**LAMBS Charity Annual Report 2023-2024** The Trustees and Chair of Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support (LAMBS) Charity present their annual report and audited accounts for the year ended 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. As a small charity below the Charities audit threshold, this report focuses on the main activities undertaken by the charity. ## **Charity Details** **Charity Name** : Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support (LAMBS) **Address** : 62A Mill Lane, Lincoln LN6 9PD **Telephone number:** 07784 868690 **E-Mail:** info@lambscharity.org **Website:** www.lambscharity.org **Charity Reg. No:** 1194960 ## **Our vision** |**Our Vision**|Our vision is to help support families in
Lincolnshire by providing practical
support to meet immediate needs,
helping parents and children seize every
opportunityto flourish.| |---|---| |**Our Mission Statement**|To ensure that children and their
families or carers, who are most in need,
benefit from the funding we have to
offer.| |**Our Values**|Families are at the heart of our work| |**Our Activities**|Provide practical support to meet
families immediate practical needs,
working with the wider community and
organisations.| ## **Review of activities and achievements** During 2024 we continued to deliver care packages to parents/carers to help support them during a difficult period. These were again delivered on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas Day to the Neonatal units in Boston and Lincoln. Toiletry supplies for those having to stay with their sick babies were donated too. Future projects for 2024-25 include, but not limited to facilities or equipment – Providing practical items for babies/children within the community and vulnerable families. Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support Reg. 1194960 ## **LAMBS Charity Annual Report 2023-2024** We will not accept restricted funds based on discrimination towards any characteristic set about within the Equalities Act 2010. For any business or group that wants to donate we will look at the donor and see if their vision and values are in line with that of our charity and the charity commission. The Facebook page and website remains active and we have started a Just Giving page. ## **Running the Organisation** |**Board of Trustees**|| |---|---| |Mrs Claire Gartland|Chair| |Mrs Joanna Vickers|Secretary/Treasurer| |Mr John Stacey|Social Media/Marketing| |Mrs Amanda Pike|Social media/Marketing| The chair and Trustees meet four times a year and more meetings can be held as required. Communication with Trustees and Chair is mainly by online contact. The Treasurer is responsible for keeping adequate accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## **Strategy for 2024** Our strategy in support of our objectives are: - ➢ To work closely with organisations across Lincolnshire to receive funding and provide a rapid response to high priority funding cases that are made through our application process. - ➢ To identify the ongoing needs of our beneficiaries through direct communication with families and organisations. - ➢ To have in place our marketing strategy. - ➢ To ensure relevant policies and procedures are in place. - ➢ To work to create a volunteer network. - ➢ To diversify our fundraising committees, income streams and supporter base. - ➢ To grow our income from corporate supporters. - ➢ To grant wishes that may exceed expectations. - ➢ To find innovative ways to secure funding. - ➢ To raise our profile by growing our social media platforms. - ➢ To continue to provide Care packages for families within the Maternity and Neonatal service. - ➢ Each financial year publish an annual report and financial report detailing our income and expenditure. - ➢ To have clear policies and procedures in place. Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support Reg. 1194960 **LAMBS Charity Annual Report 2023-2024** ## **Fundraising Strategy/Promoting and Advertising** We aim in 2024-25 to: - ➢ Select the most effective campaigning activity or combination of campaigning activities to achieve our ends. - ➢ Build partnerships with the public and other organisations. |**Marketing**|||| |---|---|---|---| |**Action**|**Impact**|**Steps/Timeline**|| |Website
maintained|Clear and accurate
representation of
our Charity.
- Targeted
messages for range
of audiences.
- Increased
potential to
introduce new
volunteers and
beneficiaries to the
charity|- Monitor website
hits and activity to
understand market|Website developed but
require support to maintain,
sustain and further develop.
Would like to introduce
regular blogs, possibly hear
from those that have
received care packages from
the charity.| |Promotional
Leaflet/flyer has
been produced and
added to any care
packages.|Clear and accurate
representation of
our services.
- Targeted
messages for range
of audiences.
- Increased
potential to
introduce new
volunteers and
beneficiaries to the
Charity|Compile and
distribute leaflets
Completed.|These are available on the
neonatal units in the family
rooms, and are always
included in our care
packages.| |Maintain social
mediapresence|||Social media online presence
inplace.| |Develop links
within the
community|A good relationship
with the staff on
the neonatal units.||| |Recruitment of
volunteers|Recruitment of
volunteers for
specificprojects|- needing to recruit
more volunteers|| |Actively seek and
request donations
from large
organisations.|Supports charity to
achieve large
funding
opportunities|Target businesses in
Lincolnshire, lottery
funding.|ongoing| Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support Reg. 1194960 ## **LAMBS Charity Annual Report 2023-2024** |Recruit
new/additional
trustees|- New insights and
ideas for the
project.
- Successor(s) in
place to allow for
retirement age of
existing Trustees.|- Continue to
network with local
organisations who
may have an interest
in a role on the
Committee.
- Ongoing: Review
annually.|Require new Trustees.| |---|---|---|---| ## **Volunteers** In the first three years the charity aimed to build a team of volunteers to support fund raising, ensuring that safeguarding requirements are met. The charity hopes to gain from more volunteer involvement – they bring a fresh pair of eyes and new skills. In turn we endeavour to provide experience of working with a charity to enable those volunteers to pursue their own career and life plans. Specific ventures within their scope of skills are given to volunteers to ensure clarity of their role. On recruitment they are given an introductory pack and be provided with the LAMBS Charity policies to which they will be required to work within, and a code of conduct agreement is signed. Support and supervision for the volunteers is undertaken, by a named Trustee. We monitor fundraisers, volunteers and third parties working with us to raise funds, to ensure that they comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice. We would like to thank our current volunteers who work so hard for the charity. ## **Financial Report** ## **Income: £440.50** ## **Outgoings: £1088.19** Care items: £807.39 Consumables: £160.80 Marketing £120 Any items purchased for packs that have not yet been issued to hospital services have been retained for future use. These items are stored at the registered address. Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support Reg. 1194960 **LAMBS Charity Annual Report 2023-2024** ## **Risk Assessment** **Strengths** Low financial outgoings Experienced Trustees from differing backgrounds with social media experience, life experiences and work experiences. ## **Opportunities** Well established links in the community and with Health Care organisations. Scope for development due to appeal of charity. Scope for schools, organisations, services to adopt charity. ## **Weaknesses** Limited financial resources at the outset, require more support with additional volunteers and Trustees. Limited time due to additional work and personal commitments. ## **Threats** Competition with existing charities. Current financial climate. Claire Gartland - Chair Jo Vickers - Secretary Jon Stacey - Marketing March 2025 Lincolnshire Area Maternity and Birth Support Reg. 1194960