T R U S T E E S ' A N N U A L R E P O R T 1 S T A U G 2 0 2 1 - 3 1 S T J U L Y 2 0 2 2 **On Be Me I made a new friend and started to get more confident about talking about my feelings. I feel a lot happier now, it has helped a lot with my mental health and other people have noticed and said I am back to being ME again!** ## C H A L L E N G E S - Increased anxiety levels and loneliness - Difficulties of re-socialisation post covid - Adapting to post pandemic life ## O U R R E S P O N S E - Adapting delivery style to post pandemic requirements - Doubling our reach across our regions WE HAVE SUPPORTED OVER **500 PEOPLE** THIS YEAR - Growing and sustaining our team. 1 ## CHAIR'S REMARKS Be Me project has continued to fulfil its charitable objectives and perform strongly both in terms of its offering and its financial security. The impact of the pandemic has largely dissipated in terms of the operational influences of Be Me Project and yet the damage to those it helps is only just emerging. The principles that underpin Be Me Project have not changed and remain fundamental to what we do. Having been a trustee of Be Me Project since its formation, I have witnessed the integrity, passion and energy with which everyone involved has worked. At our core remains a strong desire to enable attendees to see themselves in a different way - one of value, having been wonderfully made. I am thrilled with the performance of Be Me Project and its stability and strong base upon which we have built and will continue to build. However, we are about more than just financial performance, we represent some of the truths that so many people in our society need to receive. The changes in those who have attended our courses is a delight to witness. That is not to say that one course can fix people, but it is a door opened and a light shone. We do this with genuine compassion, understanding and no judgement and are the privileged recipients of the participants' sharing. Three new Trustees have joined us in the last year and they bring a wealth of experience in the charitable, medical and psychology sectors. Even though Be Me has grown substantially over the last year, I am certain the organisation is still in its infancy. The need is ever bigger, and so is our desire to help. ## **Richard Mason, Chair** **I loved the crafts and it was comforting to talk about what was going on in my life in a safe place. I learnt about boundaries and what I should and shouldn’t tolerate. Before, I felt rubbish about myself but now I know I am unique, special and worthy.** 2 ## OUR STORY Be Me Project has grown a lot since its early days. From our small beginnings trialling our first course with six girls in 2014, we now deliver a growing number of mental wellbeing courses to young people and women referred to us by community centres, GP surgeries and hostels in several counties across England. Our secondary school programmes are now in huge demand and we continue to expand to try to meet as much of this need as we can. We continue to offer online courses to enable us to reach further afield. There has been some wonderful feedback received from our participants which is so encouraging to us as a charity. ## **I wish I'd had Be Me when I was at school.** Young person living in a hostel Between July 2021 and July 2022 we have helped over 500 participants. This is a considerable increase above our projected number but remains, sadly, a small fraction of the growing need. But we are excited to have had a good number of new volunteers and staff join us over then last 12 months and this trend looks set to continue. ## 'BE ME SPURRED ME ON' **A woman referred to Be Me through Social Prescribing recently told us that one of her paintings had been published in a mental wellbeing book. Her confidence had grown little by little as the course progressed and she began believing in herself and recognising her talents. She says through Be Me she was spurred on to enter the competition. What a wonderful outcome!** **I enjoyed being able to speak up about how I am feeling as I can't always do that. I learnt how to handle my emotions and how to feel better in myself.** 13 year old 3 ## OUR MISSION To support young people and women to celebrate that they are uniquely and wonderfully made for a purpose and to be equipped to build positive mental wellbeing and confidence in life. ## OUR VALUES - Inspiring people to believe they are uniquely and wonderfully made Respecting and accepting the unique worth and value of each individual Encouraging and building up each person Compassion and care Being real Led by Christian love ## HOW WE HELP We run 3 different courses in both 1:1 sessions and groups. The ‘She Is’ course is craft based. Who Am I? is discussionbased and ‘Let’s chat’ is a very flexible course allowing attendees to select topics they feel best suited to them. In each course we try to ensure that the participants will relate well together to help them get the best out of the sessions and to, hopefully, keep up long term encouraging friendships - something which has happened frequently and given us great joy. ## OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES - Build and enhance young people’s and women’s confidence and positive mental wellbeing Support vulnerable people to explore and develop tools to better manage their emotions. - Develop resilience to help them better cope with life’s ups and downs **Thank you so much for asking my Year 10 daughter to be a mentor for the Year 8 group. My daughter had lost herself and now I feel like I have her back. She’s made better friend choices and she** **feels a lot happier. It was so helpful that she not only learnt things for herself, but she helped the younger ones too.** A young person's mum We have also had great joy in witnessing course participants then becoming a course assistant or asking to volunteer in another capacity. This helps build long term confidence and gives a sense of purpose to those who do it. Be Me Project supports people struggling with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and vulnerable young women in the community struggling with their mental health. Our leaders and volunteers have all experienced difficult times so can empathise with our participants and not judge them. CURRENTLY **1 IN 3** BENEFICIARIES ARE STRUGGLING WITH **GENDER/SEXUALITY ISSUES** 4 > LAST TERM **47%** OF STUDENTS HAD **SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES** **10%** OF STUDENTS HAD ASD **37%** HAD NEEDS SUCH AS ADHD, MLD, SEMH AND SPLD Many of our course participants struggle with friendship and family issues and high anxiety. We also have those with disabilities, including partial deafness and in utero drug exposure which is affecting their mental health. **----- Start of picture text -----**
FEEDBACK:
INCREASE22%
IN RESILIENCE
INCREASE15%
IN CONFIDENCE
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'All of the girls took on board **positive messages to remember** when they struggled in some way. **All recommended it** to other pupils. 'They all reported that **they felt listened to** and had the **opportunity to discuss** a range of issues. It was noted that the girls continued through the year **more positively** . 'Emotional ‘meltdowns’ diminished significantly. Teachers reported an **improved attitude** to the girls' **learning** and the way they **coped with challenge** .' -Head of Pastoral Care, Ashcombe School ## **It encouraged me to come to school, because I struggled - and now I come in because of Be Me.** A 14 year student with low school attendance due to anxiety 5 **----- Start of picture text -----**
85%
OF COURSE PARTICIPANTS
REPORTED IMPROVEMENT
IN THEIR CONFIDENCE &
RESILIENCE
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## IMPACT **In consulting with the attendees prior to and after their course, they were asked to summarise their feelings of themselves.** ## PRE-COURSE VIEWS: - I’m Anxious - I’m not being heard I’m letting people down - I feel judged by others I’m not ‘good’ enough I don’t like my body Over the last 12 months, Be Me Project has been collecting data and analysing the impact of two of the courses we run. A clearer picture will emerge in the future as we undertake further surveys with new attendees and re-survey recent attendees. We are really encouraged by the results and analysis undertaken to date. ‘Who Am I?’ - 85% of 115 participants surveyed in 2021 and 2022 score more positively in confidence and resilience overall at the end of the course than they did at the beginning. ‘She Is’ - By the end of the courses, there was positive movement in many areas of the surveyed responses, particularly around improved self-esteem/confidence and an improved sense of a unique identity. ## POST-COURSE VIEWS: - I’ve enjoyed being able to talk and not be judged It’s nice to know I’m not alone in how I feel - I’ve been able to make some friends I felt safe - It made me think things about myself that I’ve never thought before - I’ve learned to be kind to myself **There is a saying I heard a long time ago: "Become your own cheerleader"... I had no idea what that meant until after taking this course.** **----- Start of picture text -----**
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## KEY ACHIEVEMENTS We are purposeful about sharing our knowledge externally and have been involved in many events this year. We ran an LSA training morning, attended Mindfest in Dorking and undertook talks and workshops for schools and community events. We are involved in external forums such as the KT22. Jude struggled with life. She was bullied a lot at school which made her withdrawn. She dropped out of secondary school and spent a couple of years in her bedroom, away from everybody. We met Jude’s sister at Mindfest where we chatted about meeting up with Jude 1:1. Jude came once a week to do the ‘She Is’ Course and then started volunteering in the office helping our course leaders. She’s now been volunteering with Be Me for five months. We can see, one day, Jude being a course assistant, helping others. Be Me Project were invited to have a stall at Mindfest, a mental health and wellbeing festival where Roman Kemp, Capital Radio DJ and presenter of BBC documentary ‘Our Silent Emergency’ was the keynote speaker. **It's good to have something to do every week that I enjoy with someone that I get along with. It helps me to de-stress and has encouraged introspection which has solidified my opinion of who I am.** Jude, 16 years old We made lots of connections with people through this event, including a special young person named Jude. Our CEO was asked to share her personal story and the journey of Be Me on Premier Radio with Hannah Scott Joynt. Lu felt privileged to be asked and many found her story very moving and inspiring. 7 ## GREASE NIGHT We were chosen to be the nominated charity for the ‘secret cinema’ event at St Georges Church, Ashtead. It was a brilliant evening and we raised almost £3,000! ## MARY FRANCES TRUST This year we partnered with Mary Frances Trust (a mental health and emotional wellbeing charity for adults in Surrey) by running an online course for 10 of their young adults - some at University, some were working and and some were unable to work. One of the young adults from this group has recently joined our ‘She Is’ course in person and is thoroughly enjoying it. ## DUKE OF EDINBURGH Once again we have been asked to support a student in her DofE volunteering activity. This year a student has been running our social media posts under supervision, engaging with our followers with encouraging posts and news each week. ## BE ME CONFERENCE We held our first Be Me conference this June in Dorking. What a buzz! We had most of our team together from Cumbria, Kent, Surrey and Sussex. We shared best practice, personal experiences and our stories with one another, and celebrated the charity's achievements. Dr Jill Rasmussen, a highly regarded senior clinician in mental health, came and did some training with us, encouraging us in the work we are doing. We appreciated the time together to build each other up and get really excited about our future as a team! **I just wanted to say another thank you for the ‘Who Am I’ project sessions. They were really helpful and it was nice to just speak to some new people who understood where I was coming from.** 8 ## FUTURE STRATEGIC AIMS AND DEVELOPMENTS - Build on our strong roots in the community, consolidate our existing partnerships and develop relationships with new partners within the regions we work in already - Grow our teams in all areas, taking on more volunteers and course leaders - Open our second Surrey Hub in September 2022 Develop our survey impact analysis by reanalysing our participants' mental wellbeing from six months to a year after the course has been completed Continue developing our feedback systems to the partnerships regarding participants' responses and any on-going help to be put in place - Participate in the schools mental wellbeing event in July 2023 - Develop our ‘Let’s Live’ activity book to support teenagers with helpful topics and advice. **Be Me taught me to like myself and to stop judging myself.** 9 ## GOVERNANCE & LEADERS Our Governance Plan sets out how we as a charity are governed and considers the requirements and guidance laid down by the Charity Commission and Companies House where applicable. The charity takes care to organise and control its affairs reasonably, responsibly and effectively with adequate risk management systems. The Governance Team will work with the staff, volunteers and supporters to ensure the best implementation of the charity’s objectives and purposes for the benefit of all participants of Be Me Project and those with whom we are associated. Trustees are appointed solely by existing trustees (having considered the views of the CEO), subject to a minimum 75% agreement of the Trustees. All Trustees are interviewed, referenced and DBS checked. ## FINANCIAL Be Me Project has had a very good year and has surpassed its goals in terms of the numbers of those it has helped. But it has also been successful in terms of grants received, financial management and the continued building of awareness of our work. We have received 10 separate grants across our regions: - Cumbria Community Foundation - Cumbria Freida Scott - Hadfield trust - Liverpool BAE - Kent Malling Memorial Institution - Kent Community Foundation - Clarion Futures - Mary Frances Trust - Community Foundation for Surrey (from Surrey Heartlands NHS Charities Community Partnership Fund, and Surrey County Council Public Health Community Fund) - Better Care Fund Grant Programme Every grant is vital to our work and makes a huge difference and we are grateful to them all. 10 KEY INFORMATION FROM OUR FINANCIAL REPORTS YEAR TO 31ST JULY 2022 ## **Risk Management** The Trustees acknowledge that they have a responsibility for the identification and proper management of risks faced by the Charity in achieving its primary aims. The Trustees have therefore assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those relating to the specific operational areas of the Charity, its investments and its finances. The Trustees believe that, by monitoring reserve levels, by ensuring that controls exist over key financial systems, and by examining the operational risks faced by the Charity, they have established effective systems and procedures to mitigate those risks. ## **Financial Review** Funding for the Charity comes primarily from donations from charitable trusts and individuals. ## **Financial Activity and Financial Position** The Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet can be found on pages 13 and 14 respectively. The Charity’s reserves increased by £70,984 during the year (2021: increased by £11,754). The balance sheet shows total net assets of £154,217 (2021: £83,233) of which £99,391 (2021: £57,692) is restricted. The unrestricted funds of £54,826 will be allocated to additional salaried management hours, hub leader(s) and core costs which will increase substantially at the start of the 2023 financial. The Charitable reserve is also included within this figure. ## **Reserves Policy** The Trustees have examined the requirements for free reserves, in other words those unrestricted funds not invested in tangible fixed assets. The Trustees consider that, given the nature of the Charity’s work, free reserves should be equivalent to approximately 3 months’ budgeted routine expenditure, plus committed future expenditure on other projects, where funds permit. The Trustees are of the opinion that this provides sufficient flexibility to cover temporary shortfalls in incoming resources and will allow the Charity to cope and respond to unforeseen emergencies whilst specific action plans are implemented. At 31 July 2022 the Charity had net free reserves of £53,776 (2021: £25,541) as follows: 11 BE ME PROJECT Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees of Be Me Projert I report on the attounts of the Be Me Projett for the year ended 31 July 2022. Thls reporr Ss made solely ￿ the Trustees in accordance with section 145 of the Charitles Acr 2011 c'the Act"). My independent examination has been undertaken so that I might state to the Trustees those matters l am required to state to them in an independent examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fvllest extent permitted by the law. I do not accept responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Trustees for my independent examination. for ¢hTr5 reporu or the op1n1￿$ I ha￿ fornied. Respectlve responslbllltles of trustees and examlmr The Trusrees consider rhai an audii is not required for this year (under settion 144(21 of the Act) and that an Independent examlnatlon bs needed. It 15 my responsibility to: examine the accounu (under sectim 145 of the Act).. follow the procedure5 laid in the Gen￿ Direction iNen by the Chari¢y Commission {under sttuon 14515I{bl of the Act),. and Sta￿ whether parvcular matters have come ro my I[￿¢10Th 8asls of Independent examlnerfs ststement examination was ¢3rried ou¢ in a<¢ordan¢e General Direcuofts givtn by th¢ Charity Commtssiontrs. An examination includes a review of the accounring records kept by rhe Chariry and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations from the Trustee5 coricerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence tha¢ would be required in an audiL and con5equendy I do not express an audit opinion on ¢he accounts. Independent txamlner's statement I have compleied my examination. I confirni that no fftaterral matters ha¥• come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to belle¥e that in any material respecL' . accounung records wve no¢ kep¢ in rupec¢ of the thariry a5 required by settion 130 of the ACL or 2. the accounts do not accord wi¢h those records- or rhe a¢¢ounts do not ¢omply with the appli Fund accountlng The funds held by the charity are either. Unrestricted general funds - these are funds which an be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees. Restritted funds - these are fund5 tha¢ an only be used for particular rettrirted purposes within the objKu of thè tharity. R•strictions arisè when sy¢rfied by th• dmor or when frjnds ar• raised for particular restricted PUrp￿e& Income UTrvestrlcted Restrlcted FuDds Funds 2022 2022 Total 2022 Total 2021 Donations & leracies Dona¢ions Income ￿ redalmed Grdnrs 21,237 8.010 28.740 49.977 8.010 114.048 22.042 1,087 45.692 114.048 29.247 142.788 172.035 68.821 Other trading Sale of merchandlse 430 430 287 29.677 142.788 172.465 69,108 A grant from Surrey Better Care of £38.363 12021: £nil). a local authorl¢y funded scheme. was recelved durlns th• ye¥. Expend•ture Expendlture on Ralslng Funds Unrestricted 2022 Restricted 2022 Total 2022 Totsl 2021 Fundraisi 652 3,084 3,736 2,400 16 BE ME PROJECT Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 July 2022 Expend•tur• on Charitabl• activiti•s Unrestricted Restricted ZOZ2 2022 Totsl 2022 Total 2021 Courses Support Governance costs 1&150) 4.926 52 59.621 37.514 870 53.471 42,440 922 29,069 23.357 2,528 (1.172) 98.005 96.833 54,954 Staff C¢M¢s 2022 2021 Included within Expendlrurt on PAisSn8 Funth and Expenditure on Charrtable Ac[i￿lieS are ¢he following staff costs.. Gross salaries Social security costs Penslon tontribuilons 23,015 19,728 526 249 22.489 19,479 Of which.. ross salaries and btntfrts paid to Key Management Persor)n4.' 22,489 19,479 Numb¢ Number The average number of errploy•es durSng the year. Full tlme workers Part cim• workèrs No employee rece1T￿d payments in excess of £60.000 thring the year. TrUS￿e$ are nor a salary or expenses. 17 BE ME PROJECT Note5 to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 July 2022 Net inc¢Jmel(expenditure) before tax Net incomellexpendiwre) before tsx is stated after char8WI[ Urbrestricted Restrirted 2022 2022 Total 202Z Totsl 2021 Oepreciation Independent examination fee Other fees chirsed by independenr examir 870 1.554 870 1.554 330 430 Taxatlon As a chariy. Be Me Prolect Is exemp¢ from w on Income and ￿1n$ f4lllng wlthin the provlslon5 of ¢he Corporaclon T￿e$ Acr 2010 or the T￿ation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the exreni that these are applied ro its charitable objects. No ¢ax charges have arisen or) the Charity. TaThglble Flxed Asmts Computer Equlpment Cost At l A¢Jgust 2021 Addiuons Dlsposals 1,932 At 31 july 2022 1.932 Depreciation At l Avgusr 2021 Charge for Ye Dlsposals Ar 31 luty 2022 Net Book Valu• At 31 Atsgusr 2022 I,oso At 31 Au8us¢ 2021 18 BE ME PROJECT Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 July 2022 Debtors 2022 2021 Gift Aid Tax receivdble Accrued income 7,097 913 7.097 913 Cr￿}¢Or$ . Amowbts Falllng Due Wlthlrb One Y 2022 2021 Accruals Oih¢r ¢r¢ditors 470 276 625 1,780 746 Restrl¢ted Funds Atl August 2021 At31 July 2022 Income Expenditure Transfer% Course Costs Core Costs Income developrnent Management salaries Fundraising HublAdrninis¢r#tion 47.537 734 64.154 15.556 25.OCKI 28.790 (53.833 (16,290 57.858 25.CQO 11.860 3.650 1.023 5,821 (22,751 12,950 15.265} 6.288 57,692 142,788 (101,089) 99,391 19 BE ME PROJECT Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 July 2022 Descrlptlot)s of the resrricted funds are as follows.. Course Costs- funds raised for Surrey, Cumbria. Kent and 8Tl8hton to run course5 Core Costs . funds raised for central coordination and administration Income development - fvnds raised for cortsultancy houfs fcrf an Income Development Manager Management 5alaries- funds raised for saLiries for CEO and COO Fundraising. funds raised to assist with the raising of funds Hub/Administration- funds raised for administration and marketin8 m3terial development hours Related Party Transactlons Richard Mason. a trustee until 31 July 2022. is the spouse of Lucy Mason. the founder and CEO of the Charity. During 2022 Lucy Mason received ￿0$$ rémuntraoon of £11.50512021.. £9.625) and pènsion contributions of £301 12021.. £2491. The aggregate unrestritted donations made by Trustees to the Charity were £6.3￿ (2021.. £4.0501. 20