Trustees Annual Report for the
Accounting Period
1[st] November 2022 to
31[st] Oct 2023
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 3rd 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 2021/2022 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 supporters for their valued contributions:
| Karen Norris (Used to purchase Charity Gazebo) | £1014 |
|---|---|
| Mason Partners (Donation for use of X-Rover) | £1000 |
| Delyth & Graham Raffell Donations | £1575 |
| Scott Robinson & Rugby Club (‘Movember) | £560 |
| Colin Wilson – Lifelong Financial Planning Ltd | £500 |
| Steve Hornsby, Capita Donation | £250 |
| Sandra Raffell (Ellen’s Birthday & Christmas) | £100 |
| Anne Woodward | £50 |
Achievements and Performance
In the 3rd year of Ellen’s Gift of Hope charity, we focused on fundraising, and now with the pandemic behind us, we are delighted to have raised a total of £18,424 by carrying out fundraising events, through sponsored activities and generous donations from corporate sponsors and individual supporters.
We ran a number of events over the year including Stargazer, an evening of music with Jesse Terry in memory of Ellen with the song ‘Stargazer’ dedicated to her. We also had an amazing Auction and we raised £2,565 in this financial year (the overall total was £3,700 split over the two periods). Once again Scott Robinson encouraged his friends to grow a moustache for ‘Movember’ and raised £560.
In our 2[nd] year taking part in The Great North Run, our 7 runners did very well with funds from the previous and this year coming in during the 2022/23 year, a staggering total of £4,128.50. Massive thanks to all the runners over the two years, it’s no mean feat running 13 miles in blistering heat and torrential rain!
In Spring 2023 we had a Bonkaz Bingo night which was one of the craziest things we’ve ever done and it was a huge success raising £1,806. We also had our gazebo at Ridley Park’s Easter Day and the King’s Coronation, which saw a combined fundraising of £1,234 and a Family Fun Day at Blyth Rugby Club in Aug raised a further £348. As Halloween comes at the end of our financial year, we saw £290 in advance ticket sales with the main funds being brought in the following year.
3[rd] Party Donations increased to £2,737 from JustGiving, Paypal, Amazon Smile and EasyFundraising.
Donations and fundraising Grand Total was £18,423 , an increase of £7,000 on the previous year, so another successful year despite the cost of living crisis still affecting many households.
Grant-Giving Activities
We gave out 4 Community Grants during this financial year; RVI PICU £1000 (given in previous year but only cashed this year), £500 to the ‘Hand of’ Charity ran a Rigg and Furrow Project – a music workshop for disabled and vulnerable children across Northumberland. Three children received specialist pushchairs thanks to a corporate donor, in Blyth, Newcastle and North Tyneside. Looking ahead to 2023/24, our focus remains 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. Sadly, this was taken down by a hacker and we were unable to recover the information. We have started a new Facebook page and hope to grow this over time. 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. We need to start sharing the impact on the local community.
In summary, we are enormously proud of how we have performed as a charity in 2022/23 in what are challenging economic times. With a healthy bank balance of £47,200 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 each and every one of our supporters and praise our volunteer fundraisers ‘Ellen’s Angels’ who were recruited at the end of 2023 and who will be vital to the continued success of Ellen’s Gift of Hope. Thanks to Karen Norris, Rosemary Rennie, Wendy McGuigan, Sharon Stafford (both of you!), Pat Armstrong, Deborah Charlton, Dawn Robinson, Alison McGuigan and Ellen’s Aunties Declan Baharini and Cleo Gregory who join Delyth, Graham and Abbey Raffell.
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. Continuing our involvement with Dr Andrew Bright and the BeatAnaphylaxis project, we made a series of short films with him and Winter Media. The official launch of the new BeatAnaphylaxis website took place in Spring 2023 and we attended the launch of Ellen’s Story at the Great North Children’s Hospital which was covered by the local press and radio.
We keep our Facebook content interesting and engaging, thereby encouraging new followers. Posts include news related to Ellen’s interests such her love of music and every month a new poem is written by Delyth Raffell and shared on the page.
Ellen was entered into a Radio 2 Competition ‘21[st] Century Folk’ and was one of 5 lucky winners to be chosen to have a unique song written for them by a musician. We were very honoured to be matched with Thea Gilmore, a wonderful singer/songwriter and she penned ‘She Speaks In Colours’, a truly beautiful song which means more than words can say. The family were featured on The One Show and Delyth gave interviews to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 and Anna Foster on Radio Newcastle. Delyth is writing a book about Ellen and hope ‘She Speaks In Colours’ will be published in 2025 with proceeds donated to Ellen’s charity.
We are keen to encourage girls into a career in science and on 19th July 2023, the second Ellen Raffell Space Scientist Award was given out on Bede Academy’s Presentation Day to Ayisha Bayram, who plans a career in Medicine. We’re proud to support such inspiring young women in Ellen’s memory and know they will go on to change the world for the better. Well Done!
Our fundraising events for 2022/23 were well attended with around 100 people at Stargazer and 85 at Bonkaz Bingo. In what will be Ellen’s 21[st] Birthday Year and the 5[th] Anniversary, we plan to host a big celebration and more unique events with a fun atmosphere to help promote the charity and raise funds.
Expenditure
In 2022/23 we started to incur some expenses for both fundraising activities and administration. The Trustees make monthly donations to cover these costs. A total of £1,715 was spent on promotional activities and décor for events and £113 on Event Insurance and a Small Lottery Licence.
Financial Review
The charity bank account balance as at 31[st] October 2023 was £47,197.08. 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 2022 to 31st October 2023 |
|
| OpeningBalance as at 1/11/2022 | £32,102 |
| Total Income | £18,423 |
| Total Gifts Given | £1,500 |
| Expenditure on FundraisingEvents | £1,715 |
| Expenditure on Administration | £113 |
| ClosingBalance at 31/10/23 | £47,197 |
Summary of Income for the Accounting Period 1[st] November 2022 to 31[st] October 2023
| Summary of Income for the Accounting Period 1st November 2022 to 31st October 2023 |
Summary of Income for the Accounting Period 1st November 2022 to 31st October 2023 |
|---|---|
| Events & Activities | |
| Stargazer | £2,565(£960 Tickets,£1385 Auction,£220 Donations) |
| Halloween(Oct 2022/Banked Nov) | £290(£225 Tickets,£65 Donations) |
| Easter FamilyFun Day | £813(£690 Tombola,£123 Donations) |
| Kings Coronation | £421(£372 Tombola,£49 Donations) |
| Bonkaz Bingo | £1,806(£1275 Tickets,£430 Raffle,£131 Donations, |
| RugbyClub FamilyFun Day | £348(£303 Tombola,£45 Donations |
| Great North Run | £4,128(Sponsorship) |
| SponsorshipMovember | £560 |
| Sub-total | £10,931 |
| Sales Merchandise | |
| StarryNight Christmas Cards | £115 |
| Sub-total | £11,046 |
| Donations | |
| Cash Donations | £2,890 |
| JustGiving | £1,679 |
| Paypal GivingFund | £445 |
| Smile.Amazon | £119 |
| Easyfundraising | £194 |
| Charitable Giving | £300 |
| Capita Plc | £250 |
| LifelongFinancial Planning | £500 |
| Mason’s Partners Lawyers | £1,000 |
| Sub-total | £7,377 |
| Grand Total | £18,423 |
| Summary of Grants given for the Accounting Period 1st November 2022 to 31st October 2023 |
|
| Grants made to individual children | 3 x Specialist Pushchairs funded directlybyCorporate Sponsor |
| Grants made to Organisations 24/10/23 (cashed) CV0001 PICU RVI 06/04/23 Hand of(Rigg& Furrow Project) |
£1000 £500 |
| Total Grants Given: £1,500 | 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 make personal charitable donations to cover the costs of fundraising activities and admin. 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. We aimed to raise £50,000 for Ellen’s Gift of Hope by the end of 2023 and we actually achieved a cumulative total of £52,025. Our bank balance currently stands at £47,197. In 2024 we hope to continue out fundraising efforts and as we now have more people to get involved, this should be of great help to the Trustees in aiding to deliver the activities and events.
We opened for Grant Applications on Nov 1[st] 2022 and have given a few grants to 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 | 15thAugust 2024 |
| Signature | On filed copy |
| Full Name | Graham Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 15thAugust 2024 |