30 Balmoral Place, Thornton Village, Cleveleys FY5 5HU - Tel 07506106853 Charity Registration Number 1195961 ## Trustees Annual Report For Period 29th September st – 2022 31 December 2023 President – Mr Len Curtis MBE Chairlady – Mrs Michelle Carter nee Atherton Board – Pauline Hernen - Keith Carter - - David Bannister - - Allison Major - - Karen Murphy - - Gordon Major Bankers - NatWest Plc Victoria Square Thornton Cleveleys FY5 3LZ ## Structure, Governance and Management Mrs Michelle Carter Founder and Chairlady has been chairing throughout the year , along with vice chair Pauline Hernen, Secretary Mark Spragg during this year has had several major health problems as well has direct family serious issues to deal with although Mark is very much still with Kindness Counts uk he is unable to take on the day to day responsibility a secretaries role requires and so Mrs Geraldene Greenhalgh has step into this role while he deals with this. Our Business Manager David Bannister, has also been dealing with his cancer but feel its Kindness counts uk that’s keeps him going and is very much keen for the community hub to be finished and up and running helping our ever growing NHS mental health waiting list being reduced with our counselling and sensory room resources. This is what our general public have been requesting from us and it was in our planning for next year 2025, however with the recent young suicides and attempted suicide we felt we had no choice but to bring it forward as quickly as possible. We have now sourced the Kindness Community Hub from a lovely lady within our local area who whole heartedly believe in our cause, Kindness Counts uk will now be able to supply resources to our schools its been asking for, the pastoral leads can now make use of the counselling and sensory rooms along with the function room by the usual way of the Grant Request forms they already use. We also have other member and volunteers who we could not manage without who help with the running of fundraising and crafting, crocheting, and knitting of merchandise for events, and group that can now meet within the Community Hub. The day to day running of the charity is carried out by the board then passed down regularly to the other trustees and volunteers. We do not have anyone at kindness counts uk that draws a wage from the charity we all do the work totally voluntary. ## Volunteers Without our dedicated team of volunteers, the organisation simply could not exist. They provide support across all areas of kindness counts uk in fundraising, crafting collection tins and recycling. This year we are also supporting from our Community Hub:- - Blue Skies - Food Bank - Homeless Hounds And we have room for two more non- profit charities yet to be chosen. ## Review of Risks The broad along with Mrs Alison Major our Safe Guarding Officer review any new risks that may present themselves both within events and the day to day running of the charity itself, and within the community hub, if any risk is identified and cannot be rectified immediately a board meeting will be called and measure put into place with any given situation halted until our safe guarding officer is satisfied all policies and procedure are adhered too. ## ves and actvites Object - Promote Awareness of Kindness Counts Uk - Reduce young suicide through resources provided - Reduce self-Harming through resources provided - Raise Funds to supply grants/resources to schools and communities for anti-bullying resources repetitive kindness making children more aware of how unkind behaviour affects others. - Use our social media plate to spread kindness awareness and discourage unkind and anti-social behaviour within schools and communities to promote good mental health. This is what we have set out within our governing document. The charity’s 3 year business plan is to translate these objectives into a vision that become reality, along with going further with public request which are:- - A Kindness counts uk safe hub, bringing local charities working together. - Grow our youth champions within schools, our extensive research shows 86% of children turn to another child NOT an adult or teacher . - Bringing schools, businesses, and communities as one in kindness, so that the businesses around each school support it. This we now have managed to do today our Community Hub is nearly open the builders are in and the doors will open September 2024, and we are overwhelmed how local businesses and the community have come together to support it. Whilst our charity grows from strength to strength making a kinder community through the resources we provide. We have now achieved a level of confidence in our youth champions, even the victims of bullying to speak at local charity events like the freemasons giving day in front of large audiences. They will take this confidences forward to help other victims of bullying within their school environment. One young lady saying to her counsellor “Kindness Counts uk Saved her life”. We are in regular contact with our schools so that we know as much as we are able that our resources are being used to the best possible outcome and that our youth champion can see that if they need more from us we are there to help and provide the funding for resources as soon as physically possible and they become available to us. This year alone (2024) we have acquired even more schools 6 in total and another 22 youth champions . We also pride ourselves in becoming the Charity of a secondary school for the next 5 years. ## Achievements Against Objectves Set We have surpassed our objectives and obtained more support than we thought in such a short space of time we never thought that we would have to bring our community hub forward due to the number of attempted suicides, and the response of the overwhelming public and businesses that it is getting in the help that people are bringing to the table . ## Performance Of Fundraising Actvites Against Objectves Set The whole community have embraced kindness counts uk saying there is a great need for it, all trustees and volunteers have work really hard again this year and the accounts reflect this has we have not just been able to provide the resources requested from us ## Review Of The Charity’s Financial Positon At The End Of The Period We are pleased with our position fundraising has gone really well despite trustee members being an ongoing illness problem and we finished the year on a small plus side, to carry us into the new year. ## The Charity Principal Source Of Funds (Including Any Fundraising) We have collection tins within local businesses, as well as recycling buckets. We run a Saturday night lottery bonus ball and have a licence to do so from Wyre licence team SL019. We are regularly fundraising. Schools do competitions and have non uniform day for us. And some private donation ## A Descripton Of The Principal Risks Facing The Charity - Possibility of lack of volunteers in the future as the charity becomes more successful. ## Type Of Governing Document CIO ## How Is The Charity Consttuted We have regular board meeting which are documented, these are then filtered down to all our members and volunteers we then will be having our AGM at the end of the year for any changes to be implemented and new trustees put into positions if needed Michelle and the board recruit new trustees and or volunteers if and when they are needed as well as kindness counts uk being approached by the general public to become members, once a new trustee/volunteer has shown an interest in joining the team the board meet and decide together or if in covid situation or secretary was too unwell to attend it would be carried out over our chat page or postponed. Once a decision has been made they will be presented with charity commission pack as well as kindness counts policy and procedure pack explained and signed, uniform and ID badges given with the next meeting date given. All members are required to attend regular meetings and always when carrying our kindness charity work to be working to policy and procedure and wearing uniform and ID badge. The charity’s organisatonal structure and any wider network with which the charity works. Founder/Chairlady – Michelle Carter Vice Chairlady – Pauline (Polly) Hernen Secretary – Gereldene Greenhalgh New Business - David Bannister Treasurer – Keith Carter Safeguarding Officer – Alison Major Auditor – Gordon Major Volunteers/ Trustees – Paul Bunny Emma Jackson Callum Baxter Karen Murphey Jenny Green Janna banks Will Banks Christine Sutherland Ian Armistead Karen Armistead Susan Machan Samantha Gearing Brett McCarthy Janice Cartmell Mark Spragg Youth Ambassador Emilie Major Youth champions between 3 and 10 children within each school ## Relat es onships with any related part Wyre Brough Council Licensing SL3019 Schools & LCC Donna’s Dream House Blue Skies Blackpool Food Bank Homeless Hounds ## Poverty Truth ## Achievements This Year Our schools have fully embraced the help we are giving them and the resources they are receiving. More and More schools coming onboard all the time with new youth champions Becoming a Fleetwood High schools charity for the next 5 years Being within at least one high school in Poulton, Thornton, Fleetwood which is all our surrounding area with in a short space of time . Opening our community hub 12 months earlier than expected. ## SUMMARISATION We feel we have achieved a great deal in a short space of time, both within our local community, schools and within the business world. The fantastic support we are receiving from everyone, and on our social media platform community’s are growing daily with our kindness weekly quotes put out every Monday morning along with regular kindness updates throughout the week of which schools are being provided with resources. This will now be followed by updates and maybe even a pod cast from the community hub. We have identified the need for our post boxes for kind acts within schools and supermarkets, helping teachers and communities to reduces bullying along with this now spilling into anti-social behaviour onto our streets within our communities. We will now bring this to the community hub rewarding an outstanding community act of kindness on a monthly basis. We feel bringing schools, communities and businesses together as one supporting each other is the way will make a stronger nicer community for our local public and younger generation to grow up in.. Our kindness safe place hub will be a place within the centre of Cleveleys on the main street in order to achieve maximum access for our children that need us, as well as the general public having access to who are able to come and support other charities within the hub they may not otherwise be able to access through either mobility or other reasons. This is done via our dump bin donations and when full our board of trustees along with a youth champion/ambassador will take to the relevant charity, again showing kindness and responsibility of our youth champions.(Bringing the community together with our youth and charities) The hub will also house crafting and other activities for the younger generations along with counselling facilities, sensory room and hopefully teach our young one much needed skills like CPR and first aid course etc. Here at Kindness Counts uk we always listen to our younger generations along with the guidance from our pastoral leads and managers, the community hub we keep evolving as they advise us on the resources that are needed to make a kinder safer place to help them grow into confident adult to benefit themselves their families and our communities