2022-03-31-accounts

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Bluetonic

1190871

April 2021 - 2022

Annual Report and Accounts

Administrative Information
Aims and Purpose
Objectives and Activities
Achievements and Performance
Volunteers
Governance and Management
Financial Review
Financial Statement

Administrative Information

Reference and administrative information:

Charity Name: Bluetonic Charity No. 1190871 Registered address: 6 HALL DRIVE, WOLLATON, NOTTINGHAM, NG8 2PW

Trustees: P Dickens, Chair J North, Secretary C Morley, Treasurer

Aims and Purpose

We are a charity dedicated to creating experiences in, on or around blue spaces. Blue spaces are areas that are close to water either inland or by the sea. Spending time by blue spaces can make us happier and healthier.

Bluetonic offers resources, activity and information that helps anyone become more active in blue spaces.

Objectives

In our second period of reporting our objectives have been:

●Continue to grow our presence on social media and our website
●Develop revenue via donations for swimming hats
●Provide opportunities for people to network and develop ideas relating to being active in, on and around water
●In the Midlands specifically, develop activity and test ideas alongside local people
●Review and develop all infrastructure we need to run the charity
●Look to secure funding for future projects

Activity

Cold water Catch Up

Cold water catch up is an online session for people to get together to talk about the benefits of blue spaces and specifically, swimming in open water. Developed by Scott Clayton who is an experienced

community builder, he has used his experience as an open water swimming coach to deliver cold water chats over the winter months between the end of October 2021 to the end of March 2022.

The chats have continued to grow Bluetonic presence online. This has led to a number of social media influencers being recruited to support this growth and become Bluetonic Ambassadors.

The chats involve storytelling with guests talking about times in their lives they have been active in, on and around water. This includes talking about struggles, highs, lows and how being in, on and around water has helped health and wellbeing. The format allows time for people to network with each other from wherever they are. Most people are from all over the UK, but we have also had guests from places like Australia and Israel. Networking is completed via breakout rooms as a safe space for people to reflect on the session, then share and listen to other people’s experiences.

Below is a summary of the the cold water chats for 2021/22.

----- Start of picture text -----
Date Description Ticket sales
2/11/21 Bluetonic, free Cold Water Catch Up re-launch . 21
Welcome back session.
9/11/21 Kathleen Watton has always been drawn to the ocean. 78
Suffering with Lipoedema had led her to think her life would
soon be over. Getting back into the water has had a positive
impact on her, especially on her health and wellbeing.
23/11/2 Team Bits Missing : As a direct result of last season’s cold 36
1 water chats a team of amputees has met each other online
line and have booked a potential record breaking swim
between Northern Ireland and Scotland. They are coming
together to tell us all about it.
7/12/21 Juliet Turnbull lives on her boat on the Thames and is a big 21
part of Surrey Outdoor Swimmers. Juliette has made
amazing life choices that have led to her being surrounded
by and constantly inspired by water. She is a renowned
textiles artist using her sewing machine to create beautiful
pieces influenced by water.
21/12/2 Alan White’s Christmas poetry chat. A Christmas get 15
1 together to talk about our favorite poems inspired by being
in, on or around water.
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
4/1/22 Amy Ritchie moved to Fife's coast 5 years ago. She left 29
behind city life and a stressful career to focus on finding a
better environment for my family. She was Introduced to
cold water swimming by a local friend, and it came just in
the nick of time as the pandemic hit.
She discussed mental wellbeing, autism, physical benefits
and how this has all impacted her wild water journey.
18/1/22 Jo Gifford , Since 2020 Jo co-founded the Cambs Bluetits 27
groupand is writing a book about how water is an incredible
agent for positive change during turbulent times..
Water has helped her with grief, anxiety, depression, and
managing symptoms of the pre menopause, endometriosis,
and chronic fatigue.
1/2/22 Cuddy Cudworth began dipping in lockdown 2020. He 17
used his skills in life coaching to create the fife dippers
men's mental health dipping society.
Cuddy will be discussing how to overcome stress by using
cold water dipping in your life and using conscious rules to
effect powerful change in your emotional state
15/2/22 Ger Kennedy , Ger has swam ice miles around the world 73
and became the first man to achieve the ice sevens
challenge.
1/3/22 Cadi Lambert , Immersion in nature and water has been the 46
savior for Cadi following the death of her partner in 2014
and Mum in 2019. We all experience loss at some point in
our lives. Cadi is a strong believer in the power of taking
positivity forwards after loss. In 2020 she retrained as a life
coach and left her job to realize her dream of a freer life in
self employment. She gave her the time to swim, run, leap
and enjoy the outdoors when she wants to.
22/3/22 Cath Pendleton , was booked to close the talks. She is the 0
star of a BBC documentary about her life as a cold water
swimmer. Unfortunately she dropped out of the session at
the last minute due to personal reasons. But has expressed
----- End of picture text -----

a interest in being a guest in the future. Total 363

Sessions attendance is up on the previous year and running these sessions had numerous benefits to the charity in the following ways:

●Increased following on social media, for example Facebook followers increased over the winter

period by around 450 people. While this was not just down to these events, increases in

followers did occur in line with advertising and running of events, especially the events with

around 30 plus people booking tickets.

●people from across the UK looking to help grow the charity leading to the creation of Bluetonic Ambassador role
●Increased revenue via donations and swim hat purchases. One person was so impressed with the charity that they made a £50 donation

The sessions have involved costs to Scott who has hosted them in terms of planning time and purchasing zoom license. He will be paid a total of £660 to deliver the sessions. This was covered by funding of £500 sourced via ‘magic little grants’ with the rest covered via donations.

Bluetonic Ambassadors

Developed by Scott Clayton this is a group of people that have been engaged by the cold water chats and want to continue to help grow the charity presence especially online. They are volunteers, who support the charity via social media and links to national networks.

Mindfulness walks and social swims

In the summer of 2021 the charity tested 3 activities where people could come along and meet the

Bluetonic team to find out more about the charity and share in an experience together. These were:

Mindfulness walk , this was led by volunteers. It was attended by a wide ranging group of people.
Social Swim at Anchor Church in South Derbyshire , this was ran by a volunteer and was an
informal gathering where people gathered at their own risk to swim. The session followed

guidance by Open water Swimming Society on gatherings related to swimming in the wild.

People really enjoyed a short walk to the swim, and people came from across the midlands. The session ended at the pub where people could talk and learn more about the charity.

Social Swim at Stoney Cove, Swim Venue , this was run at an open water venue.

Future Activity, Under the Bridge

Funding has been secured to run a 12 week program that will engage around 18 men living in the East Midlands. The project will involve the men being supported with a range of activities in, on and around water such as:

●Paddle boarding
●Swimming
●Wake Boarding
●Walking
●Fishing

Participants will be coached on the benefits of connecting in local blue spaces via simple mindfulness techniques. They will also be made aware of the natural restorative effects of being active in, on and around water and how they can spread their knowledge to others. We want the participants to stay active in Blue Spaces as they live their lives and reap the benefits.

A video crew will capture the progress of the group and produce material that should maximise key messages about the impact the programme has. Also, Nottingham University has been commissioned to produce a study on the impact to the participants and the wider reach of its delivery.

The men will be coached to sign and practice in a studio and out in blue spaces by a choir master. The end of the project will see the men deliver a live performance in the summer of 2022, floating under a bridge on the River Trent.

Future Activity, Swim Safe

Bluetonic has submitted a funding bid to deliver free water safety sessions designed by Swim England and the RLNI. Swim Safe takes place every summer at inland and coastal sites throughout the UK. Since its conception in 2013, Swim Safe has never been delivered in the East Midlands, leaving children traveling long distances to access the provision. Bluetonic is looking to overcome related barriers to children by bringing the opportunity into the area.

Nationally, only around 20% of Swim Safe happens at inland venues and in the future Bluetonic aims to deliver at more inland venues.

The urgency to get key messages about water safety living inland has never been greater. This is highlighted in the most recent report relating to key accidental drowning death WAID from the National Water Incident Database that states:

“Inland open waters, such as rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs and quarries continue

to be the leading locations with 58% of deaths”

Getting children and their families actively learning in the environment about water safety will help reduce risk of drowning.

The application includes supporting education related to the Blue Mind. (The Blue mind is about the positive impact of blue spaces on your mental health coaches are trained to :

●Talk about the positive impact to health and well being when being active in, on and around water.
●Signpost children and families to resources that help them be active in, on and around water
●Talk about the science that backs up the theory that blue spaces are good for our health

Volunteers

Since the formation of Bluetonic, it has attracted support from 5 volunteers. The trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers for their contributions in our first year. They have

supported in the following ways:

led activity around creating walks in blue spaces local to the Midlands that we have displayed on our website.
led a mindfulness walk we tested
●supported organizing and leading social swimming meets
●created content and support advertising events on social media helping to

grow our online

presence

●created content and helped design the website

●coached everyone involved with ideas for running social media

●created competitions to help grow our presence online

Without our volunteers, we would not have been able to achieve so much. The newly created Ambassador role is also voluntary and we will report on its impact in our next annual report.

Structure, governance and management

There are currently 3 trustees and 5 volunteers. Trustees are selected based on our constitution terms,

and have responsibility for governing the charity and signing off on proposals. Volunteers are invited to

support the charity with their time and contribute ideas for the charity’s development.

Trustees are responsible for decisions about funding distribution.

Financial review

During the this year we have raised £1364 via donations, sales and unrestricted funding bids. These funds have been used to cover the running costs of the charity and cold water catch up sessions. Any leftover has been used for activities to increase fundraising capacity.

Due to the continuing pandemic, it has been a slow start financially, but some good activity has taken place that builds a strong foundation to be built upon.

Financial Statement

Income	Unrestricted Funds
Funds
Donations and legacies	£ 716.1	£ -0
£ 716.1
Charitable activities	£ 647.9	£ 8930
£9577.9
Other income	£ -0	£ -0
£ -0
Total Income	£ 1364	£ 8930
£ 10294

Expenditure Expenditure on charitable

Activities £ 966.6 £ -0 £ 966.6 Total Expenditure £ 966.6 £ -0 £ 966.6 NET Income/Expenditure £ 397.4 £ 8930 £ 9327.4 Total funds carried forward £ 397.4 £ 8930 £ 9327.4

£ -0