## ANNUAL REPORT 

SELF-CARE MATTERS Registered charity number: 1190228 

_Including Receipts and Payments Accounts for the Period of_ 




## **SECTION 1: The Charity** 

Self-care matters is a registered charity that aims to support women experiencing severe perinatal mental illness who require inpatient treatment in hospital. Our primary charitable purpose is to provide free self-care boxes/ hospital packs to women in the 22 NHS Mother and Baby Units (MBU’s) across the UK. 

Boxes are designed to contain useful items for a hospital stay as well as evidencebased items designed to provide comfort, distraction and promote emotional wellbeing- often through engaging the 5 senses. 

Receiving a box is also intended to be a transparent gesture of compassion, connection and hope. Our Chair was inspired to set up the charity after her own lived experience of inpatient treatment in two MBU’s.  We are run by 3 Trustees and all of us are volunteers who run the charity in our spare time. 


‘ 

1 



## **SECTION 2: Activities, Objectives and the Public Benefit from the Past Year** 

We sent free self-care boxes to every MBU bed in the UK for Spring, Summer and Christmas. An estimated 600 boxes were sent in total. 

We received a large amount of brand new donated products for the boxes, which meant our actual financial running costs could be kept low.  Local businesses and shops agreed to collect these for us using our collection bins. We were also able to purchase products from financial donations and fundraising resources. We received a £500 donation from a local business towards our Christmas boxes. 

A unique item in our boxes is the inclusion of a handmade heart- we call these mental health hearts.  Hearts are sewn, knitted or crocheted and donated by members of the public who want to contribute to the charity.  We have very gratefully been donated a large amount of hearts this year to include in our boxes. 

## **SECTION 3: Our Impact and Feedback** 

Feedback this year has again been overwhelmingly positive from both MBU patients, staff and the wider perinatal mental health community. 

- “Thank you for turning my day around”. 

_MBU patient_ 

- “As a mum, experiencing severe postnatal depression I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart”. 

## _MBU patient_ 

- “It is really appreciated that you are doing something so inspiring” 

_MBU Staff Nurse_ 

## **SECTION 4: Objectives for the Next Year** 

2 



1. Continue to grow organically, by spreading awareness of the charity and what we do and hope to achieve. 

2. Re-look at our overall direction- whether to continue to send boxes to all MBU’s or to start focusing more specifically on our local Units, as we have more overall engagement with them. 

3. Continue to start looking at small grant opportunities from organisations and businesses, similar to the £500 we received from a local business charity pot. 

4. Review that our self-care products are useful, evidence-based and relevant. 

5. Continue to update website, blog and social media posts, keeping content fresh and relevant, and review how to balance presenting self-care information with the sending of the free boxes. 

6. Continue to think about our direction, plans and objectives for the future. 

## **SECTION 5: Financial Review** 

During the first financial period our income was £1,250 and our expenditure was £1,115. Our Receipts and Payments Accounts are included with this report. 

## **SECTION 6: Trustee Information** 

**Name:** Alison Barrott 

**Address:** 1 Windsor Close, Poynton, Stockport, Cheshire. SK12 1JL. **Position:** Chair and Trustee 

**Name:** Joy Stevenson **Address:** 8 Balmoral Drive, Poynton, Stockport, Cheshire. SK12 1JN. **Position:** Trustee 

**Name:** Joanne Hood 

**Address:** 3 Brookfield Avenue, Poynton, Stockport, Cheshire. SK12 1HZ. 

3 



Position: Trustee
POINTS
liu￿.1.1￿11 JIILiiLdl IILJILII Llidi ILJ
CAIF.

CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR fNIIAND AND WALE
Receipts and payments accounts
CC16a
For Iho poriod
To
D4 202
05.'04.X2?
Section A Receipts and payments
Unr¢stricted
fund•
Restricted
nd¥
Endowmeni
fvndl
Total lund•
wr
A1 R•cqlpts
1350
AR)
1310
A2 A¥*•¢ •nd •th.
Totsir•¢•Jpts
1.240
Sub total
A4 A•*•¢ •nd Ihv••tm•
ur¢hu•¥
¥9•
Sub tot•1
1.24D
Ihtorr•Celpl￿1P•y￿wtsj
Trnn•1￿ b•tw•w fvnds
A6 ¢•ih fund* l•¥t y•*r•hd
C•¥h th1¥ y••T gnd
13
Section B Sialement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Unr9slriclg
ndB
RF¥trith9d
Endowm9nt
nd•
Laiogor

Total cash lunds
135
i))
R￿tr￿thd erbdowTh*nt
fund8
fvnd8
funds
Det￿
D¢io11s
B4 A•Mts r•talMd lor th•
charlty'l own u
B6 Ll•blllU•
zgaa
S*ned ty OML¥ on
bth411of All the triMt¢ei
Prini N*ne
Dale of
041QZQ024