2021-12-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT FOR BEAM 30/09/2022

BEAM’s charitable purpose is to relieve the need of birth mothers whose children do not live permanently in their care through the provision of confidential peer to peer support group meetings, one to one meetings, telephone and online support and raising awareness of the problems facing birth mothers.

Our Vision is to provide a safe, confidential place for BEAM birth mothers to be valued, strengthened and to fulfil their potential through peer to peer support.

Our Mission is to build a network of women, groups and organisations raising awareness and support for birth mothers apart from their children.

Our Values include giving birth mothers opportunities to support one another with a determination not to judge any birth mother who comes to BEAM; the commitment to really listen to each mother and to value their ‘voice’, particularly as these are women who are often not heard; We seek to shine a light on each mother’s resilience and resourcefulness, recognising they have overcome overwhelming obstacles and trauma.

What BEAM achieved Feb 2020 – December 2021:

The local theatre gave us tickets to see the local pantomime in February, however, it was cancelled due to covid. They instead gave us a link which we could watch from our homes. Some of the birth mums did watch it and enjoyed it.

In March we partnered with Safe Families and led a Well-being group for 12 weeks with one of their managers, Holly. We then went on to run another 3 month well-being group for some mothers referred to us from Norfolk Social Services.

There were many meetings throughout the year with the University of Suffolk seeking to establish a learning forum between student social workers and birth mothers. One of the BEAM mums went and spoke at a meeting with student social workers. The feedback was extremely positive.

In April we ran a webinar on Mothers and Child Protection. Cherie, a former barrister, Brenda Head, a solicitor and former partner of a law firm and Amy Bevan, a former CAFCASS officer ran the seminar. Over 20 participants attended.

A local community group asked Cherie to take part in a Christian Leadership event. This provided a real opportunity to promote the work of BEAM and increase awareness of what we offer.

We strengthened our links with Haven, a charity based in Liverpool. Their Director, Paula Fairbrother, was a former social worker who set up an advocacy service for parents going through court proceedings. Cherie and Paula regularly meet online and share resources and contacts to promote their charities.

Coffee BEAM, an online group for birth mothers continued to run throughout this period. This is led by mothers of BEAM and has provided an outlet for their creativity and interests to be shared. Each mum receives an opportunity to get involved by sharing and leading if they wish to.

In September we took 7 mothers on a holiday to East Sussex. This required significant preparation and assessment prior to departure. The trip was an immense success. The local private school, Ipswich School, lent us their minibus. We stayed at the holiday home of a former high court judge. The grounds were extensive and gave the women a sense of freedom and space that many had never experienced before. A day out at Burling Gap/Seven Sisters and then on to Eastbourne was a true highlight. We had wonderful weather and enjoyed a picnic on the beach. On another day, we all went for a lovely country walk led by Shuna. We also ensured the women had free time to just enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We had a music night with a fire pit and saw the women really come alive with joy and a strong sense of belonging.

In October, BEAM welcomed ATD 4th World an international charity to come and share about their work of empowerment and fight against poverty. Cherie had previously visited London to see their work. Diane Skelton, the project coordinator attended with 3 others from the charity. They shared about their experience of poverty and child protection and how they have sought to rebuild their lives. We had a great turn out of birth mothers from BEAM. The day was both informative and inspirational.

In November we took 3 of our ambassadors (birth mothers with lived experience who represent BEAM) to London to meet with Yuval from the University of London. They were able to share their journeys with him and he helped us to think about the stages of change and how to model that within BEAM. We continued networking with Yuval and assisted him in his research paper on peer to peer support within organisations supporting families. We then went for afternoon tea at the Waldorf (tickets which had been gifted to us by the Waldorf Hotel). It was a memorable occasion which was incredibly special for all who came.

Christmas is a very hard time for the mothers. We have annually held a Christmas party. This year some of the mums took over the planning and arranged a really lovely Christmas party which included a buffet and a gift for each of them. One of the mother’s daughters did a dance routine as entertainment. The mums surprised Cherie and Shuna with a handmade box for to say thanks for their support over the year.

We continued throughout the period to offer BEAM art wellbeing sessions on a monthly basis. This is run by a local artist, Marie who has been trained in art therapy.

The period outlined above was very busy which resulted in new birth mothers joining both locally and through our online platforms. We developed some new connections and built on the successes of the year prior. As trustees we are wishing to give more opportunities and authority for the birth mothers to lead and direct the way ahead.

BEAM 1187918

Receipts and payments accounts

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 1/1/2021 12/31/2021

Section A Receipts and payments

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Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations 8,144 - - 8,144
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
8,144 - - 8,144
Sub total (Gross income for AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
Total receipts 8,144 - - 8,144
A3 Payments
Travel expenses 793 - - 793
Phone 164 - - 164
Supervision fees 720 - - 720
Subscriptions including online 471 - - 471
Insurance 190 - - 190
Art Therapy 398 - - 398
ICT 116 - - 116
Other 2,654 - - 2,654
Residential weekend 235 - - 235
Refreshments etc 344 - - 344
Sub total [ 6,086 ] - - 6,086
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - -
Total payments 6,086 - - 6,086
Net of receipts/(payments) 2,059 - - 2,059
A5 Transfers between funds - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end - - - -
Cash funds this year end 2,059 - - 2,059
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Section B Statement	of assets and liabilities	at the end of the period	at the end of the period	at the end of the period
		Unrestricted		Restricted
Categories	Details	funds		funds
B1 Cash funds	Total cash funds	to nearest £ 2,059 - - 2,059		to nearest £ - - - -
	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	OK	OK
		Unrestricted		Restricted
		funds		funds
B2 Other monetary assets	Details	to nearest £ - - - - - -		to nearest £ - - - - - -
B3 Investment assets	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - -
B4 Assets retained for the	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) -
charity’s own use				- - - - - - - -
		Fund to which		Amount due
B5 Liabilities	Details	liability relates		- - - - - (optional)
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	Signature	Print	Name

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CC16a
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Last year
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to the nearest £

-

-

-

-

Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - -

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OK
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Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - -

Current value (optional)

-

Current value (optional)

When due (optional)

Date of approval