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2022-04-06-accounts

UK Veterans Hearing Foundation Trustees Report March - 2021 March2022.

Charity Registration Number: 1188611- 18.03.2020

Address:

6 New Buildings Hinckley Leicestershire LE10 1HW

Chairman

Mr Paul Bennett

Medical expertise is provided by the founders of the charity who are both qualified audiology clinicians.

Trustees:

Mr Nick Mercer

Mr Steve Birdsall

Mr Andy Kittsen

Mr Gary Cooper

The board of trustees has expanded by 2 to 4. All contribute as they can, but only one of them is not working full time and the chairman has a large business to run as well; but we have made progress. All our trustees and our chairman are ex-soldiers who served together in the same subunit. They have various post military backgrounds which contribute knowledge and experience to the board. We are conscious to diversify the board with non-military backgrounds; some females and perhaps some from a different racial background. This is in process.

Manager:

Miss Chloe Johnston

In 2020, our founder had to take time out due to stress; and Chloe Johnston stepped up to fill the void as Manager. She has acted with great passion and determination in an unfamiliar role. She has been ably supported by Ben Bennett the chairman of the charity. His businesses, Hear4U and wellness business provides for the Foundation’s needs in office space, utilities, IT, and marketing. But it is still a very busy job for one person. As the battle for money has got more intense; the Foundation Manager needs more help.

Chloe has a wide range of responsibilities, from basic administration; to representing the charity with donors and making all our grant applications. She's become very good at grant applications, but that part is a specialised job and could be a full-time role. As well as the above Chloe has put major effort into getting our online shop launched and working, which sells donated evening and formal wear. It raises our profile within the UK and provides steady income. But it takes her away from management.

“It has been a challenging time for the charity, the lack of support out there for this particular need is so disheartening. The UKVHF are fighting for our veterans, but this is proving difficult we require

a large amount of funding, but it continues to be a disappointment to veterans waiting for our support that we are unable to help.” Chloe Johnston

How and why the charity came about:

The UK Veterans Hearing Foundation was previously a not-for-profit community intertest company called the UK Veterans Hearing Help, which came into being to help applicants to the British Legion Hearing Fund, but that closed in April 2019. We have carried on as a charity supporting the Armed Forces community to access first class hearing assessments, equipment, and support services; working with tinnitus and mental health support to improve their quality of life in post service civilian life. Whether that be during retirement, for the benefit of their family, or to access work and to compete with individuals in work without such a disability. UKVHF also works with veterans to improve the additional issues associated with hearing damage: to address isolation and loneliness, improve mental well-being, and maintain healthy relationships.

Supporting Veterans to Access First Class Hearing Equipment and Clinical Care

  1. Supporting veterans to get funding for appropriate hearing equipment and clinical treatments remains the top priority for our Foundation. Raising the money to fund it is merely the means to our end. If the NHS was to embrace the need and adequately resource it, we would not need to exist. In the absence of any prospect of that, we carry on!

  2. Despite a cold start on fundraising in 2021, our Foundation Manager has again managed to raise funds to keep us active; £66,163 this year. The majority of this has been dedicated to servicing waiting patients. As a result, X veteran have been fitted with hearing equipment and given necessary clinical support.

  3. We are developing a close relationship with the Veteran’s Foundation hopefully for ongoing funding.

  4. Our close commercial relationship with the equipment manufacturers has also enabled us to recycle equipment has have been superseded by newer models; or was no longer required by former patients, sadly, often by their death. That used equipment is refurbished, reprogrammed, and reused for our waiting veteran patients.

Championing Mental Health issues for Deaf Veterans

  1. We feel very strongly about this as the NHS does not address it well. We have developed skill in directing our patients to additional sources of help for:

  2. Tinnitus.

  3. Isolation.

  4. Mental health issues (Including the amplification of PTSD because of hearing induced isolation).

  5. We are also knowledgeable about the employment consequences of hearing loss and have helped many veterans to regain or stay in employment.

  6. These consequences from impaired hearing are major issues for us; upon which no one else seems to focus.

Year 2- Foundation

  1. Quarterly board meetings to discuss, review and plan actions to be made, and achievements occurred.

  2. A lobbying campaign of letters to our MPs and our friends and supporters MPs to make them aware and support the charity’s objectives. This has been highly successful

  3. Contacting military partners/ personnel to work alongside the charity and talk on behalf of the charity for support.

  4. Completing grant applications where we qualify, to source funding for our charitable actives.

  5. Our finances are reviewed regularly to analyse, what, money has come from where and how effectively it has been spent.

  6. Reporting on grant outcomes by End of grant funds reports and submitted to donors demonstrating the outcome for each grant. This has led to repeat grants.

  7. We continue to appeal for volunteers who would like to support our armed forces charity.

  8. Administrative work to support UK veterans worldwide with hearing, tinnitus, and mental health continues

  9. We continue to grow our network of audiologists worldwide.

  10. Social media outreach, posts, blogs, stories, raffles.

Online Shop

  1. The launch- Year 1 of the Veterans Hearing Online Shop.

  2. Marketing the online shop for awareness and growth on our social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram.

  3. Sales, enquiries over the phone and email.

  4. Photography and photoshop- pictures, editing.

  5. Descriptions and categorising for each item listed on the shop.

  6. Picking and packaging, sending out orders.

Achievements

  1. 50 veterans supported/ funded by the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation since 2020. 2. Results in improving mental health.

  2. We have been given free top of the range hearing equipment from manufacturers.

  3. The successful launch of the online charity shop to support the charity with income and awareness.

  4. We have made substantial progress in raising awareness both about hearing injury amongst veterans; and the plight of our 2500 waiting patients, who were left unfunded when the Royal British Legion Hearing Fund closed in 2019.

Challenges, some ongoing!

So, the main military charities still refuse to help us. They classify our services as ‘private healthcare’ and it is COBSEO policy not to fund any kind of private healthcare. They state that this would open the floodgates to all sorts of claims, for: hips, knees, cataracts, etcetera. And the experience of the RBL Hearing Fund is that they would be swamped by the demand. Our waiting 2500 patients need £8 million alone to treat them.

If there are 300,000 hearing impaired veterans yet to come forward as the 2014 RBL Lost Voices report estimated, treating them may cost £1050 million. The largest fundraiser in the military charity sector is the RBL’s Poppy Appeal; that only generates £70-90 million per year. The ‘big 5’ generate 85% of the annual income of all military charities. The sector cannot fund this level of demand!

The big 5 refuse to accept that deafness is an urgent need which the NHS has neither the capacity nor the willingness to treat appropriately. This leaves the Veterans Hearing Foundation as the only charity focusing on military Service Induced hearing Loss (SIHL).

So, we have come a bit more under the spotlight. In December, The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) filmed some of our patients who have been funded and we have fitted with modern, programmable, digital hearing aids; and one of our trustees to speak about demand and the work of the Foundation. BFBS ran it in their news channels for several days in December 2021. Sadly, this was not picked up by the national media, although we have had some follow-on successes:

We contacted the Defence Medical Services (DMS) as they have a hearing initiative for serving troops called the Hearwell/Rapier Project; which aims to provide better and more rapid capture of hearing injuries and remote diagnostics; then treatment within specialised regional NHS Hearing Centres . That has put us in communication with the lead ENT consultant for hearing In the RAMC at the military wing of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

We hope to develop that partnership, particularly on research, in raising awareness and publicising service induced hearing loss (SIHL). This could be with a Symposium on service induced hearing loss, which we are trying to produce at The Royal Armouries in Leeds with Key speakers from:

We are carrying out a parliamentary lobbying campaign with the Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs (Min OVA). Firstly, to Johnny Mercer in April 2021, through the Foundation’s constituency MP Dr Luke Evans. Mr Mercer resigned, so we contiue to lobby his replacement Leo Docherty MP.

see if we can bid for any of this to address the woeful story of inadequate healthcare provision and the Office for Veterans Affairs wholescale ignoring of the hearing issues which we have presented to them repeatedly for the last three years! We will monitor the delivery of this closely.

Year 3- Foundation

  1. Putting into place and working to a 5 year stategy overlooking the 2 years of the charity’s strengths and weaknesees for continued growth. (Stategy included)

  2. To produce more up to date relevent reserch into hearing loss for veterans.

  3. Acquire Event equipment for fundraising events thorughout 2022.

  4. Continue to apply for grants to support the many veterans waiting within our system, charitable aims, reaserch, core costs.

  5. To engage a fundraising consultant both to help the manager with her applications; and to focus our research and targeting of more regular or larger donations.

  6. To help to raise our profile locally for both supporters and donations from local charitable groups and funds.

  7. To recruit a fund-raising volunteer to assist the Manager.

To help our existing, waiting patients better, we need to analyse the profiles in our waiting database, so that we can better understand the distribution of our cohort of patients by: Location, Service, Regiment or branch and employment group, Age, Type of hearing injury, Whether they use NHS equipment, if they have claimed compensation under the various Armed Forces Compensation Schemes.

Online Shop

  1. Evaluating growth, comparing 2021 to 2022.

  2. To now work with a set of figures from 2021 to meet targets for year 2

  3. Continuous website work, hosting, updates, and plugins.

  4. To recruit another volunteer to help with the shop, contacting supplies, creating partnerships, rising stock for the increase of sales.

Reserves Policy and Sustainability

Because the Foundation is supported in kind for all its offices, utilities, and business support, it is highly sustainable. But we have lacked funds to raise our profile; and to fund raise more income. So, we were in danger of atrophying. Our priority had to become raising funds and to raise our profile to support that. An ex-military friend of the Foundation who has a son serving in the army, has made a donation specifically for fundraising. That is being matched by The Veteran’s Foundation and gives us enough for a vigorous six-month project to raise donation income into a sustainable stream. That project begins on 1st of April 2022.

Trustees are working towards maintaining a reserve of approximately equivalent to six months of running costs to pay wages, and any direct debits that are required to function. We anticipate that grants from Trusts and Foundations will be an important source of income for UKVHF moving forwards, and currently this represents a significant element of the annual income in 2021- 2022.

Annual Accounts 2022-

Grants income amount: £62,000

Donations income amount: £2,741

Veterans Hearing Online Shop: £2,163

Outcome of fnancial year:

It is shown there has been a drop in year 2 compared to year 1, the reasons have s been explained within this report.

We would like to resume accepting patients onto our database. But we can only do so when we have a realistic prospect of funding help to them. Failure to capture inquiries results in poor data about the growth of patient’ demand and the hearing loss picture from recent conflicts. We need more staff to take this on.

We have moved far in 2021 and continue at pace, with a strengthened board and soon to be expanded fundraising team. We are confident the various initiatives we have under way will raise our profile and raise funds to help our waiting patients; or get the Minister for OVA and the NHS to care properly for veterans; with the appropriate equipment and holistic, clinical support that they deserve and need. But we are NOT confident the necessary resources and training will be given to the NHS to do this quickly.

In the meantime, our 2500 patients from 2019, continue to wait in silence for a 4th year.

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Inde￿ndent Examinèrfs Rgport Report to the trusteesl members of UK Veterans Hearing F￿ndatIOn On accounts for the year ended 6th April 2022 Charity no (if any) 1188611 Set out on page• 34 I report lo the Iruslees on my examinat￿n of the accounls of the at￿ve charity {Ihe Trusl") for the year ended OW12022. Respon3ibilitlo8 and As th8 charity trustees. you are respon￿ble for Ihe preparat￿n of the basis of report ac¢ouDls in 8x0rdar￿e wrth the Charilw Act 20111-Ihe Acl.). I report in resped of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carryino oul my examinalts)n, I have followed all the ap￿iCable Direct￿n$ given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5llb} of the Act. Independenl I have completed my examinatKJn. I confinn Ihal no material matters have examingr's statement come lo my attent￿n In conneclion with the examination which gives me cause lo believe that in, any malenal respec#." the accounting records were not kept in attordance with section 130 of the Act.. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting Tecords.. or the accounts did not comply wrth the applicable requirements concerning the form and conlenl of accounts sel out in the Charilieg IAccounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the account5 give a 'lfue and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems and have come acn>ss no other matter8 in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a propef undèrstanding of the 8¢￿Unt8 to be reached Signed: Oato: 2910412022 Name: Stephen Foster Relevant professional qualification{sl or body lif any): ACA Addreis: S10 The Atkins Building, Bond Street. Hinckley. Leicester, LE10 1QU IER October 2018

Section Oisclosure Only complete If the examiner needs lo highlight matters of concern Isee CC32: Independent examination of charity accounts." directions and guidance for examiners}. Give here details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclosè. IER October 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES UK VvteFans H•adng FoundoUon 1118611 Receipts and pa ments accounts CC16a Forthe perSod from 7th ￿ri120?1 6th Apnl 2022 Section A Receipts and payments Uniestrici¢d funds En¢Jowmeni funih lunds Total lunds L#1 y¥ar lo th• to tr• nvw•Bt E toth• E At Recel GTanls DOnAt￿ni 12,000 87.5N> 10,•01 Z.741 2.18J Sub total(Gr￿S inccme ftKAR) A2 A¥get and Inv••tm•nt ￿1￿, I•￿ table). 98.351 Sub tot•1 roiol recelpts 66.904 98,361 AJP ment# CNt ol swol lo,￿0 201 Oomtion 128 504 Poll & ii•iKn• 23• 239 470 Ctyn lei Iniw4n¢• 107 Sub total 56.467 63.226 A4 A8••t Jnd Inve•trn•nt urtha•e8, (see table Sub total $6,467 $6.467 53.226 Net of rncèlpt￿{pavmen1￿j A5 Transfers between fund¥ A6 Cash funds l¥¥t year end Cash funds this year end 10.436 10.436 46,1J7 45.137 55,573 4S,137 55.573 45.137 CCXX Rl &counts15S1 2910412022

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Catsgorles Unwtrscted fund8 t• E Restricted fund• Oeiails Endowrnent funds Io fwf•si E B1 Cash funds 74 $5,573 lund¥ lund8 O•tsilts runds tyi n•arwi e D•tsi to ¥rth Currnnl v•lu• ort•i B3 Invmtmeftt M••ts Cont l•p¥¢>i•ll D•t•ll¥ Fundlo wNch 84 A•$ei r•laln8d lor th• ¢harlty's own us• •n•l D•tall• AM￿rt￿ I¥￿￿ du• 86 Liablllt S¥n•tt or behaLI ttl all t￿ trus*es SwJnthr• Prwrt Narno Date ot rov CLJX R2 Kcwrrt5155 10412 22

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Inde￿ndent Examinèrfs Rgport Report to the trusteesl members of UK Veterans Hearing F￿ndatIOn On accounts for the year ended 6th April 2022 Charity no (if any) 1188611 Set out on page• 34 I report lo the Iruslees on my examinat￿n of the accounls of the at￿ve charity {Ihe Trusl") for the year ended OW12022. Respon3ibilitlo8 and As th8 charity trustees. you are respon￿ble for Ihe preparat￿n of the basis of report ac¢ouDls in 8x0rdar￿e wrth the Charilw Act 20111-Ihe Acl.). I report in resped of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carryino oul my examinalts)n, I have followed all the ap￿iCable Direct￿n$ given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5llb} of the Act. Independenl I have completed my examinatKJn. I confinn Ihal no material matters have examingr's statement come lo my attent￿n In conneclion with the examination which gives me cause lo believe that in, any malenal respec#." the accounting records were not kept in attordance with section 130 of the Act.. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting Tecords.. or the accounts did not comply wrth the applicable requirements concerning the form and conlenl of accounts sel out in the Charilieg IAccounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the account5 give a 'lfue and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems and have come acn>ss no other matter8 in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a propef undèrstanding of the 8¢￿Unt8 to be reached Signed: Oato: 2910412022 Name: Stephen Foster Relevant professional qualification{sl or body lif any): ACA Addreis: S10 The Atkins Building, Bond Street. Hinckley. Leicester, LE10 1QU IER October 2018

Section Oisclosure Only complete If the examiner needs lo highlight matters of concern Isee CC32: Independent examination of charity accounts." directions and guidance for examiners}. Give here details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclosè. IER October 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES UK VvteFans H•adng FoundoUon 1118611 Receipts and pa ments accounts CC16a Forthe perSod from 7th ￿ri120?1 6th Apnl 2022 Section A Receipts and payments Uniestrici¢d funds En¢Jowmeni funih lunds Total lunds L#1 y¥ar lo th• to tr• nvw•Bt E toth• E At Recel GTanls DOnAt￿ni 12,000 87.5N> 10,•01 Z.741 2.18J Sub total(Gr￿S inccme ftKAR) A2 A¥get and Inv••tm•nt ￿1￿, I•￿ table). 98.351 Sub tot•1 roiol recelpts 66.904 98,361 AJP ment# CNt ol swol lo,￿0 201 Oomtion 128 504 Poll & ii•iKn• 23• 239 470 Ctyn lei Iniw4n¢• 107 Sub total 56.467 63.226 A4 A8••t Jnd Inve•trn•nt urtha•e8, (see table Sub total $6,467 $6.467 53.226 Net of rncèlpt￿{pavmen1￿j A5 Transfers between fund¥ A6 Cash funds l¥¥t year end Cash funds this year end 10.436 10.436 46,1J7 45.137 55,573 4S,137 55.573 45.137 CCXX Rl &counts15S1 2910412022

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Catsgorles Unwtrscted fund8 t• E Restricted fund• Oeiails Endowrnent funds Io fwf•si E B1 Cash funds 74 $5,573 lund¥ lund8 O•tsilts runds tyi n•arwi e D•tsi to ¥rth Currnnl v•lu• ort•i B3 Invmtmeftt M••ts Cont l•p¥¢>i•ll D•t•ll¥ Fundlo wNch 84 A•$ei r•laln8d lor th• ¢harlty's own us• •n•l D•tall• AM￿rt￿ I¥￿￿ du• 86 Liablllt S¥n•tt or behaLI ttl all t￿ trus*es SwJnthr• Prwrt Narno Date ot rov CLJX R2 Kcwrrt5155 10412 22