Trustees Annual Report for the
Accounting Period
1[st] November 2024 to
31[st] Oct 2025
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
Trustee Name: Abbey 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:
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 5th year, the charity aimed to raise up to £12,000 from donations and fundraising events. However, the charity is now covering all overheads and event costs, therefore profits will be distributed as grants.
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 2024/2025 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.
In 2025, our focus was to raise the charity’s profile through community events, culminating in our 80’s Disco which attracted lots of new attendees.
Our special thanks go to the following supporters for their valued contributions:
| Delyth & Graham Raffell Donations | £115 |
|---|---|
| Scott Robinson & Rugby Club (Movember) | £315 |
| Freedom for Kids Ltd(One-off Donation) | £60000 |
| N Ednan-Laperhouse Donation | £1000 |
| Sandra Raffell (Ellen’s Birthday & Christmas) | £80 |
| A Woodward | £25 |
| Pat Armstrong (Melvin Armstrong Funeral) | £585 |
| Zoe Harmeston Donation | £447 |
| J Allen Donation | £100 |
| Sharon Paton (Ross Longley Funeral) | £255 |
| Stephen Henderson | £50 |
| John Young | £20 |
| Abbie Taylor Newbiggin | £900 |
Achievements and Performance
In the 5th 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 £7,816 by carrying out fundraising events, through sponsored activities and individual donations. Freedom for Kids Ltd made a one-off corporate donation of £60,000. 50% of this donation is to cover administrative, book publishing/marketing and the employment of a Grants Administrator and 50% is unrestricted for grant giving to individuals/community orgs.
We ran a number of events over the year including our 80’s Disco, which was a roaring success and attracted many first-time attendees. We raised £891.83 during the event and promoted the charity for future events. Once again Scott Robinson encouraged his friends to grow a moustache for ‘Movember’ and raised £315.
Our Christmas Quiz (2024) is always a popular event with high attendance and lots of fun. David Humes & Delyth Raffell were fabulous quiz master’s with a special star themed round! During the event we raised £1205 by selling event tickets and raffle tickets. In August 2025 we had our gazebo at Family Fun Day at Blyth Rugby Club on August bank holiday weekend which raised a further £532.
3[rd] Party Donations totalled £349 from EasyFundraising – they donate a % of online sales and £680 from Paypal fundraising.
Donations and fundraising Grand Total was £67,816 , an increase on the previous year due to the large corporate donation. We ran fewer events as this year, concentrating on promoting our charity to a wider audience via the media, i.e. Facebook, YouTube, Radio Newcastle, Koast Radio and the Evening Chronicle.
Grant-Giving Activities
We provided 15 families with specialist pushchairs totalling £14355 and one family a specialist bike trailer costing £1654. This year we introduced or Ellen’s Little Star Lifetime Award which is a £5000 grant given out to a child who requires longer term care. This year £5000 was awarded to Sophia Welsh who has faced life battle after life battle since she was born. She’s a full-time wheelchair user with a range of complex health needs including intestinal failure requiring TPN nutrition via a central line into her heart each night for 12 hours. She has a VA shunt due to her hydrocephalus, an ileostomy stoma, an unsafe swallow, congenital heart disease and epilepsy.
Looking ahead to 2025/26, 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 but sadly, this was taken down by a hacker and we were unable to recover the information. We started a new Facebook page and we are continuing 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 2024/25 in what are still challenging economic times. With a healthy bank balance of £94,596 we remain in a strong position to make a positive contribution to the lives of disabled children across Northumberland, Newcastle, and North Tyneside.
We have moved £85,000 to a higher interest account to maximise our returns and ensure the funds are working as efficiently as possible for the charity.
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 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.
We are keen to encourage girls into a career in science and on 18th July 2025, the fourth Ellen Raffell Space Scientist Award was given out on Bede Academy’s Presentation Day to Isabel Rochester, who plans a career as a vet. 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!
For the next two years, Delyth will be working on a memoir called ‘She Speaks In Colours’ which is intended to be published in 2027 with all writer’s profits donated to Ellen’s charity. As part of this we will undertake a book tour with readings and signing held in various locations in the region and further afield.
We are therefore scaling back our involvement in fundraising events; however we are encouraging others to fundraise on our behalf. Currently, we have planned a third Christmas Quiz as this is less timeconsuming than our larger scale events and is extremely popular, however still brings in a reasonable amount. We also aim to have five places in the Great North Run and a Line dancing event planned.
Expenditure
In 2024/25 we incurred some expenses for both fundraising activities and administration. The Trustees continue to make monthly donations to help towards costs. A total of £1448 was spent on promotional activities and décor for events and £109 on Event Insurance and a Small Lottery Licence.
Financial Review
The charity bank account balance as at 31[st] October 2025 was £94596.80. A float of £50 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 2024 to 31st October 2025 |
|
| OpeningBalance as at 1/11/2024 | £49434.43 |
| Total Income | £68146.20 |
| Total Gifts Given | £21009 |
| Expenditure on FundraisingEvents | £1448.58 |
| Expenditure on Administration | £526.45 |
| ClosingBalance at 31/10/25 | £94596.60 |
| Summary of Income for the Accounting Period 1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025 |
|
| Events & Activities | |
| XmasQuiz | £1206(Tickets / Raffle) |
| 80’s Disco | £892(Tickets/Raffle) |
| RugbyClub FamilyFun Day | £532(Tombola/Raffle) |
| SponsorshipMovember | £315 |
| Sub-total | £2,945 |
| Sales Merchandise | £0 |
| Sub-total | £0 |
| Interest on Savings Account | £474 |
| Sub-total | £474 |
| Donations | |
| Cash Donations | £3697 |
| Easyfundraising&paypal | £1030 |
| Corporate Donors | |
| Freedom for Kids Ltd | £60000(One-off donation) |
| Sub-total | £64,727 |
| Grand Total | £68,146 |
| Summary of Grants given for the Accounting Period 1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025 |
|
| Grants made to individual children | 15 x Specialist Pushchairs funded £14355 1 x Specialist Bike funded £1654 1 x Ellen’s Star Award – Sophia Welsh £5000 |
| Total Grants Given: £21009 | Grants Cashed £21009 |
Reserves & Other Expenditure
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 some of the costs of fundraising activities, this year the charity have taken 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 able 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 are planning to appoint Wendy McGuigan to an administrative role in April 2026. This will strengthen to the organisation capacity and support the continuity and development of our core work. This year we have set aside funds from the charity to cover Wendy McGuigan’s role till end November 2027 and to support the publication of the “She Speaks in Colours” book.
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 £60,000 for Ellen’s Gift of Hope by the end of 2025 and we actually achieved a cumulative total of £63,515 . Our bank balance currently stands at £94,596 . In 2026 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 1st 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 | 2025 |
| Signature | On filed copy |
| Full Name | Graham Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 2025 |
| Signature | On Filed Copy |
| Full Name | Abbey Hope Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 2025 |
Trustees Annual Report for the
Accounting Period
1[st] November 2024 to
31[st] Oct 2025
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
Trustee Name: Abbey 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:
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 5th year, the charity aimed to raise up to £12,000 from donations and fundraising events. However, the charity is now covering all overheads and event costs, therefore profits will be distributed as grants.
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 2024/2025 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.
In 2025, our focus was to raise the charity’s profile through community events, culminating in our 80’s Disco which attracted lots of new attendees.
Our special thanks go to the following supporters for their valued contributions:
| Delyth & Graham Raffell Donations | £115 |
|---|---|
| Scott Robinson & Rugby Club (Movember) | £315 |
| Freedom for Kids Ltd(One-off Donation) | £60000 |
| N Ednan-Laperhouse Donation | £1000 |
| Sandra Raffell (Ellen’s Birthday & Christmas) | £80 |
| A Woodward | £25 |
| Pat Armstrong (Melvin Armstrong Funeral) | £585 |
| Zoe Harmeston Donation | £447 |
| J Allen Donation | £100 |
| Sharon Paton (Ross Longley Funeral) | £255 |
| Stephen Henderson | £50 |
| John Young | £20 |
| Abbie Taylor Newbiggin | £900 |
Achievements and Performance
In the 5th 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 £7,816 by carrying out fundraising events, through sponsored activities and individual donations. Freedom for Kids Ltd made a one-off corporate donation of £60,000. 50% of this donation is to cover administrative, book publishing/marketing and the employment of a Grants Administrator and 50% is unrestricted for grant giving to individuals/community orgs.
We ran a number of events over the year including our 80’s Disco, which was a roaring success and attracted many first-time attendees. We raised £891.83 during the event and promoted the charity for future events. Once again Scott Robinson encouraged his friends to grow a moustache for ‘Movember’ and raised £315.
Our Christmas Quiz (2024) is always a popular event with high attendance and lots of fun. David Humes & Delyth Raffell were fabulous quiz master’s with a special star themed round! During the event we raised £1205 by selling event tickets and raffle tickets. In August 2025 we had our gazebo at Family Fun Day at Blyth Rugby Club on August bank holiday weekend which raised a further £532.
3[rd] Party Donations totalled £349 from EasyFundraising – they donate a % of online sales and £680 from Paypal fundraising.
Donations and fundraising Grand Total was £67,816 , an increase on the previous year due to the large corporate donation. We ran fewer events as this year, concentrating on promoting our charity to a wider audience via the media, i.e. Facebook, YouTube, Radio Newcastle, Koast Radio and the Evening Chronicle.
Grant-Giving Activities
We provided 15 families with specialist pushchairs totalling £14355 and one family a specialist bike trailer costing £1654. This year we introduced or Ellen’s Little Star Lifetime Award which is a £5000 grant given out to a child who requires longer term care. This year £5000 was awarded to Sophia Welsh who has faced life battle after life battle since she was born. She’s a full-time wheelchair user with a range of complex health needs including intestinal failure requiring TPN nutrition via a central line into her heart each night for 12 hours. She has a VA shunt due to her hydrocephalus, an ileostomy stoma, an unsafe swallow, congenital heart disease and epilepsy.
Looking ahead to 2025/26, 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 but sadly, this was taken down by a hacker and we were unable to recover the information. We started a new Facebook page and we are continuing 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 2024/25 in what are still challenging economic times. With a healthy bank balance of £94,596 we remain in a strong position to make a positive contribution to the lives of disabled children across Northumberland, Newcastle, and North Tyneside.
We have moved £85,000 to a higher interest account to maximise our returns and ensure the funds are working as efficiently as possible for the charity.
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 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.
We are keen to encourage girls into a career in science and on 18th July 2025, the fourth Ellen Raffell Space Scientist Award was given out on Bede Academy’s Presentation Day to Isabel Rochester, who plans a career as a vet. 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!
For the next two years, Delyth will be working on a memoir called ‘She Speaks In Colours’ which is intended to be published in 2027 with all writer’s profits donated to Ellen’s charity. As part of this we will undertake a book tour with readings and signing held in various locations in the region and further afield.
We are therefore scaling back our involvement in fundraising events; however we are encouraging others to fundraise on our behalf. Currently, we have planned a third Christmas Quiz as this is less timeconsuming than our larger scale events and is extremely popular, however still brings in a reasonable amount. We also aim to have five places in the Great North Run and a Line dancing event planned.
Expenditure
In 2024/25 we incurred some expenses for both fundraising activities and administration. The Trustees continue to make monthly donations to help towards costs. A total of £1448 was spent on promotional activities and décor for events and £109 on Event Insurance and a Small Lottery Licence.
Financial Review
The charity bank account balance as at 31[st] October 2025 was £94596.80. A float of £50 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 2024 to 31st October 2025 |
|
| OpeningBalance as at 1/11/2024 | £49434.43 |
| Total Income | £68146.20 |
| Total Gifts Given | £21009 |
| Expenditure on FundraisingEvents | £1448.58 |
| Expenditure on Administration | £526.45 |
| ClosingBalance at 31/10/25 | £94596.60 |
| Summary of Income for the Accounting Period 1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025 |
|
| Events & Activities | |
| XmasQuiz | £1206(Tickets / Raffle) |
| 80’s Disco | £892(Tickets/Raffle) |
| RugbyClub FamilyFun Day | £532(Tombola/Raffle) |
| SponsorshipMovember | £315 |
| Sub-total | £2,945 |
| Sales Merchandise | £0 |
| Sub-total | £0 |
| Interest on Savings Account | £474 |
| Sub-total | £474 |
| Donations | |
| Cash Donations | £3697 |
| Easyfundraising&paypal | £1030 |
| Corporate Donors | |
| Freedom for Kids Ltd | £60000(One-off donation) |
| Sub-total | £64,727 |
| Grand Total | £68,146 |
| Summary of Grants given for the Accounting Period 1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025 |
|
| Grants made to individual children | 15 x Specialist Pushchairs funded £14355 1 x Specialist Bike funded £1654 1 x Ellen’s Star Award – Sophia Welsh £5000 |
| Total Grants Given: £21009 | Grants Cashed £21009 |
Reserves & Other Expenditure
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 some of the costs of fundraising activities, this year the charity have taken 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 able 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 are planning to appoint Wendy McGuigan to an administrative role in April 2026. This will strengthen to the organisation capacity and support the continuity and development of our core work. This year we have set aside funds from the charity to cover Wendy McGuigan’s role till end November 2027 and to support the publication of the “She Speaks in Colours” book.
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 £60,000 for Ellen’s Gift of Hope by the end of 2025 and we actually achieved a cumulative total of £63,515 . Our bank balance currently stands at £94,596 . In 2026 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 1st 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 | 2025 |
| Signature | On filed copy |
| Full Name | Graham Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 2025 |
| Signature | On Filed Copy |
| Full Name | Abbey Hope Raffell |
| Position within Charity | Trustee |
| Date | 2025 |
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF
ELLEN’S GIFT OF HOPE
Registered Charity Number: 1192108
Ellen’s Gift of Hope (the charity) for the year ended 31[st] October 2025.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND BASIS OF REPORT
As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
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
come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required
by section 130 of the Act; or
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 financial statements
to be reached.
SIGNED:
Name: Jamie McDonald
Address: 44 Astley Road, Seaton Delaval, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear. NE25 0DG
Date: 3[rd] June 2026