**Pro-Active Community Annual Return Charity Number 1191570** ## **1/04/23 to 31/3/2024** Registered address 1 Castlefield Court Church Street Reigate RH2 0AH 01737924084 hello@proactivecommunity.org.uk www.proactivecommunity.org.uk “I am Leanne Yeo, and I was the Chair of the Pro-Active Community In 2023/24. It is great to be part of the Pro-Active Community. I learned so much with each day being different. I have learned to do presentations, talk at conferences and chair meetings. I feel that people with learning disabilities should speak up and tell people what it’s like to face discrimination in everyday life. I do not let my learning disability hold me back. Here I am climbing Mount Snowdon as part of a fundraiser.” We are a charity that supports people with learning disabilities and autistic people, run by people with learning disabilities and autistic people. We are a campaigning charity for the rights of disabled people and that we have a voice at the table. “Nothing about me without me” ||Our Board Members||Our Board members:|Our Board members:|Our Board members:|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||1.Edward Cooke|B
N|oard
o.|Name|Date started| |||||1.|Edward Cooke|5/5/20| |||||2.|Nicki Fraser|5/5/20| |||||3.|Leanne Yeo|6/5/20| |||2.Nicki Fraser||4.|Lizzie Wheeler|7/5/20| |||||5.|Michael
McLachlan|7/5/20| |||||6.|Jade Vallance|9/6/20| |||||7.|Michael
Farrington|29/9/21| |||||8.|Matthew
Leadbeater|29/9/21| |||3. Leanne Yeo||||| |||||9.|Matthew
Swinburn|2023| |||||10.|Emma Jane
Levallee|2023| |||||11.|Helen Guest|2023| |||||||| |||4.Lizzie Wheeler||||| 5. Michael McLachlan 6. Jade Vallance 7. Michael Farrington 8. Matt Leadbeater **----- Start of picture text -----**
9. Matthew Swinburn
10.Emma Jane Levallee
11. Helen Guest
We have 10 people on our Board as
registered Board members, plus an
additional 20 members who support
the Board and 200 people as part of
our wider networks.
**----- End of picture text -----**
We are based in Surrey but also work in other areas in the South-East such as West Sussex and Brighton and Hove. We ensure services, providers, local and national governments hear our voice on what matters to us. We are a campaigning group for the rights of disabled people. We want people with learning disabilities and autistic people to use their right to vote and know what they are voting for Rishi Sunak was Prime Minister for this report 2023/2024. We support co-production as equal partners in developing and shaping services that meet our needs. We have worked alongside many different people to ensure coproduction has happened in the last year. We audit services to make sure people understand what it is like to have a learning disability and be an autistic person who relies on services for everyday support. We have a contract with Active Prospects, a charitable care provider, to do all their quality checking. We are experts by experience and support the Oliver McGowan mandatory training programme that is currently being rolled out nationally for health and social care staff. We train and empower people to have the skills to speak up in a range of ways: - Support public speaking - Presentations - Q and A sessions - Feedback collection We are part of research projects to ensure people understand learning disabilities and autism. We have partnered with the University of Surrey to help achieve better outcomes for people, such as training for midwives on how to support parents with a learning disability. We ensure people are rewarded for their time and talents. We support people to be paid for expert by experience work at a fair rate. We celebrate and let people know what can be achieved. We support inclusion and fight discrimination. We support training, research and sharing knowledge so people know about abuse, mate crime, and their rights. We run workshops and conferences on key subjects. We co-produce easy read resources. We support a range of other forums such as the Surrey People’s Group in partnership with Surrey County Council. We campaign and say when things are not right. We want people to know about the impact on disabled people especially learning disabilities and autistic people who may have hidden disabilities. We campaign on issues such as: - Environmental concerns - Access to local amenities - Public transport - Funding and benefits - Social care - Health inequalities We fundraise and support our communities and each other. We use peer support to draw on the skills of our members to help each other and not rely on paid services all the time. We give back and use our skills to help others. We are passionate that we can contribute to our local neighbourhoods and often join other campaigns: - Macmillan coffee mornings - Children in Need - Comic Relief - Community Cookalongs We arrange events, conferences, and social gatherings. We are part of Learning Disability England and other key membership organisations and will attend conferences, often speaking and campaigning on key subjects. We support face-to-face and digital communication. We train people to be able to use Teams and Zoom so they can join meetings or campaigns and conferences. We support Makaton training and have our own expert by experience Elizabeth Wheeler who shares her Makaton skills. We work in partnership with key organisations such as Active Prospects who support us with our administration, marketing and connections. ## **What the Pro-Active Community has achieved in the last year?** Pro Active Community members have been involved in the following co-production projects – as leaders or members of the group: - University of Kent – Winnie Tsang – LD and Dementia Study - Downs Syndrome Bill – Guidance documentation with Surrey Convener forum - Developed and hosted Ready, Steady, Cook! with funding from Voluntary Action Reigate & Banstead in partnership with Loveworks Foodbank, Include.org and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council. - Filmed resources for My Journey to Wellbeing and Managing my Money with Pinkie Films - Led on the healthy cooking Community Cookalong with Reigate & Banstead Borough Council with Active Prospects in Horley. - Disability Taxi Charter - Developed and secured commitment from 12 Taxi firms in Surrey and Sussex to sign up. - • LDE Conference presenters – Disability Taxi Charter workshop and presentation - • Books Beyond Words – Home Safety presented at the Title launch in London - • Completed the first SASH Patient Questionnaire in Easy Read – Breast Screening - Filmed a resource piece for other Trusts to see the benefits of coproduction with experts by experience - • Co-produced the SCIE Co-production - - Impact Tool https://www.scie.org.uk/co - - - production/co production impact/ - Filmed training and learning disability awareness for Diabetes and Dermatology staff teams with Surrey Heartlands. - Presented to the Surrey NHS Community Forum on the importance of Hospital or Care passports for adults with LD. - • Supported Active Prospects in their 100km walk to fund raise for essential activity equipment for all the supported adults across their homes. - • Worked with Three Hands on a National High Street Bank accessible banking app - • Participants in the Virtual Consultations Study with University of Surrey - • Members of the Peer Health & Wellbeing Champions forum developing the inaugural training for SCC with the Communities and Preventions team - • Working with Dr Anna Cox and The Together Project to deliver learning disability awareness training to undergraduate midwives at University of Surrey. - - https://www.surrey.ac.uk/research - - - - projects/together project supporting - - - - - delivery good practice maternity services-parents-learning-disabilities - • Presenting at the Active Prospects Joint Governance Day – Makaton and learning disability communication awareness - • Co-produced a guidance leaflet for learning disability and autism awareness with Surrey and Borders Partnership - • Members worked with Surrey Coalition to research the leisure accessibility in Surrey - • Monthly Quality checking continues across Active Prospects homes. ## **Our Financial results and plans** We are on track with our budget and finances. All work carried out by the Pro-Active Community is based in the UK. Accounts are from April 2023-March 2024 Pro-Active Community does not own or lease a property. The accounts have been prepared to comply with the rules of the Charity Commission and SORP 102. The costs charged across to the Pro-Active Community show a true picture of the dedicated costs incurred by the Pro-Active Community. These include a dedicated role and associated support and materials. These are then offset with a grant currently from Active Prospects but as the Pro-Active Community grows, we would look to obtain alternative funding for these costs. Accounts were approved on the 26 September 2024 at the AGM. The Chair and Secretary of the Board will sign on behalf of all Board members. We would like to thank the following organisations which have provided us with grants this year: - Barchester Healthcare: £1,950 - Postcode Society Trust: £24,150 - Local Giving Ltd (Small grants): £500 - Voluntary Action Spark Fund: £1,960 - Tesco Community Fund: £1,000 We are still working in partnership with Active Prospects to support our members with administration of the charity This is done with a Service Level Agreement with Active Prospects to ensure we are independent. We bank with NatWest. ## **Key risks** We are worried about funding for services for people with learning disabilities. We are worried that additional costs for care providers may mean fewer providers and less care for people. We are worried about the future of social care and the pace of social care reform. We are worried that people might not have staff to support them to be part of the Pro-Active Community as there is a recruitment shortage. ## **Our Future Plans** To start a forum in West Sussex called the West Sussex People’s Group To increase our fundraising potential to have paid roles, buy our own equipment and train our members. To increase our income through selling our services such as Quality Checkers and consulting on key projects. To put on a national conference to tell people about our work, impact of social care reform on people with learning disabilities and autism. To review our charter. To increase our profile and attract new members. To continue to link with other national organisations such as Learning Disability England and increase our campaigning. We want our Board and wider membership to be more diverse. Pro Actlve Community Statement of Income and Expendlture Year Ended 31$t March 2024 2023124 2022123 lTr￿ne Grants and Fundraising Donations 30,231 50,000 19,209 50,OIXJ Tot•1 Income 80,231 79,209 Expendlture Salaries Activities and Events Food and Sustenance Travel and Accommodatlon Glfts and Entertalnment Subscrlptions Sundries Insurance Computers and Equlpment SeNlce Char8e5 24,714 6,369 878 2,448 216 493 527 215 579 43,080 24,382 262 83 351 140 549 450 313 49,065 Tot•1 Expendlturn 79,519 75,595 Flnal Surpluslldeficltl 712 3,614 S•r¥l¢e Ch•r8es •re11sted bdow Salarles Mana8ement and operational support Allocation IT Support Costs Proactfve cornmunity8ulde Hostin8 5qurespace Other Total Servlce Chaoe5 18,900 20,000 I,ocK) 380 31]) 2,500 43,080 21,383 20,000 I,o)o 380 302 6,￿0 49,065 Pro Artlve Communlty Balance Sheet Year Ended 3tst March 2024 2023124 2022123 Flxed Assets Accrucd Income Debto Cash at bank and in hand Current Assets 1?,.4m 8.240 32,297 40,538 46,393 58,893 Less ¢urr•nt Ilabllltl Net Curient Ass•ts 40,538 58,893 19,067 Net Asseti 40,538 39,826 Capltal & Reserves Restrlcted Funds Unrestricted Funds 40,538 40,538 39.826 39,826 These Accounts were apwoved at the AGM on.. lo Leanne Yeo Chair Edward Cooke Board Member la(le Valla Secretary (Charity Number 1191570) Community for the year ended 318t March 2024, Responsibilities and basis of report As the trustees of the Pro-Active Community, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). 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 all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. .4: Independent examiner's statement I, I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts,set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no,other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of, the accounts to be reached. Signed: Name: F&%J L tso tsK)Q, Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any):