FIBROID FORUM UK
CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION NO. 1177878 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
31 DECEMBER 2023
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Fibroid Forum UK
Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31 December 2023
The Trustees of the Fibroid Forum UK present their annual report and accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023.
The board of trustees is satisfied with the performance of the charity during the year and the position as of 31 December 2023 and consider that the charity is in a good position to continue its activities during the coming year.
Charity's Registered Address
253 Lordship Lane London SE22 8JF
The charity is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation No. 1177878
A summary of the objects of the charity as set out in its governing document:
The relief of sickness and the preservation of health of women who are suffering or are at risk of suffering from uterine fibroids, in particular but not exclusively by:
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(1) raising awareness of fibroids and how it impacts on the lives of sufferers;
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(2) educating and empowering women suffering from fibroids to enable them to make informed choices about the best treatment options for them and how to access them; and:
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(3) aiding the research of the causes of fibroids to help alleviate and eliminate the condition and to publish the useful results.
An explanation of the charity's main activities and objectives for the year
The charity has been running quarterly Fibroid Support Group meetings since September 2017. In 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions the quarterly meetings moved from in person meetings at St Thomas's Hospital to the Zoom online platform which has enabled the charity to continue offering support to fibroid sufferers and provide access to attendees from further afield. These quarterly meetings continued online in 2023. Attendees were required to pre-register to attend and asked to remain on camera during meetings.
The support group meetings continue to raise awareness of fibroids and how the condition impacts the lives of sufferers; educating and empowering women suffering from the condition to make informed choices about the best treatment options and how to access them.
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The support group meetings also continued to provide a forum for practitioners and researchers in the field to share information and expertise on the treatment options available to sufferers.
During the year meetings had contributions from guest speaker Jenny Okona-Mensah who gave an informative presentation about the work being done by Fertility Network UK. Another guest speaker was Dr Edi Osagie, a Senior Consultant Gynaecologist, who made a presentation on fertility and fibroids.
The support group meetings have continued to provide the opportunity for sufferers to share their experience of the condition, the various treatment options that they had undergone, the challenges in obtaining treatment as well as the self-care they have engaged with in treating their condition. Some of the attendees continue to regularly attend meetings even after receiving treatment and add their voice and support to the group discussions.
The charity continues to have a social media presence both on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), with the charity's private Facebook group providing a forum where sufferers of the condition can share their experience, ask questions, and gain support from other sufferers. Articles regarding the condition and other gynaecological conditions are also shared in the Facebook group.
Facebook, X, Eventbrite and an email mailing list (which recipients give their consent to join) have also been the means by which support group meetings have been publicised.
Structure, Governance and Management
The charity trustees are responsible for the overall management and control of the charity. All decisions are made by the trustees.
The trustees met on six occasions during the year to discuss governance of the charity, plan support group meetings and ways of promoting awareness of fibroids and the treatment options available.
The charity is not part of a wider group structure.
Public benefit
The charity's trustees continue to have regards to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance. The trustees are aware of the guidance and have taken it into account when decision making to which the guidance is relevant in the running of the charity. On any occasion where the trustees decide to depart from the guidance, they have good reasons for doing so and this is recorded.
The trustees believe that the charity has continued to provide public benefit through the support group meetings for fibroid sufferers, many of whom have fed back with their appreciation for a supportive forum and a network in which to share their experience with other sufferers as well as gaining information from practitioners in the field. The has enabled sufferers of the condition to make more informed choices about the treatment options available to them. Several of the attendees continue to regularly attend the support group meetings.
Public benefit has also been provided through the charity's Facebook group which was
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established in 2017 and is administered by two of the trustees. At the end of the reporting period the Facebook group had increased by 215 members to a total of 848 total members. Members regularly contribute to the group page by sharing their own individual experiences or asking other members for guidance on navigating treatment options.
Financial Review & Annual Return Questions
The financial statements are set out in the accounts for the period ending 31 December 2023. The accounts have been presented as a Receipts and Payments Accounts.
Income of £19 was received in 2023 via Amazon Smile and this is reflected in the accounts. Grant making is not the main way that the charity carries out its purposes.
During the financial period for this return, the charity received no income or grant funding from contracts from central government or a local authority.
During the financial period for this annual return, the charity received no income from outside of the UK.
During the financial period for this annual return, the charity did not operate outside England and Wales and no money was spent or transferred outside England and Wales.
The charity has no trading subsidiaries.
During the financial period for this annual return, none of the trustees received remuneration or benefits other than any expenses incurred.
None of the trustees were paid:
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(a) for being a trustee;
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(b) for providing professional advice or services to the charity; or
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(c) for any other benefit from the charity (for example accommodation, car, holiday).
The charity has no employees or paid members of staff and during the period covered by this annual return, none of the trustees resigned to take up employment with the charity.
The charity had no UK volunteers during the financial period. All activities were undertaken by the trustees.
The charity has no overseas expenditure and therefore no monitoring controls in place to monitor such expenditure.
None of the charity's trustees are in roles within the charity requiring a standard, enhanced, or enhanced with barred lists DBS check.
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Members of the Board of Trustees at the date the report and the accounts were approved
Audrey Skervin (Chair) Yvonne Maye (Treasurer) Elfreda Skervin Helen Odozi Dawn Martin
2 September 2024
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| Charity Name | No (if any) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fibroid Forum UK | 1177878 | |||
| Receipts and payments accounts | CC16a | |||
| For the period from |
01/01/2023 Period start date |
31/12/2023 Period end date To |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 19 - - - - - - - 19 - - - 19 144 - - - - - - - - 144 - - - 144 - 125 - - - 125 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 19 - - - - - - - 19 - - - 19 144 - - - - - - - - 144 - - - 144 - 125 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Amazon Smile | 19 | 265 | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
19 | 265 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| 265 | ||||||
Reimbursement of trustee expenses for Zoom account. |
144 | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 144 | - | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases (see table) |
||||||
| , | - | |||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - 125 | - | - | - 125 | 265 | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| - 125 | - | - | - 125 | 265 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
20/09/2024
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature Dawn Martin Details Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 140 - - - - - 140 - OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Dawn Martin |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
|||
| Dawn Martin | Dawn Martin | 02/09/2024 | |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
20/09/2024
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