BEEN THERE / TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
THE HEALING POWER OF
SHARED EXPERIENCE
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00 CONTENTS
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
Been There’s Purpose 01 How It Works 02 The Pilot 03 Expansion Plan 04 A Word From Our Founder 05 Financial Summary 06 Trustees, Management & Constitution 07
01 BEEN THERE’S PURPOSE
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
Real life experience
Been There was born in adversity. Our Founder, Tessa Peters, had been living with body image issues which developed into an eating disorder for over 11 years. She was unable to get her life back on track.
The turnaround only happened once she met someone who had been through a similar experience. Someone who understood and helped her feel less alone and ashamed. With a Mentor by her side, Tessa was able to turn her life around.
Now fully recovered, she vowed to create a service that could help other people - by matching them with Mentors who have been through tough times with their body image and mental health too. One year later, Been There is already making a difference to people’s lives.
The healing power of shared experience
So many struggle with mental health on their own.
Our purpose at Been There is to be available to them – to walk alongside them. Our Mentors are not therapists or psychologists, they are people who have been there. They are trained and carefully managed, but equally important, they are highly motivated to help. To listen sympathetically, to empathise, to gently guide.
We know how important the healing power of shared experience can be in supporting people going through a difficult time.
An army of trained mentors to help individuals in need
Been There is building unique expertise in Mentor recruitment, vetting, training, and management. Individuals will be able to find us through the Been There app, and we will also increasingly partner with organisations across the mental health field - professional bodies, mental health charities, universities, and companies; all of which understand the importance of mentoring alongside treatment.
Through Tessa’s personal experience, we know how mentoring can complement therapy and sometimes bridge the gap when clinical assistance is not readily available.
Her initial focus is on body image but Been There will extend its support across other mental health areas.
We know there are so many people out there who could benefit from the support of someone who has been through (and come out the other side of) a difficult experience.
02 HOW IT WORKS
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
how to
Been There is a peer support service that connects users with a vetted and trained Mentor (over the age of 24).
It is free to use and is accessed through the Been There app (available to download via App and Play Stores).
Users create profiles on the app giving anonymised information about their situation.
Users are matched to Mentors with relevant experience.
To become a Mentor, an individual’s application must be approved, followed by reference checks, DBS checks and 20 hours of training. Mentors are carefully monitored and managed to meet the highest mentoring standards.
The ‘Been There Way’ focuses on support, encouragement and, most importantly, listening.
All conversations are through the typed chat function on the app, creating a history and opportunity to constantly improve communication. There are clear escalation paths should there be an emergency.
03 THE PILOT
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
A pilot of the app and the service was launched in February 2022 with three universities – Buckinghamshire New University, Chichester University and UAL.
We have evaluated the performance of the app, the experience of the user and the contribution from our Mentors. The app has worked well. Its user-friendly features have enabled easy adoption. A number of bugs have been fixed and a future plan of development is in hand.
Highlights
Learnings
Some early highlights from the user evaluation are noted below:
There have been significant learnings about the optimum way for Mentors to communicate with the users, such as:
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Mentees feel they have a safe space to talk freely
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They feel listened to without judgement
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They feel empowered
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They understand their support and professional network and how to navigate it
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Open-ended questions are more valuable than directing the conversation
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Conversations can make access to professional services less daunting
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Fast escalation procedures are needed when there is concern over a user
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They feel less alone and a reduction in shame
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Importantly, they have hope
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40% of users choose to be anonymous
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The use of the terminology ‘body image issues’ makes it more relatable and approachable
The success and learnings of the pilot has given us the confidence to plan for rollout and significant expansion.
04 EXPANSION PLAN
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
To grow the charity and enable the expansion into other mental health areas, we will grow our Capabilities, Capacity and Credibility.
Resources enable finding and training Mentors and being Capacity able to advertise this service
More Mentors means more Mentees having a positive outcome
Capabilities
Do we have the right talent and support in place to deliver on all pillars of the organisation? (Right skilled employees, trained volunteers, and BIC tech platform).
Capacity
Do we have sufficient Mentors of the right quality to meet demand?
Credibility
Credibility 3
Funding will build capabilities by recruiting right people & developing best app & training programme
HOW TO GROW
Capabilities
More Mentee word of mouth builds our brand’s credibility
Do Mentees see us as the right place to go to for support? Do Donors see us as a safe bet for their donations?
Underpinning our Capabilities, Capacity and Credibility we need to maximise the appeal of the Been There brand and grow our fundraising.
To unlock capabilities, we need funding. To unlock funding, we need a brand that people will trust.
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Donations
& Income
2
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Brand will make us investable
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Appealing
Brand
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04 EXPANSION PLAN
We will review each of these to highlight important aspects for future expansion:
Capabilities
Team, tech & training.
Over the years we have been monitoring and evaluating the service we are providing so we are continuously learning and adapting to improve the user experience and ensure we are helping beneficiaries.
An example of this was the removal of the upper age (initially 18 to 24). This was in response to feedback from people over 24 who were unable to access the service and felt they needed it.
We are committed to maintaining this progression. We are transitioning from fixing bugs in our service to developing a marketleading mentoring service. We will be bringing new skills into our team and new tech capabilities to assist our users.
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
Credibility
Capacity
More satisified Mentees.
More great mentors.
All Been There Mentors are volunteers. They have been through their own struggles with body image and related mental health issues. They know all about the challenges facing our users - ranging from lack of selfconfidence and self-worth to eating disorders and hospitalisations. All our Mentors are now in a good place mentally and want to help others feel less alone and ashamed.
The pilot has been invaluable in shaping our service. We have been able to analyse the chats between Mentors and users plus prompt feedback from both parties. Every conversation deepens our knowledge regarding the best way to support people going through difficult times. Our initial response is encouraging with all users so far enjoying a good to excellent relationship with their Mentor. Similarly, Mentor availability and post conversation satisfaction is high.
Prospective Mentors sign-up to become a Mentor on the app and complete
the application form. This includes two references – one professional and one personal character reference from someone outside their family. If the application meets our standards, a DBS check is carried out. Once passed, the Mentor is enrolled on an online training course. This has been developed in-house and takes up to 20 hours to complete. The Mentor has eight weeks to complete the training. On passing the training course, the Mentor goes live on the app, under close supervision.
A question we ask regularly is what difference their Mentor has made this week. A common theme is how welcome a caring, kind, and supportive Mentor is who listens and does not judge. One said recently they feel “My Mentor made me feel like I wasn’t alone on the journey, shared their experience and was 100% empathetic and supportive throughout our conversations” and that it is a good way to start opening up before or while looking for professional support.
Supporting the Mentors is imperative because they are dealing with difficult situations and need to be constantly aware. Vital community support is accessed through a group ‘Mentor Chat’ where experiences can be shared, resources and recommendations made. Each Mentor has their own Mentor Manager who to date has been Tessa Peters as she guides the Been There Way. Monthly Mentor Meet Ups via Zoom have proved very useful to share the latest thinking and for continued development.
We will keep fine-tuning our recruitment, training, and management of Mentors so we are the undisputed experts in mentoring for mental health.
We will continue to listen and evaluate how we can help more, especially in times of crisis.
04 EXPANSION PLAN
Appealing Brand
Our brand needs to attract users and give confidence to donors and partners. We have made excellent progress in developing the Been There brand. We believe our purpose is clear to our different target audiences and the brand has considerable stand out.
To accelerate our performance, in February 2022, we hired a highly experienced pro-bono part-time Marketing Director. He has been instrumental in devising our marketing and fundraising strategy. He has helped improve our strategy, fundraising and social media engagement.
Donations & Income
To kick off the Been There project, we have been successful in generating funds from individual donors and companies.
This has been supplemented by successful winning of grants from organisations such as the Clare Foundation, Notcutts and Souter Charitable Trust.
We are launching crowdfunding to generate monies for specific tasks such as recruitment, vetting and training of more Mentors.
We plan to partner with commercial and charitable organisations offering our service and sharing the costs.
winning a grant
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
awareness event
where it all started
05 A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDER
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
A word from Tessa, our founder -
tessa
This has been our first ‘proper’ year at Been There. In July 2021, myself and the Trustees decided on the direction for Been There. We agreed the app should be focused on mental health Mentoring for body image issues. This is where my personal life experience lies and is, unfortunately, something that resonates with hundreds of thousands.
The past year has been so busy! We have focused on testing and learning. Understanding how the service is helping people, finding out what changes we need to make, how we can best support the users and look after our Mentors too. We have used trusted volunteers to create a brand that is unique, memorable, personal, and relatable. We hired an app development company to create the platform. We vetted and trained 10 founding Mentors to run a pilot with three universities. We continuously gathered as much feedback and data as possible from all users, to enhance the app experience. This vital data comes in the form of our pop-up questionnaires for users, fortnightly check-ins with Mentors and monthly Mentor meet-ups. We also monitor all conversations on the app for quality and safety and have ongoing dialogue with our safeguarding Lead.
We have made great progress and created a welcoming, compassionate community. We have developed the ‘Been There Way’ – what users can expect from us and what we expect from our Mentors. I feel very proud of what we have achieved. We have created a platform that is so desperately needed. We exist to support people struggling with their body image. When you are struggling, it is not easy to find someone who ‘gets it’. We have created a safe place, trained the first cohort of high quality Mentors and enabled people to find free support – where they don’t feel alone, judged, or misunderstood. None of this would have been possible without all the people who have supported us. Every donation and every minute of time is making a difference to people who deserve better. It has led to a very successful year, and with continued support, we are excited to develop the service further and help more people get their lives back on track.
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TESSA PETERS / FOUNDER & CEO
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06 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charities Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS102) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011 as it applies from 01.01.15.
accounting policies
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The principal accounting policies are summarised here -
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Fund accounting
Incoming resources
Grants are recognised in the statement of financial activities when the charity can demonstrate entitlement to the income. Donations are included as income at the value to the charity.
Funds held by the organisation are either:
1) Unrestricted general funds
These are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the Trustees. The majority of income falls into this category in the form of donations.
- 2) Restricted funds
These are funds that can only be used for restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Been There has £9.9k in restricted funds from The Clare Foundation and the Souter Charitable Trust.
Resources expended
Resources expended are recognised in the period in which they are incurred.
Been There is not registered for VAT and therefore cannot recover for costs incurred.
06 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period
For the year ending 31 March 2022, Been There generated a surplus of £30k which will be used to further develop the operations of the Charity. The first full year of operating saw £80k of funding received consisting of £69k of private donations and £11k of grants. Grants were received from the Clare Foundation (£6.9k), Souter Charitable Trust (£3k) and Notcutts (£1k).
£50k of expenditure was incurred during the year, predominantly in relation to the website brand (£18k), app development (£8k), and wages (£19k). We have kept a tight control over costs to ensure we are set up as efficiently as possible to meet the demands of increased investment in both people and systems as Been There increases scale.
The surplus of £30k represents the start of our focus on growing reserves to ensure the sustainability of Been There moving into 2022/23.
Our balance sheet is healthy comprised mainly of liquid assets. We have a loan arrangement in place with the founder and are repaying this over the next two years in monthly installments. With this being our first year of development from an idea to a service, we are comfortable with our financial position by the end of the year. We have finished the financial year with over four months of running costs coverage in the bank. Our strategy for the years to come is to always have six - nine months’ worth of funds available.
We have gained a great deal from private donors which is a big part of our strategy moving forward. We have learnt a lot from rejections we have received from some grant providers, which mainly centred around our “newness” and not having had a full year of service yet. Now, with a proof of concept in place, we have taken our key findings and created a robust strategy for funding for the next 4 years.
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
Financial outlook for 2022/23
Been There is nicely placed heading into the new financial year. Diversifying the income streams will be pivotal to enable further investment. A crowdfunding programme will be set up to focus on training new Mentors, the lifeblood of the organisation.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held
In line with the charities reserves policy, the Trustees have agreed to allocate a proportion of its free reserves to ensure project sustainability in the event that further funding cannot be sourced to cover administration and core costs to keep the charity solvent.
Amount of reserves held
At balance date, Been There has £28.4k held in reserves.
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern
At the time of approving the annual accounts, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.
07 TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT & CONSTITUTION
TRUSTEE REPORT 2022
Organisational structure
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trustees
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Rachel Williams Simon Hall Joel Stanier (Chair) Appointed 18.11.23 Stephen Davidson
Andrew Peters Resigned 14.10.21 Roger Lovegrove Resigned 01.03.22
exec. team
Tessa Peters Founder & CEO Rebecca Peters Head of Operations Shane Kerr Marketing Director
The Committee has members from a variety of backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity. The charity Trustees for the purpose of charity law are known as members of the Committee. The Committee is our governing and decision-making body.
Meetings are held monthly, and any Committee member can request an item to be included on the agenda. Been There staff attend meetings and present written reports to the Committee. Been There staff attend meetings prior to the agenda meeting and present written reports to the board.
The members of staff are Tessa Peters, Founder & Chief Executive Officer and Rebecca Peters, Head of Operations. The Chair oversees the meeting with input from the board members and the staff. The staff then takes the actions required to administer the decisions of the board.
Between meetings, the staff communicate with the Chair of the Committee frequently and with other Committee members.
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racehel stephen joel shane
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Constitution
Been There is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Charity registry number
1191044
Registered address
30 Ledborough Lane, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 2DD
Risk management
The Committee believe that there are currently no major risks. A review is undertaken at the start of each financial year to assess the level of risk and put in place mitigation steps if required.
Some of our trustees and management team!
BEEN THERE / TRUSTEES’ REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
thank you!
THE HEALING POWER OF
SHARED EXPERIENCE
Balance Sheet
Been There
As at 31 March 2022
| Balance Sheet Been There As at 31 March 2022 |
Balance Sheet Been There As at 31 March 2022 |
|---|---|
| 31 MAR 2022 | |
| Fixed Assets | |
| Tangible Assets | |
| Computer Equipment 1,929.00 |
|
| Total Tangible Assets 1,929.00 |
|
| Total Fixed Assets 1,929.00 Current Assets |
|
| Cash at bank and in hand | |
| BEEN THERE 44,799.36 |
|
| Total Cash at bank and in hand 44,799.36 |
|
| Prepayments 868.10 |
|
| Total Current Assets 45,667.46 Creditors: amounts falling due withinone year |
|
| NIC Payable 100.93 |
|
| PAYE Payable 1,360.80 |
|
| Pensions Payable 324.30 |
|
| Suspense (16.95) |
|
| Wages Payable - Payroll (1,827.09) |
|
| Total Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (58.01) |
|
| Net Current Assets (Liabilities) 45,725.47 |
|
| Total Assets less Current Liabilities 47,654.47 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year |
|
| Loan 19,218.99 |
|
| Total Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year 19,218.99 |
|
| Net Assets 28,435.48 Capital and Reserves |
|
| Current Year Earnings 30,304.78 |
|
| Retained Earnings (1,869.30) |
|
| Total Capital and Reserves 28,435.48 |
Balance Sheet
Been There
Profit and Loss
Been There
For the year ended 31 March 2022
| Profit and Loss Been There For the year ended 31 March 2022 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLARE FOUNDATION |
SOUTER | UNASSIGNED | 2022 | |
| Turnover | ||||
| Donation Income | - | - | 68,844.94 | 68,844.94 |
| Grant Income | 6,900.00 | 3,000.00 | 1,000.00 | 10,900.00 |
| Interest Income | - | - | 1.85 | 1.85 |
| Other Income | - | - | 59.45 | 59.45 |
| Total Turnover | 6,900.00 | 3,000.00 | 69,906.24 | 79,806.24 |
| Gross Profit | 6,900.00 | 3,000.00 | 69,906.24 | 79,806.24 |
| Administrative Costs | ||||
| App designer | - | - | 30.00 | 30.00 |
| App Development | - | - | 7,874.99 | 7,874.99 |
| App Fee | - | - | 38.41 | 38.41 |
| Bank Fees | - | - | 5.80 | 5.80 |
| Branding | - | - | 10,000.00 | 10,000.00 |
| Fundraising | - | - | 146.17 | 146.17 |
| General Expenses | 210.00 | - | 535.00 | 745.00 |
| Insurance | - | - | 173.60 | 173.60 |
| Interest Paid | - | - | 17.96 | 17.96 |
| Marketing | - | - | 875.10 | 875.10 |
| Mentor Checks | - | - | 57.60 | 57.60 |
| Mentor Training & Vetting | 1,600.00 | - | - | 1,600.00 |
| Pensions Costs | - | - | 468.99 | 468.99 |
| Printing & Stationery | - | - | 37.88 | 37.88 |
| Salaries | 5,090.00 | - | 14,182.72 | 19,272.72 |
| Subscriptions | - | - | 89.29 | 89.29 |
| Website | - | - | 8,067.95 | 8,067.95 |
| Total Administrative Costs | 6,900.00 | - | 42,601.46 | 49,501.46 |
| Operating Profit | - | 3,000.00 | 27,304.78 | 30,304.78 |
| Profit on Ordinary Activities Before Taxation | - | 3,000.00 | 27,304.78 | 30,304.78 |
| Profit after Taxation | - | 3,000.00 | 27,304.78 | 30,304.78 |
Been There
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trustsesl members of Been There On accounts for the year ended 31st March 2022 Charity no lif any) 1191044 Set out on pages Pages 1-12 annual report plus P L & Balan Sht attachments I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above chanty (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended Responslbilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordan with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 nhe Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Tt'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 Chanty 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 (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination vthich gtves me cause lo believe that in, any material respect.. accounts.ng records We not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord ryth the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concems and have come across no other matter5 in connection with the examination to which attentton should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: Date: 16112122 Name: Asheet V Patel Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (rf any): ACMA I CGMA ( Chartered Management A¢¢ountsnl) Address: 27 Jubil Avenue Whitton Twickenham T2 6JA IER October 2018