@nker radio 1386am & online Radio for the George Eliot Hospital A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales - No 1180762 Trustees, Annual Report 2020 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 ## **Chairman’s Report** This year has been a trying time because of Covid19 and we have all had to get used to online meetings, it certainly is a different experience chairing online meetings. This should have been a year of celebration; Anker Radio has clocked up 40 Years of service to the George Eliot Hospital & the community it serves. We had a 40[th] Birthday party planned, but it all had to be postponed along with any major on air celebration, although we did manage to play extracts from the archives thanks to Mark Thomas, and we replayed the opening night programme 40 years to the day since it first went out thanks to Chris Ward. Thanks to all the presenters who have continued to provide new content during the pandemic. Hopefully with the timetable that has been set out by the government we can start to use our studios again in the 2[nd] part of 2021. We are now working closely with the Voluntary services co-Ordinator & the volunteer team at the George Eliot Hospital. I have attended two on-line meetings with the other volunteer teams in the hospital such as the league of friends each team explained what they did within the hospital. Like ourselves their activities have been reduced due to Covid19. I offered Anker radio’s assistance in promoting the other volunteer teams in the hospital. A flyer with information about Anker Radio & how to get a request on the air is now available/being given out at the checkpoint ‘keeping in touch’ within the George Eliot Hospital. Myself and the vice chairman attended many of the HBA online forums during lockdown including one on small scale DAB, and we made some good contacts who we hope to work with in the future. Ofcom have now licenced some multiplexes from the first round of applications. These multiplexes do include some hospital radio stations that have gone down the community radio route. Round 2 will be advertised by Ofcom in June 2021 but Nuneaton is not in round 2. Anker Radio will continue to develop a pragmatic and sensible digital strategy. At the time of writing Ofcom have not announced the area for round 3 of license applications. (round 3 may or may not include Nuneaton and the surrounding areas) If Ofcom stick to their 6-month timetable of advertising rounds, round 3 should be advertised in December 2021, and the Trustees recognise the need to respond to any opportunities provided in a way that is cost effective and supports the charitable objects, as appropriate. A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Page 2 of 8 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 We currently have 28 members a mixture of life members, active & non active members, and 1 membership application in the pipeline, but we can always do need more volunteers. Looking beyond covid19 This fundraising idea was suggested to me It costs about £8000 a year to run Anker Radio, using lockdown maths 8000 divided by 28 members equals 285.7142857142857 lets say £286. You may think that £286 is a lot of money to raise but if 50% of our membership sold one of our 52 week sponsorships deals we would bring in over £5000 (This of course relies on us regularly broadcasting the programmes that are sponsored & that is down to you as the membership being committed to your programme by pre recording your programme if your cant do it live or getting a stand in) If the other 50% put 79p in a jar every day each member would make £288 in a year. Multiplied by 14 would be £4032 and as this would be a donation we could claim gift aid on it (Our Treasurer is in the process of setting up gift aid for the new charity) which would be £1008 Adding it all up. £5000 £4032 £1008 £10040 It is worth thinking about. I realise that not all our members would be able save money in Jar, but all our members could ask their local shop to sponsor us or be like Colin Tyers and put a collecting Tin in the local shop. Thanks once again go to Louise Smith for securing Bede Village’s sponsorship of the weather for another year. We also produced a request show for Bede Village during lockdown so that residents at Bede could hear songs and messages from their loved ones & the residents could send messages back. The show went down a storm, we had to repeat it 3 times!! I congratulate everyone that has kept Anker Radio going in these exceptional times and also thank the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust for their continued support. John Goodman Chairman The Trustees of Anker Radio are pleased to submit their Report and Accounts for the year 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020. A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Page 3 of 8 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 **Organisation** Anker Radio is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales on 20[th] November 2018 and governed by a constitution last amended on 9[th] December 2020. Anker Radio is managed by the Charity Trustees who are elected by the membership in accordance with the published constitution. In the period covered by this review, the Charity Trustees consist of four members of the CIO. Two of the Trustees, Chris Ward and Bob Hansford were elected by the membership at the 2020 AGM. The Members also elected a management committee at the AGM in 2020 to assist with the day to running of the broadcast side of things. The posts that were filled were Head of Output( Rob Newbold), Sports Editor (Richard Todd), Outside Broadcast Manager (Mervyn Lawrence) & Membership Secretary (Morley Barnes). Each Member of the Management committee was provided with an ankerradio.uk e- mail address to be used for all official Anker Radio Business. The Trustees reasoning behind this was to improve the professional image of Anker Radio so that all e-mail correspondence came from an official ankerradio.uk e-mail address rather than a personal e-mail address. It also improved the safety of Data that we hold as any data should only be accessed using e-mail addresses that belonged to the CIO rather than personal e-mail addresses. The Trustees will continue with this in 2021. The posts that were not filled at the AGM were Fund Raising Manager & Head of Music. The Trustees also decided not to appoint at Technical Manager. Any workload associated with these posts during 2020 was picked up by the trustees Initially the management committee posts were 1 year posts, but after the point was raised by a member of the management committee, that this would mean the whole management committee could change each year, the trustees at their meeting in June 2020 amended the terms of reference for the management committee so that Head of Output, Sports Editor & OB Manager were elected for 2 years. Fund Raising Manager, Head of Music & Membership Secretary would to remain as 1 year posts, but would be 2 year posts at the 2021 AGM. Throughout the year Anker Radio continued to operate with no paid staff, being run entirely by a membership of volunteers. These are the objects of the CIO - (1) the relief of sickness, poor health and old age amongst people living in the area served by The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust or its successors by providing a local broadcasting service for hospitals, residential homes and similar institutions, and for patients receiving community care; and - (2) the advancement of health and prevention or relief of sickness for the public benefit through the promotion of the benefits of living a healthy Page 4 of 8 A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 lifestyle, and the importance of maintaining good personal mental and physical health by (mainly, but not exclusively) the means of broadcasting health education messages to people living in the area served by The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust or its successors. Object 1 is very similar to the aims of the former charity (Nuneaton Area Hospital Broadcasting Service) which ran the broadcast operation. Object 2 is a new objective centred around health promotion In furtherance of the first object, Anker Radio provides a hospital radio service to patients at the George Eliot Hospital via the bedside entertainment system, also known as Hospicom. Anker Radio also streams its service online via the internet and downloadable iOS and Android Apps such as TuneIn Radio. This allows hospital patients and listeners in residential homes and similar institutions to listen to the service. The second of these objects is a localised version of the second model object agreed between the HBA and the Charity Commission, and allows Anker Radio to target its services at the local population outside the hospital with the intent of helping and encouraging them to live a healthy and active life in the local community, and thus requiring to make less use of the health services. Anker Radio also uses its social media presence to disseminate information and messages in support of this object. We amended our constitution in December 2020 (following advice from The Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA)) to facilitate remote attendance at hybrid and fullyvirtual General Meetings in future without recourse to emergency legislation. **Related Organisations** Anker Radio is a member of the Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA), the national charity that supports and promotes hospital broadcasting in the UK. ## **Vice Chairman’s Report** In what has been an interesting first year for the new charity, its still been a very busy one. Always plenty to do, and fortunately a lot can be done remotely. We upgraded our broadband with plusnet in the last year, and now have fibre. This gives us slightly better download and upload speeds (as we are along way from our fibre cabinet, hence we don’t get as good speeds as you might expect). This has proved really useful as we have heavily relied on remote control access to the radio station. Also taking external programme feeds from the likes of Richard smith, and Anker Radio Sport continues to broadcast live, with commentary on the Wasps rugby A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Page 5 of 8 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 (even though Richard our commentator is in Wales, and the show isn’t being hosted at the studios) but it works extremely well. Just before the start of the pandemic, we lost our news feed to the station. This unfortunately didn’t get fixed at the time. However a replacement feed has been setup to ensure that Anker Radio had 24 hours during what has proved to become a very important time for factual news information. We continue to use this feed, until such time as we can get the satellite feed fixed. Also more updates to our remote users software has been ongoing, and Rob Newbold now has facilities to produce and create his show from home. It's disappointing that no other members have taken up the many offers from the trustees to help them create programmes from home - even those who already have the facilities to do so. This unfortunately makes the trustees question the memberships commitment and contribution to the charities aims and consider whether they should continue to be a member. There is always stuff that needs doing, just because theirs a pandemic doesn’t mean everything grinds to a halt. There is plenty that can be done from home, so be proactive, not reactive. I look forward to every member providing a tangible contribution to the radio station this year, as it needs it more than ever to survive and provide good content. I wish you and your family the best of health Chris Ward Vice-Chairman. ## **’ – Secretary s Report 2020/2021.** Following my election at the last AGM, I began my second term as Secretary (my first being back in 1999/2000) full of hope despite the growing menace of Coronavirus (Covid 19). What a challenging year it has proved to be. Despite not being able to operate from the studios the Trustees have “met” on line once a month to monitor the situation, seek alternatives and liaise with the hospital authorities. As Secretary I have taken part in every Trustees meeting, taking the minutes and contributing to the running of @nker radio. In addition, I have produced a bi monthly newsletter keeping members up to date with events and sent to all members by email or post. Despite the limitations that the pandemic has imposed, the Trustees have remained active. In trying to raise necessary revenue, an application has recently been made to Persimmon Homes Community Champions for a £1000 donation from their Community Fund. We await their decision. Further applications for financial support will be made as and when the opportunity arises. A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Page 6 of 8 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 Programming has continued away from the studios with members who had the necessary kit being able to broadcast from their homes. This opportunity was offered to all members along with the technical advice. It has been disappointing that the pandemic has had such an adverse effect on the @nker radio’s operations and that generally the membership has not been more active in seeking alternative opportunities to further the stations activities. In addition, not all of the members of the Management Committee have been active, and only an initial meeting of this important committee has taken place. Let us hope the coming year gives us the opportunity to return to normality and continue to provide a service to the patients, staff and visitors at the George Eliot Hospital. ## Bob Hansford. Secretary - Trustee. ## **Reports from The Management Committee Sports Editor Report 2020** In terms of sport there is not a great deal to report in the last 12 months, other than the total devastation caused by Covid-19 to the arts and leisure industry. Thankfully, sport at the elite level, has managed to be resurrected from the ashes to some kind of normality, but as I write this report, sport at the semi professional level is struggling big time. Our local clubs, Nuneaton Borough and Nuneaton Rugby Club have no idea when or if they will be able to return to action. So, our limited sports coverage has been centred around Wasps Rugby. The sports team have managed to put together a semi regular live sports programme consisting of reports and commentary from Wasps matches mixed with the usual Premier League reports. Chris and John have linked everything together from their own homes while I have provided the coverage from my home in Wales. It seems to work well, but it’s not the same as actually broadcasting from The Ricoh Arena. Hopefully, by this time next year, things maybe somewhere near “back to normal”. ## Richard Todd ## Sports Editor ## **Head Of Output Report 2020** i took over the role of head of output just as the first lockdown began in 2020, i had and still have several idea's for shows in the pipeline such as songs recommended Page 7 of 8 A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Anker Radio Trustees’ Annual Report 2020 by the presenters you must hear at least once in your lifetime (idea from 1001 songs you must hear before you die book i have at home), the idea would have been to go out over a bank holiday weekend. each presenter would give say 10 tracks that they would recommend anyone to listen to & why they have chosen that song.(currently mothballed untill further notice) 40th birthday weekend, a series of special shows which i had hoped the presenters would like to produce to celebrate anker radio's 40th anniversary beginning at 6pm on friday 6th november 2020 and finishing about 9pm sunday 8th november 2020 (currently on hold with a date to be confirmed part of the sunday afternoon would be 40 of the most requested tracks on anker radio over past 40 years however such data doesn't accurately exist so it has been recommended that i put an appeal into nuneaton memories on facebook, which will be done in the next few weeks) the christmas 2020 schedule was created using what shows we had in archives with some suggestions from john goodman with the big broadcast by richard smith's team going out over new years eve & day. i've been in touch with les ross, the retired brmb presenter when i've seen him passing on my train prior to lockdown, les is the owner of a class 86 electric locomotive currently stored at rugby, les is a big rail enthusiast & we were planning to produce a 2 hour train related song show. (again currently on hold hopefully we will be able to record this in the studios later this year). We now have a 2 hour rock show by Fred Setters going out on a tuesday evening & We are looking into 15 minute 12 part radio soap opera fronted by former eastenders nasty nick cotton (john altman) which has been offered to anker radio. i'm hoping that we have access to the studios again soon , i would like to find someone that would be interested in voice tracking the monday to friday breakfast shows, i may do these on a temp basis . when things are back to normal i shall identify slots with music jam where we can put voiced shows by presenters, either live,recorded or voice tracked. yours faithfully, Rob Newbold John Goodman Chairman Chris Ward Vice Chairman Page 8 of 8 A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 # Treasurer’s Annual Report & Financial Statement 2020 Anker Radio Treasurer’s Annual Report & Financial Statement 2020 ## **Treasurers Report 2020** In what has been a challenging year, I am pleased to precis Anker Radio’s current financial status, along with a brief background to what we have been able to achieve, or decisions taken, whilst Covid-19 has cast its shadow across all Communities: - Two new accounts were applied for on 30[th] January 2020. An on-line Current Account & a Gold Reserve Account. Two Debit cards were also ordered for both Chairman & Vice Chairman to use for future Services/Repairs/Equipment replacements to avoid using cash or cheques where suitable. - An initial transfer of funds was made, £1,000 & £500 into each respective account, showing on said accounts on 31[st] January 2020. - Additional funds were to be paid in following collection of Members Subs & along with any cheque payments received from both fundraising or payment of Invoices for Services rendered. (NBBC had a few BACS payments to submit) - It was originally agreed that the Yorkshire Bank account would stay open until at least the end of April as changes & notifications to our Licence providers & Insurers would be a possible issue with staff & organisations not having the infrastructure to deal with changes or even deal with cheques sent to cover bills. It was felt prudent to leave major Direct Debits to be taken from the Yorkshire account where feasible - In March 2020 we had the first effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, causing an initial lock down, & the affecting of both Members activities & the paying in of cheques or cash. OB activities came to a standstill. Most organisations were making their staff isolate at home - We found ourselves frustrated by communication issues with Licence/Insurance providers who we needed to inform of changes to our Charity name & details. To avoid ‘missing’ any payments, leading to a breach of Broadcasting/Charity standards, it was felt prudent to keep open the Yorkshire Bank account until much later in the year, on a monthly review basis. This allowed for all incoming Bills to be covered where DD detail changes proved problematical - I am sure that all Members will not be surprised to learn that Income from Fundraising & OB events fell away to very little during 2020. There was no work from NBBC in any form, & we have had just two welcome contributions throughout 2020. There was a £1,000 donation from BUPA (Bede Village) in April & £1,000 from the Heart of England in September. Both donations went into the Yorkshire Bank A/C, subsequently being transferred into the new Anker Radio CAF Bank. Easy Fundraising contributed just £58.69 for the year, as we all reduced our spending - Bills still must be paid, however, & outgoings for our Insurances, Licences, Internet providers & other sundries have amounted to more than £5,000, deducted mainly through the Yorkshire Bank DD system. All DD’s now set up with CAF Bank - As Treasurer, I have been investigating where we can make further cost savings by switching to new Insurance/Licence/Service providers. Our biggest Page 2 of 4 A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Anker Radio Treasurer’s Annual Report & Financial Statement 2020 outlay is for the Public Liability Insurance, & I believe that I can switch cover on a like for like basis, saving us more than £400 for the year. This will be sorted for 1[st] April - The OB bus remains grounded, but we continue to pay for insurance on this vehicle for obvious reasons. Currently this costs us £90 per month, but we cannot risk not having cover. This topic should warrant discussion at the upcoming AGM - The majority of our Funds in the Yorkshire Bank have since been transferred into the CAF Bank, in preparation for complete closure. A formal letter of closure has been prepared & will be submitted prior to 22nd March 2021. - The _remaining_ funds held in the Yorkshire Bank Account will then be added to the CAF Cash Account - This year’s Subs were all accounted for & receipts are being posted out accordingly. Several our Life Members very kindly opted to donate to our funds, for which I thank them sincerely. They too, should have received a formal thank you. In conclusion, the ‘roadmap’ back to normality for the Country may still falter, so until we have a clearer picture of the future, we must continue to monitor costs & expenditure. I believe from my above comments & examples, that we are still in a robust position financially, & that we will see ourselves emerge from the shadows later this year to resume, whatever it is that they will call _normal service_ ! I urge Members to look around them & see if there are any opportunities to raise/secure any funds locally. Until we meet at some future date, stay safe. ## **‘Anker Radio’ Charity Number 1180762 – Accounts 1[st] January -31[st] December 2020** Opening Balance (CAF Bank) as at 01/04/2020 **£1,315.69 (+)** ## **OUTGOINGS:** |HBA Fee|£ 50.00| |---|---| |Insurances|£367.04| |J. Goodman|£ 14.93| |PayPal|£ 78.59| |PlusNet|£157.98| |A/C Fees|£ 45.00| |Total:|**£713.00**| A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762 Page 3 of 4 Anker Radio Treasurer’s Annual Report & Financial Statement 2020 ## **INCOME:** (Due to Covid-19) £00.00 Closing balance (CAF BANK) as at 31/12/2020 **£602.69 (+)** ## **GOLD RESERVE ACCOUNT:** Opening Balance: £ 500.00 Transfers (from YB) £4,603.00 Interest Payments £ 1.53 Closing balance 31/12/2020 **£5,104.53 (+)** ## **Comments & Observations:** The above figures reflect that we were running _in conjunction_ with the previous NAHBS Bank Account (Yorkshire Bank). The Trustees discussed & agreed that it would be prudent to run both Accounts alongside each other during 2020, as there were issues with communication & actions solely down to the Covid-19 pandemic. We also have donations from sources that do not wish us to contact them & the inevitable problems of communication with Licence Suppliers etc, whose workforce were working mainly from home. We did not want to miss a payment or fall foul of any Licencing agreements, placing Anker Radio in a vulnerable position. Knowing many were unable to simply process cheques that we would usually send to cover our Fees, where a DD was not in place. In the event, this worked well for us, & you will be provided with the final ‘close down’ of the old Yorkshire Bank Account shortly, as the yearly Accounts for the old charity will be due. Rest assured, the majority of the funds have been transferred to the CAF Bank account & it was just a matter of closing the old account officially. We remain in an excellent financial position (I would refer you to recent Monthly Meeting minutes, advising _current_ overall bank account details), considering no FR activity throughout 2020, for Anker Radio, & therefore our fundraising has been virtually nil since lockdown. We have reviewed every cost & money saving way that can help us stretch our funds as far as possible. This strategy seems to be working effectively & we should all look forward to coming out of this strange period, healthy (literally!) & ready to grapple with the ‘catch ups’ that will be needed from all Members in the days ahead. Barry Hayward - Anker Radio Treasurer & Trustee Page 4 of 4 A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales – No 1180762