2024-03-31-accounts

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Trustees’ annual report

The Smallest Things trustees present their annual report for 2023/2024

Kerry Myles (trustee), Matt Wilkinson (trustee) and Lynne Peachy (trustee)

Every year, more than 53,000 babies* in the UK are born prematurely (before 37 weeks). That’s around 1 in 13. And that’s a lot of shocked parents thrown into the terrifying world of neonatal care – beeping machines, incubators, breathing tubes and separation as parents and carers leave their baby each day faced with uncertainty and worry.

We get it because we’ve been there too. The Smallest Things is led entirely by parents who’ve had premature babies. And that’s exactly what drives us to support families, raise awareness and make change.

1. Welcome:

This year we have celebrated 10 years of The Smallest Things!

We’ve come a long way from the blog I wrote about struggling after coming home from neonatal intensive care. We are now a fully-fledged, award winning, law changing charity, big impact charity. From schools across the UK becoming Prem Aware, thousands of parents benefiting from our Employer with Heart scheme, ‘Preemie Proud’ Red Book stickers in three-quarters of neonatal units, shared stories of neonatal realities to let parents know they are not alone, and our neonatal leave campaign, which after ten years of campaigning is about to see extended paid parental leave for families of premature and sick babies become available to 60,000 families.

Creating a better world for premature babies and their families following neonatal care is at the heart of everything we do. Our vision and mission has remained unchanged and, while the charity celebrates achievements made so far, we know there is lots more to do!

I am proud that The Smallest Things has shone a light on a hidden world and has given a voice to families who continued to experience ongoing difficulties after neonatal intensive care. We understand that the neonatal journey does not end when you leave the hospital and we believe in a world where parents have the time they need with their babies before returning to work; the care they need when they leave hospital with access to early intervention and mental health support; and an education system that supports all children to have the best possible long-term outcomes.

Having founded The Smallest Things in September 2014 and established the charity formally in January 2017, it has been an enormous privilege to work together with a dedicated team of

passionate trustees and volunteers. The Smallest Things may be a tiny charity but by

understanding the importance of community and the power of the parent voice we have been able to bring about real change for families and children born prematurely. I am incredibly proud of all we have achieved, and I look forward to supporting Kerry Myles in her new role as Chair of Trustees.

A huge thank you to everyone who has worked with and supported us over the last 10 years, helping to make sure that The Smallest Things continues to make a Big Impact.

Catriona Ogilvy

Founder and outgoing Chair of Trustees

2. Our charity objectives:

Our objectives reflect our charity’s aims and mission, and are targeted to directly benefit children born prematurely and their parents after neonatal intensive care.

1. For no parents or carers of premature babies to feel alone.

2. For families and children born prematurely to be supported through their journey

beyond neonatal care.

3. For professionals to be aware of the potential impact of prematurity, and to have

access to information, training, and guidance to support families and children after

leaving hospital.

4. For neonatal families to have a voice at the heart of research and policy-making.

Our charity strategy, updated in November 2024, is devised by our trustees, informed by our After NICU research and was reviewed by our Lived Experience panel.

In setting our objectives and planning our activities our trustees continued to give careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. Our charity strategy informs all our work.

3. Achievements and performance

For no parents or carers of premature babies to feel alone.

An online community

For parents of premature babies, their journey into parenthood and their experiences of life after neonatal care may be reassuringly similar. The Smallest Things understands the importance of bringing together the neonatal family community and through our online blog series we continue to share regular first-hand stories of a diverse range of experiences around prematurity that reflect reality, validate feelings and offer a sense of community.

For World Prematurity Month in November we shone a light on the often-hidden mental health struggles after neonatal care in a special series of blogs. The stories included experiences of postnatal depression, PTSD and intrusive thoughts and were united in their theme of seeking support.

Our social media channels and reach have continued to grow, raising awareness and becoming an online community space for parents and professionals alike.

Working with Charity Partners

This year we have worked with other charities and networks to amplify the voices of parents' and carers'. In particular, our open letter to the new Health Secretary has been signed and supported by 11 neonatal/baby charities and organisations, as well as 31 leaders from the neonatal community.

For families and children born prematurely to be supported through their journey beyond neonatal care.

Red Book Stickers

Every year, tens of thousands of babies are born prematurely in the UK and families face the agonising journey of uncertainty and trauma through neonatal intensive care. But parents tell us all the time that their journey does not end when they leave the neonatal unit and we know that the needs of parents and children born prematurely last long after leaving hospital.

Acting as a visible reminder, alerting healthcare professionals to a parent and their babies’ neonatal history, The Smallest Things Red Book stickers are in more than three quarters of all UK neonatal units, with 62,000 stickers being handed out to parents.

Calling for greater mental health support

Our open letter to the Health Secretary called for urgent change to meet the unique needs of neonatal families and was supported by charity partners and neonatal professionals. The letter resonated with our community and gathered hundreds of signatures in a short space of time. The letter which calls for better support following neonatal care for families asks the Health Secretary to: provide onsite accommodation; ensure follow-up services are joined up; introduce a six-week ‘After NICU’ wellbeing check; appoint a neonatal lead in health visiting teams; and to give parents access to psychological support when and how they need it.

We will continue to campaign and work with partners so that more NICU parents and carers have access to timely and tailored psychological support.

Neonatal Leave and Pay

Following the passing of the Neonatal Care (Leave & Pay) Bill, which will give extended paid parental leave to parents of babies born prematurely and/or admitted to neonatal intensive care, The Smallest Things continued to work with the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that the new entitlements would meet the needs of neonatal parents. The new legislation will take effect from the 6th of April 2025 and we will continue to work to ensure that no parent is worrying about work or pay while spending time with their baby or babies in neonatal care.

Employer with Heart

The Smallest Things has continued to encourage employers to support staff whose baby or babies are born prematurely and admitted to neonatal intensive care. We have urged employers not to wait and to go above and beyond the new statutory requirements coming into effect.

The Smallest Things Employer with Heart 2.0 Charter Mark ensures equal parental leave entitlements to both parents and we have been thrilled to see so many employers continuing to sign up and amend their parental leave policies to offer extended neonatal leave at full pay. We estimate that half a million employees have an Employer with Heart employer and would have access to extended leave and pay should they have a baby born prematurely.

For families and children born prematurely to be supported through their journey beyond neonatal care.

For professionals to be aware of the potential impact of prematurity, and to have access to information, training, and guidance to support families and children after leaving hospital.

The Prem Aware Award Scheme:

The Smallest Things ‘Prem Aware Award’ scheme raises awareness of the impact prematurity can have on development and learning, It supports parents and carers to advocate for their prematurely born child, and helps schools to recognise and meet the specific learning needs that children born prematurely may have.

The scheme promotes use of the ‘Preterm Birth Information for Educational Professionals’, a free online training resource developed by Professor Samantha Johnson and her colleagues in the PRISM (Premature Infants’ Skills in Mathematics) Study Team, funded by the charity Action Medical Research. The online resource outlines the impact premature birth can have on a child’s development and learning, and offers practical ways to support children born prematurely at school.

This year The Smallest Things has worked with the University of Loughborough and the University of Leicester to support the development of a new Early Years module that will sit alongside the existing resource modules. The new module is expected to be launched in early 2025. A new ‘Prem Aware Setting’ logo has been developed for early years settings and our Prem Aware certificates for nursery and early years settings have already been updated and shared.

In 2023/2024 our 31 Prem Aware Ambassadors have continued to be instrumental in raising awareness of the impact of premature birth on learning and supporting schools to become ‘Prem Aware’. Our total number of Prem Aware schools at the end of 2024 had risen from 66 to 125, with 64% of our awarded schools generated by our volunteer ambassadors. Our Prem Aware Ambassadors continue to speak at neonatal and education training events and are supported by our charity Prem Aware administrator. And in July we were delighted to hold an ambassador Q&A session with our ambassadors and Professor Samantha Johnson.

We continue to work towards our aim for all UK schools to be Prem Aware by 2030!

For neonatal families to have a voice at the heart of research and policy-making.

House of Lords’ Preterm Birth Inquiry

Our founder Catriona Ogilvy spoke on behalf of all NICU parents, giving oral evidence in February 2024 to the House of Lords Preterm Birth Inquiry. We also submitted written evidence, based on The Smallest Things ‘After NICU’ research and encouraged parents to share their own experiences of neonatal care and the impact of preterm birth.

The Smallest Things welcomed The House of Lords inquiry report published in November. The Preterm birth: Reducing risks and improving lives report reflects the significant, and sometimes lifelong, impact premature birth can have on children and their families. We support all of the committee's recommendations and were particularly delighted by the committee’s support for ‘the ambition of programmes such as the Prem Aware Award scheme to increase awareness of the impacts of prematurity in schools.’

MP visits

In 2024 The Smallest Things facilitated eight visits by MPs to Prem Aware School or Early Years settings in their constituencies, celebrating their achievements and keeping the unique needs of children born prematurely high on the agenda.

We were especially pleased when the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Angela Rayner MP, accepted our invitation to visit her local Prem Aware School. She met with teaching staff and parents to talk about neonatal care, mental health struggles and the Employment Rights Bill.

General Election Manifesto

In June 2024, The Smallest Things published our manifesto for children born prematurely and their families and called on the new government to; 1. Support the mental health and wellbeing needs of parents after premature birth and the trauma of neonatal intensive care; 2. Provide more Early Years support for children born prematurely; 3. Improve the educational and long-term outcomes for children born prematurely.

Smallest Things Campaigners

More than 40 supporters joined The Smallest Things in 2024 to volunteer and campaign as one collective voice. Our new campaigners have been busy sharing their own stories, visiting their local MPs and calling for change.

4. Our community:

Our small charity continues to grow steadily, meeting our charitable aims by bringing together communities of parents who have experienced premature birth. Our Prem Aware Ambassadors, Smallest Things Campaigners and Volunteers work collectively with the charity’s trustees and leadership team to create a better world for children born prematurely and their families after neonatal intensive care.

In 2024, we formed closer links with charity partners, professionals and networks and we will continue to strengthen these relationships over the year ahead.

Our day-to-day activities are run by a small team of part time staff, supported by dedicated trustees and volunteers. In 2024 we continued to employ one part time member of staff (10 hpw) in an administrator role. In the later part of the year this post was funded by Leicester University as part of Research Impact funding, to undertake a term time only Prem Aware Administrator position. In the 6 months between July - December 2024, two trustees, Catriona Ogilvy (founder) and Sarah Miles (founding trustee) were paid for specific project work in a freelance capacity. Both trustees stood down in January 2025 to take on part-time paid positions within the charity.

5. Finances and Accounts:

The Smallest Things receive small donations thanks to fundraising events throughout the year, as well as larger donations that are received as a result of being made a charity of the year by a number of companies and one-off project based grants.

The larger company charity scheme donations (totaling £15,000 in the 2023/2024 financial year) were welcome, yet unexpected. As a result, an excess of reserves have built up over the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years. With a future staffing plan that would allow us to implement our charity strategy and to deliver on our charitable objectives to best effect, these funds were accumulated over the course of two years to now be able to employ dedicated staff.

The Smallest Things reserves policy has been renewed to become a living document and is reviewed at quarterly trustee meetings.

Details of our accounts, ending March 2024, can be seen below:

31Mar2023	Service Charge	-18		38,729.40	Expenditure	Bank fees
3Apr2023	JUSTGIVING		19.22	38,748.62	Income	Fundraising
11Apr2023	JUSTGIVING		422.86	39,171.48	Income	Fundraising
17Apr2023	JUSTGIVING		62.76	39,234.24	Income	Fundraising
20Apr2023	B/P to: Mrs S E H	-24.95		39,209.29	Expenditure	Fundraising kit
21Apr2023	B/P to: CO	-936		38,273.29	Expenditure	Red Book Stickers
25Apr2023	JUSTGIVING SUBS	-18		38,255.29	Expenditure	Justgiving service charge

28Apr2023
B/P to: M.
Wilkinson
-116.3
38,138.99 Expenditure
Trustee
expenses
28Apr2023
B/P to: Trustee
Expenses Ms S L
Miles
-37.18
38,101.81 Expenditure
Trustee
expenses
28Apr2023
B/P to: Staff Salary
ABC Umbrella Ltd
-828
37,273.81 Expenditure
Employee
salary
28Apr2023
B/P to: Trustee
Expenses L Welch
-36.3
37,237.51 Expenditure
Trustee
expenses
02May2023
LOUGHBOROUGH
UNI (IMPACT
STUDY)
4,000.00
41,237.51 Income
Grant
02May2023
B/P to: Trustee
Expenses KDyson
-17.75
41,219.76 Expenditure
Trustee
expenses
02May2023
JUSTGIVING
38.84
41,258.60 Income
Fundraising
15May2023
B/P to: M.
COTTERELL
-1,125.00
40,133.60 Expenditure
Design and
print
22May2023
JUSTGIVING
84.91
40,218.51 Income
Fundraising
24May2023
B/P to: ABC
Umbrella Ltd
-1,440.00
38,778.51 Expenditure
Employee
salary

25May2023
USTGIVING SUBS
-18
38,760.51 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
26May2023
DONATION -
BOUTIQUE
RETREATS
1,500.00
40,260.51 Income
Donation
12Jun2023
B/P to: M.
COTTERELL
-500
39,760.51 Expenditure
Design and
print
15Jun2023
B/P to: expenses R
J Ludford
-38.85
39,721.66 Expenditure
Charity
supplies and
sundries
19Jun2023
JUSTGIVING
65.5
39,787.16 Income
Fundraising
21Jun2023
EVENTBRITE
OPERATION
128.1
39,915.26 Income
Fundraising
21Jun2023
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-154.5
39,760.76 Expenditure
Design and
print
26Jun2023
M Wilkinson
50
39,810.76 Income
Donation
26Jun2023
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
39,792.76 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
26Jun2023
JUSTGIVING
101.8
39,894.56 Income
Fundraising

27Jun2023
B/P to: ABC
Umbrella Ltd
-1,440.00
38,454.56 Expenditure
Employee
salary
30Jun2023
Service Charge
-18
38,436.56 Expenditure
Bank fees
03Jul2023
JUSTGIVING
176.99
38,613.55 Income
Fundraising
04Jul2023
B/P to: R J Ludford
-32.3
38,581.25 Expenditure
Charity
supplies and
sundries
07Jul2023
B/P to: Full Range
Print
-36
38,545.25 Expenditure
Design and
print
07Jul2023
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-18.59
38,526.66 Expenditure
Charity
supplies and
sundries
10Jul2023
JUSTGIVING
841.09
39,367.75 Income
Fundraising
11Jul2023
B/P to: Fundraising
Regula
-50
39,317.75 Expenditure
Fundraising
regulator
18Jul2023
JUSTGIVING
615.63
39,933.38 Income
Fundraising
21Jul2023
B/P to: C Ogilvy
-933
39,000.38 Expenditure
Red Book
stickers
21Jul2023
B/P to: Black Chilli
Video
-1,020.00
37,980.38 Expenditure
Leicester
university
event

25Jul2023
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
37,962.38 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
26Jul2023
B/P to: Staff Salary
ABC Umbrella Ltd
-1,512.00
36,450.38 Expenditure
Employee
salary
01Aug2023
B/P to: expenses R
J Ludford
-81.6
36,368.78 Expenditure
Fundraising kit
02Aug2023
JUSTGIVING
38.64
36,407.42 Income
Fundraising
03Aug2023
UNIVERSITY OF
LEIC Prem Aware
Virtual Event
6,205.00
42,612.42 Income
Grant
07Aug2023
JUSTGIVING
357.46
42,969.88 Income
Fundraising
25Aug2023
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
42,951.88 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
29Aug2023
LOUGHBOROUGH
UNI Last IMAPCT
study payment
4,000.00
46,951.88 Income
Grant
30Aug2023
B/P to: R J Ludford
-221.98
46,729.90 Expenditure
Fundraising
pack
04Sep2023 JUSTGIVING
9.61
45155.51 Income
Fundraising

04Sep2023 B/P to: Parasol Ltd
-1584
45145.9 Expenditure
Employee
salary
05Sep2023
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-56.17
45099.34 Expenditure
SSpace
MailChimp &
ADOBE
11Sep2023
UK PLUMBING
SUPPLI
715
45814.34 Income
Donation
20Sep2023 B/P to: R J Ludford
-30.02
45545.28 Expenditure
Stamps
20Sep2023
B/P to: Sports
Media Agenc
-239.04
45575.3 Expenditure
Run for charity
fees
25Sep2023 JUSTGIVING
184.98
45712.26 Income
Fundraising
25Sep2023
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
45527.28 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
29Sep2023 B/P to: Parasol Ltd
-1512
44200.26 Expenditure
Employee
salary
30Sep2023 Service Charge
-18
44182.26 Expenditure
Bank fees
02Oct2023 JUSTGIVING
67.67
44249.93 Income
Fundraising
04Oct2023
B/P to: Black Chilli
Video
-1680
42569.93 Expenditure
Virtual event
video

09Oct2023 JUSTGIVING
156.76
42726.69 Income
Fundraising
17-Oct-23 JUSTGIVING
881.26
43607.95 Income
Fundraising
20-Oct-23
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-39.18
43568.77 Expenditure
SSPACE
Mailchimp &
ADOBE
23-Oct-23 JUSTGIVING
85.78
43626.48 Income
Fundraising
23-Oct-23 B/P to: R J Ludford
-28.07
43540.7 Expenditure
Stationery/post
age
25-Oct-23
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
43608.48 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
30-Oct-23 JUSTGIVING
199.09
43807.57 Income
Fundraising
01-Nov-23 B/P to: R J Ludford
-1152
42655.57 Expenditure
Employee
salary
03-Nov-23
B/P to: MARTIN
COTTERELL
-250
42405.57 Expenditure
Design and
print
14-Nov-23 JUSTGIVING
722.21
43127.78 Income
Fundraising
20-Nov-23 JUSTGIVING
415.87
43543.65 Income
Fundraising
22-Nov-23
B/P to: MARTIN
COTTERELL
-300
42959.53 Expenditure
Design and
print

22-Nov-23
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-284.12
43259.53 Expenditure
ADOBE AND
MailChimp
27-Nov-23
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
42941.53 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
28-Nov-23 JUSTGIVING
2139.14
45080.67 Income
Fundraising
29-Nov-23 B/P to: Parasol Ltd
-1512
43568.67 Expenditure
Employee
salary
04-Dec-23 JUSTGIVING
715.1
44283.77 Income
Fundraising
05-Dec-23 B/P to: R J Ludford
-78.74
44205.03 Expenditure
Stationery/post
age
12-Dec-23 JUSTGIVING
242.51
44447.54 Income
Fundraising
14-Dec-23
B/P to: Matt
Wilkinson
-44.4
44403.14 Expenditure
Trustee
expenses
18-Dec-23 JUSTGIVING
107.11
44510.25 Income
Fundraising
19-Dec-23
UNDERWOOD
WEST ACA
87.6
44597.85 Income
Fundraising
27-Dec-23 JUSTGIVING
272.55
44852.4 Income
Fundraising

27-Dec-23
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
44579.85 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
28-Dec-23 SMITH R C
75
44927.4 Income
Donation
31-Dec-23 Service Charge
-18
44909.4 Expenditure
Bank fees
02-Jan-24
B/P to: Sports
Media Agenc
-1
44908.4 Expenditure
Run for charity
fees
03-Jan-24 B/P to: Parasol Ltd
-972
43936.4 Expenditure
Employee
salary
09-Jan-24
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-123.12
43974.54 Expenditure
MailChimp AND
SQUARESPACE
09-Jan-24 JUSTGIVING
161.26
44097.66 Income
Fundraising
09Jan2024
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-123.12
43974.54
Expenditure
MailChimp and
ADOBE
15Jan2024 JUSTGIVING
248.14
44222.68
Income
Fundraising
19Jan2024 B/P to: R J Ludford
-17.3
44205.38
Expenditure
Stationery/post
age
19Jan2024
B/P
to:
Catriona
Ogilvy
-119
44086.38
Expenditure
Health Visitor
Conference
22Jan2024 JUSTGIVING
313.32
44399.7
Income
Fundraising

24Jan2024 B/P to: Julia Wing
-9.98
44389.72
Expenditure
Prem Aware
Expenses
25Jan2024
Direct
Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
44371.72
Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
29Jan2024 JUSTGIVING
1332.48
45704.2
Income
Fundraising
02Feb2024 B/P to: Parasol Ltd
-900
44804.2
Expenditure
Employee
salary
05Feb2024 JUSTGIVING
434.26
45238.46
Income
Fundraising
06Feb2024
Inward Payment -
INTERMEDIATE
CAPITAL GROUP
PLC
10000
55238.46
Income
Donation
12Feb2024 JUSTGIVING
549.05
55787.51
Income
Fundraising
13Feb2024 B/P to: C Ogilvy
-658
55129.51
Expenditure
Red book
stickers
19Feb2024 JUSTGIVING
509.2
55638.71
Income
Fundraising
21Feb2024 B/P to: R J Ludford
-65.75
55572.96
Expenditure
Packaging/post
age for stickers
and certificate

26Feb2024
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
55554.96
Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
26Feb2024 JUSTGIVING
788.84
56343.8
Income
Fundraising
27Feb2024
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-58.42
56285.38
Expenditure
MailChimp and
ADOBE
04Mar2024 MILES JD + M
50
56335.38 Income
Donation
04Mar2024 B/P to: Parasol Ltd
-900
55435.38 Expenditure
Employee
salary
04Mar2024 JUSTGIVING
1248.58
56683.96 Income
Fundraising
05Mar2024
THE
NEIGHBOURLY FO
5000
61683.96 Income
Gallagher
Community
Grant
11th March
2024
JUSTGIVING
419.46
62103.42 Income
Fundraising/Do
nations
13-Mar-24
B/P to: Catriona
Ogilvy
-33.49
62069.93 Expenditure
Trustee Travel
Expenses
13-Mar-24
B/P to: Catriona
Ogilvy
-50.18
62019.75 Expenditure
Away
day
expenses

13-March 24B/P to: Julia Wing
-9.98
62009.77 Expenditure
Prem
Aware
Frames/expens
es
14-March
2024
B/P to: Catriona
Ogilvy
-37.25
61972.52 Expenditure
TST
birthday
stationery
18-March
2024B/P to: L Welch
-41.6
61930.92 Expenditure
Away
day
expenses
19-March
2024JUSTGIVING
512.56
62443.48 Income
Fundraising/Do
nations
19-March
2024
B/P to: Ms S L
Miles
-92.97
62350.51 Expenditure
Away
day
expenses
19- March
2024
B/P to: R J
Ludford
-51.99
62298.52 Expenditure
Packaging/post
age for stickers
and certificate
19-March
2024
B/P to: Kerry
Dyson
-80.4
62218.12 Expenditure
Away
day
expenses
25-March
2024
Direct Debit
(JUSTGIVING
SUBS)
-18
62200.12 Expenditure
Justgiving
service charge
26-March
2024JUSTGIVING
2017.13
64217.25 Income
Fundraising/Do
nations

26-March 2024	B/P to: JWing	-34.04		64183.21	Expenditure	Ambassador Mileage
29-March 2024	Service Charge	-18		64165.21	Expenditure	Justgiving service charge
		-24057.63	49370.32

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