. All trustees must retire by rotation once every three years and are eligible for re-election. Induction and training of new trustees 1. Our process is intended to ensure inclusion, provide the right skills mix and provide a balanced functional Board. Our recruitment process forms part of induction to our organisation. 2. Application pack, including the Charity Commission publication "The Essential Trustee", is provided. 3. Application form and reference(s) received. For people unable to provide a reference, a six-month probationary period is used (to enable service users equal opportunity). 4. Trustee co-opted onto Board at a Board meeting or voted on at the Annual General Meeting. 5. Chief Executive and Chair provide regular support and learning opportunities to new trustees. 6. Trustee training is incorporated into the Board meetings. 7. Trustees undertake a self-appraisal with the Chair on an annual basis. ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** The objectives of Anxious Minds are stated in our Constitution as follows: The objects of the Charity shall be to promote the preservation of mental health and to assist in relieving and rehabilitating persons suffering from mental disorder or conditions of emotional or mental distress requiring advice or treatment, in association with Anxious Minds in accordance with the aims and objects of Anxious Minds. ## **VISION, MISSION AND VALUES** Our Values are to: - Put our service users at the forefront of our development - Make support services easier to access - Treat every service user as an individual - Build a trusting and safe environment for service users to achieve - Help and support each service user to reach their individual potential - See a person beyond their diagnosis Accessing Support: We offer several ways in which local people can access support from us, including referrals from local GPs, Crisis and Mental Health Teams, Other Charities, Local Authorities and Self-Referral. We directly provide help and support to those who need it most through a range of targeted services designed specifically to address the local need: ## **Chair of Board of Trustee’s Statement** The year saw us continue to be impacted by Covid-19, with most of the team working between the centres and home and continuing to offer our services face to face or digitally and online. The whole team stepped up to the challenges of supporting the people we serve that needed us and adapted to the new ways of working. The charity continued to grow, evolve and expand our offerings, increasing the number of people we help and support. Throughout the year we saw an increase in the need for our services due to the impact of the pandemic on mental health and our work with veteran families. This has been our best year financially due to donations, enabling us to continue to strive to be the leading mental health charity across our area. In a particularly challenging time for the sector, we still need to grown more financially, to keep up with the demand for our services and significantly increasing our income and unrestricted funding. The charity launched two new projects in 2021, The Veteran Family Project and Blyth Women's Centre, both which have been extremely successful, winning us three national awards. We have increased our staffing levels with an additional eight members of staff and our trustee board by two new members. As we start a new year, we hope in 2022 our fundraising events and face to face training will go ahead. The most recent data (April 2021) shows that the number of people contacting the NHS seeking help for mental health problems is now at a record high. With more than two-thirds of adults in the UK (69'%) report feeling somewhat or very worried about the effect COVID-19 is having on their life. I would like to thank our volunteers, supporters, partners, professionals, and employees for all that you have done to give people the support they need, with their mental health and for the difference we will make together in the coming year. Dr Chris Bowman Chair of Anxious Minds ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** ## **Report to the Anxious Minds trustees of** |**On accounts for**
**the year ended**|**31 October 2021**
**Charity no**
**1164040**| |---|---| |**Respective**|The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year| |**responsibilities of**|(under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act)) and that an| |**trustees and**|independent examination is needed.| |**examiner**|It is my responsibility to| || examine the accounts (under section 43 of the Act),| || follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the| ||Charity Commission (under section 43(7)(b) of the Act), and| || state whether particular matters have come to my attention.| |**Basis of**|My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions| |**independent**|given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review| |**examiner’s**|of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the| |**statement**|accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of| ||any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking| ||explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The| ||procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be| ||required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion| ||on the accounts.| |**Independent**|In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:| |**examiner's**|1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material| |**statement**|respect, the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that:| || proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with section 41 of| ||the Act); and| || accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and| ||comply with the accounting requirements of the Act; or| ||2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable| ||a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.| **Signed: Date: 7 June 2022 Name:** Mark Thompson MAAT **Address:** VODA Linskill Centre Linskill Terrace North Shields NE30 2AY ## **Anxious Minds** ## **Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 October 2021** |**Receipts**
Grants
**5**
Donations
Workshop & Sessional Fees
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
Salary Costs
Rent & Room Hire
General Running Costs
**6**
Fundraising Costs
**Total Payments**
Surplus / deficit for the year
Transfers Between Funds
Funds as at 1 November 2020
**Funds at 31 October 2021**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**2021**
**2021**
**2021**
**2020**
**£**
**£**
7500
99040
106540
121000
60423
1387
61810
52177
53093
53093
0
**121016**
**100427**
**221443**
**173177**
110088
42260
152348
71702
17580
2625
20205
13920
27610
3771
31381
13386
230
230
54
**155508**
**48656**
**204164**
**99062**
-34492
51771
17279
74115
-10000
10000
66521
31600
98121
24006
**22029**
**93371**
**115400**
**98121**| |---|---| ## **Anxious Minds Balance Sheet as at 31 October 2021** |**2021**
**£**
**Current Assets**
**Notes**
Fixed Assets
**7**
17567
Cash at Bank
97833
**Total Cash Balances**
**115400**
**Current Liabilities**
**0**
**For The Year Ended 31 October 2021**
**115400**
**Represented By:**
Restricted Funds
93371
Unrestricted Funds
22029
**115400**
Signed …………….……………………… Position ……………………
Signed …………….……………………… Position ……………………|**2020**
**£**
98121
**98121**
**0**
**98121**
31600
66521
**98121**
……………..
……………..| |---|---| Date ………………………………………. ## **Anxious Minds** ## **Notes to the accounts, 2021** ## **1. Basis of accounts** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) (effective 1 January 2015) – Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006 Anxious Minds meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s). |**2.**|**Grants Received:**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Albert Hunt Trust|3000||| ||Arnold Clark Foundation|1000||| ||Hadrian Trust|1000||| ||Edward Gostling Foundation|2500||| ||North Tyneside Council (Counselling)||5000|| ||Community Foundation Covid 19||5040|| ||The Veterans Foundation||15000|| ||Armed Forces Covenant Trust||35000|| ||Lush Retail (Blyth Womens Centre)||3500|| ||Cemetry Crematorium Memorial North Tyneside||10000|| ||The Screwfix Foundation (Blyth Womens Centre)||5000|| ||Groundwork UK (Blyth Womens Centre)||4000|| ||National Lottery||10000|| ||Enterprise Development Fund||6500|| ||**Total Grants**|**7500**|**99040**|**106540**| **3. Trustees and Staff** Salary cost for the year were £152,348 Total no of employees: 18 ## **4. Costs of financial services** The cost for the Independent Examination for the financial period will be £400. ## **5. Restricted Funds balance at 31 October 2021** |**Restricted Funds balance at 31 October 2021**|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**Balance**|**Income**|**Expend**|**Transfer**|**Balance**| ||**31/10/20**||||**31/10/21**| |Blyth Womens Centre||23120|27641|10000|5479| |Community Foundation Covid 19|4500|5040|||9540| |Enterprise Development Fund||6500|||6500| |National Lottery||10000|||10000| |Armed Forces Covenant Trust|27100|35000|20453||41647| |Veterans Project||15767|||15767| |North Tyneside Council (Counsellor Sessions)||5000|562||4438| |**Total**|**31600**|**100427**|**48656**|**10000**|**93371**| |**6.**|**General Running Costs**|| |---|---|---| ||Adverising & Promotional|134| ||Computer Costs|2736| ||Insurances|840| ||Office & General Administration|1818| ||Professional Services|12230| ||Phone Costs|392| ||Print, Post & Stationery|1972| ||Purchases|5763| ||Travel Costs|1802| ||Utilities|3628| ||Sundry Costs|66| ||**Total General Running Costs**|**31381**| ## **7. Fixed Assets** This was a purchase of land in Prudhoe for a Woodland Project. This has not been depreciated. Total cost £17,567. # Impact Report 2021 JUNE 2022 Presented by **Edward Dean** ## **Welcome to our 2021 Impact Report.** Inside, we set out the progress we have made and the impact we have had, thanks to our amazing funders, team and partners. At Anxious Minds, we believe everyone should have access to quality mental health support. Our reason for being, is to ensure people in the North-East receive fast access to mental health services, and that people affected by mental health and addiction issues receive the support they need to live a fulfilling life through recovery and discovery. With the right support, anyone can change their life for the better. ## _**WHAT’S INSIDE?**_ _CHARMAN’S STATEMENT PG4 A LETTER FROM OUR CEO PG5 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR PG6 ANXIOUS MINDS - AWARDS PG7 OUTCOMES PG8_ PROJECTS _PG9_ VETERANS _PG10_ WOMENS CENTRE PG14 RECOVERY CENTRE PG15 COUNSELLING PG18 OUTDOOR THPRAPY PG19 THANK YOU PG20 ## **An introduction from our Chairman** The year continued to be impacted by Covid-19, with most of our team working between our centres and home, and continuing to offer our services face-to-face, over the phone and online. The whole team stepped up to the challenge of supporting the people we serve and adapted to new ways of working. We are still working six days a week and putting the community we serve first. The bravery and determination of our employees and volunteers has been second to none, supporting hundreds of people struggling during this crisis. This has been our best year financially due to donations, enabling us to continue to strive to be the leading mental health charity in the area. However, we still need to grow more financially to keep up with demand for our services. The charity has continued to grow, evolve and expand its offerings, increasing the number of people we can help and support. We have seen an increase in the need for our services due to the impact of the pandemic on mental health and our work with veteran families. The charity launched two new projects in 2021 –the Women’s Crisis Centre in Blyth, Northumberland, and the Veteran Recovery College in North Tyneside– both have been extremely successful winning us three national awards. We increased our staffing levels with an additional eight members of staff and two trustees. A small grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust allowed us to nearly triple our support to provide over 200 veterans, compared to a forecast of 80, with urgent support through our counselling programmes. Alongside our membership of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, we joined and the National Counselling Society, setting the standards of the work we deliver through our 35 counsellors. We also partnered with SMART Recovery UK to train nine addiction support employees. Finally, we are working towards becoming an accredited member of the Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services. I would like to personally thank our volunteers, supporters, partners, professionals and employees for all they have done to give people the support they need during this especially challenging time. I and the trustees are so proud of the staff and volunteers at Anxious Minds. As we move into 2022, we look forward to returning to face-to-face fundraising events and training. I look forward to the difference we will make together in the coming year. Dr Chris Bowman, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Anxious Minds ## **A letter to our funders from our CEO** Last year was extremely challenging for all of us. The health, financial and emotional impacts of Covid-19 continued to be felt and growing NHS waiting lists put additional strain on mental health services. We saw more vulnerable people than ever before requesting our support services. Demand for our services continues to grow as people come to terms with the loss of loved ones at the hands of Covid-19. We have also seen an increase in the number of children requiring our services. Many have experienced anxiety due to school closures resulting in social isolation, disconnection from friends and uncertainty about exams and prospects. It’s been the first time in several years where we have worried about how we can fund the amount of work the charity is doing and not knowing what we are going to do if demand keeps rising and funding does not pick up. Although we received more funding than previous years, it is not enough to cope with rising demand for our services. A high proportion of funds are being directed to sign-posting services rather than to frontline service providers. These signposting services send clients to us, but most do not pass on any funding, leaving a worrying gap in funding. By funding the work of Anxious Minds, you will enable us to increase access to professional and person-centred support for vulnerable people in our local communities when they need it most. This will undoubtedly change and save many lives. I am so proud of the team, winning three national awards in 2021, showing the standards of work we deliver to the community we serve. I am also immensely grateful to our funders and look forward to building on these relationships and developing new partnerships to deliver our vital services together over the next year and beyond. Edward Dean GCGI SAC Dip, CEO, Anxious Minds ## **HIGHTLIGHTS OF THE YEAR** **8800 Counselling Hours Delivered** **1700 Recovery Centre Online Community Members 110 Women Supported 201 Veterans Supported** **250 Adults Per Week Accessing Counselling Services Supported 300 Children Supported 1600+ Vulnerable People Supported 97%** **FIVE STAR FEED BACK** **3** **Winner of the Soldiering On Award 2021 Health and Rehabilitation** **Best Vulnerable People Support Provider North East England Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards 2022** **Leading Mental Health Support Service of the Year 2021 UK Enterprise Awards Winner** **10** ## **Supporting the most Vulnerable People in our Community across the North East** S I G N I F I C A N T I N C R E A S E I N A L L T H R E E S E R V I C E S Counselling, Veterans & Women's services ## **60%** **----- Start of picture text -----**
50
40
30
20
10
0
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5
**----- End of picture text -----**
icrease in services users 1600 People Supported We have 42 Counsellors, 9 addiction support staff and 20 volunteers across our four centres Our Projects Mental Health Charity ## **Re-Group - Project** ## **Veteran Support Services** The Local Infantry Regiment, (The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Association) contacted the charity asking for our help after losing more veterans to suicide than ever before. We then got a visit from the Fusilier Association from the Tower of London and we agreed to help: getting a little funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust, to support 40 families a year, for the next two years. Within two months we had over 60 families, 7 months on and this number is well over a hundred and forty veterans and still growing. We also provided an outreach counselling service in Sunderland and Durham at Veterans in Crisis and East Durham Veterans Trust, with the NHS and other statutory services struggling to meet the demand. This is something that we are working on to change to make a real difference and support those who have served by opening of the Veteran Families Recovery College in the Wallsend Memorial Hall: this project is set to provide vital life changing support to the veteran community. ## **93%** **Veterans Completed Counselling** ## **200** **Veterans Supported** ## **100%** **Positive Feedback** ## **100%** **Seen within two weeks** 20% **increase in veterans treated for addiction** ## **Veteran Families Recovery College** Our Veteran Families work is going from strength to strenght in the North East. It was praised by the Prime Minister and has won National recognition and awards, including, the Soldiering on Award for healthcare and rehabilitation in 2021 and winning the GHP Mental Health Awards 2022 for Best Veteran Focused Mental Health Service - North East England. The project was funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust in 2020 and 2021 receiving a total of £70,000 over the two year period. The project has provided fast access to over 140 veterans and their families into counselling, addiction support, housing and other support services. We have now received a 3 year grant of £100,000 from the Trusthouse Charitable Foundation to enable us to continue to grow the project. It has also received funding from the Veteran Foundation: another £30,000 over two years. We are hoping the Armed Forces Covenant Trust see the value in the project and provides more funding as our PositivePathways Project was a massive success. The project has been moved to Wallsend in North Tyneside next to the metro station and local bus routes, making it even more accessible to the veteran community we serve, and have been renamed The Veteran Families Recovery College. We have partnered with the Learning Curve Group and REED in Partnership to provide courses and back to work support for veterans and their families and we are also working with SMART Recovery UK to enhance our addiction support project. This Project will provide life changing support to the veteran community at a time when NHS mental health and addiction services are struggling. to VeteransOpenedand **Veteran** their Families **Recovery College** Veteran Support up by Women Crisis Support up by # **20% 30%** Addiction Support **With your** up by **continuous support we can do even more 20%** ## **Addiction Support Services** Anxious Minds has partnered with SMART Recovery UK to provide more addiction and Counselling service to the Veteran Community, and also expand its well-being support to the wider community. We currently have nine fully trained SMART recovery facilitators to work in our Veteran Recovery College and will be providing well-being support for their service users in the future. ## **Women's Crisis Centre** ## Blyth Women’s Centre is for the benefit of Female Veterans, local women & girls The charity opened the Blyth Women’s centre in Market St, Blyth town centre to provide support to women across Northumberland; delivering counselling, addiction support, well-being support groups, support back into education and work, and support with domestic violence. The project was featured on BBC’s Look North and is already making a massive difference in the community. Over 110 Women Supported Safe Space for Women in Crisis 1700 Members Our Recovery Centres Ah ## **Our Community** The Recovery Centre offers over 15 educational courses and groups about mental health and well-being, to help aid recovery, and to increase knowledge and skills to help people feel more confident to manage their own mental health and well-being. We deliver a programme of courses, workshops and meetings to support and promote mental health, well-ness and recovery for people in the community of all ages from across the whole of North Tyneside and Newcastle. We now have over 1,700 members on our Facebook group Our Recovery Centre has been a lifeline for hundreds of people over the past two years, enabling them to access educational and well-being support groups to help and improve their mental health We thank for you your continued in support our . projects **Making the North East A better place to live** # **You are never alone when you're part of the Anxious Minds Community** ## **Our Standards** ## **Counselling Services** Our Counselling Services continue to grow and has anything from 32 to 40 counsellors a year delivering support six days a week from two centres. Our charity now has 21 paid staff and offers trainee placements and clinical supervision to 40+ trainee counsellors a year from all of the North East Universities and Colleges. We are the biggest provider of counselling services outside of the NHS North of the Tyne - supporting hundreds of people a week. We also sell this service to other charities and companies bringing in an extra £60,000 of income last year, we will be looking at growing this in 2022. Our counsellors have all been retrained to deliver telephone and video counselling at the start of the virus outbreak: over the course of the year, this has grown expanding our reach across the North East with potential to grow further. ## **Children’s Services** Our work with children and young people continues to grow, providing counselling to children in Schools in Newcastle and North Tyneside and a donation counselling service to children and young people in Wallsend, North Tyneside supporting over 300 children this year - we are hoping to secure funding to grow this service. Organisational member of the BACP Organisational member NCS Member of Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services (QNVMHS) Member of the Association of Mental Health Providers ## **Outdoor Therapy** We were lucky enough to receive two thousand pounds from Your Homes, Newcastle to provide outdoor well-being support as part of the recovery from Covid-19. We worked with the Wing Outdoor Club and Newcastle Hiking to provide canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, forestry skills and mountain biking. It was a massive success with over seventy people attending the event days, and the feedback was all very positive. We are looking at expanding this service into the Veteran Recovery College whilst continuing to provide it to the local community. The charity also purchased two acres of woodland in an area spanning 200 acres as a base for our outdoor therapy programme. It is located just outside of Prudhoe in a village called Mickley. ## **Testimonials** ## **I will be forever grateful** I will be forever grateful for Anxious Minds and my counsellor. For the first time in my life I actually felt heard. I always felt I was in a safe place, where I was never judged and could put my full trust into the service. I now have many coping mechanisms I will carry with me forever. Thank you ## **Counselling** I was able to work through my problem effectively with this service, I am my ‘old’ self with happiness in my heart, I would recomend this service to anyone, Group counselling has helped too. ## **Great Counsellor** Vital-Helpful more than I could have thought. Really Great, awareness of issues, talking. ## **Safe Haven** Brilliant Support and Guidance, It is like a safe haven. My counsellor was brilliant kind and gave me just the right amount of support. Thank you. ## **Glad I went** After talking about my issues was given strategies to manage and talk further about them. Because of various reasons meds, motivation etc. Have not fully put into action strategies suggested yet. No reflection on the counsellor just me needing to adopt a little more to my current situation + use the tools I have been given. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Iwfiy1'1