SCOLIOSIS ASSOCIATION UK
ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS
31[ST] MARCH 2021
Registered Charity Number: 1181463
SAUK Annual Report from the Chair
Aims
The Scoliosis Association UK is the only UK-wide patient support organisation for people with scoliosis and their families. Our Vision is to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of people with scoliosis and their families. Our Mission is to provide advice, support, and information to people affected by scoliosis and their families, and to raise awareness of and educate health professionals and the general public about scoliosis.
Many people have never heard of scoliosis and don’t have an understanding of the effect it can have on people’s lives. Having scoliosis can leave people feeling isolated and unsure where to turn. At SAUK our aim is to be there for people with scoliosis and those close to them so that we can help them to access the care they need and reduce feelings of isolation, and to address poor body image, worry, fear, and lack of information.
Supporting our members and raising awareness of scoliosis
We give people with scoliosis a voice. We represent their views and concerns and drum up support for better resources and understanding of the condition. We run a membership network that allows people with scoliosis to get in touch with each other and offers the support of a SAUK Regional Representative. We provide health information publications in accordance with the NHS Information Standard as was, which means our information is up-to-date, accurate, and has been checked by specialists. We run a Helpline through which people can call or email the SAUK team for advice, support, or just someone to talk to. We produce a twice-yearly magazine called Backbone, which is full of practical advice, support, and information. We hold patient meetings in specialist centres and online, at which specialists provide advice about scoliosis and people have the chance to ask questions. We instigated an annual International Scoliosis Day (ISAD) in 2013 to help raise awareness of scoliosis. It is now a major event with activities taking place all over the country. We keep an up-to-date list of scoliosis specialists, allowing people with scoliosis to find out where to go for the best available treatment. Online we have a members’ forum, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and Instagram for people affected by scoliosis to connect. See www.sauk.org.uk . We have set up a special Fund (Hills, Pedder, Minns) with legacies to help our members with travel expenses and equipment. The Fund started with £39,768 and we have paid out £4,201 for expenses and costs of equipment so far. When one of our founding trustees died some time ago we formed the Isobel Gray Award for services to SAUK in her memory. We also have a Roll of Honour for special bravery during treatment and it is awarded to many young people each year, with special mention in Backbone.
Many GPs see only one or two scoliosis patients in their lifetime and are not taught about it at medical school unless they choose to do orthopaedics. SAUK has sponsored and helped to produce an e-learning module about scoliosis for General Practitioners, published online by the Royal College of General Practitioners, which provides a synopsis of the disorder.
SAUK is also supporting research by collaborating with researchers and making our members aware of the research and inviting them to participate. Currently there is a big trial of bracing taking place in the UK, with many SAUK members as participants. Another study is in the planning stages and we have agreed to collaborate once funding and ethics approval are in place. We have undertaken similar support in the past, notably a collaboration with the James Lind Alliance in Oxford, which looked at research priorities from patients’ point of view.
Covid-19
During the Covid pandemic and various lockdowns we kept our services running, with some modifications. One member of staff worked in the office 3 days a week and another 1 day a week on a different day. The other two staff members worked from home only. In that way the risk of becoming infected was greatly reduced and we were able to keep the Helpline going. Latterly our system has been adapted such that staff can answer Helpline calls from home, whilst maintaining the same high standards of confidentiality and privacy.
Measures taken for staff returning to work post-lockdown are flexible working, with 2-3 days a week in the office. With only two out of four staff in the office at the same time, social distancing can be maintained. Staff have been doing lateral flow tests before coming to work. A cleaner comes in once a week and sanitisers are provided.
Rather than holding our face-to-face regional meetings we arranged for consultants to hold Q&A sessions online. These proved very popular with our members and were well attended. International Scoliosis Awareness Day (ISAD) was also held virtually. We held Zoom events, gave podcasts, had videos online, and held an online life drawing class, throughout June.
Regional Representatives
SAUK has a nationwide network of over 40 Regional Representatives, which enables us to put our members in touch with those in their area so that they have somebody local to talk to. SAUK Regional Representatives are volunteers and provide a great amount of help. They support SAUK members locally and help to raise awareness of scoliosis. Some have regional Facebook groups and organise regular get-togethers.
Publications
SAUK had Information Standard accreditation, which has now been discontinued by NHS England. It was a certification scheme for all organisations producing evidence-based health and social care information for the public. SAUK has continued to apply this standard to all its relevant publications so that the public and patients can depend on reliable sources of good quality and evidence-based information. SAUK health information is almost always written by specialists and is peer reviewed as part of our rigorous information production system. www.sauk.org.uk/scoliosis-information.
Working for Patients
The Trustees confirm that they have had due regard to guidance published by the Charity Commission on public benefit. SAUK’s aims are wholly directed at delivering public benefit.
SAUK became incorporated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on January 7[th] , 2019.
The Trustees are:
Dr Stephanie Clark PhD (Chair), Dr Stuart Spencer PhD, Professor Anita Simonds FRCP (resigned January, 2020), Mr Thanos Tsirikos FRCS, Dr Nicholas Jones MB, Mrs Carol Richards, Ms Susannah Kraft, and were joined by Mr Colin Nnadi FRCS, on Sept 16th, Ms Leia Clancy on Sept 16th, and Dr Rachel Levene MBon Nov 4th in 2020.
Our Patrons are: David Rintoul, Actor; Pippa Britton, Paralympic archer; and we were privileged and delighted to have HRH Princess Eugenie, who has scoliosis herself, to agree to be a Royal Patron of SAUK in 2020. We believe she will be most helpful in raising the profile of SAUK and increasing general awareness of scoliosis.
The staff team during 2020-21 consisted of Ms Anne Rowlands as General Manager, Natalie Cooper as Communications Officer, Denise Aulsberry as Membership and Finance Officer, and we were joined in September, 2020, by Emily Gibson as Fundraising Administrator. Ms Rowlands and Ms Gibson have now left. Ms Rowlands has been replaced by Ms Lesley McGinty in a new role of Charity Director. All employees are based at SAUK's premises at Ivebury Court, Latimer Road, West London. The affiliation with the BSRF continued during 2020, but the BSRF experienced a reduction in its income and cut its contribution for staff salaries and office expenses. SAUK agreed to cover that loss. The two organisations are thinking about merging and will look into the possibility later in 2021. Both SAUK & BSRF use the Ivebury Court office as their respective administrative centres.
Structure, governance, and management
The charity was incorporated on January 7[th] , 2019, as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The Charity is entered in the Central Register of Charities by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales with registration number 1181463. SAUK is governed by a board of Trustees, consisting of a combination of spinal surgeons, general practitioners, scientists, and lay members. The office staff is composed of a Charity Director (since April, 2021), supported by a Communications Officer, whose costs are shared with the BSRF, and a Membership and Accounts Officer. Additionally, SAUK has a Trust Fundraiser role for which we are currently recruiting. The office is manned 5 days a week in normal times.
The Board of Trustees meets four times a year and the Charity Director reports formally to the Board at these meetings. New Trustees are generally selected from contacts with knowledge of scoliosis and related issues. They are invited to attend the next Trustee meeting at which they observe proceedings and their appointment is later approved by the existing Trustees. SAUK has set up four governing committees in 2020, each composed of two or more Trustees. They are: Human Resources and Office Management, headed by Carol Richards; Fundraising and Finance, headed by Susannah Kraft; Medical, headed by Thanos Tsirikos; and Publications, headed by Stephanie Clark. The charity's offices are based in London in rented accommodation shared with SAUK’s affiliated charity, the BSRF. Funds raised are to be used for the benefit of children and adults with scoliosis and their families.
Finance
SAUK ended the year in a healthy financial condition with £318,539 of unrestricted reserves available and a small surplus of income over expenditure of £457 despite the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. Revenues from donations fell by 8% from the previous year and fundraising by 27% resulting entirely from the effects of the pandemic on mass participation events and restrictions of movement. Our membership subscriptions stayed much the same as the previous year. SAUK also received several legacies during the year with a value of £18,180. SAUK spent £161,024 in the current year compared with £194,976 in the previous year.
Following the Public Health Emergency caused by COVID 19 SAUK has seen a reduction in fundraising revenues generated by sporting events, which has continued throughout 2020-21. Donations were reduced only slightly and subscriptions have remained stable during this period. The shortfall has been made up by a few larger donations and legacies resulting is a small surplus, without having to reduce any of the services normally provided.
SAUK holds almost all its assets as cash deposits and these amounted to £386,204 at the yearend, of which £318,539 is, as previously stated, unrestricted. SAUK’s reserve policy is to maintain a minimum of £100,000 of unrestricted funds. This policy is under review.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published on 16 July 2014.
Approved by the Trustees on 17 November 2021 and signed on their behalf by:
Dr Stephanie Clark Chair of the Trustees
Financial Statements for the Year to 31 March 2021
Statement of Financial Activities for the year to 31 March 2021
Balance Sheet at 31 March 2021
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total 2021 | Total 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | Notes | £ | £ | ||
| Income | CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
| Donations and Legacies | 3 | 86,439 | 86,439 | 100,840 | Debtors and Payments | 5 | 11,808 | 8,103 | |
| in Advance | |||||||||
| Fundraising | 4 | 58,228 | 58,228 | 79,472 | Bank Current Account | 84,798 | 102,976 | ||
| Subscriptions | 15,741 | 15,741 | 15,900 | Bank Deposit Accounts | 300,728 | 293,114 | |||
| Sale of Books and | 768 | 768 | (262) | 397,334 | 404,193 | ||||
| Publications | |||||||||
| Interest Receivable | 296 | 9 | 305 | 448 | CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||
| Miscellaneous | - | - | 558 | Creditors and Receipts | 6 | 11,130 | 18,446 | ||
| Total Income | 161,472 | 9 | 161,481 | 196,956 | in Advance | ||||
| NET ASSETS | 2 | 386,204 | 385,747 | ||||||
| Expenditure | |||||||||
| Staff and payroll costs | 8 | 107,548 | 107,548 | 121,428 | |||||
| Travel and Subsistence | - | - | 1,197 | ||||||
| Postage and Telephone | 12,658 | 12,658 | 13,788 | Funds of the Charity | |||||
| Stationery | 337 | 337 | 793 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| Printing and | 6,826 | 6,826 | 5,794 | £ | £ | ||||
| Photocopying | FUNDS | ||||||||
| Office Equipment & | 9,065 | 9,065 | 5,979 | ||||||
| Maintenance | |||||||||
| Unrestricted Income | |||||||||
| Rent and Service | 12,944 | 12,944 | 13,516 | Funds: | |||||
| Charges Insurance |
1,108 | 1,108 | 1,041 | Accumulated GeneralFunds | 318,539 | 316,531 | |||
| Professional Fees | 2,160 | 2,160 | 1,200 | ||||||
| Newsletter costs | 5,529 | 5,529 | 6,098 | Designated Funds: | |||||
| Donations Paid | - | - | 20,684 | Ailee Harrison Fund | 5,000 | 5,000 | |||
| Miscellaneous | 2,849 | 2,849 | 3,458 | Hill, Pedder, MinnsFund |
37,008 | 38,568 | |||
| Total Expenditure | 161,024 | - | 161,024 | 194,976 | |||||
| Restricted Income | |||||||||
| Net Surplus/(Deficit) | 448 | 9 | 457 | 1,980 | Funds | ||||
| London Law Trust | 1,315 | 1,315 | |||||||
| (Baby Project) | |||||||||
| Fund Balances Brought Forward at 31 March |
360,099 | 25,648 | 385,747 | 383,767 | Strongbones Children's Charitable Trust |
3,256 | 3,256 | ||
| 2020 | ARISE | 21,086 | 21,077 | ||||||
| Fund Balances Carried | 360,547 | 25,657 | 386,204 | 385,747 | |||||
| Forward at 31 March | |||||||||
| 2021 | TOTAL FUNDS | 386,204 | 385,747 |
Approved by the Trustees on 17 November 2021 and signed on their behalf by:
Stephanie Clarke (Chair of the Trustees)
Notes to the Accounts for the Year to 31 March 2021
1. Accounting Policies
Accounting Convention
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice.The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following Charities SORP (FRS102) rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn. The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS102.
Going Concern
The Trustees have considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their assessment of the charity’s ability to prepare accounts as a going concern. Because of the uncertainties surrounding its effects it is difficult to predict the impact on the charity, but having taken all the factors into account, the trustees are of the opinion that the charity has sufficient resources to continue its activities for the next 12 months from the date of signing these accounts.
Income
All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably. For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. The Association’s resources are committed directly for funding the activities of SAUK in order to achieve its aims. These activities include: maintaining the helpline through which advice and support is given to SAUK members; communicating with members and organizing member and service user events; fundraising activities; running the volunteer network; communicating with members and the public, including through social media, in order to promote and raise awareness of SAUK and its activities; and office support for general accounts and administration, including strategy and planning.
Debtors and Creditors
Trade and other debtors are recognised initially at the transaction price. Creditors are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors are recognised at the amount that the charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received provided as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted general funds – these are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees. Designated funds – these are funds set aside by the trustees out of unrestricted funds for specific future purposes or projects. Restricted funds – these are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
| 2. | Analysis | of Net Assets by Fund | of Net Assets by Fund | of Net Assets by Fund | 3. | Donations and Legacies | Donations and Legacies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Fund | Restricted | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Funds | ||||||||||
| £ | £ | |||||||||
| General | Designated | Total | ||||||||
| General Donations | 24,381 | 23,881 | ||||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||||
| Legacies | 18,180 | 26,936 | ||||||||
| Total Assets | 329,669 | 42,008 | 25,657 | 397,334 | BSRF Grant | 35,878 | 41,023 | |||
| Current | (11,130) | - | - | (11,130) | Other | 8,000 | 8,000 | |||
| Liabilities | Restricted donations | - | 1,000 | |||||||
| Net Assets | 318,539 | 42,008 | 25,657 | 386,204 | 86,439 | 100,840 | ||||
| 4. | Fundraising Income | 5. | Debtors and Prepayments | |||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||||
| Christmas Cards (Net proceeds) | 2,016 | 1,520 | Gift Aid Claim | 5,165 | 5,015 | |||||
| Raffle (Net proceeds) | 2,261 | 3,432 | Prepaid Accounts | 6,643 | 3,088 | |||||
| 500 Club (Net | Proceeds) | 362 | 397 | 11,808 | 8,103 | |||||
| Joint Activities | with BSRF | 8,977 | 16,166 | |||||||
| Other Activities | 44,612 | 57,957 | ||||||||
| 58,228 | 79,472 |
| 5. Debtors and Prepayments 2021 2020 £ £ Gift Aid Claim 5,165 5,015 Prepaid Accounts 6,643 3,088 11,808 8,103 |
|
|---|---|
Notes to the Accounts for the Year to 31 March 2021
| 6. | Creditors | 7. | Operating Leases | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | Total rental payments | due under operating | leases in respect of la | |||
| £ | £ | buildings are as follows: | |||||
| Fundraising due to | BSRF | 8,941 | 16,166 | 2021 | 2020 | ||
| Payroll taxes | 2,189 | 2,060 | £ | £ | |||
| Accounts payable | - | 220 | Within 1 year | - | 15,126 | ||
| 11,130 | 18,446 | Within 2 to 5 years | - | 6,345 | |||
| - | 21,471 |
Total rental payments due under operating leases in respect of land and buildings are as follows:
-
Employee Remuneration Total remuneration for the year amounted to £105,375 (2019/2020 £109,792) Average number of paid staff for the year was 4 (2019/2020 - 4) None of the employees’ emoluments exceeded £60,000
-
Trustee remuneration and expenses Trustees do not receive any remuneration or fees and no trustees were reimbursed for expenses during the year (2019/2020 – nil).
-
Related Party Transactions There were no related party transactions during the year
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of SAUK
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2021 which are set out above.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Colin Barker FCA
146 New London Road Chelmsford Essex CM2 0AW
29 November 2021