Report of the Trustees For the year ended 2021
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 2021 and confirm that they comply with the Charities act 1993.
Charity Name The Platelet Society Charity Registration Number 1172202 Registered Address
Office 7 35-37 Ludgate Hill, London, EC4M 7JN, UK
Board of Trustees
Matthew Harper Sarah Jones Gillian Lowe Jeremy Pearson (Chair) Stephen Watson (Re-appointed 22/3/21)
Executive Committee
Ilaria Canobbio (Elected: 13/9/19) Jonathan Gibbins (Chair) Alan Harper (Elected: 13/9/19. Treasurer) Matthew Harper (Trustee representative) Ingeborg Hers Sarah Jones (Trustee representative) Carly Kempster (ECR Member, Elected: 13/9/19) Susie Shapiro (Clinical member: Elected 13/9/19) Kirk Taylor (ECR Member, Elected: 13/9/19) Mark Thomas (Clinical member: Eelected 13/9/19) Steven Thomas (Vice-Chair) Amanda Unsworth (Elected: 13/9/19)
Secretary/Governance Officer
Gayle Halford
Bankers
HSBC UK
Structure, Governance and Management
The Platelet Society is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission in August 2017 under the charity number 1172202.
Organisational Structure
The charity has a Board of Trustees which are responsible for the governance of the charity. The Trustees set up a Management Committee that are responsible for enacting strategies that allow the charity to fulfil is key objectives.
Trustees
The charity has five Trustees (Matthew Harper, Sarah Jones, Gillian Lowe, Jeremy Pearson and Stephen Watson). All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in the accounts.
Stephen Watson reached the end of his term of office as a Trustee on the 21st March 2021, and according to the constitution, was eligible for immediate reappointment; Professor Watson was formally asked to consider continuing as a Trustee for another term, and the Society was delighted that Professor Watson agreed. His experience and knowledge bring great benefits to the Society. Professor Watson was therefore reappointed for a second consecutive term of three years (new end date: 21 March 2024).
Ambassador
In April 2021, the Society was pleased to announce the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Crispin Black MBE MPhil as our Platelet Society Ambassador. Crispin is a world-renowned journalist, author, intelligence consultant and former Welsh Guard officer. In 2007, Crispin was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP); since his diagnosis, he has undertaken numerous public engagement events about his ITP journey, and has shared his experiences and challenges of living with ITP at various conferences and through the media.
Crispin is no stranger to public speaking, as a journalist, he has vast radio and TV experience, and is a frequent contributor to major British newspapers. These skills will be of great benefit for supporting the Society, by attending specific media briefing events and providing interviews to the press. To this end, Crispin will help the Society promote the charity to the public and to potential donors, thus building on the awareness of the charity’s purpose and fundraising activities.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee currently has ten members, including two co-opted Clinical members, who were made full Committee members in September 2020 (Drs Mark Thomas and Susie Shapiro).
Jon Gibbins is the current Chair of the Executive Committee, and Steven Thomas will take over as Chair in Autumn 2021, with Jon Gibbins remaining as a member of the Committee for a further 6 – 12 months (and at least 2 committee meetings) in order to enable ongoing activities with which he is associated to be completed, and to support or mentor newly elected members of the Committee as they are appointed. This new process was ratified by the Trustees and has become the normal method of handover to a new Chair.
In July 2020, Alan Harper formally took over as Treasurer from Matthew Harper. The Trustees would like to thank Matthew for his hard work and expertise as Treasurer for the Society.
All Committee members have research backgrounds relevant to the work of the Charity and were elected to represent different stages of the academic career track. The Committee remains inclusive and diverse, and represents our membership by inclusion of male and female researchers, and Early Career Researchers. The Committee meets quarterly, and is responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the Society. The Committee is focused on facilitating participation of the research community through the Society webpage, newsletters, social media and networking, supporting conference organisation and outreach activities.
Risk Management
The Trustees and Executive Committee have reviewed the major risks to which the Charity may be exposed, and appropriate systems have been implemented to mitigate risk. In particular, risks to external funding have led to the development of a plan which allows ring fencing for funding for core activities. All medical-related information provided on our website is general and is covered by a specific medical disclaimer policy. Structures have been put in place to account for recent changes in General Data Protection Regulations. The Trustees are satisfied that arrangements are in place to manage risks that have been identified.
Our Aims
Our Society’s purpose is to promote excellence in research, education and public awareness of platelet biology in human health and disease.
To ensure that we remain focussed on our key aims they are appraised on a yearly basis in order to review both what we have achieved and evaluate the outcome of our work. The review examines the success of each key activity to ensure that they benefit the groups that hope to serve.
The Focus of our Work
Our main objectives for the year were focussed on establishing the Society within the research community and creating activities and structures that would help promote our key aims in the future. The strategies we used to meet these objectives were:
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To facilitate greater communication within the research community
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To continue to support and develop academic conferences in the area of platelet biology
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To provide the public with accessible information on platelet related diseases
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To improve public understanding of platelet biology
Activities and Achievements
How our activities deliver public benefit
The Society carries out a number of activities in pursuance of its aims. These activities, summarised below, provide benefit to members of the Society and wider society.
To facilitate greater communication within research community
A key element of the creation of the Platelet Society was to create a stronger network of biomedical researchers and clinicians with interests in platelet biology.
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i. Website. The Society website continues to provide key information for both for the research community and the wider public. https://plateletsociety.co.uk/ Amongst other items, the website is kept up-to-date with information of upcoming conferences, key research findings from around the world, information on available PhD studentships and research positions. Reports from platelet research conferences are uploaded onto the website
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ii. Social Media. The Society now has a dedicated social media team, made of up Early Career Researchers, Research Fellows and the Governance Officer; the team look after all of the social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and are regularly posting new content to engage the public and researchers alike.
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iii. Newsletter. The quarterly newsletter to members updates the membership with short reports on recent research meetings, public engagement/STEM activities, and shares the successes of platelet researchers including grants/prizes awarded, publications, collaborations, graduation of PhD students and promotions of our members.
To continue to support and develop academic conferences in the area of platelet biology Scientific conferences are a cornerstone of academic endeavour that facilitate a valuable exchange of new ideas and methods. With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, the Society adapted its meeting plans. We have held successful virtual meetings; an Early Career Researchers (ECR) Meeting, and 2[nd] Platelet Society Meeting (see below). The Society has also expanded on current links with other societies; we now have cross-representation on both the British Society for Haemostasis and Thrombosis (BSHT) / Platelet Society Executive Committees, which has helped to avoid conflicts of meetings, and raised the potential of interaction and collaboration.
i. 2021 Early Career Researchers (ECR) Meeting and Summer School. Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, the ECR meeting was held virtually, prior to the 2[nd] Platelet Society meeting, on the 29[th] March 2021. The meeting was hosted by ECR Society members Kirk Taylor, Paul Armstrong and Carly Kempster. Participants were treated to a diverse array of oral presentations including discussion of initiatives in platelet research, the role of GPIb in health and disease, as well as the roles of platelets in sepsis and myeloproliferative neoplasms. These were accompanied by a CV masterclass and an interactive careers panel for both academic and industrial jobs. The day finished with an online social event hosted by Gather Town to allow our ECRs to network with one another.
After discussions with the Trustees, it was decided to postpone the Summer School which was originally scheduled for September 2020. The financial risk to the Platelet Society, should situations change with the impact of COVID-19, meant that we could not guarantee an in-person meeting. For this reason, the Summer School was postponed until 2022, when hopefully the longer term impact of the pandemic is better understood. While this decision was disappointing, it has resulted in an excellent opportunity for the Society to run the Summer School just before the London International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) meeting in July. We would expect this to widen participation from international delegates, and also enable us to potentially invite some additional speakers at minimal cost.
ii. Platelet Society Meeting. Despite the local organisers’ initial plans to bring everyone to Keele University, this was not feasible due to the pandemic, therefore the 2[nd] annual meeting of the Platelet Society was held virtually on the 29th-31st March. The online format allowed us to come together internationally, with 170 participants from around the world, who joined us for three days of fantastic science and networking opportunities.
The inaugural Public Lecture was given by Dr Nicola Mutch, University of Aberdeen, on the topic of clotting complexities of COVID-19. Nicola expertly communicated the rapidly-evolving landscape on how COVID-19 triggers blood clots, and how we might be able to treat these. This lecture was livestreamed to YouTube (https://youtu.be/UiixGDhVKnI ), to help in our aim to educate the public on platelet-related disorders.
Included in the program was an interactive equity, diversity and inclusion spotlight session on Mentorship. This session allowed members to discuss the ECR Working Group’s ideas for a new mentorship scheme within the Society.
Three Gustav Born Lectures were given by ECRs who had received individual fellowships within the last year: Abdullah Khan, Harriet Allan and David Cabrera. Prizes were given for the best posters and oral presentations; a prize was also given for the NC3Rs (the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research) Innovative Approaches in Platelet Science.
Reports on all Platelet Society meetings, and meetings where Platelet Society researchers have presented, can be found on the Platelet Society webpage, under “News”.
iii. Fundraising. Due to COVID-19, fundraising and organising events has been difficult, therefore the Society has been focussing on organising a fundraising page for our Virgin Money London Marathon place holder, Giordano Pula. Giordano was selected and interviewed from a group of
applicants for the marathon place. Giordano has been instrumental helping promote his training journey, and will continue to help raise sponsorship towards this event.
iv. ECR Initiatives. The Society has formed an ECR Working Group, made up of ten representatives. The Working Group has begun to develop new resources, such as a mentoring system, podcasts, blogs and a skills repository that will benefit ECR members and the Society more generally. The Blog Series regarding Experiences of Working Abroad, and, in particular, the #ClotChat series of podcasts, has been extremely popular, and received excellent feedback from the ECRs. The podcasts feature platelet researchers chatting about their work and discussing important issues that affect the Society and its members, The Group has also established a monthly virtual “Coffee Break”, which is a chance to meet, and get to know other ECRs within in the Society. (See also i. 2021 Early Career Researchers (ECR) Meeting ).
To provide the public with accessible information on platelet related diseases
The Society does not provide medical advice and when contacted by individuals seeking such advice directs to the clinician(s) involved in their care pathway. However, the Society does provide a number of fact sheets on the role of platelets in health and disease and platelet related diseases; these are reviewed by the Executive Committee’s clinical members.
We also provide a number of personal perspectives of patients who live with platelet related diseases to raise awareness of how individual sufferers cope with their particular disorders. Our two clinical Committee members have been in discussions with other relevant societies to help support these organisations, so the Society can undertake more patient-focused interactions. The Society is establishing a relationship with the Haemophilia Society, to increase the patient and families’ understanding of rare bleeding disorders.
Platelets in vaccine associated thrombosis in COVID-19
The Society issued a statement on the Society’s website on platelets in vaccine associated thrombosis (VITT) in COVID-19; the Society provided links to the current guidelines, and included non-speculative information on VITT.
To improve public understanding of platelet biology
As part of our mission to improve the public understanding of blood platelets and their roles in health and disease our members engage in a number of outreach activities. These activities are undertaken by our members at a local level often in collaboration with their host university and other outside bodies.
Members of the Society took part in filming the Platelet Society outreach video, to highlight the importance of the work that our members do: https://plateletsociety.co.uk/why-research/ A special thanks to Dr Amanda Unsworth, who put together the video and information sheets (also found on the Platelet Society webpage); these are extremely useful resources for Platelet Society members, for any public engagement activities.
During the pandemic, Executive Committee member, Kirk Taylor assisted in organising daily virtual seminars, called the Blood and Bone Series , which allowed people to meet and listen to talks from researchers around the world. Several Platelet Society members presented at this series, which was hugely popular in the research field of thrombosis and haemostasis.
The Society also continues with its large social media presence, to further promote our public engagement activities.
Plans for Future Period
The Society plans to continue the activities outlined above in the coming years subject to a satisfactory funding position, but also expand the activities into other areas.
- We will continue to enhance our scientific conferences, facilitate workshops and training opportunities. Our subsequent focus will be to support the one day symposium on Cancer and
Platelets virtual meeting in December 2021, the Early Career Researchers Meeting and 3[rd] Platelet Society Conference in April 2022 at Hull University, the Platelet Summer School in London (a workshop designed for new researchers in the field of platelet biology), in July 2022.
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A Patient-Focused Working Group is being established in order to identify the best way to engage with patients. The Executive Committee clinical members and clinical Trustees are helping to form this group which will include members of the Society and with a view to including representatives of the public, patient groups and the Society’s Ambassador.
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The Executive Committee will establish a specific Outreach Working Group; this will give opportunities for the Society to engage with the general public in the short /medium terms. We will aim to further develop the resources for the website on platelets (both in health and disease) and would include information on ‘what platelets are and their functions’’ and dissemination of platelet research to a lay audience, by using videos, etc. Initially this will be aimed at the general public but will include information relevant to patients. The development of educational resources for schools will be a longer term aim.
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A Research Strategy will be drawn up by the Executive Committee, with an aim to become a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). The Executive Committee will establish a sub-committee to review applications for small grants for research..
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Widening our fundraising profile to ensure growth.
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EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion): the Society asked its members to complete an EDI survey, which closed in June 2021; the Executive Committee will analyse the data of the survey against the Society’s EDI statement on our website. Short and long-term EDI goals will be set by the Committee.
Financial Review
The Society currently holds a total funds of £29,051, which will cover its operating costs for the coming year; running costs for the Society include website maintenance, accountancy reports, Governance Officer salary, deposits for future meetings, payments for the Fundraising Regular and Company House. The Society has no long-term investments, with the cash reserves held in our deposit account.
Principal source of funding
At present the charity has four income streams including membership fees, organisation of conferences, dedicated fundraising activities and public donations. The membership fees and funds raised through conference organisation are currently the major sources of income.
Reserves
The Executive Committee has examined the Charity’s key objectives for the coming years and planned a reserves policy accordingly. Our membership feels strongly that the delivery of the Platelet Society scientific conference is a critical event for the research and wider community. Consequently, the committee has established a policy whereby income from conferences is ring fenced and held to support future conferences should sponsorship become limited in the future.
Donations
In May 2021, the Platelet Society gratefully received an anonymous donation of £6,000 to support clinical research on platelets in vascular disease, in particular vascular dementia; this was in memory of a loved one who had recently passed away. The Platelet Society thanked the donor for this thoughtful contribution. The Executive Committee is considering how best to use the donation and further information will be provided in the next Trustees’ Report.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees.
Signature
Professor Jeremy Pearson Chair of Trustees, The Platelet Society
Date: 17/8/2021
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Charity Name No (if any)
THE PLATELET SOCIETY 1172202
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period Period start date Period end date
from 01/07/2020 30/06/2021
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Donations 16,600 - - 16,600 15,917
Events and courses 1,600 - - 1,600 3,330
Bank interest 2 - - 2 34
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
18,202 - - 18,202 19,281
AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 18,202 - - 18,202 19,281
A3 Payments
Website development 1,143 - - 1,143 2,120
Accountancy 240 - - 240 0 240
Governance officer fees 4,500 - - 4,500 3,983
Events and Prize costs 1,246 - - 1,246 1,174
Meeting cost 15,968 - - 15,968 18,516
Printing Postage & Stationery - - - - 1,300
Other expense 171 - - 171 275
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total [ 23,268 ] - - 23,268 27,608
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - - -
- -
- -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total payments 23,268 - - 23,268 27,608
Net of receipts/(payments) - 5,066 - - - 5,066 - 8,326
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 34,117 - - 34,117 42,444
Cash funds this year end 29,051 - - 29,051 34,117
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CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
30/07/2021
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature Details Bank current account Bank deposit account Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 14,228 14,823 - 29,051 OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates |
Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Amount due (optional) |
Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | ||||
| OK | ||||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - - - - - When due (optional) |
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| - - - - - |
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| Print Name Professor Jeremy Pearson |
Date of approval 17/08/2021 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
30/07/2021
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