2023-03-31-accounts - Let's Talk About Loss

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1st April 2022 To 31st March 2023

Charity name:

Let’s Talk About Loss

Charity registration number:

Registered Charity No. 1195258 (Charity Commission for England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC051599 (Scottish Charity Regulator)

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document

The objects of Let’s Talk About Loss are;

To relieve the suffering and isolation of persons aged 18-35 in the UK suffering from bereavement or loss by the provision of peer support and advice for such persons.

Charitable purpose 12; The relief of those in need, by reason of age and bereavement. This means giving recognition, support and time to a specific age range who have faced the loss of someone important to them.

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.

Meet ups (activities)
In total, we ran 146 meet ups during the year, with 1 new group starting in Cheltenham. This took us from 34 to 35 active groups across the UK.
This year we also ran themed meet ups , all hosted virtually on Zoom, for specific moments in time or types of loss. There were 5 of these meet ups, which focussed on sibling loss, grief and sobriety, Father’s Day, baby loss and grieving at Christmas
Finally, we continued our student meet up project, that we piloted during 2021-22, called ‘Students Talk About Loss’. The aim of this project is to bring our meet ups into university settings and specifically reach more

students who are grieving. Our first group is at London School of Economics and launched in September 2021. This meet up has been going well, but we have identified that we do not yet have capacity to grow this and expand to other universities. This remains part of our longer-term strategy.

Our Creative Writing About Loss group continued with a volunteer, Bridget Hamilton, running this. It continues to be really successful with regular Zoom meetings and people sharing their own creative writing frequently in the Facebook group. (activity)
Our Bereavement Book Club continued this year and increased the number of meetings with new committed volunteers. The group ran several successful book giveaways on our social media which helped grow the group. (activity)
On our blog , we published 18 posts during the year with a variety of advice and support for young grievers. We onboarded a new volunteer Blogs Assistant who supported editing and uploading new blogs, which greatly increased capacity. (activity)
We continued our three Advisory Boards which help us to learn from young grievers in under-served communities and be a truly user-led organisation. The three Advisory Boards focus on Racial Equity, Accessibility and LGBTQ+ communities. (project)
Launched this year was a further Executive Advisory Board, which gave the opportunity for keen and skilled volunteers a way to be involved in supporting the administration of Let’s Talk About Loss. We have four volunteers on this Board. (project)
We successfully closed our Rollercoaster Project , a Youth Board of 16-20 year olds from all across the UK. Funded by The Co-op Foundation, the project ran from January 2021 to January 2023. The primary output from the project was a podcast called ‘Persevering: Grief as told by Young People’, which was honoured with a British Podcast Award in summer 2023. (project)
We continued to ensure that all our volunteers completed mandatory safeguarding training and during the financial year, there was only one safeguarding report made, which was handled internally to a successful outcome. (service)
Social media - this continues to be the main way that people find out about Let’s Talk About Loss and we continue to publish engaging content for our target audience - a generation of scrollers! We published content year round, particularly acknowledging Black History Month with three weekend takeovers from influential black creators posts and also LGBTQ+ history month. We also worked with influencers and partners, for example publishing a video around

managing money when you’re bereaved with All Things Money and a video on making music as a way of processing grief with Sound of Daniel . (activity)

Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit

All trustees have had regard for the guidance provided by the Charity Commission , using the online resources on a number of occasions to aid the creation of processes and protocol.

Achievements and performance

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.

Elizabeth French was employed as Director on 31st January 2021 for 7 hours a week, and on 8th February 2023 this was increased to 14 hours a week, doubling the capacity of our Director to run the charity, as well as develop strategy.
During this year, the charity totalled over 60 volunteers with minimal turnover, all of whom have experience of losing someone at a young age. These volunteers served across a range of activities:
Blog management
Meet up hosting
Advisory board members
Host Coordinators, supporting our Hosts
Book Club and Creative Writing group facilitation
Men Talk About Loss campaign planning
Our book, Letters from the Grief Club, commissioned by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, was published in June 2022. It included over 50 contributions from young grievers and sold over 1,000 copies during this financial year with an amount of the publisher’s income coming to Let’s Talk About Loss (£787 during this financial year). We ran 1 virtual launch event with many contributors, and 4 in-person launch events in bookshops across the UK. The book was very well-received and we know it is being used by other grief organisations as a resource.
In January 2023 we started working with Taz Rasul, an equity and inclusion consultant, who helped us identify five communities who are underrepresented at Let’s Talk About Loss. Her work during this financial year marks the start of a

longer project, and will help Let’s Talk About Loss make practical changes that will make us a more inclusive and accessible organisation.

Throughout this financial year we were supported by two freelance Social Media Managers: Carys Evans (until June 2022) and Liesha Mapiye (January 2023 - June 2023), who helped us grow our social media presence. In particular we focussed on growing our Instagram presence and surpassed the milestone of 10,000 followers in early 2023.
Using a grant provided by Western Power Foundation , Let’s Talk About Loss hosted the ‘Big South West Meet Up’ in Exeter for young grievers in the South West of England to attend. This acted as both a standalone event and a pilot for future potential events in other areas of the UK. We invited Kris Hallenga (Founder of Coppafeel! ) as a speaker, and Man Yee Woo (British Sewing Bee finalist), Lucy Turner and Tom Stockley as workshop facilitators. All 30 of the attendees enjoyed the day and our feedback was positive, with 100% of participants stating that the event made them feel less alone in their grief.
Our Director Beth gave talks on grief at Satellites (a Christian youth festival). Vortexa (a software company) and Blue Sky Fostering (a fostering provider), fulfilling our mission to empower more people to talk about loss.
Fundraising
In total, we raised £32,255 during this financial year.
We were mostly reliant on grant funding. During this financial year the second instalment of the £20,000 grant from The Tudor Trust was pledged, though we did not receive the income until the 2023-24 financial year. This grant income was unrestricted meaning it could help cover core costs of the charity.
At the end of March 2023, we received £4,908 from Lush Wellness Fund . We had first applied for funding in 2020, but internal delays from Lush meant that we were not awarded funding until this financial year. Due to the delay, Lush removed any restrictions on the funding and therefore it was unrestricted funding.
We were delighted to be selected as a charity partner for Aroundtown , a real estate company working across Europe. As their UK charity partner, we received a donation of £10,472 in December 2022 which was unrestricted and was instrumental in boosting our reserves to cover core costs.
Big Picture Films Charity supported Let’s Talk About Loss with a one-off donation of £1,600 in August 2022, which was gratefully received.
LocalGiving gave Let’s Talk About Loss a grant of £500 for a ‘Men Talk About Loss campaign event’. This will happen during the 2023-24 financial year.
Our Newcastle meet up group received restricted funding for their meet up activities totalling £366, which was primarily used to book venues and cover the costs of activities to help us make our meet ups as cheap as possible and therefore more accessible.
Some individuals have done one-off physical challenges to raise money for Let’s Talk About Loss, some beneficiaries and others not. Examples of fundraising activities this year were a cycling challenge, two runners at the Bristol Half-Marathon and a skydive.
Product sales brought in just over £500 of income during this financial year, primarily this was our bereavement cards, but also included Christmas cards, tote bags and a small number of our book Letters from the Grief Club sold at in-person events.
We continue to have a small number of supporters who give on a monthly basis, for whom we are incredibly grateful.

Structure, Governance and Management

Type of governing document CIO - FOUNDATION

How is the charity constituted?

CIO

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

Trustees are selected for experience and skills needed on the board, as well as knowledge and interest in the objectives.

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name

Let’s Talk About Loss

Other name the charity uses

Registered charity number 1195258

Charity’s principal address

Linden Gate, Clifton Down Road, Bristol, BS8 4AH

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year
Katherine Moreton	Chair
Deborah Bradley	Treasurer
Jonathan Salmon	NA
Rohit Sagoo	NA
Rebecca Field	NA
Amy Lambert	NA
Sanisha Wynter	NA

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)	Katherine Moreton
Full name(s)	Katherine Moreton
Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)	Chair

LET'S TALK ABOUT LOSS

CIO No: 1195258

Receipts and payments accounts

CC16a

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/04/2022 31/03/2023

Section A Receipts and payments

A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 4,858 - 5,000 5,383 1,347 452 10,478 3,871 - - - - - 31,389 - - - 31,389 - 8 - 216 5,533 - 2,443 3,643 - 8 10,235 - 690 201 925 23,902 - - - 23,902 7,487 9,413 22,723 39,623	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - 366 - - - - - 500 - - - 866 - - - 866 - - - - 4,548 - - - - - 360 - - - 4,908 - - - 4,908 - 4,042 - 9,413 13,955 500	Total funds to the nearest £ 4,858 366 5,000 5,383 1,347 452 10,478 3,871 - - 500 - - - 32,255 - - - 32,255 - 8 - 216 10,081 - 2,443 3,643 - 8 10,595 - 690 201 925 28,810 - - - 28,810 3,445	Last year to the nearest £
Lush Foundation	4,858			-
Proctor and Gamble	-			-
WESTERN POWER FOUNDATION	5,000			-
DONATIONS	5,383			9,761
PRODUCT SALES	1,347			3,339
WORKSHIPS/TALKS/MISC INCOME	452			363
CORPORATE FUNDRAISING	10,478			-
COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING	3,871			-
BETSY FOUNDATION	-			5,000
CO-OP #Iwill BEREAVEMENT Grant				10,000
MAGIC LITTLE GRANTS	-			500
NATIONAL SURVIVOR	-			550
TUDOR TRUST	-			10,000
VELANDIA	-			2,500
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	31,389			42,013

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-			-
*Sub total*	-			-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
				42,013

OFFICE	-			-
TRAVEL	8			67
COST OF GOODS	-			1,125
POSTAGE	216			110
COST OF LOCAL GROUPS & EVENTS	5,533			794
ADVERTISING	-			1,064
COMMUNICATIONS(EMAIL/WEBSITE)	2,443			1,390
TRUSTEE EXPENSES, VOLUNTEER TRAINING AND MEETINGS	3,643			2,455
TALKS	-			1,300
MISC	8			1,128
WAGES	10,235			4,105
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR	-			5,627
FUNDRAISING	690
INSURANCE	201			188
GOVERNANCE	925			-
**Sub total **	23,902			19,353

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-
	-
**Sub total **	-			-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
				19,353

	7,487	- 4,042	3,445	22,660
	9,413	- 9,413	-	-
	22,723	13,955	36,678	14,018
	39,623	500	40,123	36,678

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

21/12/2023

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) CURRENT ACCOUNTS Pre-paid card balance Petty Cash Details Details Association of chairs Training and annual fee Details HMRC - PAYE for Jan, Feb and March Payroll. Accountancy and Independent examination fee Signature	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 39,623 500 - - - - 39,623 500 OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) Unrestricted 744 Unrestricted 960 Unrestricted 90 - - Print Name Katherine Moreton	Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			When due (optional)
			20 April 2023
			31st December 2023
			3rd April 2023



			Date of approval
		Katherine Moreton	22/12/23

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

21/12/2023

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Charity Name Let’s Talk About Loss members of On accounts for the year 31[st] March 2023 Charity no 1195258 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1-2 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2023 .

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Date: 21[st] December 2023 Name: Janice Willis FCCA Relevant professional Association of Chartered Certified Accountants qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Eleve11 Consulting T/A Cloud Eleven Accountants Palamos House, 66-67 High St, Lymington Hampshire, SO41 9AL

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

October 2018

IER

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

October 2018

IER