) F Cls'ters
Surviving Rape & Sexual Abuse
Survivors are emotionaify aQrt to tAe way in
wAicA otAers respon&to tAeTrL
W(￿1 someone on our CIS'ters team (comyrisi
femafes witA fwe¢lexyerience) says to A M￿￿er of
tAepu6fzc/otAers "I am a ￿rvIvor of sexuata6use
witAin afami(y" tfie vutn£ra6ifity of tfiÉ survivor is
en to 6eingJU￿e
rime sfiown w tfiat it tahs a syeciAffiiff£fof
ersLm to reycy "fiow can I AÉCy7"
Trustees, Annual Report
1st April 2024 - 31st March 2025
c187ern￿ fi￿nded kn 1995,
Chlldhood Inc88t Survfvorn (Cl8) and
Ye@ for th• 4latern boon vAlhln tho 8am8 famlly
Reg18t•rod charlty nwnber. 1184857
1123125

Annual weekend r881dontlal ￿￿rkShop for Memb8r8
Tow8 tool klt {8elf-help r880urce)
Member Survey
16
17
18
Members m888ago to funder8
18
8ectlon fvo: Con•uttancy and commlMlon•
8•ctlon SIX: Acknowl•dg•m•nts
19
8•ctlon ••v•n: D•claratlon
21
Income and expendfture 2019- 2024r25
Annex

Contents
8ecUon ¢>no: Rof•r•nc• and adm1nlstral1￿ dotal
Tru8t688
8•ctlon two: 8tructur•• gov•manca and manag•m•nt
Typo of govemlng document
Tru8tseshlp - lad by 8urvlvor8 and for 8unrtvorn
Conflld of Intsr88t
Pollcl88
Flnandal rovlew
Bu81n888 contlnulty plan
Re88rve8
Rl8k management 8tat8m8nt
Publlc benefft ststement
Audil and bank deta113
8•ctlon thr••: ObJ•ctlv••
Summary- objects of the charity In our govemlng document
Sectlon four: Achl•v•m•n( prfornianc• and 8•rvlc
Our workforce
Stratsgy and bu8ln888 plan
Web8lte
10
10
11
11
12
13
14
14
15
15
Hldden hami podcasts
Helpllne
Newsletter
FurKlra181ng
S8rvlces for ￿re benefidarfes (our Memb8rs)
Members (l.e. cllonts)
Slgnposting
Advocacy

Section one: Refernnce and administratlve detalls
Charlty Name
CIS Yers -6urthng rape and sexual
abu8e durlrYJ thlldhood
1184857 (previousty 1123125)
R•gl8t8rnd charlty numb•r
Charfty• prfnclpal addro•s
Cls'ters
PoBox119
Ea8tlelgh
Hamp8hlr8
S050 9ZF
Trustees
Tru•t•• Nan
Samantha Rlchley TruBtselChalr
1210812019 - pr88ent
Mary Brfdgman
Tru8teerfrea8urer 1210812019 - 2815r24
Loulse Blrd
Tru8ts8
1210812019 - present
1210812019 - pre8ent
Gllllan Flnch
Tru8ta8iFounder
& Unpaid Manager
Trustee
Elleen Gorrod
12108r2019 - present
1711112020 - wesent
2510312024 - pr888nt
25103r2024 - pre88nt
Catherlne Handley T￿￿tea
Jude McBrfde
Theresa Stephens Trustee

Sectlon two: Structuro, governance. and management
Type of governlng docum•nL' Charltabl8 Incryratsd Organ18atlon -
Foundallon
The chartty mlgrated from orfglnal reg18tratlon (1123125) to a CIO format and
achleved reglstratlon on 1 V August 2019 (1184857). Fund8 ware transf8rrod
from the orfglnal reglstrallon on 31•t March 2020, to the new CIO and
1123125 w88 formally d08ed on 19•1 January 2021.
It18 Important that wh8n rovlevAng th8 Annual Report and Audlted Accounts,
that con8lderatlon18 glven to the 8L*levements galned whllst prevlousty
reglstered (a8 1123125), a8 they cover a 8ub8tsntlal part of the hl8tory of our
charlty 81nc8 the orlglnal 8et up In 1995 and then the Inltlal regl8tratlon wlth
the Charft188 cornm1881￿.
Trustseshlp-18d by and for
CIS'ter818 a charlty that wa8 Set up In 1995 by a blologlcal femalo vkno had
personally experlenced. 88 a chlld. 88xual abu8e wlthln her farnlly. Tho 8th08
at that tlme, and contlnulng,18 that the entlty18 a 88lf-helplpoer*roup,
8urvlvor-run for female8 age 18+ were 81mllarty abu8ed wlthln famlll88,
a8 chlldren, by a member rf thelr Immedlatelextended farnlly.
It rernaln8 Important that our Const￿tkn 8tlpulats8 that at a mlnlmum 50% of
trustee8 mu8t be adult female 8uthr8 of chlklhood rape. 8exual abu88 or
Sexual exploftatlon wlthln a famlllal envlrcmmenL (l.e. Ilved experfence (LE)).
It18 Important that there are tru8te83 wlth LE. who are able to repr88ent dlrort
b8neficlarle8 of the charity, but also demonstrate thal 8urvlvor3 are 80 much
more than thelr chlldhood 8xperfence. and have a wlde range of sklll Sets that
can be used profe88lonalty to assl8t the work of the charity at a 8trateglc
level.
Tru8tees are 8elect8d followlng skllls gap anatysls and are appolnted on thelr
knowledge, sk1118 and current abllftle8 and availablltty. They may be
recommended by exlstlng trustees andlor advertlsement. During the year
belng reported upon, one trustee reslgned and ￿ moro were recruited.
Focus of the ￿. Due to the rocognised prnvalence of all sexual abuse
within Society it was clear from the beginnlng that the large numbers of
vlctlm8 who mlght be seeklng emotional support, balanced against the Ilmlt8d
services avallable wlthln Cls'tern and elsewhere, rneant that the potsntlal
demand at that tlme and subsequenty would exceed an ability to dellver. On
this bas1¥. from the outs8( a dedslon was tsken that Cls'ters would focus on
Pw5ofL7

¥.*
Cts Yws
d8llvering 8mot10￿1 8UPPOrt to female8 age 18+ who had ba8n 88xually
abu88d as chlldrenfteen8 by Someone vhK) was an Immodlatelextend8d
m8rnber of thelr famlly. In addltlon that tho emotlonal support on offer would
be from the Ilved expelle￿6 per3pecUv81.e.provkled by a peer.
The ethos of the tru8tees remalns the 8am and o)ntinu08 to rnmaln
deslgnated as surv1￿>r-18d. Con8llttrtlonally th1818 a88ur8d by th8 Inclu8lon of
an addltlonal '8hared' vota that truste88 wlth LE u88 Jolntly. 8hould a
Sltuatlon ar188 where stratsglc ded8lon8 could be over41dd8n by a ca8tlng
vote of the chair ff Ihat appolnted IrKllvldual dld not have LE.
Confllct of Inl•rnst
A ConfilCt￿-lntsr0st Reg18ter wa8 Inluated al the Trustso moetlng on 23rd
May 2018 and18 now a fonnal part of each meeting. Durtng the reported
perlod, Tru8tee8 cOnflrn￿d that they had had no confilcts of Inter88t.
Pollclo8
The pollcy framework wa8 va8ty expanded In 2014 and there18 a rolllng
programm8 of revlew. Durlng the reportlng p8rlod of 202*25, tho follovAng
poIIcie8 have been revlawed or developed:
Partlclpatlon In Coronern Proc888e8
Suiclde Prevenllon
Statement of Financlal Vlabllfty and R888rv88
Con8ultancy and Dellvery of Tralning
Flnanclal r•vlow
Income recelved during the year 2024-25 wa8 £31,108 compared wlth
£41,582 during prevlous financial year.
Expanditure during the y8ar 2024-25 was £56,283 compared with £70,573
durlng prevlous financlal year. At 31 •t March 2025. the end of year balance
was £41,413 compared with £66,587 whlch was the prior year balance on
31•t March 2024.
Our Income remain8 flnancialty un8tsble (see Annex A) and therefore the
Subject of re8erve8 Is a stsndlng agenda ttem for each board meetlng, wlth a
protocol for early escalatlon and r8POrting to trustees should the need arf8e.
A key featur818 that the charlty ensures that It can:
• Meet contractual Ilabllltle8 8h(wld the charfty hav8 to dose. Thls
Includes redundancy pay, amounts due to credttor8 and
commltments urKler leases.
Pa8e 6 of 22

• Meot Unexpec￿ costs (where these are rnasonable and legal)
+ Re￿¢6 8888nllal 8qulpmenVresourc88 as It wear8 Out
• Provkle vKrfking capltal If and when fvndlng Is pald In arrears
+ Ensure the charfty can conllnue to wovlde 8 8tsble and quallty
88rvlce
It Is a requlrement wlthln our bu8lno88 contlnulty plan that we hold, 88 part
of deslgnatsd r8serve8, not1888 than 4 month8 fundlng ￿1¢h could be used
to d08e down the 8ervlc8 Safely and avold a8 much emotlonal d18tre88 as
can b8 to our beneficlarl8S.
The level of rn8•rvos18 C￿￿al to Lwr charlty, In that new fvndlng18 never
8tsble and we hav8 'good', and 'not-wood' Income y8ar8. The year under
rnport, 2024-25.18 obvlou81y a 'notwood yearf In tOrnl8 of new Income. We
a180 contlnue to experfence rl8e8 In ba81c runrlng costs, 8uch office rnnt,
electrfclty and 8tallon8ry (In u)mmon wlth the re8t of tho county).
Increased c08ts arKI reduced Incom8 ff•ntlnu88 to bo a 8ignlflcant challenge
and thu8, our expendltur818 8ubJ•ct to ongolng and partlcularly robu8t revlew.
Exp8nditur8 Included a vltal w8b81te 80ftware upgrade whlch pr888ntsd u8
with a hlgher than oxpecled financial outlay. Th18 3pecMc project {whlch18
due to conclude In September 2025) ha8 been partly funded by a donatlon.
Th8 rlsk to the chaiity ha8 been mlnlrnlsed (in acknowledgement of tha 8lz8
and Ilmlted re80urces intsrnalty) by uslng an an outsourced project manager
to asslst wlth technlcal aspects of the webslte upgrade and migratlon.
Rlsk manag•m•nt 8tstem•nt
The tru8te88 take r88pon81blllty tr management of d8k wlthln tho charfty.
Major rf8k8 are rnvlewpd by tho Tru8t888 at their regular quarterfy me8tlng8
and (x)ntrol 8y3tem8 have been 88tab118hed to predlct these (where po881ble).
and manage tham. Risk management exterKIB to flnanclal awareness.
Wth dose Bcrutlny throughout the year. al 8p8dfied Intervals, tru8t888
contlnued to be 8atlsfled that the charity had sufflcSent flnanclal r8source8 for
the year 202*2025. In (x)mmon wlth the majorfty of srnalvmedium Size
charitle8 and parlicularly those, Ilk8 ours. who focus on subjects that soclety
would prefer to not so ea8ity acknowledge - future and sustalnable fundlng
remaln8 an issue that demands constant attention from a stretched
In onler for board meetlngs to be quorate, the number of truste88 wlth IIv8d
experlence need to be equal or hlgher than r8mainlng trustees. Tru8t88s dld
acknowledge In mld- 2023 that our board was struggling wtth reslllence, and
Pay7of22

agr08d a recrultrnent Inltlallve that comrnencad In Jufy 2023. Consequently,
two new tru8tee8 have been recrulted loined the T￿￿t board In March
2024. Attendance and ￿MMItrI￿rt of exlstlng members of the Board
contlnued to be under revltrw.
A deslgnated provld88 d0￿Merted 8upervl8lon sesslon8 on a
monthty ba818 vAth our ￿rrent Manager (￿ Is unpald) durfng vknlch rf8ks
(known and 8m8rglng) are subject to ¢xvJolng monltorlng.
The charfty contlnued to dellver agaln8t prknrlU88 agre6d wfth funder8 for key
proJ8(*8.
Publlc benoflt •tatsmont
AII trustees have complled wlth thelr duty to have due regard to guldance on
publlc benefft when 8x8rc181ng thelr duUe8.
Audlt and banklng
Maln Account
HSBC
3 Lelgh Road.
Ea8tlelgh
S050 9YW
Onlln• Curr•nt
account
PO Box 250
Sk8lmer8dal8
WN8 6wr
Audltor
Fred Bendall 8 Tenby Drive,
Chandl8r8 Ford,
S053 4NL
Sectlon three: Objectives
The truste8S 3hall hold the trust fvnd arKI Its Income upon trust to apply them
for the followlng objects {Ihe objects"):
. to promote and protect the health of female 8urrnr3 aged over 18 who,
bom as female, durlng childhood were raped, Sexually abused or 88xually
explolted In partlcular but not Ilrnlted to th088 who were rap8d, sexually
abused or 88xually 8xplolt8d by a member of thelr Imm8diate or extended
famlty: empowering such suThlvor3 in thelr own personal heallng through
the mutual affirnallon, acceptance. respect and support of other 8uthr8
and. subject to fundlng, to asslst in the provlslon or development of
serJAc8s for other persons affecled directy or indlrectly by rape. sexual
abuse or Sexual exploltatlon a8 the trustees shall think fit.
Pago 8 of 21

CIS1ers
b. to advanc8 the educallon of the publlc, In partk￿lar ttKM8 provldlng
seNlce8, of the Impact on chlld vlctlmsladult 8urvlvors of chlldhood
rape18exual abu8elexploltsllon and the a88oclated coplng 8trategles used
by Some vlcllms: and to promote an Improved 8ervlce respon88 to the
unm8.t need8 of 8uch chlld vlctlm81adutt survlvors. and otherB affected
dlreclly or Indlr8Ctly by experlences of 8exual crlm88.
Sectlon four: Achlevements. perforniance and servlcos
Our workforc• (volunt••rs, trust•O8,
amployeos)
Feedback from 8urvlvorn who make contsct
wlth u8, Including th088 that go on to
b8coTh Memb8r8. con81stently tell u8 what
they valua. above everythlng al88,18 that our
team membarn hav8 Ilved exp8rfance8.
It18 phft)tal that th080 they communlcata
. vAthln our frDntllne t8am8, are a180 '11ko
thom, l.e. female bom, 8tlll Idenlfy as a
female and vlctlm18urvivor8 of 8exual abu88
(a8 chlldren) wlthln a familial 8ettlng.
The challenges and dlfflculues currently belng 8xperfenced by our Memb8r8.
and 'new-t￿us, contacts. Is refiected wlthin our M8rnber3hlp and Workforce.
We have an unque811onable appreclatlon of th8 trlgg8rlng 8xp8rienced when
attendlng (or chooslng not to attend) a health screenlng. a vtstt to the dentlst
or optician, contsct wlth some famlly memb8r3, or of the mllllon and one other
clrcumstances that can be a reminder of the harm that wa8 caused by belng
a vlctlm of farnlllal childhood 88xual atx￿. Survlvorn are used to
prDfe881onal810th8r8 u8lng the tomi Iru8t me.. but non-survivor8 rarely
und8r3tsnd that Irust, U8ualty Involved damaglng experfence8loutcoThs for
survivor8 of CSA It has to be eamed.
Based on the conslstent feedback arKI our constitutlon81 agreement - that we
were Set up by, and are now18d by, and dellvered by - survlvors -, truste88
have conllnued to place emphasls on the r8qulrement to build and malntsln a
workforce with lfved experlence. This cr8ales a measure of addltlonal work
when choosing and malntalnlng the reslll8n(x of indmdual workers. They are
carefvlly monltor8d and supported to ensure they remaln able to undertake
thelr r88pecl0ve rol88.
Page 9 of 22

pi
The Trust Board agreed prlorftles followlng a Strategy M88tlng In January
2024 - attended by our whol8 workforce 1.6. ratlo LE to non was 3.1.
Toplc8 Identfflad at that tlme and whlch contlnued to b8 a prlorlty durlng the
year 2024-2025 were:
Malntslnlng and upgradlng the web81t8
Malntalnlng the helpllne (volcemail and 8mall)
D611very of the Member4)nly Annual ￿rkshOp - to be held In May
2024
Ongolng d8v8lopm8nt and d8llv8ry of the Self Help Toolklt
Continulro to produce arKJ distrlbute the Member New81etter
Fundra181ng
Updat•• as follow•:
Our w•b81t•:
We have contlnued to on8ure that feedback from
www.clstorn.org.uk th088 wlth LE contslbut8 to the growlng content on
.cist
The web8tt818 a key feature wlthln Cl8'ter8 and
8cce88ed by ex1811ng Membern arKI other8 who
might or might not mako dlrect contact wlth us vla
our Helpllne.
Wa rety on eknmal technlcal 8UPPOrt for our
webslte and during the prior year we recelved
notlce that Ihe 8XiStlng software and 88curtty
featureB of our exlstlng webslte needed to be
upgraded as ft would rK> longer bo technlcal
supportable In current formaL
A project commenced to fully detemilna the Scale of
the Issue and funding Impllcations. The team
assigned includes LE indNidual8 and work ha8 now
commenced.
PaBe 10 of 22

Hlddon Harni Podcasts:
Durlng the reportlng year upon there was conllnued Int8r86t In the podcasts
Ich can be a￿SSed vla our webslte
feedbad( confirms that th88e are of Interest to exlstlng
Memb8r8 and also new contscts (who mlght or mlght not access Member8hlp
Servlce).
Fundlng currenty prevents u8 from wandlng our portfollo of 33 podcasts,
though Memb8r3 conllnue to alert U8 to now 3ubJ8(Xs they wlsh to 888
Included.
F2
elp
Helpllne: (phone and emall):
We contlnue to recelve ema118 and m888ago8 left on our helpline. Ratlo of
emall8 to phone me88ag88 conllnu88 to remaln at 8.1. Communlcatlng vla
ema118, therefore. contlnues to appear to be aasior for th088 888kFng contsct
with u8 (whether a new contact or O￿ng).
Although our constttullonal f￿8 appear8 Ilmltad we conllnue, a8 we have
from the beglnnlng. to respond with 8en8tt1vlty and compas8lon to all those
who contact Us. DependlThJ on the unlque requlrements of contact8, and as
approprfate. we are able to U88 the folltrMng natlonal ￿bSIteS to 81gnpost to
additlonal speda118t support s8rvlc08. The three natlonal umbrella
organ18atlon8. are: The Survlvor8 Trust (fsT (we are an organlsatlonal
member of TST and are a180 one of the five foundlng ag8ncies)). Rape Crf818
EnglarKI and Wal88 {RCE&W) and Male Survlvor8 Pather3hlp (MSP).
Th8 key umbrella agencles above are Important to us prDvldlng an abllty to
hlghllght pathways for key 8eNkes, such 88 coun8elllng which we do not
deliver, and a180 for specfflc requirements vthlch Include: those wlth leamlng
dlsabilltles. non-Engllsh speaklrKJ, neuro dlverslty. gender, domestlc
vlolencelabu88. servlces thlng wtth offender8. and those worklng wlth
childlteen vlctlmlsurvlvor8.
Pwllof22

4.4Y4%V
Cor8 to our re8ponse18 that ￿ ahvays do our b88t to b8 con8lderate to tha
unlque need8 of each person (x>ntacling to U8 - but wlthln. always. an
acknowladgement and appr￿IatkM that the expllclt offer of M8mbernhlp,18
Ilmlted to our con8ththal crlterla of LE 1.8. biologlcal female with
experlence, as chlldrenneen. of sexual abu88 by a member of
Immedlatelextended famlly - a sp￿IfiC communlty of vlctlmlsurvlvor8 (whom
have thr88 decad88 experlence of a8818tlng) ￿ere V•e have a unlque
In81gM Into188u88 faced durlng thlldhood years. and Into adulthood.
Our helpllne Is also u8ed by extemal profe8Blona18fvthers who are 888klng
(In the maln) more Informallon about our 88rvlce In ganer81 tern￿ on behaff of
thelr cllents. We only accept 8olf-referral8 and It18 Important therafore to be
able to explaln In detall to extemal contscts what and how emotlonal 8UPPOrt
18 provlded wlthin the contsxt of 'Member8hlp' and that the contactlng workar
18 then able to pa88 th18 Informatlon on. In addttlon. th18 glve8 th8 external
worker th8m881v68 an opportunty to experience contactlng our charity and
comrnunlcatlng wlth 80meone LE, Ntho18 not thelr current diant. Our
approach Is that our ￿rkfOrCe18 abl8 to represent 8urvlvor8 a8 more than
cllent8..... more than 'onty 8 8uTrlvorf. We model th18 from the Inttlal polnt of
contsct. Run by 8uNlvor8 and for 8urvlvDr8.
Now￿•tter- We have contlnued to produce
and cascade by email and hard copy (at the preference of the m8mb8r).
Each clrculation reache8 700 reclplents (Member8 and oth8r8) and18 al80
uploaded to our webslte for publlc access. Based on feedback we ar6 awarn
that the newEletter1s valued by our Mernbers, and also used by other8 a8 an
Infomiation source. The topics Included are provlded by our LE leam. and
from our Membor8 directy.
Pa8e L7 of 22

Fundral•lng - r8maln8 our blgge8t ongolng IBSU8 In that
we are a 8mall team ￿th increaslng demand8, Indudlng fundralslng. 88t
agalnst a backdrop of a LE worklorce wfth health InoqualFtI88. W8 conunue
to Seok a8818tsnc8 wtth fvndralslng, a8 we currenty have such rn8trfcted tlme
or 8P8clali8t capaclty. Thu8. Incx)me remaln8 ￿stsb1e {888 Annex A).
Durlng 2024125 we were In recelpt of year4 of a thr88 year granl from
J088ph Rank Tru8t. Thelr 8UPPOrt agaln was very much apprnclated and not
lea8t becau88 a belief In ￿at our Small charlty18 dolng arKI contlnu88 to do,
18 of oquAI value to a donallon or a granL
It18 a reallty that wh118t mernbern of the publlc and others mlght readlty take
on a challenge to run In ald of. say, NSPCC or 81milar- they wlll morn often
than not 8hy away from urKlertaklng a 81mllar 8vent 80 openly on behalf of
charltl68 Ilke our8. It18 too close, and18ava8 them open to belng potsntlally
vlewed {even11 not) a8 8 prlor vlcllm or that 80meoM d088 to th8m18. Th18
ha8 been our exparlence over 3 decades.
LO￿￿. 80 ￿en IndMdual8 or organ18allon8 aro wllllng to 8tep forward, to
help u8. the wamrth derfved by thelr acceptance and under3tanding - makes
a ma861ve dlfference to U8.
Example A: We wore encouraged when the Chl8f Flre Officer for Hamp8hlr8
and low Flrn and Re8cue Servlce personally undertook the Vltallty 1 Ok In
London In 22rn1 Septsmber 2024. accompanied by 8lx of h18
colleagueslfrlend8Namlly. Collectlvely they ralsed £1 ,658 for u8. Bellof in
8Ctlon.
Example B: Durfng February 2025 we were comm1881on8d to dellver a on
day tralnlng semlnar for NHS Induslon on the toplc of Trauma Aware
Services. We had been recomm8nd8d as a tralner by thelr Lead Counsellor
who had attended prfor tralnlng we had delivered. Example of feedback from
the event in February 2025 Includes:
"I found tt beneficlal lo further enhance my current practlce. To refr8sh
onp8St trwnlng and hearing the rnal accounts again, very Impacttul."
Pay 13 ofL7

"I thlnk tho serth is brfllant support for 8urvlvor8. ltre recenty
vorted ￿th a client who wa8 SUPPOrted by the $0Tr7ce, 8he t￿d me
cisters have been 8uch grnat supwt for her."
7hi8 tsinlng wa8 vary rnlevant to ry r￿0. I come 8cross traumatized
cllents daity In my %swk and th18 18 a rnminder to nover, ever become
complacent and to keep on top of CPD. The tsining was thought
provoklng and had Mome￿ ofbelng un￿Mfo￿ - whlch18 exacty
what trnuma trnlning should bel Th181s tough my801f and tho
team do and to be glven the chance to experlence sllghdy
uncomfortable feeling8 withln a safe envlmnmont is, I bellevo, to
our resllience and our own mental healthl The hand outs wern
comprehensfve. w611 presented and relevanL"
Sorvlcos for core ben•ficlarf•s (our Memborn)
Membershlp l.e. biologlcal f8male8 VrtK) meet our ￿nStItutIOnal crfl8rfa rn
Ilved .8xperfence are offared 'Member3hlp' (indud88 Slgnlng up to a 'code' of
behavlour).
At the end of the year being reported upon l.e. as at 31•t March 2025, we had
526 Member8. Of these 51% Ilved vAthln combined Hamp8hlre. Isle of Wyht,
Portsmouth and Southampton local govemmont areas. The remalnlng 49% of
our Members Ilve across England arKI Wales. Numbers are constantly
changlng as new contscts translate Into new Memb8fB, and Some @￿tIng
Member8 move on.
Over tlme Member8 feel mora reslllent and are ab18 to 'let go. of th8lr
Membership, arKI other8 Joln. Our approach18 NOT to stats a Ilmlt on how
long an Indivldual should remaln a Member. It is their Chol￿ as to how long.
Pale 14 of 12

they fe81 the need to remaln and acc￿. on a na8d8 basi6. the an￿tIonal
peer support offered by our Small charlty.
Slgnpostlng: In re(x)gnftlon of the fact that cister8 mlght be part of a
8urvlvorlmember8 Journey, we have en8ured that there is comprehen81v8
Infonnatlon on our webslle whlch can be u88d by survlvor8 and other8 to flnd
addlllonal 8ervlc88 8uch a8 coun8elllng.
We 8lgnp08t to counselllng 8ervlce8 offered by 8peda118t 80rvlce8. such a8
th088 offered by a rape and soxual abuse crlsls cantre. and often Member8
wlll remaln in contact vAth u8, acc888lng emollonal 8UPPOrt (emall and phon8)
wh118t on a waltlng Ilst 818ewhere - arKI often return to U6 once Ihelr
coun88lllng ha8 conduded (often coun8elllng on offor18 Ilme limlted 80 not
necessarily reached an 'end'). Plu8. Ilfe contlnu88 to be a roller coaster with
peak8 and trough8 of emoth)n and the indlvldual may sllll feel qulte Isolated.
Our approach181o be part of a Joumey, encouraglng Member8 to acc888 help
acro88 a number of 88rvice8, a8 the need arfs88. rather Ihan to b8 too rellant
upon one. Our contributlon18 that our workforce is one that 'ha8 Ilved,
8xp8rien¢e; and relatsble.
Plu8, We U88 datsbaBe8 provlded by other 8peclall8t 8ervlc88. for th088
888klng to manage coplng Strategies such a8 gambling, drugs. alcohol or
other dlfflcultle8. Th18 can also Include bereavement followlng th8 death of an
abu8er or other famlly member. All lffe oxp8rl8nc88 that have been met wlthln
our LE workforc•. who are al80 drawn from wlthln our current Member8hlp
l.e. part of our Cl8'ter8 community.
Advocacy: Whether thoy Ilve In Hamp8hire or e188vth8re, many of our
Member8 requlre advocacy or 8mpow8nnent in addltlon to emotlonal 8UPPOrt.
Th1818 beyond 81gnpo8Ung.
For example, th18 mlght be a Membw con8klerfng whether to make a rnport
to the pollce, an omotlonal and dlfflcuft step a8 It often a180 maans
confronllng the fallure of other famlly m8rnber8 to protecl them a8 a chlld. If
reportlng. our advlce18 to also seek the support of an Independent Sexual
Violence Adviser (ISVA). Thls Is a tralned 8pedallst who supports an
Indivldual pre and post reporting. They usually found wlthln nomlnaled
speclall8t counselllng fJervice8 (s￿h as a rape crfsls seNlce) and more often
than not funded by local Police and Crlm8 Comm188lon8r8. AS a national
charity we are therefore slgnpostlng or referrlng to ISVA services across
multlple police force regions.
ISVA 8ervlces are under tremendous pressure (whlch Indudes the current
protracted delay8 In court processes) and have large caseloads (typically In
excess of100) and that can restrlct the time they hav8 avallable to sustaln
Page IS of 22

ornotlonal support for thelr clients. Wlthln CIS ter8 we c¥)ntlnue to offer any
Member who Isgoing through the crfmlnal Ju8tlce 8yStem proce88 (CJS)
addltlonal 8motlonal Supwt, as and whon they 8eek It from u8.
Another key lea￿re18 that an ISVA 88ThiCe 8UPPOrtkng a Member mlght be In
one pollce area. but the crlme and therefore the Inv88tlgation and any
8ub8equent ciwrt ca8e18 held In another. Whllst ISVA8 do atterKI court wlth
thelr dlents. they rarely do th18 If th8 COUrt18 Out of arna.
Annual W￿kond (Rasldentlal)
Workshop for Momborn:
In May 2024 ￿ were able to
8ucce88fulty delfver our annual
kend resldenual V•Y)rk3hop. A
total of 24 attended.
Th18 ha8 beon a regular event 81nc8
1999, though In 2020 and 2021 wa8
PO8tponed due lo the global
pandemlc.
Excerpts from partlclpanf8 feedback:
h18 weekend help8 me gather the thngth to the years ahead.
ft'8 the one weeknnd I can be trnly mysolr.
olng to CISter8 whern l am underntood by Ilke•mlnded peopb 18 a
lifeline.
t'8 the one tlme I can be frne to bo m8".
Is nolhing qufte Ilke connectlng with other8 at the res￿ntIal. A
very unique expei7ence... the best thing I have done In my *ealing
urne￿. There 18 nothlng like
When you spend most of yrxjr life feeling the odd on out (at b08t) and
a Gomplete freak it is 80 rn&88urlng to find out otheThvlse".
Tr impact tt has had on me Is Immense... fo be able to be yourself
wtthout having to pretend all the time 18 pricele&8'.
his weekend has helped me heal from the past... but 8180 from tt)e
dlfflcuty of hlding eVe￿Ing for my whole life".
'If are not 8 survlvor. I cannot oven begin to make you undorstand
what tt mean8 to be sumwnded by people like me and especially not In
a thernpeutiejclinkal 80lting".
Pag• 16 of 12

CI8Yws
Tolvs Tool Klt (a so11￿01P rosourca)
Durfng 2024125 w8 have contlnued wlth
the development of a self-help manual
(resource). Durlng the prlor flnanclal yBar
NHS England had provlded Ilmltsd
fundlng tovMrd8 thls project.
The Importance to our ben8ftlarle818 that
whilst oth8r 88lf-help products do 8x18t.
r￿n0 capture the r8allty and per8pectlve
of b8lng a femalfrbom vlctlm18uthr of
88xual abus81rap￿ exploltatlon wlthln a
famlly envlronm8nL
Thls unlque re80urce18 belng created by an exceptlonal team of IndMdua18
wlth Ilved oxperlence; arKI the partldpants In the pllot pha80 are a180 provldlng
f68dback whlch18 further enhanclng the producL Work 18 ongolng (wlthout the
benefit of a fvrther grant) a8 It18 taking longer to flnalls8, not least because of
the onrfched content belng created by tho pllot partlcipants a8 well a8 the LE
development team.
Feedback extract from partlclpants In the Toolklt Pllot Phase:
h18 has been helpfvl to enabl• me to brnak down all my expoiyence8
Into small6r sectsons rather than g8tthg oveThthelmed wfth too many
memories and feeling8.
Window of Tolerance (Wo7) was explained a lot better than mental
health seThices dld. It make8 a lot L*sen86 to help ￿th 8trn&g"
(ReffecUon8) "Easy to follow. Great 80ssTh. Easy to understand"
hat sU￿188d me is the rnalisation I dont carn enough for
My88lf/p17￿itlSO my own wellboing.
'It is good to underntand what 18 happening to me. l am worknng on
developlng a good nxrtlne of 8cannlng my bo
"It'8 Su￿ri￿ng how well slmple thing8 worf( rfl can remember to do
them"
"I have morn of a 8en8e of rnlief and calm after rn8118ing I have coping
Strategies"
Pa8e 17 of 12

Membor Survey 2024125: In recognlkn ofthe prbrltle8 88t by Tru8t8e8,
durfng the latter part of 2024 we undertook a Short survey of Member8. It was
helpfvl lo flnd tha( ofthe re8pondent8,
100%
No longer felt 801801aled
97%
Felt understood
F8lt a sense of b8longlng
Felt they were not b8lng Judged
Were more reslllent knowlng we were thore 'when
neoded,
Confimwd thal It wa8 crltlcal to them that our
8UPPOrt WDrf(er8 Were indlvldual8 wlth Ilved
experfence (and 8180 Memb8rn); and that Board
r•main8d '8urvlvor led..
91%
91%
Mossagos from Momb•r8 to
Fundors
urvlvlng CSA 18 dlfflcutt and
complicated enough. When th8
pe￿otratOr was famlly itjust add8
another layer oftrauma. ￿ Its own
set of complicatlons. CIStern is the
only charfty that commlts to being
avallable for a8 long as needed
Being by biologlcal female
survivors m88ns they have a unlque
understandlng of the Joumey l am
golng through and the r880urce8 that
can help people Ilke me become our
be8t 8elves".
C,1 &'ter
flsters 18 a vftal seThke. We need to support for fijturn
generations who M718ffect8d by incest. It is so litde spoken of. one of
the188t taboos ... There ha8 to be ongolng support for women whose
Ilves ar8 shatternd forever.. . A Member 81nce 2020:
'If I hadnt found CIStw3, my Ilf8 would lotht very dliferent to how it
currenty does. Donl underestlmate th8 power of the ongoing emotlonal
8UPPOrt vla email and also the weekend event. Belng amongst other
suNJvorn pulls you through. A Memb8r slnce 2022:
Pay 18 of 22

nless you arn a female who h88 expeiienced CSA thln a famlty
youYI never reaty understand the teffor. shame and lon8lin&98 that you
feel as a chHd and as an adul£ The inwad th18 has on your life 18
8varta8bng. To have tho opportunty to be part of ow small communty
makes you feel heard. validat08 yow feeling8, glve8 courage and sen88
of belonglng. The feellng of being cared for is so powerful. Unable to
have a nom781 chlldhood caused so much hanlship in my Ilfe. Even a8
an adutt, the suffering SUII continuas". A Member 8lnca 2024:
8ecllon Flvo: Consultancylcommlsslons
We contlnue to be part of a number of nallonal. reglonal arKI local
con8ultatlve forum8 (statutory and nOn￿ta￿rt0ry) Includlng th088 that are
cr088 government, 8uch a8 tho Adv180ry Group (admlnl8ter8d by NHS
England) 888klng to Improve 8ervlce8 for vlcllm8 of sexual 888ault and
abu88.
C18Y8r8 contlnu88 to provlde Input to c1088d and publlc con8ultallon8 and
participate8 natlonalty and rnglonally In varlous ongolng Inftl8tive8, Includlng
th088 belng plloted by the Office of Natlonal Slatl8tlc8. vthlch Is 880king to
detsrmlne greater accuracy In the numb8r8 of th088 affected by sexual
crlme8.
In February 2025 we vrare commlssloned to provlde a b88pok8 trauma
tralnlng for 20 delegats8 (In person) from NHS Inclu81on (ba88d In
Hampshlre).
Prevlou81y. tralnlng ha8 been an Invaluable 80urce of Income and we ar8
k88n to re4ev8lop this. However. 8lrK8 tha covld pandemlc. It 18 much
clearer that the tralnlng landscape has changed and majority of 8mployer8
ar8 not 88 wllllng to fund physlcal faC￿t￿faco cour388. In addltlon, the
flnanclal plnch Is affectlng all Sectors (Sta￿tOry and non-statutory) and
econom188 have to b8 made. IndudlNJ workforce prof88slonal development.
Whll8t we have an Intentlon to pursue more tralnlng (xxnmi58lon8 in the
future. we may need to recon81thr how these are actually dellvered.
Sectlon SIX: Acknowlodgements
We wl8h to glve thanks to the Indlvlduals and organlsatlons for the emotlonal
and flnancial support we have recelved durfng 2024-2025. It has been a
dtfficutt year In a variety of ways.
Pa8• 19 c4 22

Set up In 1995. our fo￿8 for nearfy 30 year8 18 to do what can (natlonally)
to 8mollonally 8UPPOrt adult blological femal88 who were vlctlm8 of sexual
abu88 as chlldren wlthln a famlllal 88tting, from our Pjmall centre ba8ed In
Hamp8hlre.
Our Ilved experfence peer 8UPPOrt18 a key part of our approach, and th18
extend8 to 8n3urfng that our tnths Indud8 an equal ff not hlgher rallo of
Indlvldual8 wlth Ilved exp8rlence.
All of our trustees glv8 thelr pw3onal tlme to help and 8UPPOrt th18 8mall,
unlqu8 charfty whid) has It8df ¢*anged and evolved over the pa8t 3 decades.
In a world that18 ever morn challenglng and ￿lch c￿￿nUeS to pr888nt
mounl8ln8 to cllmb, the profe881onall8m and ablllty of our trustees18 crltlcal to
our 8U8talnablllty. Our thank8 are extended to tru8t888 (past and pr08ent).
A8 a 8mall chartty wa are largely rellant upon ¢)ther8 that we moet. to (xeate
pathway3 and be facllltatlve; to 888 Wond the label of 'a 8urvlvoV and 888
that Ihi8 P8r8on'18 80 much more than that lab81. A timety rnrnlnder that
Survlvor8 are emotlonally alert to the way In whlch thr8 r88pofKI to them.
When 8om8one on our Cl8'ter8 team {comprf8lng femal88 wlth Ilved
exp8rf8nce) say8 to a member of the publlcJother8 .1 am 8 8urvlvor of 88xual
abu88 wlthln a famllf they are open to belng judged. Tlmo has shown u8 that
It tak88 8 8P8clal kind of person to repty 'how can I helpr
Durlng the recent flnandal year and In the past we have had many exampl88
of 80cietsVprofe88M?nal'8 re8pon886 that lacked the 8en8ltlvlty that18 needed.
However, w• hav• also b••n wann•d and •ncourag•d by the way In ￿lch
other Indlvldual8 and professlona18 (acro38 sectors) have stepped towards
us, offer8d help and 8UPPOrt, and been part of our Journey and that many
contlnue to be part of tha Yrlends of support Systsm to our communlty of
Cls'ters.
Wlthout 8uch help and 8UPPOrt (emotlonal, not only flnandal) we would not
have been able to remaln open during Ihe perlod Aprll 2024 - March 2025.
Golng Into the next flnandal year (2025r26) we face Incr8881ng challenges.
sorne known and otherJ not yet 8urfac8d. We trust that we wlll have the
Strength. the courage. and ability to contlnue - and that others wlll be
avallable to help and 8U8tsin us - together.
P•ge 20 gf 22

Ctsyws
Soctlon 8•v•n: D•claratlon
Slgned on b8hall cl tho IJu8teo• (as at dato
81gnthr••
Full N•m
Samantha Richley
In Role as Chalr, Twstees
Gillian Flnch
In Role as a Trustse
30th 2025
30th Juty 2025
Pige 21 of 22

Cls'ters - AUDIT OF ACCOUNTS - 1st April 2024 until 31st March 2025
OUGHTF
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£4.557.I2
£24,479.53
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E1.724.OD
CA*h InTr&rtyl
t82￿ 59 AJ.21
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£2.111.t4 A32.2
£10911
Tn4*•s" R•uwL Tw. T1th￿ È
£626.90 AJ14
£11,72S.68 A3 5>
E71J.31 AJJ
£608.78 ISJS
£3S340 AJ
£1319￿ AJ4
£143.41 AJ8
£3,930 14 AJ
£425.4D AJ6
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CIS'ltrrs- RegiS￿r0d CIO *ilh chwi¢￿$ commis￿n- 1184857 (kw 11231251
Ythw cisleis tsr
uk

(HARIIY K
Independent examiner's report on the
accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Roport to th• trustee$l
membors of
Charity Name
Cls'ters: surviving rape and sexual abuse during childhood
On ac¢ounts fr•r th• yèar
•nded
31st March 2025
Ch•rlty no
{If any)
1184857
Sot out on pages
IiÈm@mbei 10 Inclijde Ili¢ numbers ol 8dditionai Sheelsl
R•#p•ctlv• M¥pon8lbSlltl•s The eharrvs tnjstees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The
of trust••s and examSn•r charity's Injslees considèr that an audit is nol required for this year under section
144 of the Charilies Act 2011 (the Chariknes kl) and th81 an independent
examination is needed.
11 ts my responsibility to-.
examine the actounls under section 145 of the Charitie$ Act.
lo follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity
Commission lundgr section 145{5)Ib) of the Charilies Ael, and
lo stste whelhor partKular matters have come to my attonlion.
Basls of Ind•p•nd•nt My 8xaminalion was carried out in accordance wth general Directions glv•n by th&
•xamln•r'• stat•m•nt Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records
kopl by the chanly and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records.
11 also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts,
and seeking explanations from the Iwslees concemiry any such matters. The
procedures undertaken do r￿1 provide all the evidence Ihal would be required in an
audit, and ¢onsequ6nlly no opinb?n is givèn as to wheiher th• accounts Prosenl 8
'Irue and fair, view and the report is IKnitsd lo those matters Sel out in th6 statement
below.
Indap•ndent In connection with my examination. M matter has come lo my attentlon (other than
examlner's ststement that disclosed below ')
1. which gives me reasonable cause lo believe that in, any malenal r6spect. th•
requiremenlg=
lo keep aCC￿n11ng recwth in accordance with section 130 of the Charitie8
Act., and
to prepare accounts which a¢¢ord with the acC￿ntIng r￿ordS and comply
with the accounting requirements of thè Charil*s Act
have not been met.. or
2. 10 which. in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order lo enable a prop•r
undeTslanding of the accounts to bo reached.
' Please delefe the words in the brackets rfthey do nol 8ppIy.
Date".
Signod..
251612025
Name:
F BENDALL
Relevant professlonal
qualification(s) or body
(if any):
C.l.P.F.A
8 Tenby Drive
Chandlers Ford
Hampshire
S053 4NL
Address:
IER
JunÈ 20?4

Section B
Disclosure
Only complete rf the examin8T needs to highlight material probl
Glvo herè brlèf dètails of
any Items that thè
oxamlner wlshès to
disclose.
IER
June 2025