## **Hats Off for Bootsie**
## **Trustees’ Annual Report 2020**
## **Charitable Incorporated Organisation**
**Registration no. 1165319.**
**www.hatsoffforbootsie.org.uk**
**The Summit, 2 Castle Hill Terrace, Maidenhead, SL6 4JP**
**Hats Off for Bootsie - Trustees’ Annual Report 2020**
## Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31 December 2020
The Trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the consolidated financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 December 2020.
## Chair’s Report
Hats Off for Bootsie (HOfB) was incorporated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 26[th] January 2016 under registration no. 1165319.
HOfB’s objects are ‘to promote and protect the good health of Combat Veterans who are homeless or who are overcoming mental trauma, in particular but not exclusively, by providing them with opportunities to rehabilitate using the arts as a medium.’
Between 1/1/20 and 31/12/20 HOfB secured some grant funding resulting in a total income of £4,731 and expenditure of £1,181. The grant income was originally intended to be spent during 2020, however the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown meant that the planned activities were delayed until 2021.
The main activities of 2020 therefore consisted of a fundraising campaign to enable a promotional film for HOfB’s _The Terminus_ to be made. This promo film, called _Service No Longer Required_ could not actually be filmed during 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. However it was possible to develop the script and story board, cast the film from almost entirely military veterans, and rehearse the main actor over Zoom videoconferencing.
My thanks to the generous help we have received from Supporters and Friends this year and particularly to the Veterans’ Foundation for providing the grant required to fund the filming.
Chris Greenslade Chair
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## Governance
During 2020 our board consisted of five Trustees with a variety of backgrounds and experience pertinent to both our proposed activities and the high standards of governance of a CIO. HOfB’s decisions are reached either through a majority vote at Trustees’ Meetings or, as our constitution allows, through a majority vote on-line. The Trustees met twice in 2020.
## Objectives and Activities
HOfB’s objects are ‘to promote and protect the good health of Combat Veterans who are homeless or who are overcoming mental trauma, in particular but not exclusively, by providing them with opportunities to rehabilitate using the arts as a medium.’
HOfB was established on 26 January 2016. During 2020, the initial objectives continued to be developed and pursued:
1. Establishing a plan of activities to support the longer term objective of putting on a theatrical production using military veteran actors.
2. Developing the relationships required to deliver item 1
3. Developing relationships, including our network of volunteer ambassadors, to promote a positive perception of veterans overcoming mental trauma and homelessness
4. Raising grants or other sizeable funding to deliver item 1.
## Achievement and Performance
Objective 1
A costed plan previously developed continues to apply. The plan is to stage a play, _The Terminus_ , which has as its central character a homeless war veteran suffering from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder and the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. The cast will consist mostly
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or entirely of military veteran actors. Objective 1 is the main plank of HOfB’s strategy to achieving its charitable objects. For further details, specifically how this will be delivered and who will be involved, see Objective 2.
However, with the closure of all theatres as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and no indication that they might open in the foreseeable future, the trustees decided that there was little prospect of raising funding for a theatre production and progressing this objective. Therefore HOfB investigated, costed and obtained grant funding for a short film, _Service No Longer Required,_ as an interim objective. The film was to be a low cost, high impact drama highlighting the plight of veterans living on the streets. It will be released on social media through our partners for maximum coverage and will give a taste of the theatre production. The intention had been to rehearse and then possibly even film in 2020 but a further lockdown prevented filming from taking place and this had to be deferred to 2021.
## Objective 2
The activities and relationships required to deliver the interim objective described above therefore needed to change slightly. HOfB engaged with a professional charities fundraiser who was commissioned to raise the funding required for the film. An existing relationship with Stoll, the veterans housing charity in the Fulham Road, London, delivered the perfect filming location and will hopefully grow through a planned joint launch of the film at a prestigious fundraising event in late 2021/early 2022.
Shaun Johnson, a HOfB Ambassador, was appointed Producer and Nigel Fair, the Script Writer, was appointed Director. They selected and recruited the veterans required for the filming, including acting, camera work, sound, post-production and editing. We anticipate that 13 military veterans will be hired.
The film raises issues facing veterans overcoming mental trauma and homelessness, particularly issues concerning their value to society. Improvement in public perception of such veterans will not just be for those involved in the project, but also for thousands of other veterans faced with similar challenges.
## Objective 3
As before, HOfB’s wider network of volunteer ambassadors continues to be valued. HOfB is most grateful for their enthusiasm and dedication to impact their own home and work communities – mainly by conversations and social media, but also speaking to small, local groups.
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Covid had an obvious impact on the number and types of meetings possible, but nevertheless a team was formed and developed to undertake roles in front of and behind the camera. Strategically the relationships with Stoll and The Veterans’ Foundation were developed and initiated, respectively, and these are both essential enabling relationships for HOfB and we see them being mutually beneficial going forwards.
Objective 4
A major dependency for achieving Objective 1 was and continues to be the ability to raise the necessary funding.
During 2020 the Trustees decided to engage a professional fundraiser to research and assist the Trustees in approaching a targeted list of potential grant providers. This resulted in our first grant funding being achieved in the form of a £4,708 grant to cover the entire filming of _Service No Longer Required._ HOfB is extremely grateful to The Veterans’ Foundation for this grant and hopes the relationship will grow to mutual benefit as the film is made public.
Stoll appears keen to use the film as a centrepiece in a prestigious fundraising event it intends to host and it is hoped that this could also benefit HOfB financially.
The Trustees had previously made two decisions that have a strong bearing on the fundraising activities:
1. Not to pursue actively funding from the public in general until such time that a sufficiently large grant/donation had been secured to give a realistic prospect of achieving Objective 1.
2. Until such time that such grant/corporate donation had been secured to cover a high proportion of the cost of Objective 1, no commercial commitments would be made to any partner or supplier. Specifically, the box office revenues would largely be discounted from the funds required for Objective 1.
The impact of these decisions was that a ‘high entry bar to start’ was created.
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## Financial Review
2020 saw the first grant income (£4,708) which constituted most of the income (total £4,731). Expenditure (£1,181) was limited as the costs associated with the filming will arise in 2021. HOfB continues to be volunteer lead and therefore carries minimal overheads.
As with our other pro-bono work, such as legal advice, research work and the hosting and maintenance of our website (www.hatsoffforbootsie.org.uk), the work of our wider network of ambassadors has gone ahead unhindered by budgetary constraints.
All expenses incurred by the Trustees and Friends of HOfB involved in meetings, consultations and rehearsals, have been borne by the individuals themselves.
The Trustees continue to be of the opinion that a major source of funding is required in order for its activities to commence in a more meaningful way, but do consider the grant funding secured in 2020 to be good progress.
Given the ‘start-up’ circumstances of HOfB (and given decision 2 under Objective 4) the Trustees have not felt the need to have a reserves policy at this time.
## Outlook
Good progress, albeit against an interim objective, was made during 2020 in a difficult year, given the pandemic. The interim objective, to release a short, low cost, high impact drama highlighting the plight of veterans living on the streets, is very much in line with HOfB’s charitable objects.
2020 saw the funding secured for the filming of _Service No Longer Required_ . 2021 will see its filming and, Covid-permitting, release in conjunction with Stoll and other partners. This will see a number of veterans being employed to deliver a film that tells their story. The initial response from those involved in preparations is excitement. The Trustees will implement a mechanism for feedback during the filming in 2021 in order to help determine the benefit being realised.
Release of this short film will help raise funding for further initiatives, hopefully including in due course the staging of _The Terminus_ .
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## Public Benefit Statement
The Trustees believe the benefits of HOfB’s activities are:
- Firstly, for veterans who have suffered mental trauma or experienced homelessness as a result of their service to their country, and who wish to engage with the performing arts to assist in their rehabilitation and engagement with the wider community;
- To the wider community, initially family and friends of such veterans, but also the public in general benefiting from the knowledge that veterans who have served their country are being supported in their rehabilitation in an engaging, appropriate way;
- The veterans themselves are combatting the stigma surrounding mental trauma and homelessness, not only in military circles, but also where it exists in the public at large.
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## Reference and administrative details
Charity number: 1165319 Principal Office: The Summit, 2 Castle Hill Terrace, Maidenhead, SL6 4JP Web site: www.hatsoffforbootsie.org.uk
## Our advisers
Auditors N/A Bankers CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ Legal Advice Ashleigh Harding
## Trustees
The Trustees serving during the year and since the year-end were as follows: Nigel Fair Robin Vickers Rachael Odeniyi Ishmael Carboo Christopher Greenslade
Structure, Governance and Management
During 2020 HOfB’s board consisted of five Trustees with a variety of backgrounds and experience pertinent to both our proposed activities and high standards of governance of a CIO. HOfB’s decisions are reached either through a majority vote at Trustees’ Meetings or, as our constitution allows, through a majority vote on-line. The Trustees met twice by Zoom in 2020.
## Governing Document
HOfB is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation governed by its Constitution dated 17 December 2015. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission.
Approved by the Trustees of HOfB on 20[th] October 2021 and signed on their behalf by Chris Greenslade (chair)
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## Hats Off For Bootsie
Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2020
||Total 2020|Total 2019|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|**Income and Expenditure Statement**|||
|Income|4,731|293|
|Expenditure|1,181|315|
||----------------------------------------------------||
|Excess of Income over Expenditure|3,550|(22)|
|Opening balance 01/01/19|1,146|1,168|
|Closing balance 31/12/19|4,695|1,146|
|**Assets and Liabilities Statement**|||
|Total assets|4,695|1,146|
|Total liabilities|0|0|
Approved by the Trustees of HOfB on 20[th] October 2021 and signed on their behalf by Chris Greenslade (chair)
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