CAN-Abilities Foundation – Charity Number 1180031
Reports of the trustees for the year ending March 2024.
This is the report of the trustees of the CAN-Abilities Foundation for 2023-2024. The report then summarises the charity's purposes in its governing document. It also presents an overview of the main activities of the Foundation and its purposes. It confirms that the trustees have had regard to guidance issued by the charity commission on public benefit.
2023-2024 at a Glance
Compared to the previous year, 2023-2024 was more productive for the CAN-Abilities Foundation because we secured some funding, enabling us to undertake some beneficial activities, especially MindMend, our Mental Health Awareness Project.
Purpose and activities
CAN-Abilities Foundation is a small family-founded charity whose primary mission is to relieve the needs of those suffering from autistic spectrum conditions and other learning disabilities.
This purpose is realised through undertaking the following activities:
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Provision of practical support, like advice and raising awareness of autism and the difficulties faced by autistic persons and their families.
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Advocacy information sessions and signposting services.
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Basic admin and clerical services.
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Teach and support other parents of autistic children or those with special needs to be able to not only conquer the fears that come with parenting special needs children but to be able to thrive despite the challenges.
In shaping our objectives and planning various activities for the year, CAN-Abilities’ trustees have considered the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. For example,
- Parents and carers of autistic children already face daily challenges and increased mental health problems compared to other groups of parents, British Medical Journal (2021). More so during and after the pandemic. Having experienced some of our community members living through similar experiences, we undertook to run a Mental Health Awareness and Support Project (MindMend) that involved creating mental health awareness through scheduled expert talks to address issues around mental health in men and supporting people suffering from mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety through physical exercise such as organised walks, music and dance, and community sports.
Achievements and Performance
Our main achievement for the 2023 -2024 fiscal year was the £ 10,000 award from the Lottery Fund to run our MindMend Project. What was particularly useful or seen as an outstanding achievement is that through this project CAN-Abilities Foundation created opportunities for our community to be resilient to mental health issues, some of which were caused by or came to surface during the COVID-19 pandemic. Feedback from the project indicated that the MindMend Project helped participants, especially men who research traditionally shows that they do not openly talk about mental health, to be more aware of it, to speak openly about their mental health and be ready to seek help if needed. It also provided opportunities for communities to build and sustain resilience through physical and psychological fitness sessions. The project started with online sessions on mental health subject matter experts and progressed to in-person sports and music sessions in venues in Reading and Basingstoke.
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The project used community football, walks, music, and dance sessions to encourage men to take their mental health seriously, talk about how it affects them, their families, and their relations, and, most importantly, seek help when facing mental health issues.
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It was aimed primarily at men of Afro-Caribbean and ethnic minority backgrounds because research from the Office for National Statistics (2021) identified high rates of suicide among ethnic minority and migrant populations. Despite that, the project is also open to anyone interested.
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The project lasted 5-6 months and culminated in a community celebration. Families of all participants came together for a picnic at the park.
Financial Review
Due to some of the challenges highlighted above, the CAN-Abilities Foundation has struggled financially this year. Our net income balance from 2020-2021 was £3,656.04. The total expenditure for the year amounted to ££3,121.51, leaving a balance of £534.53. Full details of the income and expenditure are available in the financial statement.
Statement of Financial Activities for 2023, including Income and Expenditure
| Unrestricted | Restricted | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | Funds | Funds | Total |
| £'000 | £'000 | £'000 |
| Incoming Resources Voluntary Income 6 Lottery Funding 1 Fund Raising Campaigns 0 Commercial Operations 6 Total Income Resources Expended |
£125.50 0 £125.50 £10,000. 0 £10,000 £0,00 0 £0,00 £2,580.00 0 £2,580.00 |
|---|---|
| £12,705.80 0 £12,705.80 |
|
MindMend Mental Health Awareness Project Expenses
| Item or Activity Advertisement posters and Banners Venue Rentals PA Equipment Rental Expert Talks Trainer Costs Transport Admin Costs Entertainment Miscellaneous |
Item or Activity Advertisement posters and Banners Venue Rentals PA Equipment Rental Expert Talks Trainer Costs Transport Admin Costs Entertainment Miscellaneous |
Amount 500 1,475 1,500 2,000 1,250 800 1,000 1,278 210 10,013.00 £1,308.45 £700.14 £250.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Section Total | 10,013.00 | |
| General Administration and other charitable activities Administration Costs £1,308.45 0 Charitable Donations £700.14 0 Other Costs £250.00 0 Section Total £2,258.59 0 Grand Total £12,271.59 Balance Carried Forward £434.1 0 |
||
| £2,258.59 0 |
£2,258.59 | |
| £12,271.59 | £12,271.59 | |
| £434.1 0 |
£434.1 |
As a small charity, CAN-Abilities does not currently have a policy for holding reserves. As such, there are zero (0) funds in reserve.
Many challenges have impacted the charity and continue to threaten its continued existence. They centre around financial unsustainability. There is a great need for the CAN-Abilities Foundation to provide services; however, the charity does not have a dedicated funder or a professional fundraising team. Though we plan to try to recruit a fundraiser, we fear that we may not be able to continue to sustain our activities amidst the increasing demand for our services.
Structure, Governance and Management
A board of trustees manages the CAN-Abilities Foundation. The appointment method of trustees is set out in the foundation's Constitution.
Administrative details
CAN-Abilities Foundation’s administrative address is 16 Brahms Road, Basingstoke. CANAbilities Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
The trustees are.
Mrs Claris N. Angafor - Chairperson Mr Gaston Bezeboh – Treasurer Mr Giddeon Angafor - Secretary Mrs Linda Amungwa – Trustee Mr Vincent Besong – Trustee
Approved by the trustees and signed by Mr G Angafor, secretary to the board of trustees.