## Trustees Annual Report 2021 -2022
## North Midlands LGBT Older Peoples Groups
Charity 1186844
Trustees: Maurice Greenham (Chair), Andrew Colclough (Vice Chair), Joe Waring (Treasurer), John Miller (Secretary), Angie Boote, Dennis Layton, Stephen Malkin, Sue Wright
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) – Association Model
We are a volunteer led group whose trustees are elected by its members.
Since the last Annual Report, the charity has continued to hold weekly meetings online. With the easing of coronavirus restrictions, we now have a hybrid system with one inperson meeting each month at Fenton Town Hall. The relaxation of COVID rules also allowed members and friends to meet outdoors with picnics in Longton and Burslem Parks.
Membership has increased and the mailing list has now surpassed 200 subscribers. This year, we have the strongest and most diverse Board ever. The number of trustees has increased, and we have appointed our first Vice Chair.
We had a presence at Stoke Pride 2021 that promoted the work of the charity and provided the opportunity to interact with other charities and healthcare organisations.
As part of the _British Ceramics Biennial (BCB)_ , group members and friends took part in a creative ceramics project: _Stoke Makes Plates_ . Not only were our plates exhibited in the 2021 BCB exhibition, but also, were amongst those chosen to be part of a small touring exhibition.
Similarly, in early 2022, we collaborated with The Cultural Sisters in an LGBTQ+ mental health project: RECLAIM. This imaginative ceramic project involved the creative reclamation of previously used clay.
Thanks to the generosity of a local benefactor, members had free tickets to theatre productions, including Unforgotten Heroes at the Mitchell Arts Centre. Other members engaged with the Restoke Choir and FRONTLINEdance in live workshops and performances at Keele University Chapel. Both events were part of a programme to accompany Luke Jeram’s art installation GAIA. This programme organised by Appetite Stoke and ArtsKeele saw group members engaging with the wider community in social and cultural activities.
On Word AIDS day 2021, the group showed solidarity with the local HIV+ community by participating in a candlelight vigil in Hanley for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
During the latter part of the reporting period, the charity participated in a local health project and were award funds to become Community Health Champions. Community Health Champions are local volunteers who help improve the health and wellbeing of people in Stoke-on-Trent. The project aims to help people better understand health issues and to share clear and accurate health information in their communities.
The charity’s main project over the past year was OLGBT MIND-MATTERS, designed to help maintain members’ mental health and wellbeing during the COVID crisis. The six-month project funded by the Government and the National Lottery, saw members engaging with local artists and members of the wider community in online workshops covering four craft activities and four performing arts activities. Post project evaluation indicated, members and allies had benefitted enormously from the creative activities; not only did participants report having enjoyed exploring this wide range of options, but that they felt less isolated and more in connected.
Other activities have included a group outing to see _Beauty and the Beast_ at the New Vic Theatre. We were also invited to the theatre for a dress rehearsal of _As You Like It_ as well as a rehearsed reading of _Confetti_ in the theatre’s Stephen Joseph Studio.
As a founder member of the Local Equalities Advisory Form (LEAF) the charity has engaged with NHS commissioners and other organisations to advocate better understanding of issues affecting older LGBT+ people.
Throughout the year, the charity has regularly updated its website and social media accounts, as well as responding positively to multiple requests from individuals and organisations wishing to engage with or access older LGBT+ peer support.
The forgoing report indicates the pursuance of the Charity’s principal objects of promoting social inclusion for the public benefit to fully participate in society. In particular, by providing a network group that encourages and enables older LGBT people to participate more effectively in the wider community and increases opportunities to engage with service providers to better meet their needs.
Looking towards the next year, the group intends to include the following activities.
- More in person meetings (regular or ad hoc)
- Discover Digital
- Community Health Champions
- Website makeover
- New mobile phone and WhatsApp group
- Development of Helpers
- Launch a two-year programme of creative arts activities and outings.
## **North Midlands LGBT Older Peoples Group**
## **Finance Statement FY 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022**
## **(1) Income & Expenditure**
|Restricted
Unrestricted
£
£
Income
Donations
194
Grants
347
Total Income
Expenditure
Misc, insurance etc
286
Visits
270
Project costs
Total Expenditure
Surplus/-Deficit
347
-362
**(2) Balance Sheet**
as at 31 March 2021
Bank & Cash b/f
1173
Surplus/-Deficit for year
347
-362
Bank& Cash c/f
347
811|**Total**
**£**
**194**
**347**|
|---|---|
||**541**
**286**
**270**|
||**556**
**-15**
**1173**
**-15**
**1158**|