Time to Talk Mental Health UK
Year in Review to 5[th] April 2021
Our second full year has continued to see the charity grow, albeit it at a slower pace than last year, somewhat understandably given how new the charity was this time last year.
The past twelve months has seen us raise £2,527.42 to help fund the continuation of the group. Donations from various sources have contributed the majority of this but £420.53 was raised through sales of our poetry book Creative Expressions. Along with various poems contributed by members, there was several pieces of artwork which have highlighted how talented our members are. It’s hoped that we will see further sales in the new financial year and all being well, consideration will be given to producing a second volume.
Fundraising has continued to be a problem and has had an effect on the charity’s ability to grow at a faster pace. As the charity is still relatively unknown it has been difficult to gain access to funds made available to support charities through the Covid-19 pandemic. In our experience it would seem that the focus for the funds has been on larger, longer established charities. It is hoped that this is a trend that isn’t continued in the future
Moderators continue to oversee the Facebook between 09:00 and 22:30 seven days a week. This remains a vital aspect of the work we do to help support those with mental health issues. Whilst it’s perfectly okay for people to just post messages allowing them to get things off their chest, it has become increasingly apparent just how much a kind word or a chat is appreciated by those who are struggling. It’s also heart-warming to see the amount of interaction between members. Sharing experiences can be mutually beneficial and the empathy shown really makes a difference.
The ongoing Covid pandemic has understandably caused some of our members to worry more than perhaps they might have done so. In order to help with supporting them we have started a separate daily post on the group dedicated to all things related to the pandemic. This has had two benefits, allowing the members to access information that can help and also prevent any triggering episodes for members who would rather not see any discussions on all things to do with the virus.
Membership had risen to 2,318 as at March 31[st] 2021, an increase of 271 on the number 12 months previously. Whilst not all members are active this is still a welcome increase. We are looking to increase the scope of where our members join us from. We hope to develop further partnerships as with other charities and groups to make more people aware of what we can offer.
Recruitment and retention of moderators and other volunteers is a challenge. As we are run entirely by people who don’t receive payment we do suffer at times from a shortage of available people. Losing anyone from the team can have quite an impact although the management understand when people have to move on. It’s hoped that in the future we can offer a small payment to our moderators but at present finances don’t allow for this.
The events that we offer have expanded and continue to be popular with members. We are looking into the idea of members who aren’t already volunteers running some of these events going forward. This will hopefully benefit those who run the events and they can take their experiences forward.
Sadly our founder, Katie Prentice made, what must have been a very difficult decision to step down from the day to day running of the charity in May 2020. Katie has done so much for everyone involved with the group from fellow volunteers to members. She has been very much missed and her decision to remain as a trustee and Honorary President was one that we were very grateful for.
Plans for 2021-22
We have lodged a bit for funding with the National Lottery and, if successful, we plan to offer our members the opportunity to interact with life coaches and learn how to deal with various aspects of everyday life that can cause us to struggle. We also hope to offer our volunteers some additional to support to ensure that they aren’t negatively impacted by their decision to volunteer with us.
There are still plans to expand the moderating team but at present we are concentrating on supporting the volunteers we have. We have struggled to maintain a full complement of people in recent times and it’s of concern that some volunteers are doubling up on shifts. We are always mindful of asking too much of our volunteers so will only expand the hours the group is moderated when we are confident it’s feasible. Should things improve significantly, consideration will be given to extending the hours of moderation until after the current 22:30 finishing time.
A dedicated bid writer has now joined us and it is hoped that this will bear fruit. Previous bids that have been submitted may have lacked the detail and finesse that would turn them into winning bids. Further sponsorship events from members are to be encouraged although this is dependent on any restrictions that may be in place in the summer months when events are more likely to be organised. The success, or otherwise of the fundraising will have a major bearing on how much we can do in the new year.
Overall 2020-21 has been a tough year, not least due to the Covid pandemic and all that it has entailed. That said we look forward to 202122 with optimism for both the charity and as a whole.
Time to Talk Mental Health UK
Financial Summary for year ended 5[th] April 2021
It should be noted that any comparisons are not entirely accurate as the previous accounts were the first and as such covered the period between November 2018 and April 2020
Income:
Income for the year totalled £2,527.42, a drop of 41.2% on the previous year. This is due in part to not being able to repeat some funding that was received to start the charity
Total Donations came to £2,106.89 (down from £3,416.86) a drop of 38.3%. This is something we need to be working on as donations are our lifeline. The recruitment of a dedicated bid writer will hopefully help with this.
Poetry Book Royalties came to £420.53 and is a welcome boost to funds and has also been fun to produce. It’s hoped that further sales will raise more funds.
Expenditure:
Total expenditure was £1,491.15, considerably lower than the £3,228.79 from the previous year (down 53.8%)
DBS Checks cost £177.40 for the year down from £449.20 the year before (lower by 60.5%). This is no doubt due to the costs from the previous year being higher due to the whole team needing the checks done
Safeguarding Training cost £544.70 which is an increase of 16.4% from the previous year. These costs are mandatory and each member of the moderating team needs to do the training regularly and explains why the total cost has increased
Website maintenance costs were £377.05, down by 60% on last year. This is due to both the set up costs not being replicated and also the monthly maintenance being done by a new person on a voluntary basis.
Postage and Stationery costs were vastly lower at a combined £12.97. This is unlikely to be repeated next year so it would be prudent to compare the next figure with last year too (£123.97 and £246.99, £370.96 in total)
Advertising and Printing costs were also much lower at just £20 compared with £230.80 previously
Data Protection costs were slightly lower at £35 (previously £40 12.5% lower) due to a discount for direct debit payment. Insurance Costs were only slightly higher at £212.80 compared to £201.60 the year before and was due to an increase in Insurance premium tax and was therefore unavoidable,
Other expenses incurred through the year included £55 on a bid writing course which will hopefully prove to be a wise investment. £50 was used on a night out by our founder. This was originally donated to help pay for tickets to an awards festival but once it was decided that we couldn’t be represented at the ceremony due to the costs, the donor kindly agreed for the money not to be refunded as long as it was used specifically to reward our founder.
The financial position of the charity whilst stable is of concern that we have not been able to build our reserves to a higher level. We have not been able to implement some of our plans as we need to ensure we the charity isn’t overstretched financially. It’s hoped that the recruitment of a bid writer will go some way to rectifying this issue. In the meantime our finances will continue to be carefully managed.
Iain Hay Finance Manager Time to Talk Mental Health UK
May 2021
Income and Expenditure Statement 6th April 2020 to 5th April 2021
| Income and Expenditure Statement 6th April 2020 to 5th April 2021 |
||
|---|---|---|
| £ | ||
| Opening Balance as @ 6th April 2020 | ### | |
| Income | ||
| Donations - (Total from all sources £2,106.89) | ||
| Personal | 320.00 | |
| Bequest | 643.95 | |
| Online Shopping (Amazon Smile Easy Fundraising) | 163.63 | |
| Payroll | 25.00 | |
| Charities Aid Foundation | 29.75 | |
| Give As You Live | 894.76 | |
| The Giving Machine | 29.80 | |
| Poetry Book Royalties | 420.53 | |
| Adjustment | ||
| Total Income | 2527.42 | |
| Expenditure | ||
| Advertising - Facebook Boosts | 20.00 | |
| DBS Checks | 177.40 | |
| Postage | 10.97 | |
| Stationery | 2.00 | |
| Insurance Renewal | 212.80 | |
| Miscellaneous | 50.00 | Note Donation for award |
| Bank Fees for Overseas Transactions | 6.23 | |
| Training - Bid Writing Course | 55.00 | |
| Training - Safeguarding Units | 544.70 | |
| Website Maintenance | 377.05 | |
| Data Protection Renewal | 35.00 | |
| Adjustment | ||
| Total Expenditure | 1491.15 | |
| Closing Balance as @ 5th April 2021 | 2105.98 |
ds attendance that didn't go ahead donor advised that it could be used by the founder for a night out rather than returne
Balance Sheet for period 6th April 2020 to 5th April 2021
Notes ba
Assets Cash In Hand and at Bank 1 Debtors
Liabilties
Creditors-Amounts falling due within one year
Total Assets
Total Funds
Notes:
alance as @ 5th April 2021
balance as @ 6th April 2020
| £2,105.98 NIL £2,105.98 NIL £2,105.98 £2,105.98 |
£1,069.71 NIL |
|---|---|
| £1,069.71 NIL |
|
| £1,069.71 | |
| £1,069.71 |
Detailed Statement of Financial Activites for period 6th April 2020 to 5th April 2021
| Apr 20-Apr21 2018/Apr 20 |
Apr 20-Apr21 2018/Apr 20 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Incoming Resources | ||
| Capital Introduced (11th February 2019) | NIL | £777.14 |
| PayPal (Test Transaction for new account) | NIL | £0.01 |
| Fundraising - Donations | £2,106.89 | £3,900.60 |
| Fundraising - Poetry Book Royalties | £420.53 | NIL |
| HMRC Reimbursement (Gift Aid) | NIL | £88.75 |
| Adjustment | NIL | -£468.00 |
| Total Incoming Resources | £2,527.42 | £4,298.50 |
| Resources Expended | ||
| Miscellaneous Costs - Katie | £50.00 | £11.85 |
| Disclosure Service DBS checks | £177.40 | £449.20 |
| Mod Thank You Gifts | NIL | £177.54 |
| Amazon Vouchers - Newsletter comp | NIL | £40.00 |
| Website Maintenance | £377.05 | £941.30 |
| Safeguarding Training | £544.70 | £467.79 |
| Brochure Printing | NIL | £50.00 |
| Bank fees for overseas transaction | £6.23 | £6.25 |
| Advertising | £20.00 | £104.76 |
| Insurance Costs | £212.80 | £201.60 |
| Donation Refunds due to cancelled events | NIL | £50.00 |
| Awards Ceremony Ticket | NIL | £150.00 |
| Access for Members to Happiness Planner | NIL | £25.00 |
| Data Protection fee | £35.00 | £40.00 |
| Postage | £10.97 | £123.97 |
| Stationery | £2.00 | £246.99 |
| Miscellaneous Printing | NIL | £48.54 |
| Training - Trustee Guides | NIL | £94.00 |
| Training - Bid Writing Course | £55.00 | NIL |
| Adjustment - Returned Cambridge BS cheque | NIL | £468.00 |
| Total Resources Expended | £1,491.15 | £3,228.79 |
| Net Income(Expenditure) | £1,036.27 | £1,069.71 |
As @ 5th April 2021 N
| Unrestricted Funds General Funds Restricted Funds General Funds Total Funds Net movement in funds included in the above are as follows Unrestricted Funds General Funds inc Debtors cleared Restricted Funds General Funds Total Funds |
£2,105.98 £2,105.98 |
|---|---|
| Incoming £2,527.42 NIL |
|
| £2,527.42 |
| Net Movement £1,036.27 £1,036.27 Outgoing £1,491.15 NIL £1,491.15 |
As @ 6th April 2020 £1,069.71 £1,069.71 |
|---|---|
| Movement in Funds £1,036.27 NIL |
|
| £1,036.27 |