## **Bolton Neuro Voices Annual Report for 2023/24** 

This is the fourteenth Annual Report of Bolton Neuro Voices covering the period April 2023 to March 2024 -  a year experiencing both continuity and impending change.  The 2023 AGM was held on 7 June 2023 and attended by 19 people. The report for the year 2022-23 was submitted, as required, to the Charity Commission and acknowledged. 

Our **membership** is made up of 5 local neuro groups; Bolton West Stroke Support Group, Bury/Bolton ME/CFS Support Group, Manchester and District MND Association, Bolton and District MS Society and Parkinson’s UK Bolton – plus 37 individual members. There is also a small Facebook group. 

## **Aims and Objectives** 

Bolton Neuro Voices was set up to improve the quality of neurological health and care services in Bolton, to create a forum in which local groups could work together and to extend membership to individuals and carers who have no local support group. In particular, we wanted to facilitate improvements in quality of life, ensure access to information and provide continued monitoring of local services. Our services are open to 

## **Bolton Neuro Voices CIO Registered Charity Number: 1178772** 

## **Working together** 

_to improve the quality of life of Bolton people with neurological conditions._ 



everyone with a neurological condition who can participate safely. **They therefore meet the public service obligation** . 

## **Activities in 2023/24** 

Our main regular activities are weekly hydrotherapy sessions at the Sir Jason Kenny Leisure Centre and weekly dry exercise sessions at the Bolton Arena Leisure Centre. 

**O** _**ur Three Hydrotherapy Continuation Programmes**_ ran for a total of 30 weeks with average attendances of between 16 and 25. They are designed by our physiotherapist partner, Susan Pattison, and supported by a co-ordinator, a lifeguard and dryside volunteers..  There was no **Course for New Users** this year as our long-term 

Physiotherapy Partner, Susan Pattison, and our Hydrotherapy Co-ordinator, Marie Oxtoby, both retired in December 2023. Although both gave notice of their intentions in August 2023 and exhaustive efforts were made to find replacements, no definite solutions had been found by the end of the calendar or financial years. There is hope that Bolton University 

Physiotherapy Department will become BNV’s  Physiotherapy Partner but the search for a Co-ordinator continues and, without one, the whole future of this service is in jeopardy. The Continuation programme was maintained from January to March 2024 through the devoted efforts of our dryside volunteers, Christine Lee, Thaira, Qureshi,  Marie Parkinson and Susan Larmett supported by a number of our users and we owe them our very sincere thanks. 

O **ur** _**Arena Exercise Programme**_ ran for a total of 33 weeks over three terms with an average attendance between 5 and 10. It is able to cope with a wider range of disabilities than the hydrotherapy programme and is much appreciated. It is led by two Arena trainers 

## **Bolton Neuro Voices CIO Registered Charity Number: 1178772** 

## **Working together** 

_to improve the quality of life of Bolton people with neurological conditions._ 



and shepherded in this, as over many years, by our trustee, Moyra McDermott. The cost to users of these services is kept to about £3 per session through the generous support of our donors. 

Supportive **social contacts** are an important feature of our exercise activities and these are strengthened by our Summer ( 63 diners) and Christmas ( 61 diners) Lunches held at Ridgmont House, Horwich. The staff there are hugely welcoming and supportive and the events are greatly enjoyed. The Christmas Lunch was especially memorable in that it allowed Bolton Neuro Voices to say a very sincere thank you, via speeches and presentations, to Susan and Marie as they retired after 12 years of dedicated service. These events also allow us to invite our donors and volunteers as guests and so show our appreciation of their support for Bolton Neuro Voices. 

The attached **Finance Report** shows an annual income of **£8432** of which **£2094** came from donations  while the remainder is made up of user contributions, payments for social events, subscriptions and fundraising revenue. **The trustees reviewed our reserves and agreed that we could safely meet all ongoing costs and keep an adequate reserve if the cost of any Hydrotherapy 5-week Course was met, as it often has been, by outside funding** . **The Committee (Trustees)** were Marie Oxtoby (Chair), Neil Germaine (Treasurer),  Chas Andrews, Marie Boardman, Kathleen Delaney, Moyra Lewis (resigned), Alan Lyons, Moyra McDermott, Annette Stuart and Chi Tailor. They had three face-to-face meetings plus many consultations via email and telephone. They reviewed all BNV policies (Safeguarding, Data Protection, Volunteers, Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Risk Assessment and updated them as required.  These policies are in place for the safety 

## **Bolton Neuro Voices CIO Registered Charity Number: 1178772** 

## **Working together** 

_to improve the quality of life of Bolton people with neurological conditions._ 



and well-being of all involved in Bolton Neuro Voices. Anyone with concerns or wanting further information can contact a member of the Committee at any time. 

**Our Volunteers,** essential to our hydrotherapy services, were Lydia Bathina, Sue Larmett, Christine Lee, Marie Parkinson, Thaira  Qureshi,  Denise Shakespeare and Sam Wain. They had three meetings for support and training and contributed to other discussions about recruitment. 

As Chair, I would like to thank most sincerely all members of the Committee, our volunteers, our physiotherapist, Susan Pattison and her colleagues  and all our members, carers and donors for their continued and much valued support for Bolton Neuro Voices. Continuation of that support is now even more crucial. 

Marie Oxtoby, 

Chair April 2024 

## **Bolton Neuro Voices CIO Registered Charity Number: 1178772** 

_to improve the quality of life of Bolton people with neurological conditions._ 

**Working together** 



||**BNV FINANCIAL SUMMARY FROM 1/04/23**|**to 31/03/24**|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Apr-23|May-23|Jun-23|Jul-23|Aug-23|Sep-23|Oct-23|Nov-23|Dec-23|Jan-24|Feb-24|Mar-24||
|**Code**||**2023/4**|**2023/5**|**2023/6**|**2023/7**|**2023/8**|**2023/9**|**2023/10**|**2023/11**|**2023/12**|**2024/1**|**2024/2**|**2024/3**|**Total**|
||**Income**||||||||||||||
|ICD|Core Donations|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|10.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|10.00|
|ISUB|Membership Subscriptions|20.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|20.00|
|IHD|Hydrotherapy Grants/Donations|1,000.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|200.32|37.20|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|1,237.52|
|IUSER|User Contributions (Continuation)|980.00|65.00|35.00|20.00|0.00|960.00|120.00|0.00|0.00|600.00|120.00|0.00|2,900.00|
|IUSERN|User Contributions (New Course)|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|
|IAREND|Arena Grants/Donations|30.00|30.00|30.00|80.00|30.00|30.00|176.00|180.00|30.00|30.00|105.00|105.00|856.00|
|ICOND|Continuation Donations|90.00|75.00|75.00|75.00|75.00|99.25|75.00|86.00|75.00|75.00|0.00|0.00|800.25|
|IARENU|Arena User Contributions|210.00|35.00|18.00|0.00|0.00|60.00|55.00|0.00|0.00|90.00|0.00|0.00|468.00|
|IOTH|Other|0.00|0.00|40.00|620.00|0.00|0.00|144.50|972.50|273.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|2,050.00|
||**Total Income**|**2,330.00**|**205.00**|**198.00**|**795.00**|**105.00**|**1,149.25**|**780.82**|**1,275.70**|**378.00**|**795.00**|**225.00**|**105.00**|**8,341.77**|
||**Expenditure**|||||||||||||.|
||**_BNV Core Funds_**||||||||||||||
|CEADMIN|Stationery/Printing/Postage|0.00|0.00|-74.69|-66.80|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-6.65|0.00|0.00|0.00|-148.14|
|CEINS|Insurance|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-259.50|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-259.50|
|CEMEET|Meeting expenses|0.00|0.00|-84.80|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-84.80|
|CEMISC|Miscellaneous|-1,000.00|0.00|-25.00|-870.00|-1.00|0.00|0.00|-50.00|-1,824.50|0.00|0.00|0.00|-3,770.50|
||**_Sub-Total - Core Funds_**|**-1,000.00**|**0.00**|**-184.49**|**-936.80**|**-1.00**|**0.00**|**-259.50**|**-50.00**|**-1,831.15**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**-4,262.94**|
||**_BNV Hydrotherapy_**||||||||||||||
|HEPHYEX|Physiotherapist Expenses Continuation|0.00|-104.30|-55.65|0.00|0.00|0.00|-111.70|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-271.65|
|HEPHYEXN|Physiotherapist Expenses New Course|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|
|HEPHYS|Physiotherapy Services (Continuation)|0.00|-540.00|-270.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-495.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-1,305.00|
|HEPHYSN|Physiotherapy Services (New Course)|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|
|HEPOOL|Pool Hire (Continuation)|0.00|0.00|-124.52|0.00|-356.58|-101.88|0.00|-124.52|-469.78|0.00|0.00|0.00|-1,177.28|
|HEPOOLN|Pool Hire (New Course)|0.00|-390.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-390.00|
|HEMISC|Miscellaneous|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|
|HEVOL|Volunteer Expenses (Continuation)|-86.40|0.00|-23.50|-338.75|-27.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-369.15|0.00|0.00|0.00|-844.80|
|HEVOLN|Volunteer Expenses (New Course)|-124.40|0.00|-23.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|-147.40|
||**_Sub-Total - Hydrotherapy_**|**-210.80**|**-1,034.30**|**-496.67**|**-338.75**|**-383.58**|**-101.88**|**-606.70**|**-124.52**|**-838.93**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**-4,136.13**|
||**_Arena_**||||||||||||||
|EARENA|Arena Costs|0.00|-200.00|0.00|-200.00|-150.00|0.00|-150.00|-200.00|-300.00|0.00|0.00|-150.00|-1,350.00|
|EARENAM|Arena Miscellaneous|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|
||**_Sub-Total - Awards for All_**|**0.00**|**-200.00**|**0.00**|**-200.00**|**-150.00**|**0.00**|**-150.00**|**-200.00**|**-300.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**-150.00**|**-1,350.00**|
||||||||||||||||
||**Total Expenditure**|**-1,210.80**|**-1,234.30**|**-681.16**|**-1,475.55**|**-534.58**|**-101.88**|**-1,016.20**|**-374.52**|**-2,970.08**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**-150.00**|**-9,749.07**|
||||||||||||||||
||**Surplus / Deficit**|**1,119.20**|**-1,029.30**|**-483.16**|**-680.55**|**-429.58**|**1,047.37**|**-235.38**|**901.18**|**-2,592.08**|**795.00**|**225.00**|**-45.00**|-1,407.30|
||||89.90|-393.26|-1,073.81|-1,503.39|-456.02|-691.40|209.78|-2,382.30|-1,587.30|-1,362.30|-1,407.30||
||Balance Brought forward|8,525.79|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00|8,525.79|
||Balance Carried forward|9,644.99|-1,029.30|-483.16|-680.55|-429.58|1,047.37|-235.38|901.18|-2,592.08|795.00|225.00|-45.00|7,118.49|