## Spiral – preventing the effects ## Of bullying ## Annual Report ## 179662 ## From: 5[th] December 2020 ## To: 4[th] December 2021 This year has been like no other year with Spiral feeling the impact of Covid-19 and the resulting pandemic and lockdown. What has become more prevalent is the good work that Spiral has achieved and how the services offered are more and more in demand. **Objectives and Activities** The purpose of Spiral is to promote mental health of young people that have/are being bullied or at risk of being targeted by bullying in Cumbria. The promotion of mental health will be done by 1-2-1 support, group work, mediation. Raise awareness and understanding the effects of bullying. Spiral worked on 3 projects over the last year ## **1. Peer Community** **Project:** Online community that young people can access, it is a monitored space where young people can talk to other peers, staff, and volunteers, attend game nights run by staff and volunteers, access free downloadable resources and local information. Young people can attend this as often and for as long as they wish. ## **Delivery:** Online **Impact:** Support the developing brain and cognitive thinking and brings and can bring some happiness to their day, reduce isolation, feel connected to others, learn about difference form others. ## **2.Preventing the effects** **Project:** Providing emotional education, to give young people the tools they can use to manage difficult situations and overwhelming emotions, 4-8 sessions available. **Delivery:** 1-2-1 and a video on managing difficult and overwhelming emotions. 1-2-1 took place on Teams. **Impact:** Health &wellbeing – improve physical / mental / emotional health, education & skills – improve access to volunteering, tackling disadvantage & exclusion – support vulnerable people. ## **3. Every Mind Matters** **Project:** create webinars on cyberbullying and distribute to schools. ## **Impact:** Raise awareness, Statement from the trustees ‘ _Spiral has, from its inception, maintained its focus on benefiting children and young people in the community and within the school environment. The overarching commitment is to benefit the wider community by equipping children and young people with the ability to be resilient and confident in moving into adulthood. The work of Spiral has spotlighted bullying as something the wider public has a responsibility to discuss and resolve and continues to offer support to allow communities to do so’._ Volunteers have contributed over 50 hours, this has been done by supporting young people in 1-2-1’s, attending training and coaching, and admin. ## **Achievements an** d **Pe** r **fo** r **mance** 2020 was a challenging year for Spiral, when Covid-19 started there was a huge uncertainty of how the services would be delivered. Due to this we had to change our delivery style, Spiral have recruited 12 volunteers, 10 that are actively working on projects. The difference Spiral is making to the wider community is providing volunteer opportunities. Volunteers are choosing to volunteer at Spiral and provide support to young people within the community they live. This shows that the community want to be involved in supporting each other in a difficult time. This has been measured in the interest in the volunteer role and the commitment by volunteer. For volunteers this is has provided opportunities to gain experience, build on their CV, give back to the community, and reduce isolation as they are working as a part of a team. ## Volunteer aged 25 ‘ _I would say to anyone thinking of volunteering to go for it as it’s such a great opportunity and the support you get is fantastic. It was nerve-wracking at first but the best way to get over that is to through yourself into it and now I feel so much more confident in delivering sessions and talking to YP as well as parents/teachers’._ The volunteers have provided support to young people and the support has improved their daily living, feedback provided has shown that the support is reducing anger and anxious thoughts, and improving low mood. Statements from young people ‘understand why it happens now. I can take control when feeling more overwhelmed whereas week one she didn’t think anxiety was something many people experience and how normal it was in everyday lives.’ Female aged 15 ‘I have been getting better at describing my emotions’ male aged 9 Case study: One young girl who was not attending school self-rated that she was now likely to return and whose parents commented that they had seen a significant difference in her motivation, self-esteem and confidence after 4 sessions. Supporting young people to better manage her fear through learning new skills and strategies to reduce arousal and self-regulate. Most report having more selfcontrol over their difficult feelings and thoughts. Recovering a sense of Hope and Optimism about the future through gaining selfworth and confidence and taking power back from the bullies by getting on with their goals and doing what matters to them. Gaining social confidence and a sense of belonging when feeling different/excluded Greater self-understanding of thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The difference the services have made to young people using the services Spiral provide is reducing isolation and supporting young people to stay connected to peers through our online community. Spiral have worked with 300+ young people during 2019-2020, this is lower than the previous year however we have had to change how we were working as an organisation. Spiral managed to increase volunteer capacity and continue to work through the Covid-19 pandemic, this shows great resilience within the charity and the commitment from staff and volunteers. ## **Financial review** Reserves of £1000 are currently held to allow spiral to wind down and stop the running of its services should funding seize. Should the charity spiral be unsuccessful in raising funds to benefit the community the funds reserved will allow spiral to wind down its core services. If we had to close temporarily due to natural disaster, or move due to building works etc, we would need 3 months to find alternative accommodation. To cover this period, we consider that we need to hold three months operational expenditure, to include rent, staff wages, insurance, supplies etc. This is calculated based on the average expenditure of the previous year’s accounts. Total expenditure during 2020/21 = £34,912.00 of which 3 months is calculated as £8,728.00. The total Reserves Policy is calculated as £10,000.00 being £1,000.00 + £8,728.00 rounded up. The Committee will review and amend the actual Reserves held annually and update accordingly. There are no funds materially in deficit. There is no materiality level set as the accounts are based on cash basis and there is no uncertainty about the charity continuing as a going concern. All trustees have agreed that the charities financial position at the end of the 2020 period is good. CHARITY COM4IISSIO 1179662 Recelpts and payments accounts CC16a 2Q19 2D20 Section A Receipt5 and payments Rt*tridffd Tots1 funds Last ycar A1 CYAF 11. f1.•27 £.3 GFFA i.or4 Z.DiVJ FurftaL51 $271 LEth Sub toial(Gmss *)¢tsnAg for ARJ 31.911 21214 s￿10 21.114 A3P• I.•Y4 J71 Fur￿1 $1 ¥912 19,JSS J70 X•12 19.365 N•t 0ftr•M1ptWfp•￿8￿tsJ . ie41 2,YJl A6 Cash Izlt y•ar•n C••h I1•nd¥ thlsye•rwKI 2.07 14075 1&150 1*219 CCXKRI Issi Section B Statement of assets and llabilities at the end of the period UnrWJlricted lijnrt Rètstricted fvndy Endowment fund to Dpary&if 81 C4•h &*Jh fvods 13.2ts4 EndoiwilÈtit lurtds Lbtsi Dtytsil Curremvwut DAlai B4 A%J•ts rei#ln•d lortr charity's thvn D*e of Sfv71r CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES . Independent examinefs report on the accounts Se¢tioti A li)dty&ndeill Exwminew s R¢port Report io the t￿Sle mwnberJ ot s￿ra1- Ihe dfeds of On ¥ccounts for the yo•r14 O*¢embeT 2020 Charlty rio 111 any) 1179662 S•t on pa￿ 1.2 I ferth lo IrL￿tee5 on my examfftat￿ tstthe acts)unts of Above tharrty Trust") lortr* year enoed 04112r2020 R••ponslbllltl•s and As the charity trustees of the Twst. you are ￿$r￿3n5￿•8 lor the weparati 2011 Act") under sec*on 145 of the 2011 Act and in L￿1r￿a out my examination. I have follrmrtd the chrecbons given by the Ch￿lty Cornrni8sion undes 14S5)(bl of the Acl I have cunp4eted Thy exarninatw. I c(K)fiTh thai no matenal mattets have come lo my atten1K￿ In cwrbection with the exam¢rMtlo￿ whth gNeJ me use to L￿Ve that Ki. any rnaterial respect Indepondent gxamlnefs statym•nt Ihe Aci or I have no concerns and have corne auoss no fAheT rn¥uers in connecti ¥*ilh the eXarninatm￿ tovthth attention be Ltrawn sn owderto enatAe oper utx*rstarwJing of ti* ¥counts io be rethd S￿n*d. R*I￿ant prtsfeswonal quallfieationl¥l or body (if •ny)'. Chknsvd sixtKln Hil ' wulc￿ CA7 98W Section 8 Di5cloSure Onty rf thtr exarnw r￿eaS iiiallv& Oi ￿r￿[..: eX￿1r￿>. IER Octobgr 2018 ## **Structure and governance** Trustees are responsible for ensuring spiral is carrying out its purpose for public benefit, comply with the governing document and law, acting in the charity’s best interest, manage Spiral’s resources responsibly, and ensure Spiral is accountable. The manager is responsible for the daily running of staff and volunteers and writes a monthly report to trustees. Trustees, staff and volunteers are entitled to appoint one person, this person must not be related to them. The process for the post of a trustee if via application and an interview process with minimum of 2 people on the interview panel. ## **Trustees** **J** ack Paton – Chair Michael Huddart – Vice Chair Simon Pritchard – Treasurer Sarah Smith – Secretary Scott Squire – Trustee Margaret O’Brien – Trustee _**Thank you to all the funders and the community for supporting Spiral through 2019-2020.**_