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2024-04-05-accounts

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

ADHD

Aware

“The peer support group has helped me to live positively with ADHD. The group helped me to understand me.”

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Charity name : ADHD Aware

Charity registration number: 1196688

Page 1 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

We would like to sincerely thank all of our volunteers, partners and supporters for helping us to serve our community of adults impacted by ADHD since our inception as a charity.

Page 2 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period:
06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024
Table of Contents
Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024 1
Objectives and Activities 4
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document 4
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. 4
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the
Charity Commission on public benefit 6
Policy on grant making 6
Policy on social investment including program related investment 6
Contribution made by volunteers 6
Achievements and Performance 7
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. 7
Additional Information 8
Achievements against objectives set 8
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set 10
Financial Review 11
Accounts 6th April 2023 to 5th April 2024 11
Additional Information 17
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) 17
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted 17
A description of the principal risks facing the charity 18
Structure, Governance, and Management 19
Reference and Administrative Details 22
Declarations 24

Page 3 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Objectives and Activities

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

Our objective is the relief of adults nationally, (particularly but not exclusively in Brighton and Hove and in Sussex) who are affected with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), their family, friends, and partners, in particular, but not exclusively by:

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.

ADHD Aware is member-led and supports adults affected by ADHD. We run monthly drop-ins; facilitated discussions; sessions for partners, parents, family, and carers; and have piloted closed support groups – both in-person in Brighton & Hove, as well as online across the United Kingdom.

Our online support also includes emails, website, and social media. We have continued to expand user-requested services, including digital services, which have significantly increased the number of individuals that we can impact.

We combat social isolation, engaging and connecting with vulnerable and highly isolated users - many of whom have mental and physical health conditions, suffer anxiety and depression, and have lost routines, worsening quality of life and health outcomes. We help users re-establish routines and access support, as social and health services have reduced drastically.

Our regular activities have included:

  1. Producing materials on isolation, anxiety, access, and benefits

  2. Creating videos about various groups impacted by ADHD, often in collaboration with other organisations

  3. Signposting information via email, website, Twitter, and Facebook

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

  1. Enabling further training for volunteers through expert supervision

  2. Offering Zoom training to volunteer facilitators, which has helped us in turn run more sessions for our members to share knowledge, information, and experience

This year, we also continued a psycho-educational course, with guidance and tools for partners focused on new anxieties users may be coping with, and ADHD-centred awareness for couples (where one or both have ADHD).

We ran themes from this psycho-educational course alongside our existing ‘group discussion’ sessions to review formats to deliver the best outcomes.

The closed courses were run by expert facilitators in psycho-education and couples counselling for adults with ADHD and autism: Karen Doherty of Reframe Counselling has already been supervising the first closed support group pilot over recent months, run by Yvonne Rivers, our long-standing group session facilitator. There is no other service for targeted support and relationship building like either of the closed groups. This has supported user resilience, recovery, and ongoing capacity development post-COVID.

These groups have been developed in direct response to feedback from users who sometimes require a more private and focused approach to provide real support. We also intend to continue all current services, and to expand our ADHD awareness campaigns.

We have also been liaising with the NHS Brighton and Hove CCG | NHS East Sussex CCG | NHS West Sussex CCG and consulting on the Neurodevelopmental Pathway Target Operating Model.

In this period, we were fortunate to have received the first batch of funding from our local Primary Care Network (PCN) in East Brighton & Hove, as we had extensive evidence that the local NHS was referring patients to us before and after diagnosis.

Key indicators of the impact and need for our services have included the following compared to the last reporting period:

As you can see, demand for our services has continued to increase dramatically and we expect this to continue into next year and beyond.

Trustees’ Annual Report

Page 5 of 24

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Aside from our core services to members, we were also delighted to have won a funding bid with the National Lottery to support a three-year programme intended to expand our capability to deliver our charitable objectives, whilst also developing a new sustainable revenue stream for the charity: training for organisations.

Over the last year, we have been setting up this training offering, first by creating and packaging the content of the courses, and then responding to an increasing number of incoming enquiries from the NHS, social services, and businesses of all sizes all over the UK. We are only partway through this programme, but are already on track to meet our objectives for income growth that can support charitable activities and services for our members, as well as enabling us to consider bringing in our first staff on the payroll in the near to medium term.

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

In setting our programme each year, we have regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit – in this case particularly for the benefit of adults impacted by ADHD. The Board of Trustees ensures that the programme of work that we undertake is in line with our charitable objects and aims.

Our first aim is to host and support activities for our beneficiaries and partners that provide userled support, share lived experience, and signpost useful information. Our second aim is to create education and raise awareness amongst our allies and non-allies that improves inclusion and normalisation, as well as reducing discrimination and exclusion against our beneficiary communities.

Policy on grant making

We are not currently a grant making organisation with respect to granting external organisations with funding for projects.

Policy on social investment including program related investment

We invest in planning and running activities that align with our strategic objectives. This will include events, training, speaking, marketing and communications, advocacy, storytelling, corporate education, volunteer coordination, and research.

Contribution made by volunteers

Volunteers support many aspect of our activities, focused on supporting us at live in person and online events. We have also been supported by volunteers who helped us with Board governance, financial management, digital communications, strategic and succession planning,

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Trustees’ Annual Report Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

building our organisational structure and business plan as we grown and as we grow into the future.

We currently have fourteen volunteers (not including the Board) who help with the main outward activities of the charity, including the seven different meetings we run per month. Our Board of Trustees has changed in this period, going from seven to six members (including two co-opted until they can be voted in at an Extraordinary General Meeting), who have been shaping the charity as it becomes a strategic organisation with a plan of activities, clear goals, and as it will be building a sustainable volunteer programme and organisational resources into the future. We are currently in a recruitment drive for more Trustees, as we can have as many as eleven according to our Constitution, and our organisation (and demands on Trustee support) have been growing.

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.

ADHD Aware started informally as a group of adults running an ADHD peer support group in Brighton & Hove in 2011. We became formally constituted in 2015, and in November 2021, we became a registered charity. Before the pandemic, we supported about 15,000 people. We now support nearly 500,000, including our national website and social media users.

Despite COVID-19, we have grown and thrived, and we’ve also built solid foundations of partnership with local NHS and social services, and have continued to build strong relationships with other charities.

We expanded (after pilots the previous year) two very successful new programmes are described in more detail below:

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

There is no other service for targeted support like either of these groups. This has supported user resilience, recovery, and capacity development. These groups were developed in direct response to user feedback about requiring a more private and focused approach to provide real support.

Additional Information

Achievements against objectives set

Internal activities delivered in this period included:

Page 8 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

External activities delivered in this period included:

We have gone from strength to strength, with a continued increase in the demand for our services. The main thing limiting our progress had been the smaller lots of funding available to us to date, but since we won our significant bid to the National Lottery for a 3 year programme, we are now building towards a steady and sustainable future.

Details of activities undertaken in this period

ADHD Aware started informally as a group of adults running an ADHD peer support group in Brighton & Hove in 2011. We became formally constituted in 2015, and in November 2021, we became a registered charity.

Since our early days, we’ve helped people impacted by ADHD live happier lives and get access to the services and information to help them function and thrive. During COVID-19, we have grown significantly, and we’ve also built solid foundations of partnerships with local NHS and social services, and have continued to build strong relationships with other charities.

Page 9 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Additionally, we continued to run two bespoke support programmes, further developing them to form part of our sustainable future vision. During this period, our local PCN awarded funding to support our operational costs.

We feel that our programmes continue to address a very serious and unaddressed societal challenge – understanding and adapting to the needs of neurodiverse adults. Knowledge is the key to addressing issues that result in discrimination, isolation, and exclusion of neurodiverse people and also helps all stakeholders to develop meaningful and transferrable skills and experience.

Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set

In the period covered by this report, from 6[th] April 2023 to 5[th] April 2024, we raised a total of £45,316.73 from the following supporters:

Donations – JustGiving £3,161.36
Donations – Other donations, including PayPal and Eventbrite from members £725.39
Grant – The National Lottery £27,132.74
Income – Training £14,297.24
Total funds collected by ADHD Aware in this period £45,316.73

Note, we had also received a very large pot of money (£47,543.00) from the East Brighton & Hove PCN on 31 March, 2023, just before this reporting period, so most of the benefit from this funding was not used in the previous reporting period, but rather this one.

This fundraising was sufficient to cover our expenses in relation to our activities targeted as the primary focus on this period.

Page 10 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Financial Review

Accounts 6[th] April 2023 to 5[th] April 2024

Interim Treasurer: Katie Hudson

The Interim Treasurer has reviewed the financial records of ADHD Aware and prepared these accounts.

These accounts were then reviewed in draft by an Independent Examiner (the Resource Centre in Brighton and Hove) from the information and explanations supplied by ADHD Aware.

In the Board’s opinion, ADHD Aware has maintained proper accounting records and these accounts are in accord with those records. As a result, the Board recommended that participants at the AGM on 8 January 2025 ratify these accounts inviting members to ask any questions about the accounts. There were no questions or objections at the AGM, so these accounts were ratified by the Board and our members at the AGM.

They were subsequently submitted to the Independent Examiner (the Resource Centre in Brighton and Hove) on finalise the accounts on 08/01/2025.

Signed by two officers/committee members:

Signatory 1 Signatory 2
Name Katherine Hudson Bimah Khan
Date 08/01/2025 08/01/2025
Signature

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

QADHD aware Reporting period.. 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024 ADHD Aware CIO Accounts year ended 5 Aprll 2024 Re8iStered tharity: 1196688 Charity correspondent- KATIE HUOSON ADMOAWARE C/OCOMMUNnY WE 133 (￿E￿N5 ROAO aR￿NToN EAST SUSSEX NI 3XG ThÈs¢ accounts have been prepared on ihe Payments basls from 1nfonmk￿ and Èxplanations ssJpplled by the Chèiilv. Rebe￿ Lutt)n ResI￿r(e Cerrtre 6 Tilbury Place 8ri&hiw BN2 OGY 27ty No¥emb•r 2024 These xcounls have bten approved by ihe Trustees ol ch•rlty. $16htd by ofie or M Twstees on beh•M ol •ll Ihe Tn￿lee5 KhTTrtfrLk+J¢ ONJ SfnP( te P48tlof4

QADHD aware Reporting period.. 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024 ADHD Aware CIO Charit¥ ityhirat￿ numt4v 1196688 Statement of Finan¢lal A¢tlvltlÈs year ended Sth Aprll 2024 2014 2024 Rtt•lpts DoNtlon5 & y•fiis Othof Tot•1 A•t•lpis 27.133 3.887 14.297 18.184 31.020 14,297 45.317 5.379 74,922 9.xll 9,31XI 14ffi79 H122 27,133 Expendiiure on EharrtaNe acthtlis Y.670 54,670 4,388 59,058 4.381 59A58 3J.394 6.338 39.734 Net re(tipt5 Iwyrrntsl the ye•r Funds at 6th Aw512023 ￿￿￿¢ of lur4$ at Aprfl 5th 2014 127.5371 52.264 24.727 lJ.796 113.7411 10.242 62,5(X 24.03B 48.Y65 36,149 16.115 8J41 44.488 1.901 18.016 iO.IV 62 NOIE. Tr2023accounur¥ 5t&rted wis fornv￿ •$4 CK, w 191h 202L •nd wMlwio¥er 16rnMth¥ r•ihv 12 The 2011 15 12 hwjnth Trustees, Annual ReFX)rt Registered charity number 1196688 Page 13 of24

QADHD aware Reporting period.. 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024 ADHD Aware CIO tted Ch￿ty M 119668B (LYrrfwThty F¢yJfwJ*p)Th2Ql Easi & FfN 41.513 47543 .133 .133 $379 TT4 74.2r 4S.317 27.ljj Drop.￿ )5) 45 165 4225 3.993 353 15$ 165 &￿$ ZJ67 7425 lJ2 412S 150 41￿17 21.X5 S41Z 2¢67T 120 136 GM 61 Tr•￿tt lees T•1 450 H•70 127.5371 13.796 10.242 3& 149 aJ41 6th W 2023 Ta016 717 Z4Qi• 41,7$5 Trustees, Annual ReFX)rt Registered charity number 1196688 Page 14 of24

QADHD aware Reporting period.. 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024 ADHD Aware CIO St•t•m•nt of Ass•ts and Uabllltles at 5th Aprll 2024 Naiwe51 cufTtm ac¢c￿￿ 33.449 IS.293 24 765 Et & Ctntral PCN Iré¢'d 31m3A3} The LotieryComnwrty Fufv41rt'd 51SR31 zi 24.727 24.038 YorAL FUNDSNaO 41765 thirity h•$ rK+ kn)ty¥n li￿1111 Trustees, Annual ReFX)rt Registered charity number 1196688 Page 15 of24

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held

The charity had unrestricted reserves of £24,038.34 at the end of this period. Our reserves policy increased to three (3) months’ core operating costs in this reporting period (previously two (2) months).

In calculating our reserves, we exclude funds tied up in buildings, vehicles, and equipment, as the charity does not currently hold any of these assets.

Amount of reserves held

In reviewing its reserve requirement, the trustees have decided that the charity needs to hold a small amount of reserves (£500) to cover emergency or unforeseen situations such as issues that may come up at our events. However, the main reason for holding reserves is to ensure that the charity has enough resources to fund programmes it is supporting. For planned programmes the charity may take 2-3 months to make funding decisions (or to apply for and receive a response to funding requests) and it is policy never to commit funds that it does not have. Therefore, to prevent disruption to programmes, it is felt that around 3 months reserves of unrestricted expenditure (£12,000) needs to be held.

Current reserves status

The amount of reserves held (£24,038.34) is therefore in line with the trustees view of reserves needs (£12,500) at the end of this period, as it is covered by the funds held in the bank, with the note that the other funds held in the account are generally assigned to expenditure against certain grant objectives, so are not treated as free reserves. Reserves are expected to be maintained at the planned level in subsequent periods and this will be monitored closely by the Treasurer and the Board.

Any restricted funds not intended for general operational expenditure and not time bound will, in future, not be included in the trustees’ view of reserve needs because these restricted funds are held by the charity for as long as is necessary to organise and execute the relevant grant deliverables. Normally these funds are spent within 6 or 12 months of receipt (depending on the grant maker’s requirements).

Details of fund materially in deficit

No funds materially in deficit during or at the end of this period.

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern

The main concern historically about the charity continuing as a going concern was related to the cyclical nature of relatively minimal grant funding we had been able to access before becoming a registered charity. We have also seen a sharp increase in demand for our services throughout the pandemic, which has put pressure on budgets.

However, becoming a registered charity enabled us to raise greater sums of funding already (much larger pot of money from the National Lottery, for example), enabling the organisation not only to have more consistency and predictability in its funding, but also to begin to hire its first full time staff. This newer, larger funding will help us to build a long term, sustainable source of non-grant income that will also make us more self-sufficient.

Additional Information

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)

Grants £27,132.74 Donations £3,886.75 Income (Training) £14,297.24

Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted

The charity had no fixed asset investments during this period.

The charity had no realised or unrealised gains or losses on investments during this period.

In future, if the charity does make investments, programme related investments are made in furtherance of the charity’s objectives and any investment return is secondary to the charitable purposes supported by the investment. Such investments are included at their cost. Any loss or impairment from such investments will be charted as part of charitable activities within the statement of financial activities.

Page 17 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

A description of the principal risks facing the charity

All significant activities undertaken are subject to a risk review as part of the initial activity assessment and implementation. Major risks are identified and ranked in terms of their potential impact and likelihood.

Major risks, for this purpose, are those that may have a significant effect on:

The Trustees review these risks on an ongoing basis and satisfy themselves that adequate systems and procedures are in place to manage the risks identified. Where appropriate, risks are covered by insurance. The following framework is central to ensuring adequate risk assurance:

We have paid particular attention during this year to establishing the above mentioned governance framework, through the ongoing appointment of a Trustee Board with experience on the non-executive leadership team of other charities and community organisations. We have also updated a range of our policies and governing documents to reflect changes to the risk profile of our organisation based on the external environment and any new internal risks that were identified.

Page 18 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Structure, Governance, and Management

Type of governing document

Constitution

How is the charity constituted?

CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)

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

Every charity trustee must be a natural person.

(3) Number of charity trustees

In selecting individuals for appointment as Trustees, the Trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the charity.

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees

  1. Information for New Trustees

The Trustees will make available to each new Trustee, on or before his or her first appointment:

Additionally, policies created that all Trustees must receive a copy of and agree to before appointment as a Trustee is confirmed include:

The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works

In the period of this report, the charity was led by a volunteer co-Chair (Katherine Anne Hudson), who has served Chaired the charity for several years as Treasurer (including since becoming a CIO in November 2021 and previously on the Management Committee of our Constituted Community Group) and took on the role of Co-Chair with Linda Ashton-Saltwell in this reporting period.

Two long-standing members of the Board stepped down in this period:

The charity also had a long standing member of the Board of Trustees throughout this period and since its incorporation as a CIO in November 2021:

Page 20 of 24

Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

The charity appointed two (2) new members of the Board:

During this period, we have also co-opted two (2) other Trustees (Bimah Khan and Jill Hodges) who were voted in at our recent EGM in November 2024 and have now been added to our official reporting and the Charity Commission website.

Relationship with any related parties

During this period, the charity collaborated with other local charities including Assert and AMAZE, as well as working together with the Trust for Developing Communities (TDC) and the NHS. There were no explicit financial benefits to ADHD Aware from any of these relationships other than any already mentioned above.

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Reference and Administrative Details

Charity name

ADHD Aware

Other name the charity uses

N/A

Registered charity number

1196688

Charity’s principal address

ADHD Aware Community Base 113 Queens Road Brighton BN1 3XG

Names of the Trustees who manage the charity

----- Start of picture text -----
Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole year
Linda Ashton-Saltwell Co-Chair Whole Year/Period – 19
January 2024
Katherine Hudson Co-Chair Whole Year/Period - Present
Dominique Louise Gibbons Treasurer Whole Year/Period - Present
David Clarke Trustee Whole Year/Period - Present
Tony Larkin Trustee Whole Year/Period – 30
November 2023
Amy Nalini Knowles Trustee Whole Year/Period - Present
Nadia Bunker Co-opted Trustee 01/12/2021-30/11/2023
nominee
Note, as some Trustees above have resigned during this financial period, new
members proposed for positions on the Board have been co-opted in the period after
the financial period reported here and are intended to be voted onto the Board at the
next Annual General Meeting. These are:
Bimah Khan Co-opted Trustee 04/23-02/24; currently serving
nominee as Advisor until rejoining the
Board at next EGM
----- End of picture text -----

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period:

06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Jill Hodges Co-opted Trustee
nominee		 01/24-Present, to be voted in
at next EGM

Funds held as custodian Trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity

N/A

Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects

N/A

Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

N/A

Names and addresses of advisers

Type of
adviser		 Name Address
Independent
Examiner		 Rebecca Luton Resource Centre
Prior House,
6 Tilbury Place,
Brighton,
BN2 0GY
Tel. (01273) 606160
www.resourcecentre.org.uk

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688

Reporting period: 06 April 2023 to 05 April 2024

Declarations

The Trustees declare that they have approved this annual report and accounts. Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees:

Signature(s) Full name(s) Katherine Hudson Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Co-Chair Date 08/01/2025

Signature(s) Full name(s) Bimah Khan Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Co-Chair Date 08/01/2025

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Trustees’ Annual Report

Registered charity number 1196688