2024-12-31-accounts

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Annual General Meeting 10th April 2025 Commencing at 5.30pm at Hope House

Attendees/Apologies
Minutes of Last Meeting
Chairperson's Report
Treasurer's Report
All other reports
Formally adopting the name ‘Hope House’
AOB

Minutes of Previous AGM

BFS - Trustee Meeting 17th April 2024.docx

Chairperson's Report

Another absolutely incredible year which started with our 10th Birthday Party in January. In which we as an organisation continue to support so many people. Over the past year we worked with the families of very young to very old, the area from Epworth to Wrawby/Cadney, Blyton over to Winterton, every village and part of Scunthorpe within that area continues to be covered by the services we provide. We support men, women, different cancers, if we can help we do, always going that extra mile to try and make someone who is going through a rubbish time’s life a little better. We can’t take it away, but we do what we can to make things a little better. I am immensely proud of all we do week in, week out, and the family we have created. I thank each any every one of you here now for the support you give me, but your dedication to our families.

I have had to admit I can’t do everything ( you will all say finally) and my worry is as always that I hold Hope House back. So after lots of self reflection last year, I realised that Tracey and I had to let more people help us, and whilst we can still have control of everything having many more people doing smaller jobs this would mean that Hope House was not completely reliant on two people being there. Examples of specific jobs given out - Mike and Sandra Sloan who deal with all our thankyou letters, thankyou cards and thinking of your cards. Ensuring everyone is acknowledged, our thanks given and our sympathies given, which again highlight the personal, amazing service we give to our families, and make us stand out from other organisations as we ensure that we thank those who support us. Phil’s weekly phone calls to families. People like Rachel Wilson who has worked hard to upgrade all of our policies, and is currently working on creating our very own client database, which will again improve and help us to track the support we give even further. Chris Sumpter who now deals with social media, Abbie and the amazing newsletter she creates every month. Chris Walton for beginning the work with our volunteers. Tracey and myself are still dealing with referrals, whilst our referral sheet is still work in progress, from my records since last June there has been at least 99 referrals in for support.

Some highlights of the past year is the work we have done with Kalie from Macmillan, who has added another strand to what we do, by being able to support people with financial applications.

The closer links with Queens Medical Centre at Hull, and bringing Look Good Feel Better to Hope House, are the first one being yesterday. Having the Moving Forward Courses running at Hope House, being able to support Gill and Steve with hosting Crying Screening which increased to four days this year. Verity uses Jane's room as a wig bank. The delivery of all the Christmas gifts with Footie For Kids, to not only primary schools but secondary schools this year. The bingo nights and coffee mornings run monthly and are all popular. The sponsored walk was fantastic, the golf day, the ball, the runners, all of our groups, it all just blows me away. A personal thanks comes from me to all those involved in every aspect of Hope House.

Plans for this year, the rebranding of our organisation to Hope House, development of the wig room, making sure the children get to PGL in October, a date is booked already, involvement in Messingham Show, the start of the Bereavement Group, hopefully the start of the men’s group, but also navigating our way through what I am sure will be another challenging year in relation to the national economy, and fundraising challenges this may present. However we will continue in the same way we always do, and ensure we continue to do what is best for our families.

BOSOM FAMILY SUPPORT 1st January 2024 - 31st December 2024


INCOME	2024
DONATIONS & GRANTS	38796.73 (includes legacy)
FUNDRAISING	1673 6757.00 3428.00
200 CLUB	2928.00
JUST GIVING	19322.69
HOUSE INCOME	1646.58
TOTAL	74552.00

EXPENDITURE
LIFERAFTS/BFS/ B BELLES	Liferafts 881.97 BFS 1684.75 Bosom Belles 620.00
Expenses	4800.00 Eighteen media 1470.00 Caravan 2024 3370.00 Caravan 2025 4240.00 Cleaners 750.00 Gardeners 800.00 Social Media 2013.00 Run Places
DONATIONS	2240.20
MEALS	8786.58
RENT	7999.92
MISC	975.00
HOUSE RUNNING	2672.49 7800.00 wAGES
INSURANCE	494.88
COUNSELLING/HOLISTIC	15640.00
JUST GIVING AND BANK CHARGES	243.02 468.00
UTILITIES	3980.83
TOTAL	71930.64

INCOME £74552.00 EXPENDITURE £71930.64

£2621.36

Reports

Phil Thurgood - Counsellor

Over the past year, Hope House has continued its commitment to providing emotional and psychological support to cancer patients and their families. As a counsellor, my role has been pivotal in delivering one-on-one therapy, and recently group support sessions in relation to grief. For individuals coping with the emotional challenges of a cancer diagnosis.

This year, I have provided over 190 hours of therapy sessions, both virtual and in-person, addressing the psychological needs of patients at various stages of their cancer journey. We also hosted our first grief matters group support sessions, which offered those who attended to share their experience. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing gratitude for the space to voice their emotions and concerns.

In addition to direct patient care, I have since October been making weekly phone calls to get an update from those who receive meals and other services. In total I did 26 hrs of phone calls in the period of October to the end of December.

This past year has been one of growth and impact, and I look forward to continuing our work to support the emotional well-being of those affected by cancer, as the person themselves or their families. I’d also like to start a men’s group in the next few months, something I have discussed with Jo. Something I believe can add another element to the already diverse services we provide.

Coffee Mornings - Sarah Gilliland

The coffee mornings are being held on a monthly basis, each month we focus on raising awareness for a different cancer. The coffee mornings are proving popular and are generally well attended. We have a group of regulars that attend each month, but we are noticing new faces each month. Last month a lady approached me and said it was her first time visiting Hope House for a coffee morning, she said she was spoilt for choice with the cakes, and the atmosphere was lovely and welcoming, and that she would be returning. We raise between £150.00 and £250.00 each morning, we have some very generous attendees despite only charging £1.50 for a cuppa and a cake. We rarely have any cakes left at the end of the morning, as most people leave with a takeaway box full of cakes. We charge £0.50 per cake for those wishing to take cakes home with them. We have had a craft stall selling a variety of craft items at the last 2 coffee mornings. The craft stall has been run by 2 ladies from the Wednesday afternoon Cuppa and a Chat group, all proceeds are donated to Hope House. We have on occasions struggled for cakes, as there are only a few of us baking so we would happily accept any offers from others to help with baking a cake.

- Friendship Group Sylvia and Pat

Sylvia and I run the Friendship group on a Tuesday 2 hours every week but it has now become more of a friendship group. Although if people want to talk about the loved ones they have lost, that is welcomed and supported by all members of the group. We have asked the people that attend on a Tuesday what they get out of attending.

Friendship/ good friends

Leave negative feelings at the door

Good laughs.

No judgements

Feel it is a safe and happy place

Share/discuss troubles

Always feel better when we leave

Get helpful information from other attendees and Sylvia and Pat. As a group we have been on barge trips and Christmas parties, arranged sometimes by Pat and sylvia and sometimes by members of the group Sylvia and I get as much enjoyment and happiness out of running the group as the people that attend. We have made lasting friendships as well. We love it. We have seen people grow in confidence, friendships blossomed that they maintain outside of the group. Also one of the attendees has started helping with teas and coffees at Liferafts and also helping with sorting out the library.

- Cuppa & Chat Jane Ashley

This group of people ,both male and female, really enjoy meeting together each Wednesday afternoon between 1 and 3 pm. Ages range from 60-96. Heather and Carol C run the group when Jane is not available.Not everyone had or is suffering from cancer, they are either survivors, immediate family members, vulnerable or just lonely. . For those without transport, we run a taxi service ensuring no one is left out. Every imaginable topic is covered. We celebrate individual birthdays, go out for meals locally 4 times a year, help each other with health, welfare and financial concerns. Between us, most problems are resolved. The group continued to meet for the whole year except for Christmas. We all consider the group as an extension of our own family and for most of us, companionship and being together out of the house is very important. We had a very successful year with numbers increasing from 6/8 to 12/14 most sessions.

Book club - Marie Coy

Book club meets every month on the first Monday of the month unless it is a bank holiday then this might change after discussion with the group, to a different Monday in the month. We met 11 times in 2024 between January and December. We meet at hope house for an hour. Our December meeting is usually our Christmas meal and we go out for this. The book club has 8-9 members who attend. We obtain books from the local library and one of our members orders these and we take it in turns to drop the books off at the library and pick up new books.We read a variety of books giving the members the opportunity to read books that they probably would not choose. We then discuss the merits of the book and the writing and individually give it a score. My role is to support the group in discussing the books and as questions about everyone’s thoughts, giving everyone a chance to speak. We are a real supportive group and often support each other through things that our happening in our life on a more personal level if members want to share and ask advice or just want to chat.I’m available to speak / support members individually if they feel that they need or would like

this.We have a new member that started in January this year and are always welcoming and seeking new members to join our group. We ask for a £3 donation at our meeting to support Hope House.

Bosom Belles - Di Stackhouse

There are currently 29 members, choir mistress is Janine and pianist is Clare. All pay £20 per year. With bookings already for June 7th Messingham Show, Masons December, Bottesford Beer Festival 12th July and WI group. Hoping we get to some sort of normality this year as last year we had big gaps without rehearsals, which should mean we are able to have a concert again. All members pay £20 each.

- Bosom Family Support Jo Sowerby

Our group now has 32 members in the whatsapp chat, meetings vary weekly, and follow the following structure. First meeting of each month is our Newbie night, second meeting is our cuppa and chat, the remaining meetings of the month are usually activities. The sessions are well attended, and are an inclusive meeting, topics covered vary but are led by the group. The sessions always have a counsellor present for drop in opportunities if needed. The winter months are always quieter, but this is our ‘norm’ The group is supported by Sylvia and Pat. As always we do have sad times, but on the whole wonderful long lasting friendships are formed.

- Bingo Nights Jo Sowerby

Our Bingo nights run once a month, and have a very regular group of people attending. This last year we actually had a christmas party which was a truly wonderful night where all people brought food donations! There is a lovely sense of community spirit at this event, money raised by these really vary depending on who attends, but we regularly have between 20 and 30 people attending. A really lovely evening each month!

- The Jolly Van Jo Sowerby

Last year Hope House had 21 Nights at the caravan for our families throughout the season, these nights were all used, and lovely memories made by the families who attended. The families we allow to use the caravan all come from a range of situations, but we do try where possible to put in our more ill individuals and their families, as the memories they are able to make there will last forever.

Liferafts - Louise Ward

The group enables children and young people to have the space to be with others that, are going through or have been through, similar experiences. It is a space to forget the worries/anxieties, that some may have, about a person they know being ill, or it is a space to know that others are there for you and may have the same worries/anxieties in equal measures. I believe we have the ability to approach difficult conversations

and “normalise” how children and young people feel. They are seen, heard and validated, not only for what they are going through, but for who they are and their perspective being unique to them. I think roughly we must have supported 15 families throughout the group last year(rough estimate). I have also supported with some 121 sessions. The twins, P, A and P for children ( a total of 6 sessions) and offered support/counselling sessions for a carer (total of 6 sessions offered, with take up of 2)

- Art Group Jo Sowerby

Art group is ran by Alison Maloney and runs on the second Monday of each month, there is a regular group of six who attend at a cost of £7.50 per week.

Newsletter - Abi Rivers

For your records I probably spend an hour or two a month on it, extracting text and photos from online and formatting or waiting for extra details etc. The newsletter is now being printed monthly and shared with all our meal families and attendees at Hope House.

Social Media - Chris Sumpter

I joined Hope House as social media lead at the back end of last year, taking over responsibility for Hope House's social media channels - notably the Facebook page. The remit for this role is to increase the charity's online presence, growing funding opportunities and also ensuring as many people as possible are aware of the fantastic work that goes on at Hope House. Since I took over responsibility for the Hope House and Bosom Family Support Facebook page on November 1, content has had more than 369,800 views during the last six months. The page has reached 43,100 accounts (an increase of more than 22% on the previous six-month period) and content interactions such as likes and shares topped 7,100 (+69%). While these figures may not mean much on their own, importantly they reflect an impressive rise in the number of people that see Hope House appeals and awareness posts, and moving forward, ways to monetise this popularity should be a key focus.

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- Jolly Van, Liferafts and Walk Kerry Barnby

Partner in organizing the Hope House 10 mile walk with Di. First year in 2024 as part of the the 10 year BFS birthday celebration events to not only celebrate the success of the Charity but to help raise further and continued awareness. Having been involved in the previous ‘ healthier you’ group ( pre Covid) both Di and I wanted to promote a healthy activity to include families ( and dogs!) and what better way than to bring people together than on a fun-filled hike full of laughter and chatter ( which included most weather experiences in 4 hours!) ending in refreshments and cake and money via sponsorship that exceeded expectations.

Jolly Van bookings -liase with Jo and Tracey to identify individuals/families who may benefit from some time out at ‘The Jolly Van’ in Mablethorpe for a 3 day weekend break. Hope House has the privilege to hire the van throughout the season March-October by the owner. Once identified I contact to offer the break with available

dates, liaise with them the booking details and send up to date information , location , owner advice and instructions including pictures and maps of the facilities. I also liaise with the owner to confirm the booking and suitability of a timeline to contact them with final details.

This has been a new role for me in the last 12 months, which is very heartwarming. The surprise of those chosen and the gratitude is overwhelming- I’m privileged to have the contact with them during some very difficult times and to add a little sprinkle of stardust that as a charity we can offer them for some needed time out family time away from their home .

For the Year Ending the 3 1[st] December 2023

The following served on the Committee of Trustees during this period.

Chairperson – Joanne Sowerby Secretary – Jane Stephenson Treasurer – Lyndsey Pearcy Committee Member/ Choir – Diane Stackhouse Committee Member/Liferafts – Louise Ward Committee Member – Sharon Purkins Committee Member – Nicola Glover Committee Member – David SowerbY Committee Member – Kerry Barnby Committee Member – Tracey Brown Committee Member – Jamie Hannath Committee Member - Sarah Gilliland Reference and Administrative Details

The name of the Charity is Bosom Family Support

The Charities’ Bankers are:

HSBC

84 High Street

Scunthorpe

North Lincolnshire

DN15 6HQ

The governing document is the Constitution (adopted in May 2015)

The Charity Registration Number is 1169020.

The names of all members of the Trustee Committee who have acted at any time during this period are shown above.

The income and property of the charity shall be applied solely towards the promotion of its objects, are set out in the Constitution

Financial Review.

During the period under review, income exceeded expenditure by £2621.36

A Full Summary can be seen in the Accounts Report.

The Charity aims to hold sufficient reserves in order to achieve its policy objectives. On behalf of the Committee of Trustees.

Note from Independent Examiner can be found below.

Signed J Sowerby

Chairperson

Date 01/03/2025

Independent Examiners Report

I report to the trustees of Bosom Family Support on the examination of the accounts for Year Ending 31[st] December 2024

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act;
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records;
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Objectives and Activities

Bosom Family Support is established to support individuals and their families who have been affected by cancer, supporting their holistic wellbeing as they recover.

The group will fulfil the aim by:

Promoting the health and well being of the residents of the area and working together as residents regardless of age, ethnic origin, ability, sex, belief or political affiliation recognising the value of our many differences.
Involving local people by improving the area they live.
Provide counselling to members and their families.
To raise funds and receive contributions where appropriate to finance the work.
To publicise and promote the work.
Make rules and standing orders for categories of members and their rights.
Take out insurance.
Organise meetings, training courses and events.
Work with similar groups and exchange information and advice for them.
Take any action that is lawful, which would help it to fulfil its aims.

Achievements and Performance

Bosom Family Support is a well attended support group in Bottesford, Scunthorpe. The group also runs Bosom Belles (choir) and a children’s group called Liferafts. The Liferafts group specifically supports children who have ill family members.

In September 2019 Bosom Family Support opened Hope House, with the group taking over the running of the house in May 2019. The main focus of the House becoming a survivorship hub, which allows our groups to reach out to even more people by having its own base. The house is normally used most evenings during the week, and opens daily, with the house being well supported by all the community. During this financial year, Hope House has been well supported by the community and events held. Constantly adapting to meet the needs of our families, year on year we add other much needed support and activities. During the year there were successful events, a Golf Day, a Ball, bingo nights, coffee mornings and craft fayre. Most importantly the support given to individuals increases dramatically year on year, with the new house allowing the group to provide individuals undergoing cancer treatment to have holistic treatments, hypnotherapy and to provide more counselling services. The house has become a hub for activities, Yoga, Flower Arranging, Art, Felt Making, Card Making, Mindfulness Groups, all different ways of bringing cancer patients together. We continue to deliver meals weekly across North Lincolnshire to families affected by cancer, and this year sent families on weekends a way to a caravan in Mablethorpe. The amount of support we provide each week, each month, each year continues to increase dramatically. This year again has exceeded all expectations, and I know we are all very proud of our achievements.

During the year in review, income exceeded expenditure by £2621.36. The charity aims to hold sufficient reserves in order to be able to meet its policy objectives.On Behalf of the Committee of Trustees.