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2021-11-30-accounts

Annual Report and

Financial Statements 30, August 2020 – 30, November 2021

Prepared and approved by the Trustees of Plasma of Hope

Administrative Information

Charity name Plasma of Hope Charity registration No. 1190846 Address 7 Argyle Road, Walsall, WS4 2EX Board of Trustees Dr Olusola Daramola – Chair – 05 April 2021 Joyce Ngassa – 18 January 2020 Yvonne Nupa – 14 December 2021 Cly Kofi – 18 January 2020

Chief Executive Officer Marie Claire Kofi – 6[th] October 2021

Bank The Co-operative Bank Plc P.O Box 250 Delf House Southway, Skelmersdale WN8 6WT

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Governance and Structure

Trustees (Directors) take overall financial and strategic planning responsibility. The operational management is carried out by our CEO.

As we grow as an organisation, we understand every project needs a clear leadership to ensure success. We will ensure establishment of policies and continuous monitoring of proper implementation is in place as we develop as a Non-profit Organization. We will balance the powers of the members (with associated accountability), and their primary duty of enhancing the prosperity and viability of our organisation. We will establish Steering Committees to allow us to deliver projects to their full potential.

Employees and volunteers

The Trustees are responsible for recruiting senior members of staff, overseeing organisational restructuring and risk assessment.

To achieve our purpose and meet our outcomes we encourage and enable people of all ethnicities to volunteer.

Risk and Uncertainties

The Trustees have considered the major risks to which the charity is exposed and have reviewed those risks and established systems and procedures to manage those risks.

Objectives and Mission

Plasma of Hope’s objective is to help people living with genetic blood disorder such as Sickle Cell and Thalassemia, and survivors of associated complications including Stroke and other health issues resulting to disability. We also want to help their carers, and those in their immediate support network.

We understand the struggles individuals face who are living with sickle cell. We understand the frustration of not being able to do everyday chores, or enjoy certain life experiences, and our mission is to alleviate some of those struggles.

Our Target Beneficiaries

Most people affected are of African or African-Caribbean origin, although the sickle gene is found in all ethnic groups. These people must take extra precaution to protect themselves as they fall in the vulnerable group.

Our Solution

We want to be able to support these people the best we can and make life a little more comfortable for them in their own homes. We want to help them avoid hospital admissions which plays a very big part in their mental health. We also want to raise awareness of sickle cell disease in the wider community, to help educate, and where possible influence others to understand and adapt where they can, creating a better world for everyone.

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Our Vision

Our aim is to help our service users live as decently as possible, more comfortable lives in their own homes. Our specific goals including helping individuals:

Our Values

Our charity is guided by our ‘ REDAT’ values, a unique set of values developed around the services we provide, the expectations of the community we serve and the regulations of the relevant governing bodies including the UK Charity Commission and the HMRC.

Respect

“Respect” guides all our daily interactions – with each other as trustees, with our volunteers, the community we serve and even with our objects and activities. Respect is at the core of everything we do, not only as servants of the charity but also at home and in our personal lives.

Equality

Equal treatment is at the core of our values because we are mindful that our target beneficiaries belong to groups that have particular and specific needs. We celebrate and value the differences between individuals’ cultural, social and intellectual contribution to the charity and we seek to promote greater mutual understanding between groups and individuals who reflect these differences. We seek to utilise the talents and experiences that each and every individual can bring to our organisation or to benefit from us.

Accountability

At the core of accountability is reliability and personal responsibility. We value the ability of our staff and organization to honour our commitments to service users and to each other. We take ownership of our work and promptly correct mistakes to the greatest extent possible.

Tolerance

Understanding that we all do not share the same beliefs and values. Respecting the values, ideas and beliefs of others whilst not imposing our own.

Dependability

Dependability is the quality of being trustworthy and reliable. It is an important quality for a member of society to possess, whether it is in the workplace, a group of friends or in a family setting. Knowing that someone will not only show up, but show up on time, helps us trust each other. This is what we aspire to at Plasma of Hope, and we aim to reflect these values through the people who represent us.

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Message from the Chair

The year 2020-2021, which marks the inception of Plasma of Hope was a tough year for our service users and the global community. A period in which most of our users were shielding from the risk posed by the pandemic, which resulted in loneliness, vulnerability, mental distress, and inability to access adequate health care service. In the wake of this, we launched our befriending service to provide support via phone and video conferencing, to engage our clients in active communication and to provide a shoulder to lean on. Some of our users commenced psychological consultation due to our intervention. We also partnered with massage therapists to provide virtual massage sessions to families and carers.

During the pandemic most of our clients were not working and to complicate matters, could not go out to get groceries. Our volunteers stepped in to provide food parcels to users at home. Furthermore, the effect of reduced physical activity by our users was overbearing, we then organised virtual exercises and virtual get together for them. Individuals shared their experiences and challenges. We encouraged users to get Covid-19 Vaccination. This was taken further in a collaborative project with NHS Black Country and West Birmingham CCG, raising awareness of the Covid-19 Vaccine. Through this project, one of our users took the vaccine on BBC live transmission, which indeed served as an encouragement for other users to get the vaccine. Many of our users took the bold step to take the vaccine after this live transmission.

On relaxation of the lockdown rules, we identified some of our users, who suffered anxiety going outdoors and we provided support in this regard. We organised a Children's Day trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which helped many to overcome the ‘outdoor anxiety’.

To celebrate Sickle Cell Awareness Month, we raised awareness of sickle cell in communities, including CDA Herts and Hertfordshire Black Diaspora. We also identified care services and experiences for people with Sickle Cell and Thalassemia across the Black country and West Birmingham. This recognised the services and the role required of CQC in supporting the care of individuals living with sickle cell anaemia across the region.

All through the year, our volunteers and trustees have worked hard to support our mission and all the projects undertaken by the charity. We are grateful for their immense support, and we would not have made these impacts without their invaluable support.

As a board we shall continue to offer our support to Plasma of Hope and her mission to raise awareness and support people living with sickle cell anaemia and related diseases.

On behalf of my fellow trustees, I appreciate all your efforts and look forward to a greater success in the year 2022.

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Many thanks!

Dr Olusola Daramola,

Chair, Plasma of Hope Board of Trustees

Activities and Progress

January 2021 – Launch of Covid-19 Community Support

Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, we launched our Covid-19 Community Support project which enabled us to coordinate volunteers to support our vulnerable users (advised to shield by the Government and the NHS) with shopping, picking up medication and providing transport to medical appointments.

February 2021 – Virtual Exercise & Massage Sessions

We partnered with a personal trainer who provided virtual exercise classes which helps improve blood circulation. This was done in groups of 5, twice a week. We partnered with massage therapists to provide virtual massage sessions to families and carers, educating them on how to use massage to increase blood flow and help alleviate painful crisis.

March 2021 – Virtual Support Meeting

We launched our Befriending Services to support our vulnerable users who were advised to shield by the Government and the NHS. Due to government guidelines and Covid-19 restrictions, support was mostly provided via telephone and video conferencing. We organised virtual meetings with users to discuss the challenges of lockdown, shielding and coping mechanisms. We are grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund and Heart of England for funding this project.

April 2021 – Contact with Special Needs User

We contacted a 25-year-old lady, who was referred to us by a local Sickle Cell clinic. She was having a variety of challenges. We worked with her and her carers to determine the appropriate level of support. She was later admitted in hospital for over three months. Upon discharge, we contacted various agencies including her GP to find ways of supporting her within the community. She started receiving weekly psychology consultation thanks to our intervention which resulted in tremendous improvement in her mental well-being and a reduction in hospital stay.

May 2021 – Volunteer Meeting

We encouraged volunteers to be open about challenges faced working during the Covid-19 pandemic. We encouraged staff to continue following all the safety measures and policies to keep everyone and themselves safe.

June 2021 – Covid-19 Vaccine Campaign & NHS Black Country and West Birmingham CCG Partnership

As part of our “Get the Jab” Covid-19 Vaccine project, we partnered with NHS Black Country and West

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Birmingham CCG on a media campaign to raise awareness about the Covid-19 Vaccine. This partnership resulted in one of our users, who was hesitant about the vaccine, agreeing to take the Covid-19 vaccine on live on BBC. This was a remarkable achievement and a highlight for Plasma of Hope in 2021. We continue to advocate strongly to our users and the community to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

July 2021 – Post-Lockdown Anxiety Support

As lockdown rules were relaxed, Post-Lockdown Anxiety was a concern for most of our users who needed support transitioning from shielding into going outdoors again. We continued to provide befriending support as necessary to users suffering from isolation and anxiety. We also collected and delivered food parcels to families as part of our “business as usual” activities.

August 2021 – Children’s Summer Day Trip

Plasma of Hope organised a Children’s Day trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 15 children and their families attended, and it was a great success. It was the first time some of the families had been out since the pandemic and lockdown. The kids had such a great time.

September 2021 – Sickle Cell Awareness Month

To celebrate Sickle Cell Awareness Month, Plasma of Hope was invited to give a presentation to CDA Herts and Hertfordshire Black Diaspora about Sickle Cell Disease and how it affects the community. We also discussed the challenges of the pandemic and shared techniques to help volunteers enable volunteers to relax and reenergise by engaging in physical activities.

October 2021 – Meeting with Sandwell

We received further funding from Heart of England to enhance our Befriending and Wellbeing Support project. We attended a meeting with Healthwatch Sandwell to discuss care services and the experiences for people living with Sickle Cell and Thalassemia across the Black country and West Birmingham. The meeting clarified the role of the CQC across the region.

November 2021 – End of Year Volunteer Dinner

We welcomed five new volunteers to the team and discussed informally about recent challenges and mechanisms to overcome them.

Our Future Plans

In 2021/2022 we will continue to support new needs to tackle improving the health and wellbeing of people suffering from Sickle Cell disease and their families in Walsall and surrounding areas. As well as our ‘business as usual’ activities our four strategic priorities are:

Key highlights & numbers

Having started delivering activities in January 2021, we managed to make an impact on our community

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over the year.

Befriending - We have helped 20 individuals during the last 12 months. This has been greatly helped through the funding we have received.

Outreach - As part of our outreach work, we have supported 20 families that were expecting difficulties through 2021 and the pandemic.

Campaigning - In August 2021 we were partners in a campaign to promote the Vaccine to the local community. This was with NHS Black Country and West Birmingham CCG . The campaign was specifically aimed at those who hadn’t received the vaccine but were living with sickle cell and other conditions. The campaign was televised on local media.

Funding - We have successfully managed to raise £40k in grants in our first year, with £10k of that figure deferred to the following financial year.

Financial review

The Charity has had a highly successful first year of operating, having been started in the depths of a global pandemic.

Thanks to the support from many funders, especially the National Lottery, we were able to start supporting our community from January 2021.

We were successful in raising grant funding throughout the year that covered all our project delivery. Some of this funding has already secured income for our activities in 2022, so we have finished our first year in a very strong position.

As a start-up organisation, we have had many start up and core costs as part of our expenditure. Most of the grants we received were restricted funding for delivery activities.

Had we been able to fundraise publicly during 2021 this would have been less, but the impacts of the pandemic restricted our ability to do this. However, we have managed to secure some core funding towards the end of the financial year, and with a positive outlook going forward, we believe these will be significantly reduced in 2022.

We have finished the year with restricted reserves which relate to project and core funding received towards the end of the financial year that cover a period into 2022. The balance carried in restricted reserves relates to the value carried over to 2022.

Our events and fundraising activities were severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic; however, we were awarded some grant funding and we achieved a total income of £41,887 .

Our overall net spend in the year to 30[th] November 2021 was £33,797 .

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At 30[th] November 2021, £8,090 was held in restricted funds and available for use towards the general objectives of the charity.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the Financial

Statements

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Full name Dr Olusola Daramola Position Chair Date 30/03/2022

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Acknowledgement

Plasma of Hope extends gratitude to the following organisations for their support and sponsorship.

The National Lottery Community Fund The National Lottery Local Connections Fund Heart of England Community Foundation The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust West Midlands Community Initiative Fund Arnold Clark Community Fund The Albert Hunt Trust The Henry Smith Charity Common Call Fund Foyle Foundation GSK Grow Programme

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Statement of Financial Activities to 30.11.2021

Income

Income
UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTAL
FUNDS (£) FUNDS (£) FUNDS (£)
Charitable Activities 41,787 41,787
Other 100 100
Total Income 100 41,787 41,887

Expenditure

Staff Cost 20,387 20,387
Project Expenses 1,859 1,859
Volunteer Expenses 6,066 6,066
Telephone 24 24
Insurance 524 524
Professional Fees 2,120 2,120
Website 2,189 2,189
Marketing & Design 568 568
Software 60 60
Total 33,789 33,789
Net Balance 8,090 8,090

Reserves

Reserve 8,090
8,090
Total Reserves 8,090

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)
Full name(s)
Position
Date
Dr Olusola Daramola Yvonne Nupa
Chair Secretary
30/03/2022 30/03/2022

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Independent Examiner’s Report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Plasma of Hope) for the year ended 30/11/2021 .

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in

connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

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Date: 30/03/2022
Signed:
Name: Mr Joseph Mukong
Relevant professional BA Honours Accountancy
qualification(s) or body Leeds Metropolitan University
(if any):
Address: [36 Brook Street ]
[Huddersfield ]
[HD5 9DB ]
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