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2023-03-31-accounts

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS

2022-2023

Registered charity: 1177659 Report for year ended 31 March 2023

CONTENTS

I N T R O D U C T I O N F R O M C H A I R 03
O B J E C T I V E S & A C T I VI T I E S 04 - 15
F I N A N C I A L R E V I EW I N C L U D I N G N O TE S T O TH E
16 - 2 0
A C C O U N T S & I N D E P E N D E N T E X A M IN E R 'S R EP O R T
S T R A T E G Y F O R 2 0 2 3 - 2 0 2 4 2 1
S T R U C T U R E , G O VE R N AN C E A N D M AN A GE M EN T 2 2 -2 3
R E F E R E N C E A N D A D M I N D E T A I LS 2 4

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 03

INTRODUCTION FROM CHAIR

I am so pleased to present the LEGS Annual Report for April 2022 – March 2023. After a period of rapid diversification due to COVID-19, this year was focused on expanding our face to face services, whilst improving our operations and growing our offering of online classes.

A key aim was to increase the number of groups and participants, to reach as many people as we could, which we did by providing services to 166 people (46% more than last year). Our weekly class offering rose from 18 to 26, including new Pilates and Tai Chi classes. Of these eight new classes, four were face to face, operating in three new venues in Greater London, bringing the total weekly face to face sessions to 11, across seven venues.

We recruited five new Trustees, to improve the diversity, skill and expertise of our Board. Enabling our new Trustees to assist the work of our Leadership Team, will be key to driving forward the charity’s mission.

I wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to the whole LEGS community, our participants, their families and carers, our staff, physiotherapists, Trustees and volunteers. Special mention must go to Sarah Sparkes and Victoria Bailey-King, whose commitment and professionalism drive forward this incredible organisation. I am excited to see where our incredible community takes LEGS in 2023 - 2024.

Another key aim was achieved with the opening of two new face to face classes in a Better Gym in Croydon. This was a huge step forward for LEGS, one that was delayed due to the pandemic, and which paves the way for where we wish to focus face to face services in the future. By targeting Croydon, with its higher level of socio-economic deprivation and increased length of NHS waiting lists for community based neurological rehabilitation, we can provide rehabilitation and support to people who stand to benefit the most.

Our weekly, online Neuro Café builds on our aim of empowering people with information and resources on their conditions and enables participants to feedback to us on the services they want. The Neuro Café’s successes were presented by our Clinical Director, Sarah Sparkes at the UK Stroke Forum in 2022.

Annys Fairweather Chair, LEGS, August 2023

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 04

OBJECTIVE AND ACTIVITIES IN 2022-2023

VISION

Equal access to physical activity for people with neurological conditions, enabling them to live active, healthy lives.

MISSION

To provide affordable and accessible rehabilitation to people living with neurological conditions.

VALUES

Our values express who we are. They form the basis for all we do.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 05

OBJECTIVE AND ACTIVITIES IN 2022-2023

LEGS was founded to provide high quality, longerterm, affordable rehabilitation, alongside or after NHS rehabilitation has come to an end.

NHS rehabilitation is often time-limited and underresourced for people following a stroke or living with a long term neurological condition in the community. People report feeling lost after NHS services have finished, resulting in them becoming or remaining physically inactive and socially isolated. Meaningful improvement for people with neurological conditions can happen over many years and LEGS recognises the need for a programme which sustains increased physical activity and social participation over months and years, rather than weeks, and takes a holistic approach by providing participants with both professional and peer support and advice.

By providing our award-winning, weekly exercise sessions, LEGS can help people improve their physical activity and social participation, which can make a huge impact on their quality of life and also reduce health and social care costs.

The LEGS programme enables participants to improve their physical function, independence and confidence, whilst reducing their reliance on carers and family.

LEGS helps people access and engage in lifelong physical and social activity within their communities. We support people back into previous activities and enable the confidence to take up new opportunities.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 06

OBJECTIVE AND ACTIVITIES IN 2022-2023

Our outcomes include improving health and emotional well-being, increasing physical activity and reducing social isolation. We aim to enable people to enjoy activities that are meaningful to them and assist them to fulfil their personal and societal roles.

Our aims are consistent with our founding object which is:

“ the relief of disability and the preservation of health by providing physiotherapy led group rehabilitation and support sessions to people who have had a stroke and other neurological conditions .”

The main activities undertaken in relation to those purposes are:

We produced a three year business plan (20202023) which sets out our aims for the next stages in LEGS’ development. We defined our four main aims:

  1. To increase the number of participants, with a range of neurological conditions, attending LEGS and the number of groups (both online and face:face).

  2. To improve the physical condition and emotional well-being of participants.

  3. To open groups in local authority and social enterprise leisure centres.

  4. To increase the number of participants attending long term physical activity and improve their ability to self-manage their condition.

For each aim we have a series of key objectives which will shape the services we deliver. These outcomes will help us to create compelling evidence for potential funders and commissioners and reinforce the success of our intervention in improving the lives of people with disabilities.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 07

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

OUR GROUPS

We ran 862 individual LEGS classes this year (658 in 2022 and 264 in 2021).

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1,000
750
500
250
2021 2022 2023
0
Number of classes
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We offered 6970 spaces* (5011 in the 2022 and 2520 in 2021).

----- Start of picture text -----
7,500
5,000
2,500
2021 2022 2023
0
Number of spaces
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By the end of the year we were running 26 classes per week (18 in 2022 and 10 in 2021).

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30
25
20
15
10
5
2021 2022 2023
0
Classes per week
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BOOKED SPACES

ATTENDED SPACES

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Unbooked 23% Unattended 36%
2021 2021
Booked 77% Attended 64%
Unbooked 11%
Unattended 34%
2022 2022
Booked 89% Attended 66%
Unbooked 13%
Unattended 38%
2023 2023
Booked 87% Attended 62%
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The slight reduction in spaces booked from 89% to 87% in the last year could be attributed to the opening of new groups towards the end of the year. Newly opened classes generally have lower bookings because we open classes when we have a waiting list of four or five people.

Attendance figures were slightly lower than the last two years. This could be because we have more participants doing more one than class so the long term injury or illness of one participant has a greater impact on the class attendance figures. There was also notably more illness as people returned to more "normal" lifestyle habits after the lockdowns of the pandemic.

*(1 SPACE = A PLACE FOR ONE PERSON IN A 45 OR 60 MINUTE CLASS)

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 08

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

OUR SERVICES

330 of the 862 classes we ran this year were face to face (38%).

Face to face classes are more expensive to run and logistically more complicated than an online equivalent but we recognise the reported social and physical benefits which come with participants mobilising themselves for a face to face class.

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2021 2022 2023
Online Face:face Online Face:face Online Face:face
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The number of times people attended a Neuro Café session in 2023 was 641 (414 in 2022), a 55% increase.

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750
500
250
2022 2023
0
Neuro Café attendees
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We completed 92 assessments for new participants (73 in 2022) and 30 re-assessments for existing participants (56 in 2022). The decrease in re-assessments was due to participants declining the offer of a re-assessment on the grounds they were satisfied with their progress due to the support they receive within the classes.

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100
75
50
25
2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023
0
Assessments Re-Assessments
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13 people were assessed but did not join because they were not suitable or the logistics of the classes did not work for them.

We provided services (a class or an assessment) to 166 people and their families/carers (a 42% increase from the previous year).

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200
150
100
50
2021 2022 2023
0
Participants
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LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 09

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

OUR PARTICIPANTS

We received 147 referrals. 66 people started with LEGS this year (59 last year).

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75
50
25
2022 2023
0
Joiners
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Of the 66 joiners, six stopped attending within 12 weeks of starting, meaning our drop out rate was 9% (compared with 2% in 2022 and 12% in 2021).We could not find any published reports from comparable services but we have verbal reports of drop out rates between 30-50% so we consider 9% a very good outcome.

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2022 2023
Drop out rate
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150 people attended one or more LEGS class/es this year (103 last year, 51 in 2021). The ratio of people who attended a class this year, who identified as male compared to female was 1:1 (4:3 in 2022, 11:6 in 2021).

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2021 2022
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The age range of our participants was 25-96 (last year:32-95) with an average age of 64 (last year:65) and mode age of 78 (last year:68).

----- Start of picture text -----
80
60
40
20
2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023
0
Average age Mode age
<40 6 <40 13
50 12 50 15
60 15 60 23
70 32 70 49
80 29 80 39
90 5 90 10
100 1 100 1
2022 2023
Age
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Our participants were very similar to last year's in terms of location.

participants had addresses in Greater75% London (74% last year, 88% the year before). As last year, the other participants were spread throughout the UK from Northern Ireland to Cornwall to Lincolnshire.

onward referrals were made for participants (1117 last year) and we supported people with blue badge and benefit applications.

2023

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 10

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

SUMMARY

In the last year:

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 12

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

OTHER KEY ACHIEVEMENTS & MILESTONES

We designed and launched new face to face and online Neuro Pilates classes.

We opened two new face to face classes in Croydon , South London (one Move, one Rise), thanks to a Physical Activity grant from Parkinson’s UK.

We redesigned our newsletter (The LEGS Letter) for our wider audience and created a monthly circulation schedule.

We delivered support and signposting to the families and carers of our participants, and ran Family and Carers Group exercise classes, including Tai chi and aerobics.

For participants, we held an online Christmas party and an "in person" tea for our Islington participants.

We had research abstract and posters accepted to present at two national professional conferences.

We supported King’s College London University Physiotherapy students in their annual simulated practice week and Portsmouth University Physiotherapy students with telerehabilitation and research.

We created a new weekly newsletter ( The LEGS Pinboard ) for participants to improve clarity and regularity of communication.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 12

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 13

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Gaining an understanding of my condition, helps me in my motivation to exercise & understand my improving condition - invaluable .

MORE FEEDBACK

Your being there and willing to help was everything .

I CANNOT THANK YOU AND THE TEAM ENOUGH OR IMAGINE WHERE I WOULD BE IF I HAD NOT HAD THE BENEFIT OF ALL THOSE CLASSES OVER THE PAST YEARS. WONDERFUL.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for welcoming me to the class. I really enjoyed it and it was so nice to meet others in the same boat. I wish I’d found you months ago!

I exercise [with LEGS] three times a week; each class has tailored exercise programmes that meet my goals. I get to train/exercise under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable and professional Physio and I also get to exercise with other stroke survivors - which is great.

EXCELLENT WITH ITS RANGE & BALANCE OF ACTIVITY. IT' S REGULARITY & STRUCTURE HELPS ME SUSTAIN MY SELF DISCIPLINE & MAINTAIN MY VARIOUS EXERCISE ROUTINES.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 14

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 15

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

FUNDRAISING

STAFFING AND VOLUNTEERS

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 16

FINANCIAL REVIEW

REVIEW OF FINANCIAL RESULTS

For the year ended 31st March 2023, there was a deficit us of £41,858 (2021-2022: a surplus of £12,748). This was anticipated and was deliberate as we had a high level of reserves at the close of the last financial year, which exceeded our reserve requirement.

The income for the year was £97,808 (2021-2022: £127,958).

Donations provided the largest income stream, amounting to £59,147 (2021-2022: £103,275). Income from charitable activities was £34,832 (2021-2022: £24,200).

LEGS received no statutory revenue funding and relied for its income entirely on its own fundraising activities and on donations from external sources as well as its participants.

Directly employed staff numbers decreased from 2.0FTE (0.5FTE administrative staff, 1.5FTE clinical staff) to 1.82 FTE (our Clinical Director increased from 0.5FTE to 0.6FTE in January 2023, our Physiotherapist decreased from 1.0FTE to 0.72FTE in February 2023).

Total expenditure for the year was £139,666 (2021-2022: £115,237). This increase reflects the cost of running more classes as well as significant inflationary increases.

Total cash funds at this year end were £76,355 (2021-2022: £118,212).

RESERVES

The Trustees calculate the reserves as the part of the charity’s unrestricted income funds that is freely available, after taking account of designated funds that have been ring fenced for specific costs. The Trustees maintain a policy of keeping at least 6 months’ running costs (based on the average of the forecast expenditure for the current and next years) as designated funds within the free reserves, to protect against the possibility that one or all of our current funders is unable to continue their current level of commitment. At the end of March 2023, this reserve requirement was equivalent to £95,050 and total unrestricted funds were £72,484. Therefore, we had not met our reserves goal. We are aiming towards a 6 month reserve, which we estimate will take 2 years to achieve.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year.

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LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 17

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.

For the year in question, the charity was entitled to exemption from an audit under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011. The Charity Commission has not ordered an audit to be carried out under Section 146 of the Charities Act 2011.

The notes below form part of these accounts.

The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The Trustees’ annual report has been approved by the board of Trustees on 17 November 2023 and signed on its behalf by:

Annys Fairweather Chair, LEGS

Insofar as the Trustees are aware:

These accounts have been prepared in

accordance with the provisions applicable to CIOs subject to the requirements of the Charity Commission.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 18

FINANCIAL REVIEW

NOTES TO THE LEGS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023

  1. The accounts presented here have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis for the year ended 31 March 2023.

  2. In accordance with the Charities Commission guidance, and at the request of the Trustees, these accounts have been independently examined. The independent examiner’s report follows these notes.

  3. The Trustees confirm, in accordance with the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2013, that at year end the CIO did not have any outstanding guarantees to third parties nor any debts secured on assets of the CIO.

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS OF LEGS

Report to the Trustees of LEGS. Charity no 1177659 .

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity Trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2006 Act).

I report in respect of my examinations of the Trust’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Act 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(4)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mark Middleton, Director (FCA) LB Group, 1 Vicarage Lane, London, E15 4HF 27 October 2023

FINANCIAL REVIEW LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 19 CMARIIY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALE5 r 1177 Recelpts and payments accounts CC16a 181 w 2022 181 M¥ch Section A Receipts and payments T(al La•1 ￿T A1 RK•l Donat￿￿% 1.147 11)3m Tr￿ts and Gr4Mb 1140 1140 Sub t<WGros8 Income ARJ 127Jel F￿0 rnréWVJ 17$ 11x170 1140 121210 Ir•ni 121 755 hxT &Jppon 27D 140 3.831 118 212 6.017 99.147 118212 71

FINANCIAL REVIEW LEGS ANNUAL REPORT 120 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period DeL311$ Jr¥JB B1 C••h fiwhl• 71 4a4 3M71 Dale of atvovjl b•Wol al the ￿tl•S Ann>% Fw*•th•f 2￿10123 2￿11￿23

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 21

STRATEGY FOR 2023-2024

The delivery of high quality exercise classes and rehabilitation services remains our primary purpose, and with a small team of mainly freelance physiotherapists, the timetabling, cover and supervision of staff occupies a lot of our leadership team's focus. This coming year will require a significant strategic input as we manage the maternity leave of the physiotherapist who currently delivers the majority of the cover and teaching timetable. We are excited to meet the challenge. We will focus our efforts at the start of the year on recruitment to secure staffing and ensure that we can continue to run our classes without disruption to participants or reduction in quality of outcome.

Creating a new three year plan for LEGS is the second major piece of strategy work we'll be prioritising. With the support of our newly formed Business Planning Trustee Committee, the Leadership Team, led by the Chair, will draw up a new plan to move the charity forwards, setting our vision for 2023-2026.

At the close of the last financial year we had just launched two LEGS exercise classes in a Better Gym leisure centre in Croydon, south London. This was a huge milestone for us as it has been our goal since launching the charity five years ago. We were especially proud that this was achieved in collaboration with Parkinson's UK, as we were able to harness the significantly greater funding capacity of a large, national charity. Additionally, opening these classes in Croydon (an area of economic deprivation and one we had identified as having a waiting list for people needing post stroke rehabilitation), confirmed our view that this is the direction in which we want to steer LEGS. As such, we will be prioritising this model of delivery and trying to build on the success of this pilot by developing a relationship with the Better Gym teams.

The diversification of our fundraising portfolio and the creation of a strategic fundraising pipeline is carried over from last year's aims and becomes an urgent agenda item for this year.

On a less time sensitive agenda, is our desire to consider the charity's branding and marketing, as we grow and reach larger audiences. Part of our strategy this year will be enlisting the services of design experts to discuss our name and messaging.

With the recruitment of five new Trustees last year, the Board is at an exciting stage of development. A key goal is to enable and empower Trustees to produce outcomes for the charity. Strategically, we want Trustees to be involved in the detail of the charity's operations, leading on projects, producing work, being proactive and less dependent on LEGS staff.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 22

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

OUR ORGANISATION

LEGS (Local Exercise Groups for stroke and neurological conditions) was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in March 2018 with the Charity Commission. The charity was established under a constitution which describes the objects and powers of the charitable organisation and the rules by which the charity is governed. The charity number is 1177659.

Apart from the first charity Trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity Trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as Trustees, the Trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the charity. The Trustees may, by and from their number and from time to time, elect such officers (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) as they see fit.

All Trustees give their time voluntary. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in the accounts.

TRUSTEE BOARD STRUCTURE

The board meets four times a year and is responsible for LEGS’ strategic direction and policies.

This year we created four additional committees (Finance, Marketing & Fundraising, Participant Voice, Business Planning) which meet at least twice a year, or as required to discuss priorities.

STRATEGY & OUTCOMES

We want our board to reflect the diverse communities we serve and for LEGS' leadership structure to represent the equality, diversity and inclusion that we strive to create through our charity's aims.

This year we recruited five new Trustees. All of them have personal or lived experience of living with or caring for somebody with a neurological condition. And they each bring a wealth of professional experience which will strengthen our leadership.

PREMISES

We continue to benefit from the generous support of Barrecore, with whom we have developed a strong working relationship. They offer us accessible studio space at a subsidised rate so that we can run our face to face classes affordably in Notting Hill, Islington and Wandsworth.

The William Hobbayne Hall in Hanwell, home to our Tai Chi classes also generously provide their venue at a charity rate meaning we can offer face to face Tai Chi classes affordably.

We are excited to have launched two classes this year in Better Gyms, which are our ideal venues for accessible and affordable exercise classes.

The ability of our team to work remotely and from home means we have no need for a dedicated office space and we have no plans to invest in such.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 23

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

TRUSTEE INDUCTION & TRAINING

New Trustees receive induction through 1:1 meetings with the Chair and the Director of Operations, training courses, attending board meetings and self-directed reading. Induction is an ongoing process. We recognise that it needs to be tailored to the individual and lasts many months.

On or prior to appointment, Trustees are provided with a copy of the charity constitution, latest copy of the annual report as well as Charity Commission publications on the roles and obligations of Trustees, as well as relevant or topical publications relating to trusteeship from organisations such as NCVO, the Charity Commission and Getting On Board.

POLICIES, PROCEDURES, STANDARDS & RISK MANAGEMENT

We work to all relevant professional standards and our clinicians are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) or have their own independently arranged insurance.

We have a comprehensive set of policies and procedures which are regularly reviewed by Trustees. There is a risk register which is kept under at least quarterly review by the Leadership Team and is formally approved by the board of Trustees at least annually.

We encourage Trustees to attend services and social events with participants to familiarise themselves with the day to day running of LEGS and the context within which it operates.

We have a dedicated Trustee training budget and Trustees are directed to undertake training.

Our Chair and Director of Operations lead on Trustee induction but it is the collective responsibility of the board to support one another, welcome new Trustees and work together collaboratively.

LEGS ANNUAL REPORT | 24

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

CHARITY NAME

LEADERSHIP TEAM

LEGS (Local Exercise Groups for stroke and neurological conditions)

Annys Fairweather, Chair of Trustees and Founding Physiotherapist

Victoria Bailey-King, Operational Director

REGISTERED ADDRESS

LEGS c/o LB Group 1 Vicarage Lane London E15 4HF

CONTACT DETAILS

Sarah Sparkes, Clinical Director & Lead Physiotherapist

BANKERS

Barclays Bank 35 Notting Hill Gate London W11 3JR

Telephone: 07377 259 778 Email: info@legs.org.uk Website: www.legs.org.uk

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

TRUSTEES

Annys Fairweather, Chair of Trustees Esther Kufrin, Deputy Chair of Trustees Hugh Baxter, Treasurer Caroline Appel Rupert Cockcroft Frederick Baidoo Stuart Davies Sophia Forrest Anthony (Paul) Mylrea

Mark Middleton Director

LB Group 1 Vicarage Lane London E15 4HF

Advisor to Trustees David Fairweather