FND Dimensions – AGM
Date – November 27th 2023 @ 6.30pm
Venue – via Zoom
Reporting Year – April 1[st] 2022 – March 31[st] 2023
Trustees Committee
Jayne Bratton – Chair (JB) Stephanie-Roxanne Blanco – Vice Chair (SRB) Nicolas Stone - Treasurer (NS) Sarah Webster - Secretary (SaW) Jennie Verleg – Trustee (JV) Louise Chatland – Trustee (LC) Lynda Shaw - Trustee (DLS) Linda Stone - Trustee (LS)
Co-opted
Steve Webster – Founder/CEO (SW) Faith Thornton – Trustee in waiting (FT)
Report on Activity – (SW)
Once again it has been a very busy year with further growth in service users of our groups, now over 1700 and with increased geographical spread. Outside interest through things like Twitter have gone from 1200 followers to 1500 and website enquiries have increased. This confirms we are continuing to attract people to the charity and a greater need to deliver against our charitable objectives;
(1) To promote and protect the physical and mental health of sufferers of FND (Functional Neurological Disorder) through the provision of support, information and practical advice.
(2) To advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to FND.
Board of Trustees
As highlighted by the list above, the number of new Trustees has also increased and seen a greater depth in skill base and knowledge come into the team. This has proved invaluable as the Board alongside members look to develop the range of opportunities and information
available to our groups. A precursor to this was the appointment of a new Chair of Trustees, Jayne Bratton, who is leading the process of changes in conjunction with our evolving team.
FND Dimensions gets a new look
We were delighted to launch our new logo and website. Both have attracted wide praise and support. The logo is a significant improvement on our old one and represents what FND Dimensions is all about, with a much cleaner and professional image. Likewise, the website has been completely cleaned up and is now much simpler to navigate. Features on the site will continue to be developed, highlighting the services and information we provide to our members and outside audiences.
A huge thank you to Ali Cooley Design and Steven Bratton for their support and guidance in developing the logo and website respectively.
Group Activity
Members
Our membership numbers have grown extensively over the past year (approx. 16%). We now have 1740 members (Facebook closed group) and 2000 members (Google database) (Figures taken from March 2023). As our numbers grow we are working harder to ensure our Google contacts database is kept updated. There are two membership figures in this report, one is the number of members that have joined our Facebook closed group (“FND Dimensions Meet-Ups”) and the other is the number of members we have in our Google contacts database. We have some members that are not on Facebook and the membership numbers of our Facebook closed group can fluctuate as members leave (either intentionally or not), change their profile name, open a new profile etc. We are rarely told of name and profile changes therefore ensuring that our Google contact database is accurate can be quite challenging.
There is a written process in place for welcoming new members, allocating them to their nearest group and inputting their details onto the Google database and SW is responsible for this.
Fundraising & Events
This year has seen a significant rise in funding raised through sponsored events, donations and in particular a relationship and marketing exercise being held with Brian Barr Solicitors. This has enabled the part-time funding of a CEO for a limited period unless further monies can be found.
Particular media success was gained in Steve’s Swimming Challenge which received, TV and radio coverage.
Applications for further funding will now be made.
FND Awareness Day UK – 25[th] March followed the format as shown below and was very successful, engaging people across the country.
FND Dimensions has a small, but expanding team of volunteers, most of whom suffer with FND or related conditions. This invariably impacts on our ‘day to day’ running when members of the team are ill and not able to support our activity. We are more than grateful for the time that our volunteers give us and we formally wish to thank them for helping FND Dimensions reach the level it has during the last year.
We have maintained a consistent presence offering regular group ‘drop-in sessions’, ‘face to face’ meet up’s and 1:1 support sessions for those with particular needs. We have also
started to expand the number of external speakers, bringing in specialist advice on FND related issues.
With the greater engagement of all trustees and new volunteers coming into the fold, we are looking to develop a couple of specific new projects that will be launched during the coming year. These will add significant impact to the support we are able to offer members, whose requests for support and ideas we continue to build into our programme of activity.
Financial Report – (NS)
Financial Statement for Year April 1[st] 2022 – March 31[st] 2023
(See attached for full report).
The overall summary below highlights our positive financial position and a significant growth on income and expenditure compared to the previous year.
Financial Statement for Year April 1[st] 2022 – March 31[st] 2023
| 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 Restricted |
2021/2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Per list (see Annex to Statement) |
14,748.47 (Including Restricted) |
1,800.00 | 2,513.62 |
|
| Expenditure Per list (see Annex to Statement |
7,061.26 (Including Restricted) |
1,800.00 | 2,274.48 | |
| Carried Forward | 13,811.06 | 0.00 | 13,571.92 |
|
| Balance | 21,498.27 | 0.00 | 13,811.06 | |
| Liabilities | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Moving Forward
FND Dimensions is undoubtedly going through a period of significant change and progression. These changes require careful consideration and management, with the input from all relevant stakeholders. The foundations the charity was built on are being underpinned with a stronger, more pro-active board, increased volunteers and everincreasing membership across our groups.
From this, we are evolving into a much more cohesive and effective charity, offering a wide package of support to our members on a group and individual basis to meet the demands being asked of us. The challenges and opportunities are great, but so is our resolve to meet them.
Steve Webster
FND Dimensions – Founder / CEO
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