Trustees Annual Report for the
Accounting Period
1[st] November 2021 to
31[st] Oct 2022
Reference and Administration Details
Charity Name: Ellen’s Gift of Hope Registered charity number: 1192108 Charity's principal address: 84 Middleton Street Blyth Northumberland NE24 2LU
Names of the trustees who manage the charity:
Trustee Name: Delyth Raffell
Trustee Name: Graham Raffell
Structure, Governance and Management
Type of Governing Document: Constitution (01/11/2020)
How Ellen’s Gift of Hope is Constituted: CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Trustee selection methods:
Trustees are appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, Ellen’s Gift of Hope trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. At all times, there should be two Trustees acting on behalf of Ellen’s Gift of Hope governing body.
Objectives and Activities
The objects of Ellen’s Gift of Hope CIO are for the public benefit, by providing small grants which will give practical support to families with children (aged 0-18 years) who have special needs, disabilities and/or life limiting medical conditions and who live in Northumberland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and North Tyneside.
The purpose of the support is to help relieve the suffering and hardship faced by these children and their families and improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries to a more reasonable standard.
These objects shall be achieved, in particular, but not exclusively by:
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a. Financial Aid: The provision of grants of money to help families with immediate need relating to the relief of hardship being experienced by the families
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b. Equipment Grant: The provision of grants to help families meet the cost of equipment for their children not covered by the NHS or local authority to help address medical, mental health or special needs
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c. Therapies and Respite: The provision of grants of money providing contributions towards short breaks, recreational or sporting pursuits or other support, such as (but not limited to) counselling therapies
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d. Community grants made to organisations providing services for vulnerable, sick and disabled children
The charity was set up in memory of Ellen Cara Raffell, who tragically died on October 31[st] 2019, aged just 16 years old. She had a catastrophic allergic reaction (Anaphylaxis) which led to irreversible brain damage. Ellen’s parents, Delyth and Graham Raffell, are the founders and Trustees of her charity, which seeks to raise money from public donations, corporate sponsors, and other charitable organisations.
Ellen was kind, compassionate and giving, always wanting to help others. Ellen’s Gift of Hope is her legacy.
In our 2[nd] year, the charity aimed to raise up to £12,000 from donations and fundraising events with 100% of the funds raised distributed as small grants. The charity’s overheads are absorbed by the trustees.
Trustees will apportion small grants monthly, with the level of grant making based on the type of grant sought and the availability of funding. Grants will be awarded based on submission of applications with supporting evidence and at the discretion of the trustees. Where possible the impact of the support will be publicised through case studies and news articles to raise the profile of the issues, as well as to demonstrate the impact of Ellen’s legacy on the local community.
Our vision and aim are that these small grants will provide a meaningful contribution, so that families in need can access additional specialist support, equipment, therapies, respite, and recreational activities, which will help their children and the family to have a better quality of life and improve their emotional and physical health and wellbeing.
When planning our charitable activities for the year 2020/2021 our Trustees ensured that we worked within the charitable purpose under which Ellen’s Gift of Hope operates, defined by the Charities Commission as, 'the relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage'.
In all charity decision making, and when exercising our powers and duties, we had regard for the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit i.e., that we should operate in accordance with our charitable purposes and be of direct benefit and have a positive impact on the community we are aiming to serve.
We also had regard for the Charity Commission's additional guidance on carrying out charitable activities, which states that such activities should be undertaken without causing detriment or harm to the public or giving rise to more than incidental personal benefit.
After the problems caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, we started face-to-face events again and our Halloween Fundraiser was a great success. We were incredibly grateful to our local community who continued to support us with donations despite facing their own personal financial challenges at this time.
Our special thanks go to the following fundraisers for their contributions:
| Colin Wilson – Lifelong Financial Planning Ltd | £2000 |
|---|---|
| Adam Rennie (Funeral Donations) | £1618 |
| St. Bede’s Ladies Fellowship | £1300 |
| Scott Robinson (‘Movember) | £317 |
| Colin Wilson, Capita Donation | £250 |
| Thorntree Care Home | £147 |
| Southside Rangers F.C. | £50 |
Achievements and Performance
In the 2[nd] year of Ellen’s Gift of Hope charity, we focused on fundraising, and despite the on-going effects of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, we are delighted to have raised a total of £11,381 by carrying out fundraising events and being supported through sponsorships and receiving generous donations.
We ran a number of events over the year including Fly High for Ellen, a sponsored event where we tried to raise a plane to 10,000 feet and in the process raised £720! Once again Scott Robinson encouraged his friends to grow a moustache for ‘Movember’ and raised £317. This was the first year we took part in The Great North Run and our 4 runners did very well with funds coming in during the 2022/23 year.
Our big event in Oct 2022 was Stargazer with special guest Jesse Terry travelling from the USA to perform. It was a fantastic evening with a live Auction and Raffle as well as musical entertainment. From the night we raised over £3700, split over 2021/22 and 2022/23 as this came at the end of our financial year.
For Christmas 2021 we launched ‘Starry Night’ Cards which sold out immediately. These were designed by Ellen’s twin sister, Abbey, and everyone loved them, bringing in £392 for the charity.
Donations and fundraising Grand Total was £11,382 . Another successful year despite major challenges.
Grant-Giving Activities
We gave out 3 Community Grants during this financial year; RVI PICU £1000, BeatAnaphylaxis £1000 and RVI Child Bereavement Service £500 and a personal gift of a £250 Hobbycraft Voucher was given to Little Miracles by the Trustees, this is a local after school club for disabled children. Looking ahead to 2022/23, our focus will be on the provision of specialist equipment and aid to local disabled children. We continue to promote of our charity within the local community and build networks among local organisations, charities, and businesses within the area to raise awareness and further support our fundraising efforts.
We have an active Facebook page @ellensgiftofhope and we gained over 1200 followers by end of 2021. Our website www.ellensgiftofhope.org provides the Grant Application Forms available to download and helpful guidance on how to apply for an Individual or Community Grant as well as news and events.
In summary, we are enormously proud of how we have performed as a charity in 2021/22 despite another challenging year. With a healthy bank balance of £32,102, we’re in a strong position to make a positive contribution to the lives of disabled children across Northumberland, Newcastle, and North Tyneside. We are incredibly grateful to our supporters and fundraisers who are vital to the continuing success of Ellen’s Gift of Hope.
Promotional Activities
We raise awareness of Ellen’s Gift of Hope charity through a variety of methods including word of mouth, fundraising events, social media, print press, TV and radio. In Nov 2021 we were contacted by Dr Andrew Bright who was running a project called BeatAnaphylaxis jointly with the RVI and QE Hospitals. We were asked to help with funding and take part in films that would be used to raise awareness of the lifethreatening nature of Anaphylaxis. We also wanted to help parents and professionals understand the link between the 3 A’s - Asthma, Allergies and Anaphylaxis and the consequences of not taking this seriously.
In June 2022, we donated £1000 to the BeatAnaphylaxis Project to help with the filmmaking. In year 2022/23, we plan to became more involved and make a series of short films with Dr Andrew Bright and Winter Media. The official launch of the new BeatAnaphylaxis website is planned for Spring 2023.
We keep our Facebook content interesting and engaging, thereby encouraging new followers. Posts include news related to Ellen’s interests such as space travel and music. We are keen to encourage girls into a career in science and on 22[nd] July 2022, the inaugural Ellen Raffell Space Scientist Award was given out on Bede Academy’s Presentation Day to Aylsha Harris, who plans a career in Physics. Well Done!
Our fundraising events for 2021/22 were well attended with around 50 people at our Halloween party, 70 taking part in Fly High for Ellen and well over 100 at Stargazer. We continue to plan unique experiences and interesting events with a fun atmosphere to help promote the charity and raise funds. At the end of this year, we are appealing for volunteers to become Ellen’s Angels to help with organising events.
Financial Review
The charity bank account balance as at 31[st] October 2022 was £32, 102.19. A float of £200 is kept in a cash box for future events and we also have SumUp machines to take card payments.
| Summary of Income and Expenditure for the Accounting Period 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022 |
|
| OpeningBalance as at 1/11/2021 | £22,220 |
| Total Income | £11,382 |
| Total Gifts Given(cashed) | £1,500 |
| ClosingBalance at 31/10/22 | £32,102 |
Note: There was no expenditure for 2021/22 for events/fundraising
| Summary of Income for the Accounting Period 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022 |
|
| Events & Activities | |
| Halloween(Oct 2021/Banked Nov) | £1,124(£450 Tickets,£150 Raffle,£365 Donations) |
| Stargazer | £1,208(£510 Tickets,£140 Raffle,£558 Donations) |
| Great North Run | £100(Advance EntryReceipts) |
| SponsorshipMovember | £317 |
| SponsorshipFlyHIgh | £720 |
| Sub-total | £3,469 |
| Sales Merchandise | |
| StarryNight Christmas Cards | £392 |
| Sub-total | £3,861 |
| Donations | |
| Cash Donations | £3,214 |
| JustGiving | £567 |
| Paypal GivingFund | £170 |
| Smile.Amazon | £125 |
| Easyfundraising | £145 |
| St.Bede’s Ladies FellowshipCheque | £1,300 |
| LifelongFinancial PlanningCheque | £2,000 |
| Sub-total | £7,521 |
| Grand Total | £11,382 |
| Summary of Grants given for the Accounting Period 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022 |
Summary of Grants given for the Accounting Period 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022 |
|---|---|
| Grants made to individual children | £Nil |
| Grants made to Organisations 27/4/22 CV0001 PICU RVI 20/6/22 CV0003 BeatAnalphylaxis 12/8/22 CV0004 Child Bereavement Service |
£1000 (not cashed by year end) £1000 (cashed 3/3/22) £500(cashed 13/9/22) |
| Total Grants Given: £2,500 | Grants Cashed £1,500 |
Although no official reserves policy currently exists, the Trustees of Ellen’s Gift of Hope are always mindful that we have sufficient funds to cover future costs involved in setting up and running events. Currently, the Trustees cover all costs, with 100% of funds donated to the charity. However, going forward the charity may take on this responsibility and careful consideration will be given to expenditure.
We will also be careful to ensure that when making grants, our bank balance is in a position to cover this expenditure, and that whilst we wish to help as many children as possible throughout our financial year, we always leave a reserve of £5,000 in the account as unforeseen costs may arise. Additionally, to prevent our funds becoming overly depleted, the Trustees of Ellen’s Gift of Hope will regularly top up funds by carrying out fundraising events and activities throughout the year.
We have no foreseeable overheads for the coming year in terms of staffing and premises since all of our trustees are unpaid volunteers. The registered address from which we run the charity is the home of our trustees, meaning there are no rental or utility costs involved. We anticipate continuing to operate in this way, meaning there will be minimal running costs once again for the year ahead.
The Trustees of Ellen’s Gift of Hope are optimistic that we will be in a position to fully commit to our charitable aims and objectives for the coming year. Our bank balance currently stands at £32,102, which is close to what we set out to achieve for the year. We hope to continue to fundraise and encourage more people to get involved, thereby easing the burden on the Trustees to deliver all activities.
We opened for Grant Applications from Nov 2022 and look forward to giving disabled children and community organisations, supporting sick and vulnerable children, a helping hand…..just as Ellen would have wanted. We hope to be the good in a child’s life and continue Ellen’s legacy with pride and honour.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the attached Trustees’ Report:
| Signature | On filed copy |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Delyth Samantha Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 11thAugust 2023 |
| Signature | On filed copy |
| Full Name | Graham Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 11thAugust 2023 |