Charity registration number: 1170244 The Good Grief Project Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 WESTCOTTS CHARTERED AceouNTANTS BUSINES5 ADVISERS
The Good Grief Project Contents (continued) ReferenGe and Administrative Details Trustees, Report 2to5 Independent Examinerfs Report Statement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet Notes to the Financial Statements 9t016
The Good Grief Project Reference and Administratlva Detsils Trustsos James Edmonds Andrew Freedman Jane Harris Kieron Milsom Sally Byng Tom Kihl Caroline Whaley Lynn Redwood 1170244 Charity Registration Number Principal Office 3 Rowes Fann Bams Aish Road Stoke Gabriel Totnes Devon TQ9 6RT Robyn Grfford-England Independent examiner Westcotts (SW) LLP Timberly South Street Axminster Devon EX13 SAD Independent Examiner Page 1
The Good Grief Project Trustees, Report The trustees present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charity forthe year ended 31 March 2024. Objectlves and activiti85 Objects and aims The preservation and protection of the mental and physical welfare of people who have suffered the untimely death of a close relative by: The provision of services including, but not limited to. counselling and emotional support: and The advancement of education and awareness of the public in relation to the effect that a bereavement or loss can have on those involved. Approximately 6000 young people under the age of 24 die in the UK every year leaving up to 50,000 newly bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents. Our mission is ¢fOld to support families grieving after the untimely death of a loved one, Psrticularly the death of a child - and to promote an understanding of what it means to grieve in a society that often has difficulty talking openly about death, dying and bereavement. Both of these objectives involve giving a voice to grief - we do this with the films we produce and distribute, by delivering our Active Grief Weekend Retreats, liaising with other bereavement charities and with sustained sctivity on social media. Objectives. strategies and activities This is the seventh year of operation in which we have successfully built on our founding resolve to establish the charity as a significant voice within the UK'S bereavement community and an important resource for bereaved families who mourn for the death of a son or daughter. Our activrties can be summarised into three separate areas of work.. 1. FILMIBOOK PRODUCTIONS- promoting A LOVE THAT NEVER DIES, BEYOND THE MASK and WHEN WORDSARE NOT ENOUGH 2. Delivering ACTIVE GRIEF WEEKENDS 3. Delivering a number of presentstions and tslks to various charities, public institutions and corporates 4. Maintaining a constant presence on Social Media as a way of enlisting our audience and promoting our ideas. Both Jane and Jimmy continue to work > 4 days a week on a voluntary basis though The Good Grief Project (TGGP) pays a licence fee to their company Beyond Goodbye Media Ltd. for the use of the documentaries. Until October 2023 we have also been supported by Annabel Richmond who worked tirelessly promoting our work on social media. Annabel works for a small monthly fee. Tom Kihl has been instrumental in keeping our website up to date and in good order. We are very grateful for the continuing support of The Jessica Mathers Trust who funds us to the tune of £12,000 per annum. Public beneflt The charitable activities during the year were undertaken to further the public benefit in accordance with the charitys objectives. Page 2
The Good Grlef Project Trustees. Report (continued) The trustees confimi that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefrt guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Achievements and performance The achievements and performance during the year can be found in the "ANNUAL REPORT April 2023 to March 2024" which is attached to these accounts. Financial review Policy on reseThes In accordan with the Charity Commission's guidance on reserves, the Trustees have considered and agreed to a resenies strategy of creating a contingent reserve equivalent to a minimum amount running expenses This would enable the Charity to continue its activities for a limited period in the event of a significant drop in funding. The reserve considered necessary to meet these objectives is £30,000. At present the reserves are sufficient to cover this contingency. Plans for future perlods Aims and key objectives for future periods Our plans for next year are mentioned in the"ANNUAL REPORT April 2023 to March 2024" Trustees and officers The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows". Trustees: James Edmonds Andrew Freedman Jane Harris Kieron Milsom Sara Tibbetts (resigned 20 July 2024) Rosa Harris Edmonds (resigned 20 July 2024) Sally Byng Josephine Bousfield (resigned 20 July 2024) Tom Kihl Joseph Edmonds {SIgned 20 July 2024) Caroline Whaley (appointed 20 July 2024) Lynn Redwood {appointed 20 July 2024) Structure, governance and management Nature of governing document The charity is registered in England & Wales with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with charity number 1170244. The charity registered on 17 November 2016. Page 3
The Good Grlef Project Trustees, Report (continued) Reerultment and appolntment of trustees The Trustee Board is the responsible for recruiting and appointing the Trustees who are elected and coopted under the terms of the Trust deed. Induction and training of trnstees New Trustees are inducted and trained in accordance with the charty commission guidance. Oryanisational structure The day to day management of the Charity is undertaken by the Trustees. Page 4
The Good Grief Project Trustees. Report (continued) Statement of Trustees. Responsibilities The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees, report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Accounting Standards {United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations. The law applicable to charities 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 charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements. the trustees are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently- observe the methods and principles in the Charities 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; and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, and the provisions of the constitution. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on2Q....Q.l.: 1.4 and signed on its behaff by: J tdffK)nJs James Edmonds Trustee Afredmon Andrew Freedman Trustee Page 5
The Good Grief Project Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of The Good Grief Project I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Good Grief Project for the year ended 31 Msrch 2024. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity trustees of The Good Grief Project you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of my examination of the The Good Grief Project's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5)(b) of the Act. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect.- 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of The Good Grief Project as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records., or 3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements concerning the fomi and content of 8ccounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other th8n 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. yn Gifford-England Independent examiner ICAEW Westcotts (SW) LLP Timberly South Street Axminster Devon EX13 SAD Date.. Page 6
The Good Grief Project {Registration number: 1170244) Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024 2024 2023 Note Current assets Cash at bank and in hand 87,990 88,466 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year Net assets 12 (1,747 86,243 425) 88,041 Funds of the charity: Unrestrlcted Income funds Unrestricted funds 86,243 88,041 Total funds 13 86,243 88,041 The financial statements on pages 7 to 16 were approved by the trustees, and authoris8d for issue on ao...o..l.:.L.W. and signed on their behalf by. rdmo.ds James Edmonds Trustee Q fi£edrfr) Andrew Freedman Trustee The notes on pages 9 to 16 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 8
The Good Grief Project ststement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Unrestrictèd funds Total 2024 Total 2023 Note Income and Endowments from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities 70,630 18,347 2,338 70,630 18,347 2,338 144,596 13,286 Total income 91,315 91,315 157,882 Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities (557} {92,556) (557) (92,556) 176,094) Total expenditure (93,113) (93,113} (76,094) Net (expenditure)lincome Net movement in funds (1,798) (1,798) 81,788 {1,798) (1,798) 81,788 Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought foiward Totsl funds carried fomard 88,041 88,041 6,253 13 86,243 86,243 88,041 All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above two periods. The funds breakdown for 2023 is shown in note 13. The notes on pages 9 to 16 fomi an integral part of these financial statements. Page 7
The Good Grlef Project Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 1 Accountlng policies Statement of compliance The fi'nancial statements have been prepared in accordance with the second edition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. Basls of preparation The Good Grief Project meets the definition of 8 public benefrt entity under FRS 102. The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. Golng concern The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's abilty to continue as a going concern. Income and endowments Voluntary income including donations, gifts, legacies and grants that provide core funding or are of a general nature is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured with Sufflent reliability. Donadons and legacles Donations and legacies are recognised on a receivable basis when receipt is probable and the amount can be reliably measured. Expenditure All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources, with central staff costs allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset's use. Other support costs are allocated based on the spread of staff costs. Ralslng funds These are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income. the management of investments and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds. Charitable activities Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be sllocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Page 9
The Good Grief Project Notes to the Financial Ststements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) Support costs Support Costs include central functions and have been alICated to the main activity cost given there is one overall charitable activity. Taxation The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value. Fund structure Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the trustees, discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charty. Financial instruments Classification Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the charity becomes a paty to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instnjment is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the charity after deducting all of its liabilities. Page 10
The Good Grief Project Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) Recognition and measuremant All financisl assets and liabilities are initially measured at transaction prits (including transaction costs), except for those financial assets classified as at fair value through profit or loss. which are initially measured at fair value {which is normally the transaction price excluding transaction costs), unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction. If an arrangement constitLrtes a financing transaction, the financial asset or financial liability is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument. Financial assets and liabilities are only offset in the statement of financial position when, and only when there exists a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and the charity intends either to settle on a net basis, or to alIse the asset and settle the liability simultaneously. Financial assets are derecognised when and only when a) the contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial asset expl or are settled, b) the charity transfers to another paty substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset, or c) the charity, despite having retained some, but not all, significant risks and rewards of ownership, has transferred control of the asset to another party. Financial liabilities are derecognised only when the obligation specified in the contrdct is discharged, C8ncelled or expires. 2 Income from donatlons and legacies Unrestricted funds General Total 2024 Donations and legacies., Donations 70,630 70,630 70,630 70,630 Unrestricted funds General Total 2023 Donations and legacies., Donations 144,596 144,596 144,596 144,596 3 Income from charrtable activities Unrestricted funds General Total 2024 Main activities 18,347 18,347 Page11
The Good Grief Project Notes to the Financial Statemants for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) Unrestrlcted funds General Total 2023 Main activities 13,286 13,286 4 Income from other trading activities Unrestricted funds General Total 2024 Events income., Other events income 2,338 2,338 2,338 2,338 Total 2023 5 Expenditure on charltable actlvltles Unrestricted funds General Total 2024 Note Main activities Allocated support costs 87,534 5,022 92,556 87,534 5.022 92.556 Unrestricted funds General Total 2023 Note Main activities Allocated support costs 65,490 10,604 65,490 10,604 76,094 76,094 Page 12
The Good Grlef Project Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) 6 Analysis of support costs Support costs allocated to charitable activities Premises costs Finance Inforniation including costs technology depreciation Other support costs Governance costs Main activities 1.200 124 424 1,000 2,274 Total for 2023 425 65 4,608 5,506 Total funds Main actNities 5,022 Total for 2023 10.604 Page 13
The Good Grief Project Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) 7 Trustees remuneration and expenses During the year the charity made the following transactions with trustees.. James Edmonds £1,000 (2023.. £6,413) of expenses were reimbursed to James Edmonds during the year. A total of £1.000 (last year.. £6,413) was paid to Jimmy Edmonds as reimbursement for various expenses and fees for delivering The Active Grief Weekend Retreats during the financial year. Jane Harris £3,495 (2023.. £250) of expenses were reimbursed to Jane Harris during the year. A total of £3,495 (last year.. £250) was paid to Jane Harris as fees for counselling services. presentation fees and staffing The Active Grief Weekend Retreats during the financial year. Joseph Edmonds £8,925 (2023.. £767) of expenses were reimbursed to Joseph Edmonds during the year. A total of £8,925 was paid for staffing The Active Grief Weekend Retreatsl Grief Fits as well as a Kilimanjaro fee to Joe Edmonds Personal Training by the charity during the financial year. Last year, 8 total of £750 was paid for staffing & £17 in expenses paid on The Active Grief Weekend Retreats (6th 8th May 2022 & 14th - 16th October 2022) to Joseph Edmonds Personal Training by the charity during the financial year. Rosa Harris Edmonds £4,505 (2023: £4,206) of expenses were reimbursed to Rosa Harris Edmonds during the year. A total of £4,505 (last year: £4,206) was paid for staffing and expenses for catering services The Active Grief Weekend Retreats to Rosa Harris Edmonds by the charity during the financial year. Josephine Bousfield £581 (2023.. £816) of expenses were reimbursed to Josephine Bousfield during the year. A total of £581 (last year.. £816) was paid to Jo Bousfield as fees and expenses for staffing The Active Grief Weekend Retreats during the financial year. 8 Staff costs No staff were employed by the charity during the year, and therefore no employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year 9 Independent examiner's remuneration 2024 2023 Examination of the financial statements 1,200 425 Page 14
The Good Grief Project Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) 10 Taxation The charity is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from taxation. 11 Cash and cash equivalents 2024 2023 Cash at bank 87,990 88,466 12 Creditors". amounts falling due within one year 2024 2023 Trade creditors Accruals 547 1,200 425 1,747 425 13 Funds Balance at 31 March 2024 Balance at I April 2023 Incoming resources Resources expended Unrestricted funds General General Funds 88,041 91,315 (93,113) 86,243 Balance at 31 March 2023 Balance at 1 April 2022 Incoming resources Resources expended Unrestricted funds General General Funds 6,253 157,882 76,0941 88,041 Page 15
The Good Grief Project Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (continued) 14 Analysis of net assets between funds Unrestricted funds General Total funds at 31 March 2024 Current assets Current liabilities 87,990 (1,747) 86,243 87,990 (1,747) 86,243 Total net assets Unrestricted funds General Total funds at 31 March 2023 Current assets Current liabilities 88,466 (4251 88,041 88,466 {425) 88,041 Total net assets 15 Related party transactions During the year the charity made the following related party transactions.. Beyond Goodbye Media Ltd (Jane Harris and James Edmonds are directors of Beyond Goodbye Media as well as trustees of The Good Grief Project) A total of £27,500.00 was paid for film licensing (last year £28,500).. At the balance sheet date the amount due tolfrom Beyond Goodbye Media Ltd was £Nil (2023- £Nill. Tom Kihl {limited company} (Trustee of The Good Grief Project) A total of £873.70 (last year.. £430.00) was paid to Tom Kihl's limited company as fees for website maintenance during the financial year. At the balance sheet date the amount due tolfrom Tom Kihl (limited company) was £Nil (2023 - £Nil). Page 16
The Good Grief Project Detslled Statement of Financial Actlvlties for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Total 2024 Total 2023 Income and Endowments from: Donations and legacies (analysed below) Charitable activities (analysed below) Other trading activities (analysed below) Total income 70,630 18,347 2,338 144.596 13.286 91,315 157,882 Expenditure on: Raising funds {analysed below) Charitable activities (analysed below) Total expenditure Net (expenditure}lincome Net movement in funds (557) (92,556) 76,094) <93,113) (1,798) (76,094) 81,788 (1,798) 81,788 Reconciliatlon of funds Total funds brought forward Totsl funds carried forward 88,041 6,253 86,243 88,041 This page does not fomi part of the statutory financial statements. Page 17
The Good Grief Project Detailed Ststement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 {continued) Total 2024 Total 2023 Donations and legacies Appeals and donations 70,630 144,596 70,630 144,596 Charitable activities Film screening Book sales Grief Fit Active Grief Weekends Events Fees and supplies 100 1,481 1,503 10,763 4,500 13,286 18,347 13,286 Other trading activities Charity auction 2,338 2,338 Raising funds Other fundraising costs <557) 1557) Charitable activities Cost of delivering charitable activities Direct expenses Sundry expenses Rent Computer software and maintenance costs Advertising Independent examinels fee Bank charges (54,6601 (32,874) (37,112) (28,378) (231) (4,608) (1,000) (424) (2,2741 (1,200) (124) {92,556) (5,275) (425) (65) (76,094) This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements. Page 18
'I'HE GUUD GRIETr PAiUIEL I. UK charity no 1170244 ANNUAL REPORT Aprll 2023 to March 2024 The._Good Gi"ief Pi"c)jeet. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 20TH JULY 2024 ou Approximately 6000 young people of 24 and under die in the UK every year leaving up to 50,000 newly bereaved parents, sibliThgs and grandparents. Our misslon is twofold - to support famllies grieving after the untimely death of a loved one, particularly the death of a child - and to promote an understanding of what it means to grieve in a society that often has difficulty talking openly about death, dying and bereavement Both of these ObjeLt1 involve giving a voice to lef - we do this with the fflms we produ and distribute, by delivering our Active Grief Weekend Retreats. liaising with other bereavement charities and with a sustained activity on social medi& OF ACT This is the seventh year of operation in which we have successfully built on our founding resolve to establish the charity as a significant voice within the UK'S bereavement community and an importsnt resource for bereaved familfies who mourn for the death of a son or daugliter. Our activities can be summarised into four separate areas of work I. FILM/BOOK PRODucfioNS - promoting A LOVE THAT NEVER DIES, BEYOND THE MASK andWHEN WORDSARE NOT ENOUGH 2. Delivering ACTIVE GRIEF WEEKENDS 3. Delivering a number of presentations and talks to various clwities. public institutions and corporates 4. Maintsining a constant presence on Soaal Media as a way of en]isting our audience and promoting our ideas. Both Jane and Iimmy continue to work 3- 4 days a week on a voluntary basis though TGGP pays a lince fee to their company Beyond Goodbye Media Ltd. for the use of the documentarie& Until Octsber 2023 we have been supported by Annabel Richmond who worked tirelessly promoting our work on social media platfornis. Tom Kihl has been instrumenta] ITh keeping our website UpToDate and in good order.
We are very gratsful for the conb'nuing support of The lessica Mathers Trust who fund us to the tune of £12,000 per annunL CHIE ME ND PERFORMAN WHEN WORDSARE NOT ENOUGH whe words are not enou J•nfrh•irls IT'tI) riiy erlmo nds VHEN WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH'_ creative responses togrief publishedby Quickthorn Books. continues to sell well and in the year ending March 2024 were 515 OSsIng £500 for the charity. sin publication in 2022 we have now sold over 1700 copie& When Words are not Enough is now available in the US OPGBook) and Australasia (Woodslane). Sales figures have yet to come in from the though the US have ordered 250 to date. An ebook version went live in May 2023. In May 2023 Therapy Today featured the book as one oftheir book choices for the month. FILM SCREENINGS- A Love That Never Dies A LOVE THAT NEVER DIES continues to have a virtual life onllne and rernains the propety of Beyond Goodbye Media Ltd to whom TGGP will pay a monthly Ilcence fee In August 2023 we took part in a live screening of A Inve That Never Dies hosted by the US based bereavement network Ja¥S Your Grief with 300 attendees. In December 2023 Road Peace showed the film to their befrienders in the UK This was an online viewing followed by a Q & A with Jane and limmy. Online sales of ALTND have rernined steady overthe year with revenue frorn Amazon [UK/US) up a little at £210.08 . Vimeo (mostly UK and Ireland) down a little at £38.22 and a bit less fron] Beamafilrn (Australia) at £34.02. FILM SCREENINGS - Beyond the Mask We have had no public screenings of Beyond the Mask Unlike A Love that Never Dies we have now nde Beyond the Mask free to view online with a request for donation on screeniD& Both films are significant resources for the charity. Nrt only do they spread our core message (thatgrfef can be a catslyst for positive emotional growth) they continue to be an important entry point for people discovering The Good Grief Project
ACTIVE GRIETr WEEKENDS ACTIVE GRIEF be INSPIRED be CREATIVE get PHYSICAL Our Actlve Grief weekends have now become an established part of our calendar and are usually booked up far In advance. In the year ending 2024 we held two, May and September. both at Blackadon Farn] on Dartmoor. As usual for each retreatwe delivered three courses inphotography, creative writing and physical exerase. Since starting this programme we have now delivered 8 weekend retreats benefiting over 180 bereaved parents and a few siblings. Some feedback from our retreats in 2023124 rhe safe spaceyou have created thatenabled us all to be so open ond vulnerable with people wetre onlyjust met IS Q gift Ihoven thadso 171uchfvn in oges I wish I could eat Rosa sfood everyday It was love to have a realgood laugh together... (yetj it wos thefirst time I was able to cry publicly... it was agame changerfor mygrief The average cost for each retreat is approximately £14000. Given that we discount places quits heavily as well as offering bursaries, receipts for both events came to £7163. meaning the remainder must be made up from fijnding and donations. The Active Griefweekends continue to be a significant area of our worK one that feeds an emphasls on proartive approach to grief, the learning that ensues and which justifies the sizable expense Following the May 23 retreat we developed Grief Fit- an online fitness programme lead by Joe who delivered two 9 week programmes for 8/9 people drawn from the May and September retreats. Not only have these been physical beneficial for those attendin& its helped maintain a friendship group fornied whilst on the weekends, something we had hoped would happen and solves a slight dilemma of how to cope with the emotional afterniath of a weekend of intense activity.
TALKSAND PRESENTATIONS We continue to promote our ideas in various public forums both online and in person. Jane joined Sophie Pierce in conversation for an afternoon event ritIng through Grief on All Souls Day (Oct 2023) at St Thomas's church in Exeter. -1 would hatc i., not ro hury IhDt %%¥Id n?oa': I'd 50n?ehow forgotte het In November 2023 lane and Jimmy were invited to join lustin Welby, The Archbishop of caDteury for a conversation about the grief for their children. The event was hosted by Unlversity of Exeter with a sellout audience. Jane did a podcast about the death of an older child for the Grief Gang in March 2024. Also, in this month Jane and Jimmy took part in a panel discussion held at St MatS Church in Exeter on the theme ofbereavement following child loss and organized by a number ofDevon NHS trusts. And the interview Jane did in 2021 with the Good Grief Festival titled Then IAnguage Fails- Grieving CreativelK was published in their video channel. ri ro uk is now our main public-faang online presen, after ongoing streamlining of other domains and websites. Tom Kihl continues to lead on managing digitsl. induding newsletter updates. minor developrnent and housekeeping tssks, and the archiving of the historic o.uk website to a static hosting platforni. 15.926 new users came to read the website for the first time over the last 12 months, a 15% rise on the previous year. Wlts from mobile devices is now up to 48%. That is still less than many other sites suggesting people land on TGGP website when they are focused in front of their desktop computer as opposed to casually on the move, with search making up for 6186 of all traffic. The most popular search tern]s for new vfisitors are "the good grief projecv and"grief retreat uk" or various combinations of similar words. The hornepage is the top landing page, followed by Active Grief Retreats and Our Films. The UK still makes up the majority of site traffic, up this year to 62%, with the USA audience slithtly down at 19%, but the overall trends acTOSS our main international audiences hold fairly consistenL London and Cardiff are the most popular UK destinations for visitors. As before. the prevalence of VPNS may well be rnaking geographical location analytics less accurate. The biggest day for traffic was Tuesday 17th Ortober, which spiked a total of 641 new visitors in a single day to the site. Demographic data on age and gender is not currently available due to the new GA4 analytics having changed the way some types of data is gathere We can assume that it will largely be in line with the numbers previously gathered. Currently we manage to send quarterly newsletters (via Mailchimp) to approL 3,000 subscriber&
PRESS We had a reduced press coverage during 2023/ 2024 - with the exception of our local BBC Who covered our conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury and our message for those grieving at Christmas on both TV and radio stations. In April 2023 Following an hour long interview lane was quoted in the Independent "One of the main problems that bereaved people fvce is that everybody wants to make it better. And both os a therapist and os o bereaved person myself J ve learnt thats not really helpfvl" in April 2023 Prima Magazine published two artides about our work in April and May 2023. lL' SOCIAL MEDIA Our thanks go to Annabel Richmond for all her help in developing our strategies for social media an increasingly important way of communicating our core message and linking with others (charities and individuals) as part of a generdl conversation around death, dying and bereavement We currently are active on Facebook and Instagram. The photo group on Facebook continues to be a source of inspiration for all involved with a slight increase in membership to 352. On FACEBOOK we now have over 6.5k followers - the figure for Instagram is 4615. Both audiences are up approK 151yo on the previous year with roughly a 90110 % mix between women and men. While the audience size has increased actual visits to our FB page has increased by close b) 120% and to Instagram by 35%. The aim of our social media engagement indudes raising awareness of our projec¢ encouraging ndraisIng lor the charity and to bring comfort to a like- minded peer-to-peer community. This is all achieved'organIcall without paid for advertising. A good two thirds of our audience is in the UK with the remainder coming from the USA and Canada. We remain a small charity that reaches way beyond its size. Annabel ceased working for us in Ortober and we engaged Louise Dillon of Arnladillo Soaal to cany our social rnedia messaging through to the New Year, but it became apparent that the model that works best for now is led by Jimmy and Jane. NETWORKSAND OUR PLACE WITHIN THE BEREAVEMENT COMMUNITY AND RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER CHARITIES We continue to develop OUT relationships with other bereavement charities in the UK many of whom have used the documentary A LOVE THAT NEVER DIES to engage in the national conversation about death dying and bereavemenL We have regular and friendly contact with Cruse. Child Bereavement UK and The Compassionate Friends, Hospi UK Dying Matters and Macmillan Cancer SupporL Jane is on The House of Commons A]1 Party Parliamentary Group on Bereavement Support and attends monthly meetings of the Childhood Bereavement Network and National Bereavement Alliance.
FUNDRAISING Following two (pandemic related) cancellations the second The Good Grief Kilimanjaro Challenge eventually took place in October 2023 and included our founder limmy Edmonds and his son Joe. OUT thanks go to the whole tearn led by Andrea Hartley, all of whom summitted successfully and raised almost £50,000 to support our work video record ideos challenge Gqn viewed here ma 9172 Anyone who has taken on a physica] challenge (organised or not) knows what it means to double the task by fundraising for charity. especially when there are so many 'good causes, to supporL As part of this fundraising efforL Joe organised an auction of promises in September which was fun but quite stressful. Agai we thank The Jessica Mathers Trnst for their continued financial support to the tune of E12,000 annually. We continue to receive small donations from our online presence principally through PayPal. PLANS FOR Our plans for the nextyear are: l. Active Grief - To continue developing our practice and philosophy around active and creative grief. We have booked Blackadon Farn) for four more retreats during 2024 and 2025. Il% a rnajor development Dr Edith Steffen of Plymouth University has started a qualitative research programme of the effectiveness of our week retreats. The results should be ready in the autumn of 2024. 2. When Words are not Enough - we will continue to promote the book especially in USA and Australia. 3. GRIEF-fit- we will continueto develop Grief FIL now in its second y&irwith 4 cohorts of a maximuJn of 8 participants annually. It is now successfully expanded to recruit bereaved parents and siblings beyond those that have attended our retrea 4. FundraisiDg- We continue to be supported financially by The jessio Mathers Trust along with individual donation& We currently have no plans for any specific fundraising initiatives in 2024 but will plan a major challenge for 2025. S. Finance5 - following on from the two successful Kilimanjaro challenges our finances are in good enough shape to support our work for the next year.
CIAL OUT annual accounts have been prepared by Robyn Gifford-England of Westcotts Exeter. RU URE ERNAN THE GOOD GRIEF PROJEcf is a CIO- Charltable lllcoryorated Organisation whose only voting members are its Charity Trustees. Governing Document- Our Constitution r3n be found here Reference and administrative detai]s - UK registered Charity number. 1170244 Principal Office: 3 Rowes Farm Barns. Stoke Gabriel. Totnes TQ9 6RT Our advAsers Accountants.. Robyn Gifftird-Englan4 Westcotts, 26-28 Southernhay Eas¢ Exeter. Devo EXI INS Solicitors: Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP, 134 Edmund Stree¢ Birniingham B3 2ES Dlrectors and trustees The trustees and officers serving during the year and slnce the year end were as follows: Chair of trustees . Andy Freedman Chief Executive Officer/Secretary: Jimmy Edmonds Trustees: Jane Harris. limmy Edmonds, TO Kihl, Sally BY Kieron Mi]som. loe Edrnonds. Rosa HalS Edmonds, Jo Bousfield, Sarah Tibbetts. www.thegoodgriefproJecLco.uk