2025-03-31-accounts

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Annual Report and Financial Statements For the period from: 01/04/24 to 31/03/25

Legal and Administrative

Information……………………………………………………………………………3

Objectives and Activities………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Achievements and Performance…………………………………………………………………………………7

Financial

Review…………………………………………………………………………………………………..8

Structure, Governance and Management……………………………………………………………………...10

Legal and Administrative Information

Name of the Charity: Menstruation Matters

Charity Structure: Menstruation Matters is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)

Charity Registration Number: 1185177

Jurisdiction in Which the Charity is Registered: England and Wales

Address of the Principal Office:

The Circle 33 Rockingham Lane Sheffield S1 4FW

Trustees:

Tabitha Bowman (Chair and Secretary)

Aditi Dabali (Outreach Coordinator) Beth Dixon (Outreach Coordinator) Emily Milne (Campaigns Officer) Anna Bassford (Treasurer)

Website: www.menstruationmatters.co.uk

Contact: generalenquiries@menstruationmatters.co.uk

Objectives and Activities

Charity Objectives (as stated in governing document):

The objectives of the CIO are for the public benefit, to relieve period poverty of women living in Yorkshire and the Humber by supplying free sanitary products to women who otherwise cannot afford them. Also for the public benefit, to advance environmental protection by increasing awareness of and advocating the use of reusable sanitary products to the people of Yorkshire.

The Main Activities Undertaken to Fulfil the Charity Objectives:

Objective 1: To supply free menstrual products to women who otherwise cannot afford them.

Menstruation Matters fulfils this objective by forming connections with local organisations who help vulnerable women who are unable to afford period products. We accept donations from the general public and other organisations in the form of either period products, in order to distribute to our connected organisations, or monetary donations, with which we use to purchase period products for distribution.

We have a donation box within the University of Sheffield Medical School for the public to place their product donations, but also collect larger donations from groups/societies directly. We also experimented with sourcing our donation boxes from Pixartprinting. This company produces flatpack cardboard bins that are completely customisable so that we can add our logo and instructional text. We are hoping that in the next year, we can purchase more of these boxes and expand our fleet of donation boxes. Most of the monetary donations are raised via fundraising events. To make donating to Menstruation Matters more accessible, we also registered with For Common Good, where the public can purchase products from our wishlist to be sent directly to us.

The list of organisations that we supply with free menstrual products grows on a yearly basis and now includes groups such as young careers, mother and baby groups, and community hubs. Products are packaged into discrete parcels, with enough period products to last at least one menstrual cycle. We endeavour to provide a range of different types of product with varying absorbancies and customise the contents of the parcels on the request of our outreach beneficiaries.

Objective 2: Increasing awareness of Menstruation Matters, period poverty, and reusable menstrual products.

To raise awareness of Menstruation Matters, we have organised and attended both in person and virtual events, some of which have been educational and others have simply been to raise awareness of not just our charity, but period poverty itself. From talking to the public, we have found that many members of our community are unfamiliar with menstrual inequities that people living in the UK can experience. We wish to highlight this as an issue,

and thus, have utilised every available opportunity to talk about period poverty with people who have attended any of our events.

Due to the size of our charity and the fact that our team is made up completely of volunteers, we have found hosting fundraising events to be a very exhaustive experience, that often required planning months in advance. Even the smallest of events was very time consuming. We decided to take a lull year with our events to regroup and plan for the next year.

Unfortunately, this lull year also included postponing our free reusable pad sewing workshops that we ran for students living in the University of Sheffield Halls. Due to staff turnover, knowledge of how to use our vintage hand-crank sewing machines started to get lost and struggled to host large workshops, often only having one or two machines successfully working. We are looking at ways to start up these workshops again next year in a more practical and sustainable way.

To promote and raise awareness of Menstruation Matters, we invested in having some business cards produced. The artwork was designed by local artist Helion Art and continues our theme of wanting to push past the stigmas associated with periods by featuring a torso of a naked person. The features of the torso are intentionally ambiguous to highlight that we are an inclusive charity and support all people who menstruate.

Furthering our intent to refresh our branding regarding the language we use, we purchased new roll-up banners to use at future events. We received feedback in the past that our current banners which used the terms “women”, were outdated in terms of our objectives. These new banners use more inclusive language and contains a QR code that directs you to our website.

As part of our commitment to ensure our charitable activities are as sustainable as possible, we continue to invest in organic, zero-plastic menstrual products for donation from a company called ‘Here We Flo’.

Main Activities Undertaken to Further the Charity’s Purposes for the Public Benefit:

The ‘benefit aspect’:

Menstruation Matters has fulfilled this aspect of the public benefit requirement by:

Providing free menstrual products to those living in Yorkshire and the Humber who experience period poverty.
Purchasing organic, zero-plastic sanitary products for donation to those living in period poverty.

The ‘public aspect’:

Menstruation Matters has fulfilled this aspect of the public benefit requirement by:

Tackling stigma surrounding menstruation, empowering women and those who menstruate in general to advocate for themselves and those in need.
Encouraging the use of more environmentally friendly period products. The outcomes of using these types of products will benefit the public in general, as well as the individuals who use them.

Providing free period products to those in period poverty. This benefits this group by not only providing them with more hygienic menstrual products, but it also means that period poverty will no longer prevent them from conducting daily life activities.

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission in determining the activities undertaken by the Charity.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees,

………………………………………..

Achievements and Performance

Menstruation Matters’ principal objective is the provision of free period products to those experiencing period poverty. In this respect, our main achievements are through fulfilling this objective. Connecting with the general public and other organisations has allowed us to increase awareness of our charitable objectives. This in turn has increased donations and participation from the wider community at our events.

Focusing on purchasing only low-plastic or plastic-free menstrual products for donation as well as reusable period products has been key in us promoting environmentally-friendly menstrual products this year. We also continue to offer to source reusable products such as menstrual cups and pads to anyone in our outreach that is interested.

Financial review

For the financial year ending 31st March 2025, Menstruation Matters had received a total of £2157 in income and expended a total of £531. This makes a net income of £1626.

We were very fortunate this year to receive two large donations from The Sheffield 1000 and Henry Boot. Registering Menstruation Matters with EasyFundraising has also been a vital part of our fundraising as it means we can raise funds at no extra expense of the donator. The bank transfer of the raised donations every quarter has meant we can rely on regular income.

We continue to receive menstrual product donations from the public via our donation box in the University of Sheffield Medical School reception. We also had our first payout for For Common Good which meant we had a very healthy supply of pads and tampons. We had enough so that we didn’t need to purchase any additional products from Here We Flo this year. A small amount of our expenditure each year is also spent purchasing stationery supplies, such as paper bags and stickers, to distribute the pads in.

Reserves Policy

Menstruation Matters has decided that it is unnecessary to hold reserves. This is due to multiple reasons.

The size of the charity means we are able to rely on donations from the general public, in either monetary or physical menstrual product form. Although we occasionally purchase our own menstrual products, the monetary donations and grants received during the previous financial years have continued to financially support the charity, and the charity is still in a healthy financial position for the start of the next financial year.
The charity does not have any recurring payments, such as rent or debt payments. This also means the expenditure of the charity varies from month-to-month, depending on the charity’s activities. This makes it difficult and impractical to suggest a reserve.

The decision to not spend all our monetary funds immediately on period products is dictated by our lack of space to store the products. We are not fortunate enough to have a storage facility, therefore any products are stored within the personal homes of our trustees. Therefore we buy as many products as we have the space for and replenish when needed. The need for a reserve will be reviewed at the end of every financial year.

Funds Materially in Deficit

The charity does not have any funds that are materially in deficit.

Investments

The charity does not have any investments.

Structure, Governance, and Management

Board of Trustees

Menstruation Matters is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the UK’s Charity Commission. The Board of Trustees comprises 5 people who are responsible for the supervision of the management of all the affairs of Menstruation Matters. Board Meetings are held 6 times a year.

Type of Governing Document:

Menstruation Matters is governed by a CIO foundation constitution.

How the charity is constituted:

Charitable Incorporated Association.

Trustee Selection Methods:

Trustee recruitment and appointment is done based on the specific skills required, the nomination of an existing trustee and is voted upon. No other organisation or body has the right to appoint trustees to the charity.

Trustees’ Responsibilities

The board of trustees is responsible for ensuring that all the activities are within UK law and fall within the agreed charitable objectives.

Liability of Members

Menstruation Matters is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, limited by guarantee. The trustees have guaranteed the liabilities of the charity up to £1 each.

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above

----- Start of picture text -----
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s):
…………………………………………………...
Full Name(s):
Tabitha Deanna Bowman
…………………………………………………..
Position:
Chair
…………………………………………………..
Date:
03.12.25
…………………………………………………….
----- End of picture text -----

	Menstruation Matters	Menstruation Matters	Menstruation Matters	1185177	CC16a
	For the period from	01-Apr-24	To	31-Mar-25

Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 2,157 - - - - - - - 2,157 - - - 2,157	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 2,157 - - - - - - - 2,157 - - - 2,157	Last year to the nearest £
VoluntaryReceipts / Donations	2,157				87
Activities for GeneratingFunds	-				242
	-				-
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*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	2,157				329

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					329

Cost of Charitable Activities	216	-	-	216	745
Governance Costs	111	-	-	111	106
Administrative Costs	204	-	-	204	38
FundraisingCosts	-	-	-	-	126
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
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**Sub total **	531	-	-	531	1,016

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-
	-
**Sub total **	-				-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
					1,016

	1,626				- 687
	-				-
	1,196				1,883
	2,822				1,196

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

03/12/2025

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Cash at bank Cash at hand Details Details	Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Endowment funds to nearest £
		2,783	-	-
		39	-	-
		-	-	-
		2,822	-	-
				OK
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				Current value (optional)
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				Current value (optional)
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	Details Signature	Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name TABITHA BOWMAN		When due (optional)






				Date of approval
		TABITHA BOWMAN		03/12/2025

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)