**----- Start of picture text -----**
Trus
tees'
Ann
ual
Rep
ort
for
the
peri
od
Period Period
start end
From date date
Day Month Year Day Month Year
01 April To 2025 31 March 2026
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity
Climbing out of Depression
name
Other
names
charity
COOD
is
known
by
Regist
ered
charity 118927
numbe 4
r (if
any)
Charity 122 Cardinal Avenue
's
Morden
princip
al Surrey
addres
Postco SM4 4SX
s
de
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## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |||1|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint**
**trustee (ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||Patricia Kemp|Treasurer||COOD Board of
Trustees| 1 March **2012** **TAR** |||2
3
4
5
6
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18|Kate Renshaw|Safeguarding Officer||COOD Board of
Trustees| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||Kate Jackson|Chair||COOD Board of
Trustees| ||||Jon Hatfield|Digital Lead||COOD Board of
Trustees| ||||Sally Heath|Partnership &
Business
Development Lead
and Acting Health &
SafetyOfficer|01/04/25 - 02/12/2025|COOD Board of
Trustees| ||||Emily Moreton-
Smith|Secretary to Board||COOD Board of
Trustees| ||||Olivia Hobson|Health and Safety
Officer & Deputy
SafeguardingOfficer|19/03/26 - 31/03/26|COOD Board of
Trustees| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| ||||**Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)**|||| ||||**Name**||**Dates acted if not for whole year**|| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of adviser Name Address** **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** Belinda Fuller - Founder and Face of Charity - Voluntary position Hannah Baldwin - Administrator (Paid Position from 18/03/25) ## **Section B Structure, governance and management** ## **Description of the charity’s trusts** Type of governing document CIO Foundation Constitution 2 March **2012** **TAR** (eg. trust deed, constitution) How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Trust Appointed by the Board of Trustees Trustee selection methods - (eg. appointed by, elected by) ## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)** You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about: - policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees; - the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works; - relationship with any related parties; - trustees’ consideration of - major risks and the system and procedures to manage them. Climbing out of Depression is governed by its constitution. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the Charity and will meet a minimum of four times a year. The quorum is two charity Trustees, or the number nearest to one third of the total number of Charity Trustees. The minimum number of Trustees is three. Appointment of Trustees is on a skills basis to ensure the body has the appropriate mix of skills and experience to ensure that Charity regulations, health and safety, financial regulations and safeguards are in place and carried out in a professional manner. New Trustees will receive detailed information about the Charity, its financial status, policies and procedures, aims and purposes and a copy of the Governance document. Climbing out of Depression provides free opportunities for referred individuals to participate in supervised climbing and bouldering activities in a safe and secure environment with professional tuition, support and guidance. Through these sessions the charity aims to help to develop confidence in participants alongside relief from stress, anxiety and associated conditions through climbing instruction and group social sessions. Additional complementary activities which also have benefits for mental and physical health will provide additional opportunities for social interaction and relief. ## **How the service will operate** 1. User or Health Care Professional completes online registration form and submits to COOD 2. COOD reviews HCP or user submission for suitability and ensure required info is complete 3. If anything is missing or the user has not yet been in contact with a GP or mental health professional, COOD will liaise with the user to try and resolve 4. COOD liaise with user, instructor and wall to book first session 5. User attends first session at wall (with guardian if required), completes induction with instructor and completes first climb 6. COOD liaise with user, instructor and wall to book up to 3 more 3 March **2012** **TAR** sessions. 7. COOD periodically sends out invites to social climbing sessions 8. User completes Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale survey periodically to monitor outcomes 9. If user has been “inactive” for a period of time COOD sends out an email to check in on them and see if they can be reengaged ## Risk Management and Responsibilities The Trustees have introduced a risk management process to assess business risk and implement risk management strategies. This involves identifying the types of risks Climbing Out of Depression face, prioritising them in terms of potential impact and the likelihood of occupancies, and then identifying and implementing ways of mitigating them. These processes will be reviewed periodically to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity. ## **Safeguarding Policies** Vulnerable groups – Climbing out of Depression have a comprehensive safeguarding policy and procedures book in place to protect participants, volunteers, and professionals etc. We carry out DBS checks on all Trustees and all Climbing Instructors, the policy details the checks required for all other participants who will be in contact with clients. ## **Privacy Policy** Climbing out of Depression has a comprehensive Privacy policy which covers Data Protection, which is in line with the UK GDPR and is committed to processing data in accordance with its responsibilities under the UK GDPR. We will continue to review areas which can be improved and when identified we will review with our lawyers and make changes accordingly . ## **Section C Objectives and activities** 4 March **2012** **TAR** ## **Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document** TO RELIEVE THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN NEED OF REHABILITATION AS A RESULT OF SUCH ILLNESS, IN PARTICULAR BY PROVIDING ROCK CLIMBING AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES. ## Aims and Objectives ## **Purposes and Aims** **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)** Climbing out of Depression’s purpose, as set out in the objects contained in the charity’s constitution. We do this by offering free access to qualified climbing instruction, social group gatherings which encompass support and other group activities designed to complement overall health and wellbeing. The Charity benefits people in England and Wales, starting and expanding from South East England. Climbing out of Depression provides free opportunities for referred individuals to participate in supervised climbing and bouldering activities in a safe and secure environment with professional tuition, support and guidance. Through these sessions the charity aims to help to develop confidence in participants alongside relief from stress, anxiety and associated conditions through climbing instruction and group social sessions. ## **Benefits and Beneficial Evidence** There is substantial evidence to support the reduction in depressive symptoms after physical activity. Climbing in particular not only increases serotonin levels which is proven in most physical activities, but due to the concentration and focus required, can help to manage the negative thought processes experienced by many sufferers, bringing relieving periods of mindfulness during the sessions. 5 March **2012** **TAR** Analysis of evidence, alongside personal stories can be found at the C/A/M website (www.climbalongsidementalhealth.org) Climbing For All Sheffield (climbingforallsheffield.com) has been a registered charity since May 2016 and provides climbing opportunities for disabled people, the organisation has similar objectives to Climbing out of Depression. The Charity, Sport in Mind established in 2010 which is endorsed by the NHS (www.sportinmind.org) also use sporting activities to improve mental health wellbeing and have recorded 94% improvement in mental wellbeing and 91% improvement in self esteem, endorsing further evidence that all sporting activities are beneficial to mental health. We have recently had contact with the charity and they are interested in working with us now we have charitable registration. The Wave Project (www.waveproject.co.uk) which was established in 2011 has been providing people with mental health issues with access to surfing lessons as a form of therapy to relieve their symptoms. This project is now partially funded by the NHS. In 2015 a peer review concluded that the Wave project provides a demonstrable and cost effective way to deliver mental health care (please see the website for further evidence). Climbing has very similar benefits to Surfing in overcoming challenges, concentration, mindfulness and self esteem. ## **Statutory Declaration** All Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and that they will comply with their responsibilities as trustees as set out in the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. ## **Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)** You **may choose** to include further statements, where relevant, about: ● policy on grantmaking; 6 March **2012** **TAR** - policy programme related investment; - contribution made by volunteers. ## Section D Achievements and performance 7 March **2012** **TAR** ## **Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year** We launched the service on 13th March 2025 and have processed 9 clients at present; with positive feedback so far from our clients. We started with adults at first to ensure all the processes were running effectively and have recently introduced the service to include children. We intend to roll out the service to a number of other climbing walls in and around London during 2026. We are actively exploring routes to increase the number of referrals into our service. ## **Section E Financial review** 8 March **2012** **TAR** **Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves** ## **Reserves Policy** The Trustees have considered the exposure to financial risk from loss of income due to fluctuations in fundraising or unforeseen costs, in line with the Charity Commission guidelines, and have therefore included 3 months operating costs as reserves in the projections. This reserves policy will be reviewed annually and revised in line with financial conditions. ## **Details of any funds materially in deficit** ## **Further financial review details (Optional information)** You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant about: - the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising); - how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity; - investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. ## **Sources of Funds and funding going forward** The Charity has to date enough resources from fundraising to ensure we can operate throughout the remaining months in 2026 and much of 2027. We are actively investigating other funding opportunities and continue to organise regular fundraising events. We have added a donation facility to our website and the charity is in the process of reviewing 3rd party payment platforms which we will integrate for donations and purchase of merchandise through the Charity website. ## **Section F Other optional information** ## **Section G Declaration** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** 9 March **2012** **TAR** **Signature(s)** **Full name(s)** Kate Jackson Emily Moreton-Smith **Position (eg Secretary,** Chair Secretary to the Board **Chair, etc) Date** 11th June 2026 10 March **2012** **TAR**