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NOVEMBER 2021 - OCTOBER 2022

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06624806 REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1165237 (England and Wales)

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

04 Why Heard is here
07 A leter from the co-chairs of our board
08 Some of the best bits of our year
14 Supporting our team to grow and thrive
16 Our year in numbers
17 Programmes
18 Children’s Palliative Care: 20 Poverty 22 Climate Stories Tat Work 24 Media Movers 26 All About Trans 28 Angles
30 Tree flagship pieces of research 32 Blended Learning: turning our most popular training courses into powerful videos
33 Tank you 34 Financial Review and Reserves Policy 38 Plans for the Future 40 Heard’s Board of Trustees and Team 42 Report of the trustees and financial statements

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22 On Road Media is now

Nathalie McDermot, CEO & founder

Why Heard is here

Hello. We’re delighted to share our annual report with you. But before we get into all the wonderful things our team got up to last year, we’d like to say, welcome to Heard!

We’re so pleased to be sharing our fresh new look and brand new name. We think it sums up how we create change in the world - and the warmth we bring to the work we do. We hope you love it as much as we do.

Te Road to Heard

In 2008 I set out to introduce new perspectives and experiences across the stories we see and hear in the media.

I’d trained and worked as a journalist and could see how constrained and time-pressured media professionals were. There were rarely opportunities to really hear from the people whose experiences we were representing.

I also noticed that we relied too heavily on recording traumatic testimonies from people with first-hand experiences in order to bring stories to life. I could see how painful this was for those telling their stories - and how easy it was for audiences to dismiss these stories as sad, but a one-off.

As On Road Media we set out to create spaces for people to hear each other and connect. Spaces where people can share their stories without pressure - and with support. Where media professionals have the time and space to listen, chat, ask questions and gain deep understanding of the fuller picture.

Fifteen years and hundreds of successful collaborations later, I couldn’t be prouder of where this work has taken us. We’ve developed and evolved our methodology - and we’ve embraced the growing body of research exploring the science of communication and human connection.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Fresh new look, same core focus

Last year we spent some time preparing to update how we communicate our own work.

Our team brings huge enthusiasm and knowledge when it comes to the power of communication to change the world. And we know that the words we use really matter. With this in mind we wanted to update how we encapsulate the work we do and the potential it has.

Our team, board and network members were key to choosing a new name that radiated our purpose. We ran a series of workshops and conversations to explore why we all do this work and how it feels when it goes right.

And we are now Heard.

We settled on Heard because we kept hearing something important. We all need to be - and to feel - heard. Being heard in the way you intend matters to us all as individuals and it’s essential to making progress as a society. Failure to hear each other holds us all back - and we continue our mission to create spaces, insights and resources that spark better conversations and communication.

ACCOU NT S AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Our new name reflects how we centre, support and amplify people whose stories need to be heard at scale . And how we’re finding common ground on big, important issues. In a world that can feel loud, divided and awash with misunderstanding, we’re as dedicated as ever to making sure we can hear each other .

We all know that being heard matters. And that good communication means being heard and feeling heard.

We spark stories that create change - and we work hand in hand with people experiencing and affected by injustice . We strive to bring our values to everything we do: we’re inclusive, thoughtful, patient, creative, determined and brave.

This year we’ve helped to shape the stories that millions of people are hearing on some of the biggest issues of our time: social injustice, economic hardship and the health of our planet.

We hope you enjoy reading all about what we’ve achieved, and how, in this year’s report.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

A leter from the co-chairs of our board

K Biswas Nina Spataru (Biz)

As Heard prepared to take huge strides forward with our spot-on new name and brand (doesn’t it look fantastic?), last year saw us developing and strengthening our board.

We said a huge thank you and fond farewell to Bisi Alimi, our previous board co-chair and board member for 3 years. The board voted in K Biswas (Biz) as his placement. Biz brings experience in media diversity as well as chairing two other boards, including Race Beat.

Chairing the board as a duo brings real benefits: drawing on and learning from our different perspectives and experiences, as well as being able to provide more support to each other and the team. Our roles outside of Heard - in the media and funding worlds respectively - mean we see very clearly the unique and valuable role Heard plays.

Biz says, “Having worked alongside the Heard team as a guest journalist, I feel so lucky to have seen hundreds of people gain confidence telling their own stories - people who have lived with poverty and homelessness, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, those caught up in the asylum system.”

Nina says, “I know how challenging it can be to make a reality of narrative change, and I find it immensely rewarding to be a small part of Heard’s impactful storytelling work.”

Our board continues to grow in skill with new members joining this year. We welcomed Ewan Bennie, Director of Communications and Influence for the social mobility charity, the EY Foundation. We’re delighted to be joined by Princess Ashilokun, poet, writer, activist and Brand Strategist.

With a continued focus on strengthening our governance, we set up sub-committees in three key areas: Social Affairs, Finance and Human Resources. All our board members have joined at least one committee, and the team are able to directly propose agenda items to be considered.

In an increasingly loud and divisive world, we know just how vital and valuable Heard’s work is. As the team grows in size and impact - sparking more communication that feels good and does good every day - we’re so proud to support and drive this thoughtful and inspiring work.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 2 1 - Oct 22

Some of the best bits of our year

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Nov 2021
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Top journalists join our reporting poverty discussion

Channel 4’s Jackie Long, The i’s Aasma Day, JRF’s Grace Hetherington, Co-Founder of Community Pride Sarah Whitehead and our Chair K Biswas discussed our ‘Reporting Poverty: A Guide for Media Professionals’ at a JournoResources webinar.

Climate stories reach audiences of millions

Climate change was featured in soaps and across BBC’s content ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. From Holby City to The Archers to The One Show, climate storylines and conversations helped audiences to connect with the issue. We’d shared our insights and guidance with many of the teams.

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Dec 2021
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Catherine from our poverty network shapes the news agenda

Catherine from our Talking about Poverty network talked about fuel poverty on BBC 5 Live. She highlighted key solutions from social security support to better insulation in social housing. Catherine’s interview was picked up and covered in more depth by BBC News, BBC Breakfast and The Sun.

Coronation Street spotlights migration

Precious from our Media Movers network chatted to a Coronation Street researcher, exploring media representations of young people with migrant backgrounds. This led to the arrival of Daryan to Wakefield - a young person who has sought asylum in the UK.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTE ES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

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Jan 2022
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We get ready to change the conversation about children’s palliative care

We put the finishing touches to our communications toolkit. Based on research, it explores how we can talk about care and support for very unwell children and their families.

Jon from our Angles network inspires vital and sensitive coverage in Te Guardian

Jon Needham shared his experience and insights with The Guardian. The resulting article inspired readers with Jon’s tireless work to create “the system we need.”

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Feb 2022
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We train climate pioneers

Prince William’s Earthshot Prize rewards five environmental pioneers annually. Having media trained the prize finalists in 2021 we went on to run a tailored climate communications training to the winners at Enapter. These green energy leaders are changing the game - and the conversation - about how we travel and heat our homes.

We look into how narrative change work can have greater impact

Lots of time, thinking and resource is going into exploring how narratives work and how they could be changed. We explored this emerging sector and interviewed people working in this space. The resulting insights and recommendations are helping to inform the work of funders and practitioners.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

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Mar 2022
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Our team connects at our first ever retreat

All of our work is built on connection and support. Our team and board were refreshed and revitalised after a weekend of conversation, celebration and early morning swims, runs and walks.

Local BBC Radio journalists talk to us about poverty

It matters who is talking about important issues. That’s why we invited 23 Local BBC Radio journalists from across the UK to speak with the Talking about Poverty group. The reporters said afterwards that they were inspired to avoid repeating stereotypes and to show the diversity of stories about poverty.

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Apr 2022
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Global Netlix audiences engage with how a culture can enable abuse

Twenty-five million people globally watched 72 Film’s Netflix documentary ‘Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story,’ which our Angles network consulted on. We supported the production team to highlight the systems and culture that enabled his crimes, and to depict survivors sensitively.

Ocean and climate stories make waves

April saw the release of two flagship pieces of content on the health of our oceans and climate: Netflix’s Our Great National Parks, narrated by Barack Obama, and a campaign with Attitude, featuring Bimini. We’d provided behind the scenes input, working closely with the production team.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

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May 2022
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Our poverty network sits down with BBC Children in Need

Our Talking About Poverty group held an interaction with Children in Need, ahead of their annual BBC One primetime fundraiser. They discussed storytelling around poverty, including portrayals of children, and how to do this sensitively.

All About Trans chats to leading publishers

A group of All About Trans network members celebrated being together in real life, after two years of doing everything via Zoom. The first event back was a meetup with publisher Hachette, leading to a mentoring scheme for transgender writers.

Jun 2022

We release a new video guide on climate communication

Talking about the big picture, systemic changes we need can be challenging. So we created this How to talk about climate for change resource to help communicators and spokespeople. It’s presented by nature enthusiast and TV doctor Dr Amir Khan and based on our research-based guidance.

We talk climate with international pop act

We met with an international artist, sharing recommendations for how they can use their platform to talk about climate change. They told us the session inspired them to write a climate-tinged love song.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

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Jul 2022
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Aug 2022
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Media Movers advise on ‘the joy of being seen’

Our Media Movers programme created a guide for media professionals who want to tell authentic, interesting and powerful stories about young people who’ve migrated to the UK. Asked why this matters, a young person said: “When I see myself represented on screen I feel the joy of being seen and that people know I am here and matter. We need stories that do this more and we need them to drown out the negativity.”

We explore nuanced reporting of sexual abuse with gal-dem

Our Programme Manager Chiara spoke to gal-dem about how we can accurately report on sexual abuse. Chiara talked about how important it is to move scrutiny away from the survivors - and shift the focus towards the structural issues at play.

Our colleagues of colour focus on joy and expression

Heard’s colleagues of colour launched a space focused around joy and expression. For the summer social, the group visited the exhibition In the Black Fantastic at the Southbank Centre, followed by lunch and discussions.

We shape timely communications guidance on climate change and the cost of living

Across the summer months, we explored how to talk about the cost-of-living and climate crises at the same time. Along with communicators in the climate and poverty spaces, we convened a workshop and conducted research leading to the Messaging this Moment guide.

ACCOUNTS AN D TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

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Sep 2022
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Oct 2022
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We lead a communications session for 230 children’s palliative care experts

Leading children’s palliative care charity Together For Short Lives invited us to be part of their annual conference. The warm and engaged response reflected the appetite for communications insight and guidance in the sector.

All About Trans goes to the Globe

The Globe invited All About Trans members to the press night of I, Joan. The group - some of whom consulted on the play - enjoyed a celebratory and joyful evening. Some were meeting each other in person for the first time.

Flagship BBC climate content engages audiences

As Frozen Planet II fans, we were delighted to work with the team delivering the show’s impact campaign. We shared our insights on how to engage audiences, especially around balancing a sense of urgency and agency.

We prepare to launch our online training course with CharityComms

Our team and membership organisation CharityComms prepared for an exciting new partnership. In 2022, we collaborated on a new online training pilot, called Communicating for Change. This pilot is exclusively for CharityComms members, and is being launched in 2023.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Supporting our team to grow and thrive

Heard’s first residential

We know that this work can only flourish when our team has the support we all need, and we feel ownership of the work. One of our priorities this year was “to invest in and understand how our people work at their best”.

With this in mind, this year we ran our first team and board residential. Our themes were:

Just before the residential, we carried out a staff survey to gauge how we were doing on a few key fronts. We asked questions about the team’s:

Sense of ownership and stake in the direction of the organisation

Degree of autonomy and agency over our work

Understanding of and engagement with our strategy

Restored through connection

Joy and collaboration

The future of our organisation

The results gave us much to be proud of and some key fronts to develop further. We’ll be repeating the survey annually to help inform and prioritise our work on the team’s wellbeing and development.

We spent two days together learning more about each other and engaging with the organisation’s strategy.

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ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22
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Healing space

Off the back of our diversity, equity and inclusion workshops last year, we launched a healing space. This is a facilitated space for staff of colour to share experiences, connect and have time focussed on the issues that matter for each of us.

“The healing space means we come together to explore joy and expression at planned sessions throughout the year. The first one involved a trip to the In the Black Fantastic exhibition at the Southbank Centre, followed by a workshop with Act Build Change. It was an amazing experience that celebrated our individual and collective identities as people of colour.”

Jo and Makaela, co-ordinators of the healing space

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Our year in numbers

We work with people and the media to inspire content that changes hearts and minds. Between November 2021 and October 2022:

2,309

Heard supported 2,309

people through training, events and interactions with media professionals

MILLIONS

We helped to shape content that was viewed by many millions of people around the world

254

We trained 254 notfor-profit and other professionals

We hosted 42 interactions , informal meetings between media professionals and people with lived experience

35

We ran 35 peer support sessions - these are get togethers that support our network with their communications practice and their wellbeing

619

We worked with 619 media professionals

60 60 mainstream media

outcomes : content our work has helped inspire and shape

27

We delivered 27 strategic communications and media training courses

128

We actively supported 128 people with first-hand experience of a range of issues. These people engaged in training and talked to the media throughout the year

We’re developing our team and structure to support this work:

We introduced 2 new roles to our team - Head of Training and Engagement and Head of Finance
We ran 10 team training sessions including a session on embedding care, rest and celebration into our daily work practice
We spent a weekend together as a team, exploring our strategy, connecting as a team and celebrating our work

ACCOuhgANDTRuSTEEs REPORT | Nov 21- Oct 22 TrIEARD Programmes 17

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Children’s Palliative Care: shifing the narrative about care for very unwell children

Our Children’s Palliative Care (CPC) programme supports families with direct experience and professionals working in this space. It’s all about shifting public and media narratives around this vital field of care, as well as inspiring better communication within the wider healthcare sector.

Tis year’s highlights

We shared our communications toolkit with more than 400 professionals working across the field of children’s palliative care. We saw huge appetite for our insights and support at the workshops we ran and the conferences we presented at. This is prompting us to upscale our narrative shift work across the wider sector.
We set up a network of 18 people with personal and professional experience of children’s palliative care who are enthusiastic about changing the way these issues are talked about in media and public discourse. Our first media outcome saw two network members speaking powerfully in an episode of the awardwinning Media Storm podcast.
We carried out interactions with non-specialist healthcare professionals to explore their understanding of and approach to children’s palliative care. This forms part of the work to embed effective communication around this issue across the wider healthcare system.

The programme is fully funded for three years by the True Colours Trust whose support we are extremely grateful for.

“As healthcare professionals we have always been surprised as to why the public perceive working in children’s palliative care as only being about death and not about everything else we do. It sometimes takes an outsider to give you insight. The work done by the programme has been a revelation: you can see this in clinicians’ eyes and enthusiastic responses when the work is presented to them. But the true value of this work is that the public can get a more honest idea of children’s palliative care and families can have their stories better understood. Rarely does a piece of work have such a profound effect and change in our profession.”

—Dr Satbir Jassal MBE, Doctor in Paediatric Palliative Medicine.

Our programme in numbers

We reached 28 media professionals
We trained and supported 18 network members
We ran 10 workshops at national conferences and sector events
We reached more than 400 sector professionals

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Hearing from our collaborators….

Q&A with Julie Kembrey, bereaved mum of twin girls Francesca and Josephine and member of our Media Engagement Group and Advisory Group:

What was a standout moment of the year for you?

Realising that I have the confidence and skills to take part in media interactions about children’s palliative care, thanks to the Heard training and ongoing support. I was very cautious at the start but now I find that I really enjoy this work.

What has the last year taught you?

I have learned that some journalists are interested in the wider aspects of children’s palliative care. It is refreshing to know that journalism can go beyond the tragic and sensational storylines to represent all of the families who are quietly loving and caring for their sick children.

What opportunities do you see for the future of this programme?

The possibilities are endless; written features, podcasts and TV storylines to name a few. I am especially interested in opportunities to speak with medical professionals who work in more general areas of practice. It is important that all paediatricians, specialists, GPs and therapists understand what Children’s Palliative Care can offer to ensure that children and families do not miss out on the care and support they need and deserve.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Poverty: telling beter stories about poverty

We support people with first-hand experience of poverty or being on a low income to do safe and effective media work. Together, we want to inspire and encourage media professionals to tell a new story about how poverty works - and how we can solve it.

We are grateful to Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trust for London for funding this work and for their support.

Tis year’s highlights

We delivered a webinar to discuss Reporting Poverty - a guide for media Professionals we’d produced. Hosted by Journo Resources, the panel included Channel Four’s Jackie Long, the i’s Aasma Day, Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Grace Hetherington, Community Pride’s Sarah Whitehead and our board Chair K Biswas. They explored how to bring about more rounded reporting on poverty, followed by mini interactions with our network members, who shared their ideas and insights.

It was fascinating - I was really struck by the feelings about how we look after contributors after we’ve spoken to them. Too often we make quick decisions based on editorial or programme need but understanding the impact of those quick decisions was interesting to hear. I think there’s something to think about how we care for contributors post interview and keep the conversation going. - Robert Thompson, Managing Editor, Online and TV BBC England

Our talented network members have taken the reins throughout the year. They’ve designed and led peer support meetings. They’ve also co-facilitated our internal and external training courses. We ran seven training courses for sector partners this year. Each covered how we can frame our communications effectively, as well as safe and effective media work with wellbeing at its core. We’re looking forward to training up more of our network members to run these sessions and workshops over the next year.

Our programme in numbers

We ran 9 media interactions with BBC Children in Need and production company Tiger Aspect
We hosted 66 media professionals in meetings with our network
Our network member Sarah Whitehead and programme manager Aishah Siddiqa, shared tips and insights with journalism.co.uk. In the article, ‘How can journalists report responsibly on the cost of living crisis?’, Sarah talked about the importance of highlighting structural causes and solutions, “show[ing] the reality of people who are being pulled into poverty because of low wages, insecure contracts and the rising living costs we’re all facing.” She also urged “news editors to focus on what can change - not just on what’s working”.
We trained 71 people in safe and effective communications, including network members, other people with direct experience and sector professionals
We hosted 17 peer support sessions : some online, some in-person and some hybrid
100% of our network members who completed our survey said they felt confident or very confident about engaging with the media

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 2 2

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Hearing from our collaborators….

Emily Roe, Campaigns Manager at the Living Wage Foundation

What stood out about working with us?

After we worked with Heard on our worker media training, it was really inspiring to see the worker-leaders put what they had learned into practice. Those who attended the training went on to speak at events, do media interviews (including BBC London) and write opinion pieces in the Mirror. The group were visibly more confident and comfortable talking about their lived experience, but importantly it was really clear that they had a recognition of how important it is to share their experiences.

How do you stay grounded and focussed on your wellbeing while doing this work?

We all – staff and worker leaders – loved working with the team at Heard. One of the ways they helped us all stay grounded and focused on wellbeing was an emphasis on a calm, open, relaxed environment for the sessions. We always started with music and there was a focus on getting to know each other, setting boundaries and agreeing how we wanted to work together – I think this is so important, especially when working remotely.

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

We’d love to collaborate with Heard in the future. We’re hoping to improve the ways we bring those with lived experience into our work (whether that’s feeding in ideas or thoughts or speaking to the media or at events). Heard is the perfect partner for it.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Climate Stories Tat Work: turning awareness into action

We spread storytelling and communication that’s proven to resonate with and to move people. We share research-backed insights and inspiring examples with popular culture creators, supporting them to shift the public mood music around climate change action.

Tis year’s highlights

Prince William and Barack Obama have been talking about climate change powerfully and persuasively to audiences of millions. Their can-do communication took centre stage at the Platinum Jubilee Party at the Palace and on Netflix’s Our Great National Parks. We’ve worked behind the scenes with the team and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize and with Freeborne Media - the team behind the national parks series.
In collaboration with Freeborne Media and On Purpose Group, we created and shaped an innovative media collaboration with Attitude. #SeaOurFuture comprised a film, magazine and online article and digital media content in collaboration with Attitude. It was fronted by model Bimini, wildlife presenter Dan O’Neill and young activists Noga Levy-Rapoport and Dawood Qureshi. This reached hundreds of thousands of people including popstar Ariana Grande who loved the campaign on Instagram.
We worked with climate campaigners and organisations who are reaching wide audiences. We ran tailored communications training for organisations including Friends of the Earth, Peers for the Planet and Media Trusts’ Weston Communicating Climate Programme. We coled Messaging this Moment, providing insights to talk about the cost of living and climate crisis at the same time.

With thanks to our funders: the Climate Change Collaboration, Gower Street, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) and 10% for the ocean.

“As someone who would like to speak out more about climate change without feeling the pressure of criticism and being called a hypocrite for travelling most of the year, the session gave me the hard facts I needed to push back and feel more supported. I now have a deeper understanding into the role that big corporations play on “carbon footprint” and how we need to direct the conversation more toward them. I think the session would be invaluable for every artist to do from an educational and support point of view. It was good in realising we are not alone in this, and how we can frame the climate conversation with a more positive spin and galvanise our fanbases. Music fans want change.” - International pop artist

Our programme in numbers

We trained 76 climate campaigners and comms professionals in effective climate communications
We met 3 artists to discuss how they can use their platform to talk about climate - Sigrid, Nick Mulvey, Porridge Radio
We provided insights to BBC teams working on COP26 content - seen by many millions of people
Created one how-to resource on how to talk about climate for change. The short film, fronted by TV doctor and nature enthusiast Dr Amir Khan, shows popular culture and NGOs how to bring to life the systemic climate stories that we need to see
400 people heard about our research-backed principles on climate communications through panels, trainings and events

A CCO UNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | N ~~o~~ v 21 - Oct 22

Hearing from our collaborators…. Nicola Brown, Freelance Impact Producer

Most inspiring/standout moment of the year

Working with Heard on the Sea Our Future X Attitude Magazine campaign was my career highlight of 2022. I’ve worked in conservation focused storytelling for over 10 years and it’s a landscape that’s pushing to be more inclusive and has exciting potential to drive real world change by breaking out of the ‘conservation echo chamber’. If more people engaged with environmental stories, more change would be possible!

Our goal was to connect LGBTQ+ audiences to a story about ocean health whilst giving platform to a range of unheard voices. I felt blown away by the strength and vulnerability of our contributors, each with a moving story to share. I was equally stunned by the online response, including engagement from celebrities like Ariana Grande and Jonathan Van Ness. This collaboration inspired me to continue to find ways of reaching new audiences as the potential to drive change feels valuable and currently, unexplored.

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

Working with Heard has taught me the way we communicate our stories really matters. From the language we use, to the way we frame challenges and solutions. The world of science and environmental issues is so often filled with complex language and challenging information that can disengage people because it’s not relatable or it can feel difficult to digest. I see so much potential for change through Heard’s recommendations because it allows us to bridge a gap. Making complex subjects more relatable opens up the potential for growth and change. This is something I’ve witnessed previously working on the BBC impact campaign Our Blue Planet around the television series Blue Planet II. Sea Our Future feels like the start of an exciting journey, one with endless opportunities for innovative storytelling that could drive real world change and foster nurture for nature at a critical point in time.

Anything else you want to add?

I’ve also collaborated with Heard on my recent project Our Frozen Planet around BBC series Frozen Planet II. Communicating stories about climate change is challenging, it can feel so doom and gloom yet, by taking on board Heard’s recommendations, I feel we’ve been able to land a sense of urgency whilst encouraging our audiences that change is possible and together, we can all play a part. From stories about Indigenous communities experiencing the frontlines of climate change, to change makers and innovators pushing forward ideas in the circular economy space, our hope has been to inform and inspire our audiences that we can be part of the solution. Since working on Our Blue Planet, I’ve felt particularly supported by Heard in terms of thinking about how we can move the narrative forwards to help encourage positive change for our planet. I’m excited to continue exploring storytelling in this space.

Our new resource, How to Communicate Climate for Change

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Media Movers: communicating a fresh story about migration across popular culture

Media Movers is a programme for young people from migrant backgrounds who are passionate about influencing media representation of migration. We are forging a better understanding of the untold realities of people with experience of migration.

Tis year’s highlights

We held an interaction with the team at Coronation Street. This led to a storyline about Daryan, a young person with refugee experience. We introduced the team to Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, a local organisation to help inform Daryan’s story sensitively. The storyline so far explores how Daryan is welcomed to the street and the support he receives from other characters.

Our programme in numbers

We ran 6 interactions with the media including LA Productions and Coronation Street
We hosted 7 peer support sessions - a combination of online, in person and hybrid sessions
We delivered 6 media training courses
We released new guidelines designed for popular culture creators, centering young people’s advice on representation and robust framing principles: Migration in the media: telling authentic stories with impact.
We collaborated with organisations on training and communications. We run five training sessions with people with experience and/or for people in migration related charities. We supported Women for Refugee Women and Care4Calais ahead of media and campaigning work.

We’ve only been able to do this work with the support of Barrow Cadbury Trust, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Unbound Philanthropy.

We inspired 1 storyline in a major soap watched by 2.8 million people
We trained 24 not-for-profit professionals and young people with experience of migration on safe and effective communications

“When it comes to sharing my personal story, feeling safe and listened to is essential. I feel this has been really crucial to having good interactions. Media Movers has helped me to establish and stick to my personal boundaries for my own comfort and safety as an interviewee. In my last interaction with a production company, I found myself more confident than I could have imagined” - Gokhan, Media Mover

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Hearing from our collaborators….

Q&A with one of our Media Movers, Precious Arabambi

What has been the best thing that you’ve been involved in over the last year?

I met with a researcher for Coronation Street and spoke with them about my story and how it could be used to change the way people see young people. We talked about avoiding and not going for the overused stereotypes and trying something different that has not been overdone.

How does it make you feel knowing that your work has made an impact?

I am happy that some storylines on Coronation Street have been focusing on migration, and hopefully that will help to change people’s mindsets positively.

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

I feel like the fact that they are humanising Daryan in Coronation Street means that our interactions are working. It means that writers and the producers are not shying away from talking about important issues like migration.

I hope that we get to see more of Daryan living a normal life and not falling into negative stereotypes. Hopefully, more characters with different viewpoints are shown to the public.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

All About Trans: reflecting the experiences of transgender people

All About Trans creates space for dialogue and understanding. We bring transgender people together with professionals from across the media. We build connections and inspire authentic media content which reflects the real life experiences of transgender people.

“I was very touched by the openness and generosity of the All About Trans team in showing their experiences, knowledge and expertise with us - it’s made me feel very inspired about making changes on my end in my future work”

Ella Gordon, Editorial Director, Wildfire

“Being proactive about changing society’s perception of trans people, supporting cis people to be more confident and understanding of trans lives. I feel empowered and this helps manage the powerless feelings in the face of transphobia in the media. The networking with diverse trans people is also brilliant.”

Megan Key, All About Trans network member

Tis year’s highlights

Our first in-person interaction since before the pandemic was with Hachette, the UK’s largest publisher. We held a productive conversation about great trans representation in literature - and the role that a leading publishing group can play in supporting more authors to include trans characters in their work. An amazing outcome from the session was establishing the Hachette mentoring scheme - an initiative to encourage more trans authors to pitch their work to major publishing companies.
The network worked on the Globe theatre production I, Joan - a reimagining of the classic story of Joan of Arc with a non-binary lead character. Six members of All About Trans spent the afternoon consulting with the Globe production team on the importance of showcasing trans talent and engaging the wider trans community in theatre. The session culminated in a night out at the Globe with a big group of All About Trans members celebrating their work.
AAT ran a large in-person interaction with IPSO, supporting them in their work to ensure fair media representation. Feedback from the session was incredibly positive, with an IPSO staff member saying: “Great group of people all with unique and intensely relevant stories and very understanding of the extent of IPSO’s ability to help. The space created by AAT allowed for meaningful and even emotional discussions”

We’re extremely grateful for the support of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and City Bridge Trust which enables us to do this work.

Our programme in numbers

We met with 52 media professionals
We hosted 5 interactions
We supported 42 people from the All About Trans network to take part in meetings, workshops, interactions and events
We delivered 9 major outcomes including consulting on Hollyoaks storylines

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Hearing from our collaborators….

Krishna Istha, trans TV writer, comedian and theatre maker. Currently writing on Netflix hit show Sex Education. Krishna is a long time collaborator with All About Trans

Most inspiring/standout moment of the year.

Seeing influential people at Hachette engaging with and supporting trans people and really wanting to make a difference.

Seeing people who are apprehensive at the start of an interaction (who possibly have never met a trans person) start to relax and engage on a human level.

What has the last year taught you?

That most people change their minds about trans people once they meet someone trans in person. Genuine conversations and connections can really make a difference to changing people’s minds.

That despite the media being loud, there are a growing number of allies out there looking to support trans people. I think the most important aspect of this work is the hope it creates in both the marginalised communities involved as well as the people we interact with!

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

This work is needed now more than ever. Media hostility against trans people is growing but at the same time the receptivity to this work is increasing, particular in popular culture outlets. It is frustrating to know that people who aren’t trans, and who often don’t even know a trans person, are frequently in charge of making decisions on our behalf, decisions which are often shaped by what people see of us in the media. I think this programme has such a huge capacity to grow and permeate all the places and people that make those big decisions on our behalf.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Angles: a fresh angle on sexual violence and domestic abuse

Angles supports people who have lived through sexual and domestic abuse to tell their stories effectively and engage with media professionals in a safe and boundaried way.

“I just wanted to send a quick message to say thank you so much for your work and time today. Your excellent expertise and reputation completely changed the conversation and tone of the meeting in comparison to my last discussion on this work. I can already see a huge difference in the project, and thank you so much for supporting Rights of Women in our involvement in this work and advocating for our expertise to be included.”

Jessye Berkowitz-Werner, Rights of Women

Our programme in numbers

We welcomed 12 new network members with connections to 8 sector organisations
We delivered 22 media outcomes
We reached 107 media professionals
We reached 115 people through external events
We consulted on the Jimmy Saville documentary which reached 25 million viewers

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Highlights

After two years supporting production company 72 films, we saw the release of the Netflix documentary Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story. The final viewing figures were around 8M in the UK and over 25M globally - an extraordinary reach. Press coverage and reviews showed that the documentary reignited the national conversation around society’s responsibility by pivoting from the usual focus on the “monster” perpetrator and his victims - a move that the Angles network encouraged. It was a real manifestation of the long term work that we do. It’s a great example of the power of the relationships and trust we can build by connecting our network members with media professionals.
Members of the Angles network consulted on media tips in How journalists can work sensitively with survivors of sexual abuse curated by Jo Healey (senior news journalist and specialist trainer in trauma reporting) and Dr Danny Taggart. The tips were published in Journalism.co.uk and in the US publication Foreign Press Correspondents Association, leading to further work with organisations like Reach and Journo Resources.
Following the Journo Resources article ‘How To Report On Rape And Sexual Assault Ethically And Responsibly’, we created an event for media professionals to explore how to ethically interview survivors of sexual abuse. Chaired by Heard and Jo Healey, it included a panel and collaborative space in breakout rooms, involving our partners and network. This meant journalists could hear directly from survivors in safe and supported spaces.

This work wouldn’t be possible without the support of our funder City Bridge Trust and new match funding from the John Ellerman Foundation.

Hearing from our collaborators….

Jo Healey:

Journalist, author and founder, Trauma Reporting training

Tell us about working with Heard this year

It is always a great pleasure and privilege to work with the Heard team, particularly as our sense of purpose overlaps and intertwines in a truly rewarding way: My Trauma Reporting training focuses largely on giving a voice to the survivors we interview. On film, many of them share constructively what helped and what harmed them when working with journalists.

When I launched my document for UNESCO ‘Safety of Journalists Covering Trauma and Distress, Do No harm’, I turned to Heard to help connect me with a panel member who was a survivor. Angles network member Imogen was a terrific speaker on the prestigious panel. My webinar reached news field offices across UNESCO’s 193 countries.

Moving forward I see great opportunities for us to work together. One target area is with university students of journalism who are already showing interest. Additionally, one of Dr Taggart’s clinical PhD students is now planning to research the needs of survivors when being interviewed by the media. Again, survivors from the Angles network will be central to this piece of important research.

How I stay grounded

I am lucky that I love my work…..but because, as a journalist, I have interviewed hundreds of people who have endured unimaginable trauma, and because they play a huge part in my book and my training, I have a healthy gratitude for the truly good stuff in my life and always try to appreciate it.

Running on the beach or across fields, swimming, meditation, yoga, trying to avoid sugar, enjoying being with my husband and daughters and close friends..…and walking Stanley the border terrier.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES RE ~~PORT | N~~ ov 2 1 - O ~~ct 22~~

Tree flagship pieces of research

At Heard, insight and research are key to what we do and how we do it. We draw on and commission research to understand how people think about the issues we work on - and how communication can help create change.

This year we’ve delivered three key pieces of research to support and inspire the sectors we work with. To do this, we’ve worked with external research partners - shaping the brief for the work, overseeing the process and then distilling the findings.

As we develop this side of our work, we are committed not only to exploring and finding answers through research - but to sharing important insights in ways that are clear, accessible and actionable for all.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Messaging This Moment: Connecting the climate and cost of living crises

The climate and cost of living crises share the same root cause - our dependence on unaffordable and unstable fossil fuels - but we often see narratives that pit tackling climate against tackling the cost of living crisis. We worked with a group of researchers and communicators to explore how we can communicate these vital issues at this crucial time.

Talking about social security effectively

As the cost of living crisis began to create huge hardship and stress, we explored how people were thinking and feeling about our national system of social security and welfare. We found that there’s more support for a stronger social security system than we might realise - and that there are some great, resonant ways of communicating the important changes experts and campaigners seek.

What would it take for narrative change work to have more realworld impact in the UK?

Many people recognise that to change our world, we need to change the stories we tell ourselves about our world. There’s growing recognition that the deep, interconnected challenges of climate change, injustice and inequality require us to embed new narratives and collective mindsets. Our research explored the emergence of a ‘narrative change sector’ in the UK, and the opportunities for greater collaboration and impact.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Blended Learning: turning our most popular training courses into powerful videos

With the support of Lankelly Chase Foundation, we were able to create a new “Head of Training and Engagement” post who oversaw the creation of our very first blended learning training course in strategic communications. Blended learning is when you combine video tutorials with face-to-face workshops, meaning that learning can be flexible and that more people can take part.

We distilled the information from our very best and most popular training courses and recorded short films and training modules with exercises to complete before meeting with the group to put learning into practice.

We were delighted to partner with CharityComms, an umbrella organisation that supports the comms work of over 1,000 charities and nonprofits in the UK. Nearly 100 organisations signed up to take part in the pilot, which will take place in January 2023 and which will inform our online training work going forward.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Tank you

Fikir Assefa, Head of Operations and People

Everything you have seen in this report is the work of a wide and wonderful network of people. People who come together to do this work with care, joy, and community deeply embedded in every act. It’s reflected in how we run sessions with our network members. It’s in how we plan and conduct our team meetings. It’s a big part of how we brief and communicate with journalists to ensure our network members can feel safe and confident.

Each person who joins us in delivering our mission brings something new, and we are so proud of the fierce community we’ve created, and the work that your brilliant minds and passionate hearts bring to life.

Thank you to the Heard team, trustees, facilitators and freelance collaborators, for innovating, energising and realising our work every day.

And finally, thank you to our funders for believing in the work we are doing, and resourcing us to build our vision and scale our impact. We’ve mentioned our programme funders above, and would also like to thank those that support us with the core and unrestricted funding that enables us to innovate and support our team. Thank you to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Tudor Trust, Roddick Foundation and Oak Foundation for their invaluable support this year.

In my first year as part of Team Heard, I have seen the impact of what we do and how we do it, and I’m looking forward to the year ahead, and reaching even further, together.

With that, I’d like to thank our network members, for trusting us to hold you in bringing yourselves to this work.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Financial Review and Reserves Policy

01. Financial Review and Reserves Policy

In the year ending 31 October 2022, Heard generated a surplus in unrestricted funds of £70,808 (2021: £74,151) and increased restricted reserves by £21,668 (2021: £68,668).

Our policy states:

The board has set a reserves policy which requires reserves be maintained at a level which ensures that Heard’s core activity could continue during a period of unforeseen difficulty. A proportion of reserves be maintained in a readily realisable form. The calculation of the required level of reserves is an integral part of the organisation’s planning, budget and forecast cycle.

Our total income in the year was £917,896, an increase of over twenty percent from the previous year (£757,053). As in previous years, the charity’s main source of income (£863,802) was grants received from charitable trusts and foundations (2021: £720,861), but our earned income from training also grew to £54,094, an increase of over sixty percent from the previous year (£32,504). We aim to grow earned income in the coming years to diversify Heard’s income streams and expand our training offer.

It takes into account:

Risks associated with each stream of income and expenditure being different from that budgeted.
Planned activity level.
Organisation’s commitments.

Our total expenditure in the year was £825,420 (2021: £614,234), an increase of £211,186 (34 percent) from the previous year, mainly due to increased staff and project costs. Direct project costs (excluding staff costs) increased from £35,682 in 2021 to £186,380 in 2022 because of many activities shifted back to faceto-face delivery compared with the virtual delivery in the previous year (as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic). Heard’s growing team resulted in staff cost increasing by £106,084, mostly engaged on direct project delivery (£82,522 increase) but also increasing support functions (£23,562 increase).

Heard registered as a charity in 2016 and has steadily grown since then. As a result, it has progressively built up its free reserves. The charity aims to make a surplus every year to increase its free reserves. At 31 October 2022, Heard held unrestricted reserves of £230,423 (2021: £159,615) and free reserves of £224,392 (2021: £150,607), representing unrestricted funds excluding those held in tangible fixed assets.

For 2022-23, the board agreed that the most appropriate level of reserves is an amount that equates to between 3 (£198k) and 6 (£396k) months running costs for the organisation. Running costs include salaries, rent and overheads. Heard’s current level of reserves is within the target range.

On review of cost allocation in the prior year, brought forward reserves were adjusted to more accurately reflect where costs were incurred in the financial year ending 31 October 2021. This resulted in an increase of £31,269 in the unrestricted funds balance and an equivalent reduction in restricted funds at 31 October 2021. The net effect on total reserves was £nil.

Heard’s 2022-23 budget includes a surplus of over £17k on unrestricted funds to increase free reserves. Heard updates its financial forecast monthly, monitors its cash flows continuously and only commits additional expenditure when funding is confirmed.

A formal policy on reserves was agreed at the December 2017 board meeting. This policy was updated at the 8 December 2022 trustee meeting.

ACCOUNTS AND TRU STEES REP ORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

02. Structure, governance and management governing document

Although outside of this financial year, on 17th February 2023, On Road Limited legally changed names by special resolution. This was approved by the board of Trustees on 17th February 2023, and discussed at length in prior board meetings. Heard Organisation Limited is a company limited by guarantee governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 19th June 2008. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. Anyone over the age of 18 can become a member of the Company and there are currently 7 members. Each member promises, if the company is dissolved while they are a member or within twelve months after they cease to be a member, to contribute such sum (not exceeding £10) as may be demanded of them towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the Company and of the costs charges and expenses of winding up, and the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.

03. Appointment of trustees

As set out in the Articles of Association the chair of trustees is nominated by the elected trustees. Trustees are elected annually by the members of the charitable company attending the Annual General Meeting and serve for a period of 3 years. The trustees have the power to co-opt up to 2 further members to fill specialist roles. All members are circulated with invitations to nominate trustees prior to the AGM advising them of the retiring trustees and requesting nominations for the AGM. When considering co-opting trustees, the board has regard to the requirement for any specialist skills needed.

04. Trustee induction and training

New trustees undergo an orientation to brief them on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the committee and decision-making processes, the business plan and recent financial performance of the charity. During the induction day, they meet key employees and other trustees. Trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate external training events where these will facilitate the undertaking of their role.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

05. Organisation

The board of trustees, which can have up to 15 members, administers the charity. The board meets on a quarterly basis. A Chief Executive is appointed by the trustees to manage the day-to-day operations of the charity. To facilitate effective operations, the Chief Executive has delegated authority, within terms of delegation approved by the trustees, for operational matters including finance, employment and project specific related activity.

The Finance Committee makes recommendations to the board on these matters, but decisions are taken by trustees at the board meeting.

Meetings are chaired by the Treasurer, and the Finance Committee consists of:

Kristina Kopic (Treasurer)
Nina Spataru (Trustee)
Ewan Bennie (Trustee)
Bindu Karnany (Head of Finance)

Social Affairs Committee

Melissa Murdock, Princess Ashilokun and K Biswas sit on the Social Affairs SubCommittee. Founded in 2022, it is tasked with advising the board on matters relating to the protected characteristics of staff members and the organisation’s environmental and social impact.

Human Resources Committee

K Biswas, Melissa Murdock and Ewan Bennie are members of the Human Resources Sub-Committee. They take delegated responsibility on behalf of the board for overseeing Heard’s human resources (HR) strategy, policies and implementation.

06. Related parties

One of our trustees, K Biswas, occasionally works for us as a guest journalist consultant on a number of our projects. He receives remuneration from the charity for this. All conflicts of interest are declared at the beginning of board meetings, and we track these to monitor remuneration. Additionally, any trustees with conflicts are not involved in discussions where a conflict arises. We have a Conflict of Interests policy which is reviewed yearly.

No other trustee receives remuneration or any other benefit from their work with the charity.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee was established in September 2022. It meets quarterly before board meetings to discuss matters related to all financial aspects to ensure Heard’s short- and long-term financial viability. The Committee’s remit includes oversight of Heard’s financial and income generation strategy, financial risk management, auditor appointment, and treasury management.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

07. Risk management

The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:

Quarterly review of a risk register noting risks the charity may face, and outlining mitigating actions being taken
Processes that allow the board to work with the staff team, to carry out mitigating actions as required, to reduce likelihood of risks occurring
Procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise

Below are the key risks that Heard currently faces, and some of the key activities we undertake to mitigate these risks:

The relations we have with our network members and other people we work with in our programmes, is central to the work we do - we want them to be supported and feel confident through their training, and continued engagement with us. Many small and big actions we take in working with them, help to manage the risk of breaking the trust we have, which can also put them at risk. Some of the things we do include running regular peer support sessions, checking in with individuals around interactions, ensuring we are looking after our network member’s data, and providing them with other types of support to facilitate their participation in this work.
The impact of the work we do on our staff, and potential for burnout is something seem across the sector. We have a great team culture which holds our staff’s wellbeing at the heart of how we support each other. We have an broad range of activities including regular line management, mentoring and flexible working, to support our team’s capacity and engagement with their work.
As an organisation funded largely by grant income, losing funding presents a risk to our ability to do our work at the scale we wish to do so. We manage this risk by ensuring we are maintaining the great relationships we have with our funders, and having a fundraising consultant work with the team to explore new funding opportunities. We also ensure that Heard is not financially reliant on a single funder and we diversify our income streams by increasing earned income from training and consultancy.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Plans for the Future

Our vision is of a world where communication means change. Our mission is to create conversations about social issues that change minds and develop the conditions for lasting social change.

Beyond this strategic period (21-25), our long term vision of success is nothing short of a revolution in the way groups, activists and campaigners communicate, helping them to realise their goals and create a fairer, safer, more sustainable society. By 2025 we expect to be building significant momentum towards this, and to have built our organisational capacity to be able to step up efforts again.

Our approach has 3 strands.

We use strategic communication insights to create effective framing and engage people who might otherwise be alienated by the nature or tone of a conversation. By framing our communications in this way we increase the size of the receptive audience, and build appetite for change.
We work with journalists and media professionals to create safe and supportive spaces in which they can reflect on their views and practices. We help them to recognise and overcome the biases that can lead to unfair and unrepresentative content. By facilitating interactions between people with direct experience of an issue and journalists and media professionals, we create genuine connections that act as counterweights to the biases that shape production. This leads to better, fairer representation of groups and topics in media and popular culture. In turn, this leads to shifts in public opinion and creates an environment open to and accepting of change.
We work with spokespeople with first hand experience of the issues, and those planning communications, to help them tell their stories and communicate in ways that are strategically focused on change. We emphasise the wellbeing of people speaking to the media and support these spokespeople to navigate this engagement constructively, supporting them to establish and maintain boundaries and objectives and facilitating peer support networks. This leads to supported spokespeople driving the vision for change.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Our model of action can be summarised as a cycle, building momentum for change through shifs in social atitudes.

Heard trains and collaborates with creators of popular culture, high profile people and campaigners who are speaking on social issues to wide audiences.

Well-framed stories are heard repeatedly through popular culture, news and from influential figures .

Campaigners and advocates reflect and fuel public backing for policy and systems transformation . Leaders are propelled to act in response to the public mood .

These stories shift public attitudes, norms and policy preferences.

Looking forward: Heard Plans and Objectives 2021-2025

In order to achieve our vision of a world where communication means change, we need to work on multiple levels.

We will continue delivering our own programmes directly, building on success and embracing our updated theory of change. We continue to develop our programmes year year, securing ongoing funding for our work and in some cases like climate and palliative care, doubling our capacity.

We will significantly increase our work on sharing our approach with others (charities, campaign groups, individuals) and seek to act as a thought leader on how to communicate effectively for change. In the last year we have begun to develop our online training courses which will allow us to scale delivery of our training. In 23-24 we will be exploring ways of selling this training.

We will also significantly increase delivery of targeted, specific expertise to other organisations in the form of consultancy and training . In 22-23 we increased our consultancy work by securing new research projects and training work with third sector clients.

We will enhance our business model to increase financial sustainability and growth by developing a hybrid commercial and grants funded model. We hired a Head of Training and Engagement this year who will help us develop this side of the organisation in 23-24.

We will invest in our people , deepening our understanding of how we all work at our best, and improving systems and processes for an inclusive and healthy workplace . We hired a Head of Operations and People with a renewed mandate to focus on staff wellbeing with an increased budget for training and support and focused training of line managers to provide support to our team.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEE S REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Heard’s Board of Trustees and Team

We said goodbye to two wonderful members of the team.

Heard has become the organisation it is today because of the heart and soul that every team member has poured into the work over the years. Two titans of Heard moved on from the organisation this year and we’re saying a huge thank you to them both.

Alana Avery joined Heard over ten years ago when there were just two members of staff (she was one of them!). She was instrumental in shaping the warm and supportive team culture we continue to build today. She helped to design the first programmes that Heard ran, and was passionate about the experience that every single person who came into contact with us would have. Alana is now a coach and consultant, sharing her talent in building inclusive practices with the third sector. She is hugely missed but her imprint on the organisation can be felt on a daily basis.

When Denis McDermott began to volunteer for Heard, there were three staff members and a handful of financial transactions. By the time he stepped down, and our Head of Finance, Bindu Karnany joined the team, we were a team of 13 and a thriving charity. A retired Financial Director for multinational corporations, Denis used his experience to help us establish a culture of financial confidence with strong budget development and controls, all in a voluntary capacity. He helped us keep our cash flow monitoring tight and set up easy-to-use systems. Our organisation is imbued with his cheerful, organised and focused love of finance and what it enables us to achieve.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Board of Trustees

Nina Spataru Co-chair

K Biswas Co-chair (joined 2021)

Bisi Alimi (resigned 2022)

Kristina Kopic Treasurer

Melissa Murdock Trustee

Sophie Hobson Trustee

Ewan Bennie Trustee (joined 2022)

Princess Ashilokun Trustee (joined 2022)

Team

Nathalie McDermott Nicky Hawkins Founder and Director of Chief Executive Communications

Chiara Varè Programme Manager

Amy Pearce Executive Assistant

Fikir Assefa Head of Operations and People (joined 2022)

Madeleine Ellis-Petersen

Programme Manager

Bindu Karnany Head of Finance (joined 2022)

Zino Akaka Programme Coordinator

Kate Llewellyn Head of Training and Engagement

Aishah Siddiqa Programme Manager

Jamie Wareham

Interactions Manager

Jo Henry Programme Assistant

Makaela Lewis

Programme Assistant (joined 2021)

Zoë Speekenbrink

Programme Manager (joined 2021)

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Report of the trustees and financial statements for the year ended 31 october 2022 For Heard Organisation Limited (Formerly On Road Limited)

Report of the trustees

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 October 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

Structure, governance and management

Reference and administrative details

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, Memorandum and Articles of Association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Registered Company number

06624806 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number 1165237

Registered office

The Green House Cambridge Heath Road London E2 9DA

Change of name

On 17 February 2023, the charitable company changed its name from On Road Limited to Heard Organisation Limited.

Trustees

Auditors

Bankers

A Adebisi (resigned on 3 April 2022) K Biswas S Hobson K Kopic M Murdock N Spataru E Bennie (appointed 31 January 2022) P Ashilokun (appointed 22 June 2022)

Sedulo Audit Limited 605, Albert House 256-260 Old Street London EC1V 9DD

The Co-operative Bank Delf House Skelmersdale WN8 6GH

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors of Heard Organisation Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and
the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

The auditors, Sedulo Audit Limited, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Report of the trustees, incorporating a strategic report, approved by order of the board of trustees, as the company directors, on 15 June 2023 and signed on the board’s behalf by:

20th June 2023

N Spataru – Co-chair

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Report of the independent auditors

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Heard Organisation Limited (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 October 2022 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the Independent Auditors thereon.

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 October 2022 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

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

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the Report of the Trustees for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Report of the Trustees.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with directors and management, and we cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our knowledge of the business and sector, enquiries of directors and management, and review of regulatory information and correspondence. We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.

We discussed with directors and management the policies and procedures in place to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and otherwise prevent, deter and detect fraud.

Based on this understanding we designed our audit procedures to identify non-compliance with such laws and regulations identified as potentially having a material effect on the financial statements. Our procedures included review of financial statement information and testing of that information, enquiry of management and examination of relevant documentation, analytical procedures to identify unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate fraud, and procedures to address the risk of fraud through director or management override of controls.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/ auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Report of the Independent Auditors.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Senior Statutory Auditor Sedulo Audit Limited 605, Albert House 256-260 Old Street London

EC1V 9DD

Date: 20th June 2023

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Statement of financial activities

(Incorporating Income and Expenditure Account)

For the year ended 31 October 2022

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities. The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Balance sheet

31 October 2022

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 15 June 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:

20th June 2023

N Spataru – Co-chair

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Cash flow statement

For the year ended 31 October 2022

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Notes to the cash flow statement

For the year ended 31 October 2022

1. Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from operating activities

2. Analysis of changes in net funds

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 October 2022

1. Accounting policies

Statutory information

Heard Organisation Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England, with registered company number 06624806 and charity number 1165237. The address of the registered office is The Green House, Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9DA

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) ‘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), Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ and the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

The financial statements have been prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

Going concern

The Trustees have considered charity’s current and future financial position. The charity holds unrestricted reserves of £230,423 and an unrestricted cash balance of £319,185.

The trustees have prepared cash flow forecasts for a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements (“the going concern period”). These forecasts considered the risks to the charity’s business model, particularly the reliability of Heard’s fundraising forecasts and cost increases due to high inflation, and analysed how those risks might affect the charitable company’s financial resources or ability to continue operations over the going concern period. Our planning process, including financial and cashflow projections, has considered alternate scenarios and we expect to be able to match potential shortfalls of income with a reduction in costs as Heard receives most of its income at the start of projects.

But if this were not possible, we hold sufficient free reserves to provide cover for unexpected changes in income and expenditure to allow us time to adjust our cost base and continue activities. We continually monitor our actual and forecasted financial performance and manage our finances accordingly. Consequently, the trustees have concluded that there are no material uncertainties that could cast significant doubt over the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements, and therefore, have prepared the financial statements on a going concern basis.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, are reconsider when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are initially recorded at cost.

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset, less its estimated residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Fixtures and fittings	- 33% on cost
Computer equipment	- 33% on cost
Telephones	- 50% on cost

Debtors

Other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand include cash and short term highly liquid investment with a maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening or a deposit or similar account.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised when the charitable company has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer in funds to a third party and the mount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provision are normally recognised at the settlement amount due.

Financial instruments

The charitable company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are wholly recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at settlement value.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company’s pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

2. Grants and donations

3. Charitable activities

4. Raising funds

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

5. Charitable activities costs

6. Support costs

7. Net income/(expenditure)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

8. Trustees’ remuneration and benefits

There were no trustees’ remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 October 2022 nor for the year ended 31 October 2021.

Trustees’ expenses

No expenses were paid to trustees during the year ended 31 October 2022 nor for the year ended 31 October 2021.

The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise the Trustees, Chief Executive and Director of Communications. The total employment benefits, including employer pension and national insurance contributions, of those Key Management Personnel were £149,555 (2021: £122,655) incurred by 2 (2021: 2) members of staff.

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was:

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

10. Comparatives for the statement of financial activities

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

11. Tangible fixed assets

12. Debtors: amounts falling due within one year

13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Analysis of movement in deferred income:

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

14. Movement in funds

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Comparatives for movement in funds

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

5 7

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

15. Leasing agreements

At the balance sheet date, the company had total commitments under non-cancellable operating leases of £49,931 (2021: £69,975). Lease payments recognised as an expense in the year were £20,044 (2021: £19,528).

16. Retirement benefit schemes

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charitable company in an independently administered fund.

The charge to the income and expenditure account in respect of defined contribution schemes was £21,284 (2021: £12,780).

17. Related party disclosures

During the year, £2,929 (2021: £nil) was paid to Kuntal Biswas, trustee and co-chair at Heard Organisation for his services as a guest journalist on our training courses.

18. Company limited by guarantee

The Company is limited by guarantee and does not have share capital. In the event of a winding up, each of the members undertakes to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

19. Prior year adjustment

The amounts for the prior year have been adjusted for the misallocation of restricted funds spent. The adjustment included the reallocation of wages and overheads costs totalling £31,269 from unrestricted funds to restricted funds, resulting in an increase in the overall unrestricted funds balance and a reduction in the overall restricted funds balance at 31 October 2021.

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT | Nov 21 - Oct 22

Find us

The Green House 244 – 254 Cambridge Heath Road Bethnal Green London E2 9DA

Ph. 020355 96764 info@heard.org.uk https://heard.org.uk @HeardOrg @Heard – organisation

•6 66 'HEARD

2022-10-31-accounts

ACCOUNTS AND TRUSTEES REPORT

Contents

Why Heard is here

Te Road to Heard

Fresh new look, same core focus

And we are now Heard.

A leter from the co-chairs of our board

Some of the best bits of our year

Top journalists join our reporting poverty discussion

Climate stories reach audiences of millions

Catherine from our poverty network shapes the news agenda

Coronation Street spotlights migration

We get ready to change the conversation about children’s palliative care

Jon from our Angles network inspires vital and sensitive coverage in Te Guardian

We train climate pioneers

We look into how narrative change work can have greater impact

Our team connects at our first ever retreat

Local BBC Radio journalists talk to us about poverty

Global Netlix audiences engage with how a culture can enable abuse

Ocean and climate stories make waves

Our poverty network sits down with BBC Children in Need

All About Trans chats to leading publishers

Jun 2022

We release a new video guide on climate communication

We talk climate with international pop act

Media Movers advise on ‘the joy of being seen’

We explore nuanced reporting of sexual abuse with gal-dem

Our colleagues of colour focus on joy and expression

We shape timely communications guidance on climate change and the cost of living

We lead a communications session for 230 children’s palliative care experts

All About Trans goes to the Globe

Flagship BBC climate content engages audiences

We prepare to launch our online training course with CharityComms

Supporting our team to grow and thrive

Heard’s first residential

Healing space

Our year in numbers

Heard supported 2,309

MILLIONS

254

35

619

60

60 mainstream media

27

128

We’re developing our team and structure to support this work:

Children’s Palliative Care: shifing the narrative about care for very unwell children

Tis year’s highlights

Our programme in numbers

Hearing from our collaborators….

What was a standout moment of the year for you?

What has the last year taught you?

What opportunities do you see for the future of this programme?

Poverty: telling beter stories about poverty

Tis year’s highlights

Our programme in numbers

Hearing from our collaborators….

What stood out about working with us?

How do you stay grounded and focussed on your wellbeing while doing this work?

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

Climate Stories Tat Work: turning awareness into action

Tis year’s highlights

Our programme in numbers

Most inspiring/standout moment of the year

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

Anything else you want to add?

Media Movers: communicating a fresh story about migration across popular culture

Tis year’s highlights

Our programme in numbers

Hearing from our collaborators….

What has been the best thing that you’ve been involved in over the last year?

How does it make you feel knowing that your work has made an impact?

What potential do you see for this work in the future?

All About Trans: reflecting the experiences of transgender people

Tis year’s highlights

Our programme in numbers

Hearing from our collaborators….

Most inspiring/standout moment of the year.