**2020/2021** 

Charity Registration Number 1171887 www.phcuk.org 

Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ending 5[th] April 2021 




## **CONTENTS** 

**ADMINISTRATION & GOVERNANCE………………PAGE 3 FOREWORD…………………………………………..…..PAGE 4 ACTIVITIES………………………………………….……PAGE 5 FUTURE PLANS…………………………………………PAGE 10 ACCOUNTS………………………………………………PAGE 11** 


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ADMINISTRATION<br>& GOVERNANCE<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


The Public Health Collaboration (PHC) was registered as a Charity Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on the 17th of March 2017. Its Charity registration Number is: 1171887 

## **TRUSTEES** 

## **Dr Joanne Ruth McCormack (Chair)** 

## **Dr Ian Lake** 

## **Dr Trudi Deakin** 

The trustees are responsible for the overall governance of the charity. The trustees have delegated the day-to-day running of the charity to the Charity Director. 

## **SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD** 

|**Dr Aseem Malhotra (Chair)**|**Dr Ayan Panja**|
|---|---|
|**Dr David Unwin (Vice-Chair)**|**Dr Trudi Deakin**|
|**Dr Joanne McCormack**|**Dr Campbell Murdoch**|
|**Dr Ian Lake**|**Dr Katharine Morrison**|
|**Dr Jen Unwin**|**Dr Tasmin Lewis**|



The Scientific Advisory Board ensures that the PHC is giving accurate, evidence-based advice, based on the latest scientific research. 

## **STAFF** 

**Sam Feltham -** Charity Director 


**3** 



## **FOREWORD** 

It was a long time coming, but by Christmas day 2020 my hair was down to my shoulders and it was about time that I had it cut. My wife and daughter relished the chance to remove my _lockdown locks_ and as I’m never one to miss a fundraising opportunity, we managed to turn what was a difficult situation into something positive by raising £1,327 for the charity. This pretty much sums up how this year has been. 

A tremendous amount of things happened this year but one stands out, and that is how everyone within the PHC pulled together. From shifting the annual conference online to publishing our work in a peer-reviewed journal, everyone moved forward as one. From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank the scientific advisory board, patrons, members and ambassadors for going above and beyond to help make the most of what was a difficult year. 

That being said, although this year was difficult, there are so many opportunities ahead of us that I have a lot of hope for what the future holds and I’m certain that next year will be our best yet. 

Onwards and upwards, 

## **Sam Feltham** 

_Director of the Public Health Collaboration_ 


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ACTIVITIES<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME** 

Throughout this year the Ambassadors Programme has continued to grow, and now we now have a network of 260 volunteers. These volunteers operate from Exeter to Edinburgh, and the hard work they put into their lifestyle support groups forms the cornerstone of our efforts to spread the messages of better health through local communities across the UK. 


In order to illustrate some of the success stories from our ambassadors and supportive NHS healthcare professionals, we have produced a Case Study Book. The examples laid out within this book showcase why individuals chose to become ambassadors, how they set up their lifestyle support groups, and the amazing results they achieved in their communities. 

The book is full of inspiring journeys and data, including that of Lou Walker, PHC Ambassador for Winchester. Not only did Lou help people reduce their medication and improve their health, but her results were published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. Produced with fellow ambassador Christine Delon, and local GP, Dr Natalie Smith, the paper was possibly the first study to demonstrate improved health outcomes through lifestyle changes in an NHS GP practice during the pandemic. Titled “Weight loss, hypertension and mental well-being improvements during COVID-19 with a multicomponent health promotion programme on Zoom: a service evaluation in primary care”, the paper concluded that: 

_“A multicomponent weight loss and health promotion programme with a low-carbohydrate dietary component, clinically and statistically significantly improved health outcomes including weight status, blood pressure and mental well-being in a group of primary care patients when delivered remotely. Further research is warranted.”_ 


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Thanks to contributions from PHC donors, we were able to make this paper open access, for everyone to read for free. As a result, this paper is also listed in the top 5% of all research outputs by Altmetric. It’s such a proud moment for us to see our ambassadors beginning to publish papers in world-renowned journals. 


We’d also like to acknowledge the ambassador for Derby, Neil Roberts, who was featured in a news segment on BBC East Midlands Today, raising awareness of how important lifestyle support is for people with type 2 diabetes. The piece explained how his groups couldn’t meet up during lockdowns, and the negative impact this had on their type 2 diabetes management. This demonstrates how vital our ambassadors and our peer-to-peer support groups are in helping people improve their health. 

## **ANNUAL CONFERENCE & REAL FOOD ROCKS** 

We always aspire to host thought leaders from around the world at our annual conference, and this year we were looking forward to hearing from the likes of Dr Sarah Hallberg from the US and Bitten Jonsson RN from Sweden. However, due to the changing circumstances surrounding Covid, we had to rapidly adapt and move the conference online. 


This was no easy task. But thanks to technology, and to everyone involved going above and beyond, we were able to host a very successful online conference. The speakers were able to record their presentations at home using their own computers, which were then sent to us to be edited and uploaded to the PHC YouTube channel for live-streaming in May. 

This “virtual” conference went ahead on the original dates of the 16th and 17th May. The online event ran smoothly and all delegates were able to interact through the comments section of the videos as well as on social media. We also used the hashtag #PHCvcon2020 in order for delegates to interact more easily. 


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Usually, tickets for our conference cost around £100 per day, but because this year’s event was online we decided to make the conference free, in order to help share our message as far and wide as possible. However, we did ask for donations using TotalGiving, and ultimately raised £4,526 including Gift Aid. It was humbling to see so many people make voluntary donations for the conference, and we would like to thank every single person who donated. 


It was particularly exciting to note the viewing figures for the conference. Over the weekend we had more than 14,000 unique viewers watching approximately 7,700 hours of content via our YouTube channel . These numbers were so astounding, that we may in future decide to host both a virtual and an in-person conference. In this way, we can reach a much broader audience with our messages. 

In addition to these fantastic conference viewing figures, this year saw our YouTube channel reach the milestone of 15,000 subscribers: a noteworthy achievement, considering that we don’t advertise whatsoever. What’s more, between 6th April 2020 and 5th April 2021, our YouTube channel had 944,465 views which resulted in 227,700 hours of watch time, and an average view duration of 14 minutes and 28 seconds. The average view duration is in the 3 minute range, so we’re encouraged that our videos keep people engaged for so long. 

We also usually host another annual event called Real Food Rocks. In 2019, we held our first Real Food Rocks festival at Brathay Hall near Ambleside, Cumbria. This was incredibly successful, and so we were looking forward to hosting our second at Millets Farm near Oxford. However, due to government restrictions we were unable to do so, and the decision was made to postpone this event until 2021. 



**7** 



## **SPREADING THE MESSAGE** 

We spread and validate our message in a number of ways, and one of the main avenues is through our Scientific Advisory Board. This year, our Vice Chair Dr David Unwin was particularly busy sharing his knowledge and our key messages with audiences far and wide. 

In June 2020 he published a new version of his sugar infographics for white, brown and green foods. Dr Unwin’s sugar infographics are world-renowned, and are designed to help people understand at a glance the effects that various foods may have on blood sugar levels, by comparing their sugar content to a 4-gram teaspoon of table sugar. His newest version featured a wider range of foods, including white rice (the equivalent to about 9 teaspoons of sugar per 150g portion) and a 250g portion of broccoli (which is equivalent to 0.1 teaspoons of sugar). 


In addition to publishing this new version, we also received a German translation of Dr Unwin’s sugar infographics, followed by Greek, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Kurdish, Filipino and Italian translations throughout the year. In total, these infographics are now available in 15 different languages. 

Dr Unwin also published a new peer-reviewed paper in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. Titled “Insights from a general practice service evaluation supporting a lower carbohydrate diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes: a secondary analysis of routine clinic data including HbA1c, weight and prescribing over 6 years”, the paper concluded that: 

_“This approach to lower carbohydrate dietary advice for patients with T2D and prediabetes was incorporated successfully into routine primary care over 6 years. There were statistically significant improvements in both groups for weight, HbA1c, lipid profiles and blood pressure as well as significant drug budget savings. These results suggest a need for more empirical research on the effects of lower carbohydrate diet and long-term glycaemic control while recording collateral impacts to other metabolic health outcomes.”_ 


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The paper was very widely read, and according to Altmetric is in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by the organisation. This was facilitated by PHC donors, who paid to make the paper open access and available for everyone to read for free. Thank you to everyone who donated this year. 

Over the past five years, it’s been incredible to see the level of support we’ve managed to garner from NHS healthcare professionals. This realisation came completely coincidentally by way of a Daily Mail article which outlined how an “army” of doctors was growing out of inspiration from Dr David Unwin’s work. It’s a true honour to have Dr David Unwin as part of the Public Health Collaboration, and we very much look forward to seeing what next year holds. 


Other members from our Scientific Advisory Board also had a busy year. Two of our trustees, Dr Ian Lake and Dr Trudi Deakin PhD took on the Zero Five 100 challenge, which required them to run or walk 100 miles over five days whilst fasting, or consuming zero calories. Alongside them 

was Olympic rower James Cracknell, PHC ambassadors Jon Furniss and Gayle Gerry, and PHC patron, Steve Bennett. The idea of the challenge was to demonstrate that it’s possible to do endurance exercise whilst fasting. To give people a good sense of what happened during the challenge, Steve Bennett put together a very well produced 20-minute documentary available on YouTube. 

Lastly, in September 2020 we added a new randomised controlled trial to our summary table, which is widely distributed in the real food community. The table presents the most up-to-date summary of those randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing low-fat and low-carb diets in the context of weight loss or controlling blood glucose. This latest study brought the total number to 64 trials, with 55 of those showing greater weight loss for low-carb diets compared to low-fat diets. 


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FUTURE PLANS<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


If this year has taught us one thing, it’s that the future is uncertain and that you must be prepared for anything. With that in mind, next year we will be seeking to have a governance review and charity health check. Although we feel we have adapted well this year, we think that we can do better, and so that is why we would like an external assessment of the PHC. 

We also feel that after 5 years of having the same website and logo, that it is time for a fresh new look. In the new year ahead we will seek to commission a web and graphic designer to give the PHC a digital makeover. Another lesson learnt is that we share a lot of our information online and so, we will also look at creating a stronger presence online through a social media strategy. 

Lastly, the level of financial support that we have received through this year has been overwhelming. It’s been a tough year for a lot of people, and the fact that people kept on donating to us is very much appreciated. One donor stands out in particular, and that is Steve Bennett. An entrepreneur from Birmingham, Steve has had his own physical transformation and so knows how difficult it is to reclaim good health. In December 2020, Steve reached out to us and has kindly pledged a significant sum of funding to help build the work of the PHC. This will allow us to move to the next step of creating an accredited health coach service that will be able to be commissioned through the NHS for people living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Although we are in the early period of planning, we have named this service The Lifestyle Club, and plan to pilot it in 2021. 



**10** 



## **ACCOUNTS** 

## **Public Health Collaboration** 

## Receipts and Payments Accounts 

For the Period 6th April 2020 to 5th April 2021 

## **Section A Receipts and Payments** 

|**A1 Receipts**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|||
|**Description**|**Funds**|**Funds**|**Total Funds**|**Last Year**|
|Donations|120,128|-|120,128|64,869|
|Fund-Raising Events|-|-|-|21,176|
|Sub-Total (Gross Income)|**120,128**|**-**|**120,128**|**86,045**|
|**A2 Assets and Investment Sales**|||||
|Sub-Total|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
|**Total Receipts**|**120,128**|**-**|**120,128**|**86,045**|
|**A3 Payments**|||||
|Cost of Events|-|-|-|27,522|
|Wages|26,880|-|26,880|23,629|
|Telephone and Internet|2,911|-|2,911|578|
|Printing, Postage and Stationery|2,004|-|2,004|2,609|
|Bank Interest and Charges|-|-|-|335|
|Travel|-|-|-|504|
|Insurance|299|-|299|299|
|Other Charges|950|-|950|1553|
|Sub-Total|**33,044**|**-**|33,044|**57,029**|
|**A4 Assets and Investment Purchases**|||||
|Sub-Total|-|-|-|-|
|**Total Payments**|**33,044**|**-**|**33,044**|**57,029**|




**11** 



||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Funds**|**Funds**|**Total Funds**|**Last Year**|
|**Net of Receipts (Payments)**|**87,084**|**-**|**87,084**|**29,016**|
|A5 Transfers between Funds|-|-|-|-|
|A6 Cash Funds Previous Year End|43,688|-|43,688|14,672|
|**Cash Funds This Year End**|**130,772**|**-**|**130,772**|**43,688**|



## **Section B Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the End of the Period** 

||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Endowment**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Funds**|**Funds**|**Funds**|
|B1 Cash Funds|**130,772**|**-**|**-**|
|B2 Other Monetary Assets|**-**|**-**|**-**|
|B3 Investment Assets|**-**|**-**|**-**|
|B4 Assets Retained for Charity's Own Use|**-**|**-**|**-**|
|B5 Liabilities|**-**|**-**||
|**Total Funds**|**130,772**|**-**|**-**|



## **Notes to the accounts** 

The charity had a significant surplus at the financial year end which was due to two main reasons. 

1) Expenditure was lower due to the Annual Conference moving online and cancellation of the Real Food Rocks event, resulting from Covid restrictions. 

2) Significant unrestricted donations were received shortly before the end of the financial year which the trustees have earmarked for the development of The Life Style Club education programme and capacity building of the charity. These funds will be utilised during 2021-22. 

**Reserves Policy** - The charity does not currently have a reserves policy but will look to introduce one next year due to the increase in income. 

**Signed by two trustees** 

|**Signed by two trustees**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Signature**|**Print name**|**Date of Approval**|
||**DR IAN LAKE**|**04/02/2022**|
||**DR JOANNE MCCORMACK**|**04/02/2022**|




**12** 



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