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2023-08-31-accounts

Charity No. 1168555

—s is ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2022/23 ds

www.rotherfieldstmartin.org.uk

STRATEGY SNAPSHOT ROTHERFIELD ST MARTIN STRATEGY SNAPSHOT 2022 - 2024 RSM Our Vision,. A community where every person enjoys a secure and enjoyable third age Our Mission.. Prevent isolation and loneliness by building a strong and supportive community Strategic Goals Support older re$6denl$lo bl •¢llw, Involved ind ¥alued mwber$•l our Communlty Increase aw?￿ne$S ol RSMS across and irwn Wealden Bulld a $ustaln8bl dl¥¢rse 8r#l finan¢lall¥ resillent, cornmunlty.led ¢h8rlty Build a hrture- woofed CornrnNity Hub Ihil SUPPDrt5 local rnsldeTrt5 and t051erssKial connections Inspiring and supporting our Community to care for one another Strategic Objectives Involw Members shaplng o pmlslon acll¥llles gnd support ser¥l¢es Portnwwllh kev slakeholderslor r8wJrces and pmhts Identify dlwew and suslalmblb soutms ol N¥onufrtO SUPPOrt￿re(rt work IIExible cornmunity hub al Clt•rtylellM Our offerfng to Ralse awareness ol demenlla in order lo support those living with Ihe dlsease In our Communlty our work wo brini lo 0￿r￿￿OI¢ & conwnunlly enllty¢wpornlesponsors WDrk Recrull. tr*n. relilTr and suppjrt a leaffl ol excellent ¥olunleern lo help dell¥er Champlon and support Unpild Maxlmlse the polenllal ol our Network using balanced and commllnic8tion$ Embod i lrya¢y prolrimr Dellyer Ir1e￿Sh1p, athlce aTrJ yJpp)rt lorour Members OeBpvn Ihpercwlion ar und8r$lindlryforlhe need and ¥alw olours¢I¥l￿$ Ihifi Qui membe￿Ip and yond Identlfy aTrJ nurture RSM Champions who will blRorously support our rnIS5ion and be actrrfely i￿OI¥•d In our work De¥elDP a Mi￿&t eThigency Build a robust setvice that protects, prepares and supports Mernbers to na¥igate their third Include our Parish Pals network Engage Arnbassad￿s and Sponsors to Pmote and support ourcharlty Our initiatives Weaiden K5M PARISH PALS vo UhTEkR 1.2

ROTHERFIELD ST MARTIN

The Trustees of Rotherfield St Martin have pleasure in presenting this Annual Report and independently examined financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31st August 2023.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

The RSM Staff Team - From left - Lou, Iona, Fiona, Sarah, Vicky and Lindsay

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

TRUSTEES

Rotherfield St Martin must have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 charity trustees. The following people served as charity trustees during the year:

Leon Steer Chair (reappointed 28 Mar 2022) Sue Taylor Trustee (reappointed 3 Apr 2023) Mark Howard Trustee (reappointed 28 Mar 2022) Sharon Bohane Trustee (reappointed 28 Mar 2022) Ruth Helliwell Trustee (appointed 28 Mar 2022) Sue Barnett Trustee (appointed 28 Mar 2022) Melanie den Brinker-Darby Trustee (appointed 28 Mar 2022) Matthew Pancaldi Trustee (appointed 3 Apr 2023)

CHARITY MANAGER: Mrs Victoria Cheeseman (appointed 1 Feb 2018) CHARITY NUMBER: 1168555 REGISTERED ADDRESS: RSM Centre Memorial Institute North Street Rotherfield East Sussex TN6 3LX

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER: Mr G Khan (ACMA) G3J Limited 32 Abinger Drive Redhill Surrey RH1 6SY

BANKERS: National Westminster Bank Plc Virgin Money (from Sept 23) CAF Bank

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The Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Rotherfield St Martin, was established on 2 August 2016 and has the registered number 1168555.

It assumed the responsibilities and obligations previously carried out by the Charity also known as Rotherfield St Martin (registered number 1119458). The CIO has adopted the "association" model, having voting members other than charity trustees.

An AGM must be held at intervals of not more than 15 months and be open to all members of the CIO.

At each AGM trustees will stand for election/reelection to be appointed by the members of the CIO. These will be trustees that have served three years since their last appointment at an AGM, or trustees that have been appointed mid year by trustees.

New trustees are provided with a copy of the Deed (Constitution dated 2/08/2016) together with any amendments made to it, and a copy of the charity’s latest Annual Report and accounts. They must also acknowledge their acceptance of the office of trustee.

In addition to the AGM, staff and trustees attend 4 Board Meetings and a planning day each year to review progress against objectives.

All staff and trustees are fully vetted before they are appointed.

Our Charitable Objectives:

The charitable objectives of the CIO are to promote for the benefit for the inhabitants of Rotherfield, East Sussex and the surrounding area, the provision of facilities for welfare, recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the conditions of life of the said inhabitants.

Our Vision:

A community where every person in Rotherfield and the surrounding areas, enjoys a secure and enjoyable third age.

Our Mission:

To prevent isolation and loneliness by building a strong and supportive community.

Our Values:

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SUMMARY OF THE YEAR 2022/2023

REPORT BY CHARITY MANAGER, VICKY CHEESEMAN

The year ending August 2023 was a satisfyingly busy year. With lockdown firmly behind us, we saw our clubs thrive with new members. Our membership grew to its highest number for several years and we were delighted to also welcome new volunteers and trustees.

To meet the swell of new members, we recruited new staff and increased overall office hours. This means we are able to give our members and community the time they need, at the time they need it.

All of us can feel lonely or isolated from time to time, whether we live alone or with others. Loneliness is the feeling of sadness that comes from not having as much company or the type of company that you would like, and it affects everyone differently.

(Independent Age, 2023)

RESPONDING TO NEEDS

Our core aim of bringing people together to combat isolation and loneliness remains unchanged. What is changing, however, is how we achieve that.

Over the last decade we have developed and grown our clubs, services and activities to address some of the difficulties that older people face.

However, the last year has seen the charity return to its origins of ‘friendship’, bringing people together to foster friendship and provide a space to be and belong. We have reached out to people when they need it most and to people who find it difficult to ask for help.

This approach has given us real insight into our members lives and as a result has made us part of their lives. To many of our members we feel like old friends chatting over the garden fence, where the conversation never stops, but ebbs and flows.

The daily catch up! Charity Manager Vicky and Member and Volunteer, Betty.

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RAISING AWARENESS

Although we are a well-established charity, the breadth of our work is still not fully understood. It is perhaps easy for us to promote our core services such as our clubs, services and activities through the usual social network channels and we have produced a new information leaflet which has been distributed to key organisations. However, it can be difficult, due to confidentiality, to promote the type of support we are able to offer to more vulnerable members of our community. This remains a challenge, however we continue to speak to other professionals, who understand the scope of our work and who can signpost people to us.

In April 2023 I was delighted to accept an invitation to the Wealden Chairman’s Reception at Herstmonceux Castle , which was an evening to celebrate voluntary work across Wealden. The new Chair of Wealden has recently visited us and exclaimed that “every community should have an RSM”.

We continue to engage with our local MP Nus Ghani to raise awareness of our dementia work and to ensure that the challenges faced by older people in our rural community remain on the political radar.

New RSM Leaflet

FINDING SOLUTIONS

We have spent the last twelve months connecting with other professionals in our sector to try and put in place ‘joined up’ working practices.

We have met local Social Prescribers to ensure that they are aware of our services and have a clear referral pathway. We have also developed a robust working relationship with Sussex Police who visit our team and members regularly to help us stay abreast of local crime and SCAMS.

We have teamed up with DISC to deliver dementia training to help unpaid carers.

We are members of Wealden Food Partnership to help bring about systemic change to create a healthy, resilient, and equitable food system for all.

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SUMMARY OF THE YEAR 2022/2023 CONTINUED

Volunteers enable us to give members a grand day out

RESOURCES

Our biggest resource and asset are our fabulous volunteers who give us upwards of 165 hours per week. They are involved with all aspects of our work and lead many initiatives, activities and services. Like our team of staff, our volunteers take the time to get to know our members and have helped us to grow our RSM family.

Regular contact with all our members is very important to us. This is achieved through chats on the phone, busy WhatsApp groups, cards for birthdays and illness and, of course, in person at clubs or in our busy bustling office. Additionally, our monthly newsletter continues to keep everyone up to date with RSM news, games and quizzes.

This year we have introduced a new feature ‘Martin’ the RSM ferret who provides monthly invaluable information; ‘Money Matters’ and ‘Beat the Scammers’ in a bid to help our members with rising cost of living and crimes and SCAMS that typically target older people.

We have increased our phone lines from two to five to ensure that people can reach us when they need to, and we have deployed more volunteers into our busy office to help with queries or to call members for a chat and a catch up.

RSM’s visiting therapists continue to provide a range of services including counselling, chiropody, facials, manicures, neck massage, pedicures, podiatry and reflexology. All our therapists are qualified professionals and offer their services at a very reasonable rate.

We have started working alongside our new landlords, the Rotherfield Parish Council, to create a real hub at the heart of our community. With an open door policy, our members and wider community can access food via our Feed it Back scheme, speak to the Parish Clerk on council matters and of course find our team who are always ready to welcome anyone with tea, cake, advice, support and friendship.

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FUNDING

We ended the year financially sound largely due to two legacies, the support of our donors and strategic planning.

Grants remain our regular source of income, however during the year we applied for fewer grants than a typical year, due to having healthy reserves. The grants we received were small grants for targeted projects, particularly related to our Food Waste programme.

We remain extremely grateful to the continued support of our long-term supporter, the John Armitage Charitable Trust, who continue to offer an annual grant to help support our core costs.

We have increased our own fundraising efforts to include monthly quiz nights and have promoted the new Wealden Community Lottery amongst our membership.

RSM is a charity that benefits from Wealden Community Lottery

SUMMARY

It has been a year of friendships both old and new. We have fostered a hub where people can come together, feel empowered, valued and part of a community. Our volunteers have helped shape our services and we have reached out to other organisations to find local solutions to national issues.

I would like to thank our volunteers and community who have taken us to their hearts and believe in us to offer friendship, advice and support within our community.

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OUR IMPACT - PERFORMANCE AGAINST OBJECTIVES

TO SUPPORT OLDER RESIDENTS TO BE ACTIVE AND VALUED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY

This year we have been delighted to welcome new volunteers who were looking for something to do in their retirement! Some of these new volunteers were aware of our work and wanted to get involved, whilst others were referred to us via the local Social Prescriber as they were experiencing social isolation themselves.

Research has shown that volunteering is associated with improved health and well-being, including increased longevity, adoption of healthy lifestyles and reduction in depression and stress. .

Being part of RSM is often referred to as being part of a family, so it is an ideal environment to ‘give back’ and reconnect. Our new volunteers have taken on driving roles, companionship visits and help with form filling. They are wonderful additions to our team and have so much to offer.

With an increase in membership, the office team have been busier than normal, so our Volunteers have taken on more leadership roles for core services, such as clubs and outings.

Our volunteers have built trusting friendships with many of our members as they have the time to really get to know them. They have also been instrumental in implementing measures to offer tailored support.

Wrapping the Lewey Body scarf around RSM HQ before being sent to London’s Royal Albert Hall

Our Knitting and Nattering group were thrilled to be part of the national campaign to raise awareness of Lewey Body Dementia. The challenge was to knit a scarf long enough to wrap round the Albert Hall. Our knitters knitted seventy-six feet of scarf and visited London to see the end result.

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TO BUILD A FUTURE PROOFED COMMUNITY HUB THAT SUPPORTS LOCAL RESIDENTS AND FOSTERS SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

We are tenants in a 200 year old building which has had many uses over the years. It was gifted to the village community one hundred years ago and has always been a place where people come together in friendship. Sadly, in recent years the building has fallen into disrepair and consequently in 2021/22 we found ourselves with the real dilemma of finding alternative suitable premises.

Following extensive research, we were in agreement with our community, that our Parish . Council should become sole trustee of the building. This both secures our future in the building and gives us the opportunity to be integral in transforming the building into a real community hub. We have joined the buildings management committee and are working cohesively with all stakeholders to ensure that our needs are met as a charity and that the building is remodelled to accommodate useful future services for residents.

We are fortunate to be situated in the heart of our village where we are easy to find. The Parish Clerk is also now working from the building, meaning that we can work together quickly to support local residents with local issues.

The next step is to engage with our members and the wider community to fully identify and understand their requirements for the community hub.

We have registered with ‘Safe Space Sussex’ to provide a safe place for anyone who feels unsafe in any way, as we can provide practical support.

RSM HQ at The Institute

Making ceramic tiles for the King’s coronation

The building was full of life for the King’s coronation when we commissioned a ceramics project to highlight the flower and fauna of our parish. Young and older residents worked side by side to create individual tiles which will be mounted as an art installation once the building is fully restored, to celebrate our local environment and history.

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OUR IMPACT - PERFORMANCE AGAINST OBJECTIVES

TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF RSM’S WORK ACROSS AND AROUND WEALDEN

This year our team has spent time getting know other organisations and professionals in our sector. With a growing Feed It Back scheme, we were delighted to join the 3VA Wealden Food Partnership, which brings together food growers and distributors across Wealden. This has also led us to be registered as agents for the Local Food Bank. This has enabled us to reach all members of our community and to provide a valuable service alongside our core work of combating isolation and loneliness.

“Great and Valuable Services to the Community” Receiving an award from the HIgh Sheriff of East Sussex

We have been in regular conversation with DISC (Eastbourne’s Dementia Carers Support Group) who join some of our Time to Talk meetings to provide additional and support to our unpaid carers.

We also held our second Memory Walk to raise awareness of our dementia work in the local area.

We continue to have a good working relationship with Sussex Police who regularly visit our team and members. These visits inform our work to help older people stay safe.

Following meetings with social prescribers from local GP practices in Rotherfield and Crowborough, they now signpost older people regularly to us.

We were visited by the High Sheriff of East Sussex who recognised our work in an award for ‘Great and Valuable Services to the Community’.

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TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE, DIVERSE AND FINANCIALLY RESILIENT COMMUNITY LED CHARITY

Our main source of income remains grants and donations, and during the year we have been financially supported by local organisations, trusts, resident and members. We generate 41% of our income through our membership and activities but remain largely reliant on grants which account for 39% of our annual income.

We have been investigating ways in which to diversify our income and during the year signed up to the Wealden Community Lottery which we have promoted through social media to gain . new supporters. To date we have 58 supporters and a guaranteed income of £1,508.

All staff continue to be aware of rising costs and look for solutions. For example, during the year two members of the team undertook lifesaving training to reduce hire costs at one of our weekly exercise sessions.

We received two legacies from long term members who wished to support our future work and a legacy programme is in the pipeline for 2024.

Staff completed lifesaving training to keep hire costs low

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OUR IMPACT - A YEAR IN NUMBERS

188 Exercise Classes

1,508 Volunteer Drives Arranged

5,520 Newsletters Posted

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1,970
Hot Meals
Served
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2,520 Visits to our Office

12,452 Phone Calls Answered

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OUR IMPACT - ACHIEVEMENTS

MONEY MATTERS & BEAT THE SCAMMERS WITH MARTIN THE FERRET

A new initiative for RSM was born out of the rising costs of living and the appalling behaviour of people that target older people with the sole intention to SCAM them.

We wanted to create our very own ‘Martin Lewis’ to offer advice and support, so we created the character ‘Martin the Ferret’ who each month ferrets for up to date, local and national advice.

Martin The Ferret

Our Local PCSOs with our “Money Matters“ & “Beat the Scammers“ newslettersa

With a grant from Sussex Police, we have been able to create an additional monthly newsletter to advise our members with money saving tips and details of benefits they may be entitled to and information on local and national crimes against older people.

Information includes things to be aware of, what to do if you think you are being targeted and how to report a scam.

Members proudly tell us when they have spotted a scam which is very empowering for them. It has made older people talk more openly about scams and has made them more vigilant.

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OUR IMPACT - ACHIEVEMENTS

FRIENDSHIP & CONVERSATION

We always encourage our members and volunteers to come to us with ideas and initiatives. A great idea presented to us this year was a club for our female members, where they could come to meet old friends and make new ones.

Many of our existing groups are based around hobbies so a group just for friendship was missing. We launched 'Bosom Buddies’ as a sister group to our men only group ‘Men at Ten’ and it exists simply for friendship and conversation.

A key young volunteer attends to serve refreshments whist our members put the world to rights and share important elements of their lives.

The very first “Bosom Buddies” meeting

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VALUED & RESPECTED

RSM HQ dressed up as Buckingham Palace!

The King’s Coronation gave us an opportunity to celebrate with our whole community.

Local school children helped to decorate our building and our volunteers came together to cook a coronation lunch fit for a King!

Our members thoroughly enjoyed coming together to reminisce about previous royal occasions and imparted valuable long forgotten stories about our community.

Older people are valued and respected for their knowledge and are great sounding boards for new ideas and initiatives. Members of our community often visit us for local historical information and it is very rewarding that we can connect them with our members who feel empowered and valued for their knowledge and input.

A meal fit for a King! The Luncheon Club Team served coronation chicken to 70 diners

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OUR IMPACT - ACHIEVEMENTS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - CLASS 1943

We are an aging population and are living better for longer. In fact, it is predicted by World Health Organisation that by 2030 one in six people in the world will be aged 60 or over, and the number of people aged over 80 is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426,000,000 worldwide.

The party at Heatherview Care Home

We acknowledge and celebrate the birthday of each of our members with a mention in our monthly newsletter and by sending a birthday card. Sadly, in some instances this may be the only card that our members receive.

We also introduced special joint birthday parties to celebrate together, anyone turning 80 or 90 in the year as landmark ages.

In June 2023, we held our first joint 80th birthday party at a local care home, Heatherview in Crowborough, which was a great success and well attended. We were pleased to welcome some qualifying residents to the party, which was wonderful as they do not often have opportunities to meet new people.

Each member bought a childhood photo with them, which prompted stories of where they had been born and what had bought them to our area and what they had done in their working lives, which ranged from plumbers to book binders. It was a joyful occasion with much laughter and reminiscing and new friendships made.

Baby, how you’ve grown!

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DEMENTIA AWARENESS

We continue to raise awareness of dementia across our community. Last year our team attended inspiring and thought-provoking dementia training. This year our Dementia Co-Ordinator undertook ‘train the trainer’ training to enable her to deliver this training herself. It is a unique dementia training programme ‘Living Through Learning’ as its coproduced and delivered by people who live with dementia. We will fully roll this training out next year across our community and further afield.

Research shows there are more than 944,000 people in the UK who have dementia. 1 in 11 people over the age of 65 have dementia in the UK. The number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer. (NHS, 2023)

We also brought a unique dementia experience to the community with the virtual dementia bus. This experience gives someone with normal brain function, the experience of living with dementia. Sessions were attended by our volunteers and staff, professional carers and unpaid carers.

Manager, Vicky and Iona, our Dementia Champion with the Virtual Dementia Tour Bus, sponsored by Yunex Traffic

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OUR IMPACT - ACHIEVEMENTS

In October we held our second Memory Walk to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. We walked and talked in the Autumn sunshine and raised £1,850.

The wonderful walkers who raised £1,850 for the Alzheimers Society

FEEDING A COMMUNITY

In the last twelve months we have had an abundance of food on our Feed it Back table. Each week we continue to collect surplus food from local supermarkets that would otherwise go to landfill.

In addition, local growers donate to the table with fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables. They also donate seedlings to encourage others to grow themselves.

So, to expand our offering, we have applied to take the lease of a small piece of land to create an RSM kitchen garden. We hope that we will be able to grow produce to support our Luncheon Club and Feed it Back Table.

In the last 12 months as food bank agents for the Trussel Trust, we have issued weekly vouchers to support people who are struggling to meet the continued rising cost of living and who need additional support. We have also signposted them to Citizens Advice for additional advice and support.

Home grown produce and surplus food at the weekly Feed it Back table

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WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT THIS YEAR

IT’S GOOD TO TALK

Whilst our clubs and activities have been busy, we have noticed just how many people call us for a chat and pop into our office. In fact, we have a steady stream of regular visitors throughout the week. These visitors are our members, volunteers and members of our community. It is important to us that we can operate an open-door policy and that we can make time to be available to warmly greet and spend time chatting to every visitor. Everyone has a reason for visiting and that reason may often be connected to reducing loneliness.

Experts say that talking can provide stress relief and can lighten the load of a concern someone might be having. Talking about a problem can help to start breaking it into smaller parts, which can stop you from feeling so overwhelmed.

Talking can:

Support better mental health - it can lighten your mood and make you feel happier. Lower your risk of dementia - social interaction is good for your brain health. Promote a sense of safety, belonging and security.

Allow you to confide in others and let them confide in you.

We have noticed that people living with dementia, often pop in to spend time with us. They comment that they can trust us and that we are a real support to them. We also find that they want us to check their diaries with them and help them make sense of their week.

We also enjoy spending time with our volunteer drivers who visit regularly with their diaries. Over a cuppa, we book their drives with them for the following weeks. It is also a great opportunity to get feedback from our drivers which we feed into our policies and procedures.

In 2022 our future in our current building was a little uncertain. We were rightly concerned that alternative premises would not be as central and therefore our open-door approach would be in jeopardy. Thankfully our Parish Council has become our new landlord and are involving us at every step of the renovation of the building. Being situated in the heart of our community it is our joint aim to create a thriving hub and we will be consulting with our wider community to ask what services they would like made available to them.

“I don’t want to go home, it’s lonely at home” Quote from an RSM Member

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WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT THIS YEAR

A TEAM THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER

During the year staff and trustees embarked on the East Sussex Wellbeing at Work Programme. This was to ensure that the team feel well supported, as their role is multi faceted and not without challenges.

Overall, the team is happy. However, we have learned that staff should take more regular breaks from their desks as some roles have become admin heavy.

The team were awarded the “Bronze Wellbeing at Work” Award in July 2023.

INTERGENERATIONAL WORK WORKS!

For several years we have supported local young people by offering volunteering opportunities. In 2022, 14 year old Jack joined us from Beacon Academy as part of his bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. Initially this was for a three-month period once a week. Jack is still with us over a year later as he enjoys volunteering so much.

Jack picks out birthday cards to send to members

By engaging in volunteer activities within their communities, teens gain a better understanding of local needs and challenges. This connection fosters a sense of responsibility and engagement, helping young volunteers being informed, active and compassionate citizens. (gvi,2023)

Jack originally helped us with practical tasks such as serving refreshments at activities, but over time he got to know the rhythm of our week and most importantly got to know our members. The whole team has supported Jack in his

development as a volunteer. Supporting a young person in a predominately adult environment takes time, and it is important to identify natural skills and where additional support is required.

Jack is now confident to take and make calls in our busy office, arrange drives, organise our busy cake rota and make companionship calls and visits to ease loneliness.

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Jack also joined our Annual Memory Walk to raise awareness of dementia locally and raised over £500 on his own for the Alzheimer’s Society. We are immensely proud of him.

Our members enjoy meeting and speaking to Jack as he is polite, respectful, kind and interested in their life experiences.

Jack is now supporting our new Duke of Edinburgh student and we hope that we have set him on a life long journey of volunteering.

Jack arrives at the end of our memory walk for the Alzheimers Society

With RSM Team Member Sarah on a Holiday at Home trip

Volunteering presents ample opportunities for teens to reap social awards. It enables them to forge meaningful connections with others, cultivate a spirit of empathy, understanding and solidarity. (GVI, 2023)

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Jack learning a new skill with the Knitters and Natterers!
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Learning new skills with the RSM Knitters & Natterers!

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OUR VALUES IN ACTION - (from our members)

“RSM saved my mum when she stopped looking after herself”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, I feel really spoiled”

“Thank you so much for sending your volunteer to my house, he repaired things around the home and my shed roof!”

“Thank you for all you do and all you stand for.”

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“Thank you for organising such a lovely party for all the volunteers. Everything was perfect.”

“Thank you for posting all the dementia notices around the village. What a great way to raise awareness and support people with dementia.”

“Rotherfield has so much to offer in care and support and friendship”

“Many thanks for yet another wonderful day. I am beginning to know the other members who are lovely and the helpers of course”

“How can I thank you for inviting me to the volunteers party - with fondest love”

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OUR VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

We remain indebted to our wonderful team of volunteers who collectively give at least 165 voluntary hours per week through an array of roles, ranging from drives to medical appointments, visiting our members for companionship, repairing and fixing jobs in people’s homes, baking cakes, fundraising, serving refreshments and assisting with office roles.

Being open for 50 weeks of the year, this equates to 8,250 voluntary hours per year, which if paid at the minimum wage equates to £85,965 (higher than our actual salaries cost).

This year we have recruited additional volunteers with a skill set that has enabled us to offer the additional service of helping our members with all types of form filling to assist day to day living such as Blue Badge and Attendance Allowance applications.

Helping members apply and claim for support

To support our volunteers, we have held Volunteer information sessions throughout the year and have together developed a Lone Worker policy.

Out on a Holiday At Home trip

Our members and their families are overwhelmed by the kindness of our volunteers. A son recently wrote:

“RSM saved my Mum when she stopped looking after herself. Ros has been dropping in to see my mum recently, and noticed she was becoming more confused and not eating and drinking as much as she should. Without these visits I am sure my mum would have ended up in a very bad way. I’d like to thank Ros and Vicky for literally saving my mum”.

A drive out for a cup of coffee

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VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

All our volunteers are terrific and each of our members help us to name a Volunteer of the Year.

This year we named Betty Saunders for all her selfless work for our charity.

Betty leads several of our clubs, fundraises, visits and calls people who are living alone and even went on local radio with Charity Manager Vicky to talk about her role. She explained “RSM saved me, so I want to give something back.” As a result, Betty is rarely seen without her RSM Volunteer lanyard and is a source of inspiration to the office team with her ideas and ways to help the charity move forward.

“If I can put a smile on someone’s face, I know I have done a good job” Betty’s Motto

Betty collecting her award from Volunteer Co-Ordinator, Iona

To thank our volunteers for all that they do, we held a Volunteer drinks at Christmas and a summer Paella Volunteer Party. Both were great occasions with much sharing of volunteering tales and laughter.

Thank you

The rain didn’t stop the fun at our summer Volunteers Party

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OUR VOLUNTEERS - CASE STUDY

Chrissy’s Carpool Karaoke Group

Chrissy joined our charity as a volunteer driver in 2022. She had recently retired and wanted to give something back to her community. She became a regular driver to our Luncheon Club.

The singing began one day when one of the passengers, Valerie, was sad. To try and distract her, Chrissy asked what she enjoyed. Valerie said she liked singing. So, Chrissy sang Que Sera Sera - deliberately getting the lyrics wrong – it worked. Valerie corrected Chrissy by singing the song properly and from there Chrissy’s Carpool Karaoke was born!

Brenda began to sing “My Old Man’s A Dustman” but couldn’t remember all the verses. The next week Chrissy brought song sheets she had had printed with the lyrics. These ladies look forward to their lunch club, knowing they will be singing all the way. They take it in turns to choose a song each week and if needed, Chrissy prints off the lyrics! She’s not just providing a taxi service; she is offering a bespoke, stimulating service and bringing happiness and joy.

Since Chrissy joined us, her passengers are happy, feel part of a group and enjoy each other's friendship. They feel less isolated and lonely. Their families have called us to thank us for Chrissy, saying that the difference she has made to their lives is invaluable. But more than that, Chrissy herself benefits from knowing that she has made a difference.

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FUNDRAISING

TRUSTS

We received grants from a number of trusts and organisations both local and further afield. We are immensely grateful to:

Rotherfield Parish Council B & Q Foundation Uckfield Lions South East Water John Armitage (JACT) Brian Mitchell Police Property Act Fund 3VA Household Fund Yunex Traffic

Grants received from these organisations have enabled us to grow our work, expand experiences for our members and embark on new projects. This includes the running of our weekly Luncheon Club and Feed It Back Scheme, providing volunteers a true experience of what it may be like to live with dementia, keeping older vulnerable people informed against potential crime and safe against pick pockets; enabled us to increase our phone lines and enjoy a fabulous summer of Holiday at Home trip. Consequently, our members are better connected to their community and are enjoying living in a well supported community.

LEGACIES & IN MEMORIAM DONATIONS

We have been immensely grateful to receive two legacies totalling £70,795 from two dear members who passed away during the year, Ms Joan Barter and Ms Fran Farley.

We were also touched to receive In Memoriam donations totalling £1,610 from the families of members.

These are gratifying to receive as they demonstrate the care and respect that our members and their families have for us and have a big impact on our ability to continue to support older people in our community.

DONATIONS

We received both regular and one-off donations throughout the year. In total we received £27, 631 which, in the current economic climate, we are extremely grateful to receive.

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FUNDRAISING

DONATIONS IN KIND

We are thankful for the goods received in kind from food outlets; Lidl, Sainsburys, Tesco and Marks and Spencer. These keep our Feed It Back table topped up for the community each week.

We would also like to take this opportunity to give our thanks to our local farms - Renhurst, Fullers and Horsegrove, for their generous donations of fresh local meat for our Luncheon Club. Their meat is top quality and delicious, and locally produced. We can’t recommend these farms highly enough.

EVENTS & FUNDRAISING

Throughout the year we have again been generously supported by our two local pubs.

The Kings Arms supported our Christmas activities, including supplying and cooking turkeys, as well as giving a large donation from their summer fayre. They also regularly provide us with a venue for RSM to host various events for the community.

The Catts Inn hosts a monthly fundraising quiz ,which has now become a packed event largely due to the truly awful prizes!

The Four Amigos - losers at the RSM Monthly Quiz at The Catts Inn with their surprise prize!

The RSM stall at the Kings Arms Summer Fayre

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TRUSTEES REPORT

Rotherfield St Martin returned a very satisfactory surplus of £69,610 in the financial year compared to a surplus of £40,005 in the previous year. This great result was principally achieved thanks to specific legacies of £70,795 (2022: £20,000) and the generosity of individuals and organisations through grants and donations. We hope that more people will consider benefitting the charity in this way so that our long-term future can be secured.

Income for the year was £189,138 which was £43,325 higher than in the previous year. This was mostly due to legacies of £70,795, grants of £27,837 and donations of £27,631. Attendance at clubs and activities organised for the benefit of members increased significantly and we generated total income from these events of £38,655 compared to £33,349 in the previous year. This is another great achievement and reflects the increasing involvement of members with the charity and the efforts put in by our excellent team of staff and volunteers.

Expenditure was correspondingly higher than the previous year at £119,528 compared to £105,809, but this is largely due to the costs associated with running the clubs and activities during the year. Salary costs have increased to £76,342 from £68,732 mostly due to increasing the number of hours worked. The Trustees are grateful for the service and dedication of the whole team which often extends beyond their contractual commitments. Our volunteers also play a significant role in the successful operation of the charity and whilst there is no cost associated with their work, we would not be able to function without their dedicated assistance.

Bank balances continue in a strong position showing a total of £311,206 compared to £240,261 in the previous year. This healthy position has been arrived at due to a pattern of legacies having been received over the years and the success in attracting grants and donations to help support the annual running costs. The Trustees regularly discuss the best way to hold funds not required for immediate use but are conscious of the risks inherent in other forms of investment and the current economic uncertainty due to external factors. For the time being the decision has been taken to retain our reserves in bank deposits and professional advice will be required as and when this policy changes.

Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between spending and receiving of resources and to cover unplanned emergency repairs and future planned expenditure. At 31 August 2023 our total reserves amounted to £305,535 (2022: £235,926) which is a strong position and is the result of an increasing number of legacies being received, for which we are very grateful. In view of these legacies, we have resolved to designate funds to various projects that will meet the aims of the charity and strengthen our position for the future. These projects and the related designated funds are set out at Note 4 to the Balance Sheet.

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Our reserves, which are detailed on the Balance Sheet, now comprise:

The Charity Commission recommends that, in order to ensure ongoing viability, a charity should hold between 9 and 15 months of total running costs. Rotherfield St Martin’s monthly running costs are now approximately £10,000 and, on this basis, we should be holding between £90,000 and £150,000. We have therefore decided to include within Designated Funds a Safety Reserve of £120,000 in accordance with the Charity Commission recommendation.

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

Note 2023 2022
1 Combating Isolation 17,698 16,701
2 Health & Wellbeing 9,669 9,447
3 Member Services 10,091 7,200
4 Office Services 4,692 3,869
5 Donations 27,631 25,666
6 Grants 27,837 48,000
7 Legacies 70,795 20,000
8 Subscriptions 8,509 6,132
9 Bank Interest & Compensation Received 2,333 98
10 Other Fundraising 9,883 7,459
Adjustment from early year 1,241
Total Income 189,138 145,813
11 Combating Isolation 10,095 8,542
12 Health & Wellbeing 5,018 4,755
13 Member Services 4,816 3,412
14 Office Services 3,010 2,765
15 Office Running Expenditure 9,064 5,907
16 Professional And Insurance Fees 2,749 1,985
17 Rent, Rates And Services 5,800 5,853
18 Salaries And Consultants 76,342 68,732
19 Staff And Trustee Costs 816 904
20 Other Expenditures 1,819 2,955
Total Costs 119,528 105,809
Net Income/(Expenditure) 69,610 40,005

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Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st August 2023

35

Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st August 2023

36

37

Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st August 2023

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BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

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Notes to the Balance Sheet for the Year Ended 31st August 2023

Notes to the Balance Sheet for the Year Ended 31st August 2023

INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT

For the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Report to the Trustees of Rotherfield St Martin for the year ended 31 August 2023 Charity No 1168555 set out on the previous pages.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The Charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the Act);

To follow procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section145(5) of the Act); and

To state whether matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and in comparison, of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

Independent Examiners statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the Trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that:

proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with section 130 of the Act); and accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply within the accounting requirements of the Act; or 2. To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed on: 30th Jan 2024

Independent Examiner…………………………………………

Mr G Khan G3J Limited 32 Abinger Drive Redhill Surrey RH1 6SY

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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

RSM KITCHEN GARDEN

As well as working towards our Strategic Goals, in the coming year we will be embarking on a new project for both staff, volunteers and members – The RSM Kitchen Garden.

Having recently secured a local allotment, we will for the first time in the history of our charity be combating isolation in the open air. Our garden will be a place where people can come together to grow, share ideas, knowledge and experience and sit and enjoy all that nature has to offer, whilst putting the world to rights over a cucumber or two!

The garden will be entirely accessible for people with reduced mobility and as well as a place for friendship, will have a practical element too in that it will provide produce for our Luncheon Club and our Feed it Back Table.

This will be a project led by volunteers that will support our whole community.

BEFORE! The blank canvas that will become our kitchen garden

THE LAST WORD

With fears over the rising cost of living, we are all living in uncertain times. It is therefore very touching and generous when members leave a legacy to RSM when they pass away.

It feels like they are still in the room with us, supporting the friends they leave behind.

Next year, we shall be raising more awareness about the benefits to all of leaving a legacy in your will.

Founding member, Joyce left £20,000 to RSM in 2022

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TRUSTEES DECLARATION DECLARATION The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report. Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees Signature(sl Full namel51 ILtsLJ Positionls} Trustee Trustee Date L 70¥3 AJTr-JC_k_. ? 0 2.£ We would sincerely Ilke to thank all our staff, volunteers, members, donors and supporters for their continued support of our work, Their support makes a real difference to people's lives and ensures that we can continue to build a community that cares for one another, 42

Rotherfield St Martin RSM Centre, The Memorial Institute North Street, Rotherfield East Sussex TN6 3LX

01892 853021 www.rotherfieldstmartin.org.uk Registerd Charity No. 1168555

@RSM Centre

@rotherfield_st_martin

Rotherfield St Martin