## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From** 1 April 2024 **To** 31 March 2025
**Charity name:** Mersey Care NHS FT Charitable Fund
**Charity registration number:** 1191576
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**Charitable purposes relating to the**
**general or specific purposes, including**
**population health, mental health and**
**suicide prevention, of Mersey Care NHS**
**Foundation Trust for the benefit of users**
**of services managed by Mersey Care NHS**
**Foundation Trust and staff involved in the**
**provision of those services, for all or any**
**charitable purpose or purposes relating to**
**the National Health Service**|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|
**To provide amenities to service users**
**and carers of Mersey Care NHS**
**Foundation Trust**
**To provide amenities to staff of Mersey**
**Care NHS Foundation Trust**
**To provide amenities to volunteers of**
**Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust**
**To provide support to the promotion of**
**suicide prevention**
**General Charitable Purposes**|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|**The Corporate Trustee has had regard to**
**the guidance produced by the Charity**
**Commission on Public Benefit.**|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||
SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|**N/A**|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|**N/A**|
|Contribution made by|Para 1.38|**N/A**|
|volunteers|||
|---|---|---|
|Other||**N/A**|
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**During 2024/25, the Charity consolidated**
**it’s position in the second year of active**
**fundraising, organising various events**
**whilst increasing awareness of the**
**Charity and it’s aims both internally and**
**to the wider public.**
**The final tranches of NHS Charities**
**Together Stage 3 Covid-19 Recovery**
**Funding grant totalling £79,276 were**
**received in 2024/25.**
**An updated Charity Fundraising Strategy**
**was produced for 2024/25 and an**
**Operational Plan developed to support the**
**delivery of the Charity’s objectives.**
**Part of this strategy was to work with**
**Trust operational colleagues to identify**
**how various legacy funds could be**
**utilised and to then rationalise the number**
**and value of unspent funds to ensure**
**these funds could be more appropriately**
**utilised going forward rather than being**
**allowed to accumulate.**
**Following discussions with Bridgewater**
**Community Healthcare NHS Foundation**
**Trust it was agreed the Charity would**
**cease acting as an umbrella charity for**
**Bridgewater at the end of March 2025.**
**Total cash receipts were £122,948, as**
**follows:**
**NHS Charities Together Stage 3 Covid-**
**19 Recovery Grants - £79,276**
**Pilkington Charity Grant - £4,000**
**Income from Events - £20,684**
**Donations - £17,252**
**Dividends & Interest - £1,736**
**Total cash payments were £370,630 as**
**follows:**
**Charitable Activities - £136,246**
**Fundraising - £14,307**
**Governance -£14,777**|
**Charity Team - £105,737** **Charitable Activities (23/24) - £99,563**
|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|
|---|---|---|
|Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|**N/A**|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|**N/A**|
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|**The investment policy requires that all**
**monies, apart from working capital, be**
**invested in securities to maximise the**
**overall return consistent with an**
**acceptable level of risk. The performance**
**of the investments is continually**
**monitored and reported on an annual**
**basis in relationship to other common**
**investment funds.**|
|Other||**N/A**|
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|**At the end of the reporting period the**
**Charity held total funds of £80,530 of**
**which £19,179 was classed as**
**unrestricted and £61,351 was restricted**
**as per the wishes of the donors or as per**
**grant awards.**|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**In accordance with Charity Commission**
**guidance, the Corporate Trustee (“the**
**Trustee”) has developed a reserves policy**
**to establish the level of reserves that is**
**appropriate to the Charity and ensure**
**compliance with the Trustee’s legal duty**
**to apply charity funds within a reasonable**
**time of receiving them.**
**It is the Trustee’s determination to**
**demonstrate prudent stewardship of the**
**Charity and to ensure that the level of**
**reserves is appropriate to the Charity’s**
**circumstances.**
**From experience the Trustee would**
**expect to spend at the same level as**
**income is received taking one year with**
**another. However, it is intended to**
**establish and maintain reserves (namely**
**the “Unrestricted funds”) to ensure**
**current or anticipated expenses are met**
**from the funds should there be any major**
**adverse fluctuations in income received.**
**Reserves will be identified to a maximum**|
**level equivalent to approximately 6 months expenditure. Should the amount rise beyond this level action will be taken to expend funds in accordance with the charity’s objects. Reserves will not be permitted to fall below a level equivalent to three months expenditure. However, in the unlikely event of this happening the Trustee may withhold from distribution such amounts of income and credit them to the reserve funds. Unrealised gains on investments will not be included in income to be distributed to unrestricted funds. The level of reserves will be monitored on a monthly basis to ensure compliance with the above limits. The Trustee will formally review this policy every two years.**
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**The £19,179 unrestricted funds held as at**
**31 March 2025 are held in reserves.**|
|---|---|---|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|**N/A**|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|**N/A**|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|**N/A**|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|
Para 1.47|
**The Charity’s principal sources of income**
**are grants awarded by NHS Charities**
**Together, grants from other bodies,**
**fundraising events and activities and**
**general donations.**|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|**N/A**|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|**The Charity’s main source of income to in**
**2024/25 was once again NHS Charities**
**Together Covid-19 grants, however the**
**final tranche of this funding was received**
**in March 2025. Grant applications from**
**other sources form a significant part of**
**the Charity’s Fundraising Strategy going**
**forward, however these are not**|
**guaranteed. The Charity will continue to be dependent upon the goodwill of service users and members of the public for donations and engagement with fundraising activities, however it is recognised we are a relatively new charity entering a very competitive area with many established charities. The unique nature of our Zero Suicide Awareness (ZSA) programme along with our position as one of the largest mental health trusts is one of the key strengths of the Charity in attracting support.** Other
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|**Trust Deed**|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**NHS Trust Body**|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|**Mersey Care NHS FT Board of Directors**
**acting as Corporate Trustee**|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|
Para 1.51||
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|**Mersey Care NHS FT’s Board of Directors,**
**acting as Corporate Trustee, has formally**
**constituted a Charitable Funds Committee**
**consisting of Executive and Non-**
**Executive Directors. The Charitable Funds**
**Committee has delegated powers to**
**oversee the management and operation of**
**charitable funds.**|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|**During 2024/25, Bridgewater Community**
**Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust utilised**
**the remaining balance of their funds. The**
**Mersey Care Charity ceased to manage**
**funds on behalf of Bridgewater on 31**
**March 2025.**|
|Other||**N/A**|
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses|Mersey Cares, Zero Suicide Alliance, Life Rooms|
|Registered charity number|1191576|
|Charity’s principal address|Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Headquarters
V7 Building
Kings Business Park
Prescot
Merseyside
L34 1PJ|
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1|**Trustee name**
Mersey Care NHS
Foundation Trust (as
Corporate Trustee)|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
|**Director name**|||
|---|---|---|
|Rosie Cooper|Non-Executive Chair||
|Gerry O’Keeffe|Non-Executive Director|To 30 April 2025|
|Nick Williams|Non-Executive Director|To 30 April 2025|
|Scott Etherington|Non-Executive Director||
|Iain Buchan|Non-Executive Director||
|Nicola Haywood-Cleverly|Non-Executive Director||
|Maureen Whilby|Non-Executive Director||
|Liz Roden|Non-Executive Director|From 9 May 2024|
|Debora McLaughlin|Non-Executive Director|From 13 September 2024|
|Marie Boles|Non-Executive Director||
|Michael Parkin|Non-Executive Director|From 18 June 2025|
|Joe Rafferty|Chief Executive Officer|To 31 October 2024|
|Trish Bennett|Chief Executive (Designate)|From 1 November 2024|
|Elaine Darbyshire|Chief Communication,
Inclusion and Estates
Officer|To 30 September 2024|
|Louise Edwards|Chief Strategy,
Commissioning and
Partnerships Officer|To 28 June 2024|
|Amanda Oates|Chief People and Culture
Officer|To 20 May 2025|
|Rob Collins|Chief Finance Officer||
|Noir Thomas|Chief Medical Officer||
|Jenny Hurst|Chief Nurse|From 1 March 2025|
|Sean Leahy|Interim Chief People and
Culture Officer|From 1 May 2025|
|Lee Taylor|Chief Delivery Officer|From 1 January 2025|
|Steven Christian|Chief Strategy, Planning
and Partnerships Officer|From 13 September 2025|
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
|**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**||
|---|---|---|
|N/A|||
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets N/A held in this capacity
Name and objects of the N/A charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for N/A safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser**
|**Investment**|BlackRock Fund|PO Box 545|
|---|---|---|
|**Fund**
**Manager**|Managers
Limited|Darlington
DL1 9TQ|
||||
## **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
**N/A**
## **Other optional information**
**N/A**
## **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)** Rob Collins
**Position (eg Secretary,** Chief Finance Officer **Chair, etc)**
**Date** 22/1/2026
**Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Charity**
**1191576**
## **Receipts and payments accounts**
**CC16a**
**For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 4/1/2024 3/31/2025
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**A1 Receipts**
VoluntaryReceipts
**19,731**
Grants Received
**-**
Dividends & Interest Received
**1,736**
Transfer from NWB Charity
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**21,467**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**_Total receipts_ 21,467**
**A3 Payments**
Charitable Activities
RaisingFunds
**14,307**
Governance Costs
**14,777**
CharityTeam
**72,493**
Transfer to MC Trust(23/24 Creditor)
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ 101,577**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**_Total payments_ 101,577**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ - 80,110**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**-**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**99,289**
**_Cash funds this year end_ 19,179**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_
**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**
**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**|**to the nearest £**
**18,205**
**83,276**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**101,481**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**101,481**
**136,246**
**-**
**-**
**33,243**
**99,564**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**269,053**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**269,053**
**- 167,572**
**-**
**228,923**
**61,351**
**Restricted**
**funds**|**to the nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**37,936**
**83,276**
**1,736**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**122,948**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**122,948**
**136,246**
**14,307**
**14,777**
**105,736**
**99,564**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**370,630**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**370,630**
**- 247,682**
**-**
**328,212**
**80,530**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**37,936**|**19,307**|
||||**83,276**|**175,723**|
||||**1,736**|**3,195**|
||||**-**|**37,301**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**122,948**|**235,526**|
||||||
|||**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**||
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||||
|||**-**|**122,948**|**235,526**|
||||||
|||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**136,246**|**47,102**|
||||**14,307**|**21,374**|
||||**14,777**|**1,107**|
||||**105,736**|**-**|
||||**99,564**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**370,630**|**69,583**|
||||||
|||**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**||
||||**-**||
||||**-**|**-**|
||||||
|||**-**|**370,630**|**69,583**|
||||||
||**- 167,572**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**- 247,682**|**165,943**|
||**-**||**-**|**-**|
||**228,923**||**328,212**|**162,269**|
||**61,351**||**80,530**|**328,212**|
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees|**Details**
Mersey Care Bank Account
NWB Bank Account
**Details**
**Details**
BLK Charities UK Equity Fund A Inc
BLK Charities UK Bond Fund A Inc
**Details**
**Details**
Signature
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Owed to Charity in respect of donations
banked in Mersey Care NHS FT bank
account, to be transferred.
Owed to Mersey Care NHS FT in respect of
goods & services purchased for the Charity
via the Trust|**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**19,179**
**61,351**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**19,179**
**61,351**
OK
OK
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
Unresticted
**-**
Unresticted
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
U/R
**4,065**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
U/R
**23,794**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Rob Collins
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**61,042**|
||||**7,225**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||Rob Collins|1/22/2026|
|||||
## **Independent Examiners Report to the Trustee of Merseycare NHS FT Charitable Trust**
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity's trustees 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 charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
- (1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by Section 130 of the Act; or
- (2) the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
Mark Heaton FCCA FCIE KM Chartered Accountants 1[st] Floor, Block C, The Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley BB11 1JG
22[nd] January 2026