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2024-03-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Charity name: LGBT+ Cymru Helpline

Charity registration number: 1198081

Objectives and Activities

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SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of Para 1.17 For the public benefit in Wales to preserve
the charity as set out in its and protect the health of, and relieve the
governing document needs of, people who are lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender or in doubt about
their sexual orientation or gender identity
and those who may be affected or may be
involved with such people, by the provision
of a confidential telephone helpline offering
advice, information and counselling
services from people who are appropriately
trained and qualified to provide such help.
Summary of the main Para 1.17 and Our main activities for the year were:
1.19
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public • Counselling (free of charge for those
benefit, in particular, the that quality or donations of at least
activities, projects or £15 per session)
services identified in the • Positive Wellbeing classes
accounts. • Self Help Mental Health Online
resources
• 0800 Helpline
• Corporate development and
sustainability
Statement confirming Para 1.18 At our Trustees meetings, when planning
whether the trustees have our activities for the year we kept in mind
had regard to the guidance the Charity Commissions guidance on
issued by the Charity public benefit.
Commission on public
benefit
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Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

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SORP reference
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Contribution made by
volunteers
Para 1.38		 The LGBT+ Cymru Helpline was founded
in 2004 as a community project and it
first registered as a charity in 2020 under
1192777 and then became a CIO in 2023
to enable access to a wider funding
landscape.
Within our board of trustees, we have a
qualified DVA counsellor, chartered
accountant, EDI policy writer, social
working, trade union representative and
an employment lawyer. As a result of
the unique and diverse range of skill
sets these professionals offer, we are
able to ensure that best practice both for
our service users and as a charity are
upheld and implemented within our daily
practice.
Over the past year the charity’s
counselling volunteers enabled us to
deliver critical therapeutic sessions and
support to more people that cannot
private access to mental health care. To
expand on this, we have counselling
psychologists on board who privately
charge over £100 per hour providing
their expertise for free to our service
users eliciting vital work in dealing with
complex trauma and adversity faced by
the community. We also have highly
skilled and experienced mediators who
offer their services in order to help bring
resolve to issues that families with
communication issues may be facing.
Due to our excellent reputation the
Charity has garnered over many years
we are having more and more highly
skilled therapeutic practitioners offering
their expertise for free as they share our
passion in delivering high standard life
changing therapeutic services to people
across Wales who are in critical need.
We also provide placements for Art
Psychotherapy students from the
University of South Wales. This has
proved extremely beneficial to domestic
violent victims and the youth-based
clients we receive as often creative
mediums are one of the only ways young
people have been able to express due to
the adversities they have experienced.

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.


SORP
reference		 This summary will cover what has been achieved by
LGBT+ Cymru Helpline and its counselling service project
called the Swansea Rainbow Counselling Centre for the
period 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024. Over the past 20
years we have saved hundreds of lives. The charity and
the whole team are committed to helping people across
Wales improve their mental health & balance as well as
the types of counselling we can offer, especially
considering that a large number of clients have/are
suffering with suicide ideation.
The summary will cover:

Counselling sessions delivered

Client groups & Classes

Waiting Lists

Our contribution through our Helpline

The mental health resources we have provided

Corporate Development

Views and comments of individuals who access
our services

Testimonials
Client/Service Users Intake
From 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024 we have delivered
972 sessions. These figures in comparison to last , 1016,
have not increased due to lack of funding to support a full
compliment of staff. This has been very challenging year
as we could have easily doubled the numbers again if the
funding had been available. However, the number of
sessions is still incredible considering the significant cut
backs made in staffing and running costs during October
2023. In addition it also demonstrates the passion and
commitment from the remaining staff and volunteers.
Client Groups:
In terms of client groups, we have seen a repeat pattern
from previous years, there has been a particular
emphasis on young Trans people coming through our
service;. our skilled team of experienced therapists have
helped them through their emotional journey of social
and/or physical transition.
For clarification, within the charity’s remit we do not get
involved with gender reassignment, in fact, it is quite the
opposite. We are therapeutically aligned and not guided
by the medical model. Our role within the young people’s
journey is to steer them away from their intense focus on
having any operation and instead facilitate their
emotional journey and resilience within their identity and
to give space so if there is any doubt within their identity
we can explore it with them so that if they decide they
want to progress or not progress with hormones and or
surgeries in the distant future, having come to the
decision themselves with certainty where we have had


some clients, although it is uncommon, who have decided they want to detransition as a result of exploration within our counselling practice.

In addition to dispel any myth of children being fast tracked through our charity to gender resignment who are in therapy; this is incorrect. Children have to become adults before making such decisions and most of which are at least in their late twenties before even receiving such surgeries. Over 50% of our client base is mainly working with young people who have complex issues, like trauma and PTSD, navigating ASD and/or ADHD, self harm, exploitation to gender dysphoria which 20% of our clients suffer with.

We have also been able to offer systemic family counselling to their families as often a sense of bereavement can be felt of losing a family member in the gender they were assigned at birth. We have also covered other areas in counselling including:

Bereavement
Suicide Ideation
Domestic Abuse/Intimate Partner Violence
Anxiety and Depression
Relationship Issues
Gender Dysphoria/Gender Identity
Sexual Orientation
Coming Out
Trauma informed
Criminal/sexual exploitation
Prevention
Recognition
Recovery
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Gestalt
Adoption
Existential
Sexual assault
Victim
Perpetrating
Systemic family counselling
Non-suicidal self-injury
Other approaches and topics relevant to
individual who access services

We have also seen a large increase this year of referrals from domestic violence services, a client group of which has become a specialism within the organisation. We are seeing victims and families of those who experience domestic violence as well as forming relationships and liaising directly with domestic violence services to ensure good practice and consistency with such a complex client group. This area of expertise became such a need that we advertised for a volunteer counsellor experienced in domestic violence and are pleased to report that we now have an independent domestic violence advisor (IDVA) volunteer who specialises in helping victims and

families of domestic violence feel and keep themselves
safe.
In developing this specialism within our services we have
been able to help and nurture those who experience
domestic violence by providing trauma informed
counselling aimed at awareness which has resulted in
may clients fleeing abuse and with the help of our team
and domestic violence services we have been able to get
the clients legal aid and housing support as due to the
nature of the client group homelessness is often a factor.
In the reporting year, our service has reached hundreds
of people and has provided therapeutic intervention to
adults, children (7 years plus), as well as systemic family
counselling and art therapy groups.
Waiting list
In relation to our waiting list, we have had to extend this
to 3 months due to the increasing need and interest in
our service from places such as the NHS and social
services and more recently adoption teams. Due to the
interest, we have started publishing testimonials on our
website from people like our student placements,
freelance counsellors, NHS assessors and social
services-based professionals so we can display to the
public our dedication to delivering high standard
therapeutic services for free or at reduced rates.
Helpline 0800 917 9996
As well as counselling, our 0800 helpline has acted a
point of contact for people accessing our services,
whether it is to be referred for counselling or to have
someone to talk to and seek relevant support, information
and guidance. The main areas have related to:
•
Loneliness
•
Depression
•
Relationship Breakdowns
•
Coming Out Issues
•
General mental health
Counselling referrals
We also received around 200 emails and queries per
month from our website and have seen an increase in
overall digital traffic. Unfortunately we have not been able
to take on all clients in critical need, so have sign post
them back to their doctor, due to cutting costs back to the
bare bone until further funding is secured.
Mental health resources
We have found Social media is a good way to reach
people and we extended our resources to our outlets
such as Facebook & Instagram, where we have provided
free self-help videos. The videos are delivered by a
qualified therapist and show different ways in which
somebody can better their mental health, wellbeing and


practice self-care and were accessed by over 200 people
a week. Topics include:
•
The Butterfly Technique
•
DIY Mental Health Kit
•
Body Relaxation
•
Controlled Breathing
•
Body Scan Workshop
•
Well- Being classes
We have also created new counselling modules for
people to attend ‘Life After Covid’, ‘Introduction to
emotions’ & Positive Psychology classes which have
proved to be popular, especially in helping people back
into the workplace after Covid.
Our wellbeing resources have undergone a major update
with the development of our streamlined online wellbeing
courses, these were created so that for those who are on
waiting lists both our own and external they have access
to mental health-based courses to fill the isolation gap
between waiting times which can often lead to further
deterioration within people’s mental health.
With the development of our social media and resource
presence we have seen an increase in our figures, please
see below:
From 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
•
Social Media Hits = 41,217
•
Website Visits = 665,174
•
Self Help resources views = 16,380
This in comparison to last year has more than ten folded
which demonstrates the need for our critical services.
Corporate Development\Sustainability
As a charity we have mostly relied on bids and grants in
order to maintain our life saving services enabling us to
provide the vital services we deliver to the community.
However, we recognise that we need to continue to work
hard on becoming self-sustaining and have developed a
corporate pack wherein we offer our counselling
services, LGBTQ+ awareness training and tailor-made
wellbeing workshops for organisations and businesses
that require our expertise which are receiving brilliant
reviews on the positive impact.

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period		 Para 1.21 Receipts for the year ended 31st March
2024 amounted to £76,116, with
Payments of £71,478 for the same
period. Included in Receipts was £25,650
which was transferred over from LGBT
Cymru Helpline (Reg’d Charity 1192777)
when it ceased to operate.
Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held		 Para 1.22 The Charity aims to hold unrestricted
reserves equal to three months
operating costs to allow it to continue
should a funding gap arise.
Amount of reserves held Para 1.22 £4,637.48
Reasons for holding zero
reserves		 Para 1.22 n/a
Details of fund materially in
deficit		 Para 1.24 At 31st March 2024, Unrestricted Funds
were £1,012 in deficit.
Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern		 Para 1.23 In common with many charities, it has
become increasingly difficult to access
large, longer-term grant funding. This
leaves us reliant on short-term project
funding which tends to be project
specific, making it difficult to increase
the charity’s unrestricted reserves. The
Charity has made concerted efforts
during the year to increase its’
commercial offerings - such as training –
to assist with long-term sustainability
and lessen reliance on grant funding, but
remains vulnerable until its’ commercial
income streams increase.

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document
(trust deed,royal charter)
Para 1.25		 Constitution adopted in January 2022
How is the charity
constituted?(e.g
unincorporated
association,CIO)		 Para 1.25 Incorporated
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
Para 1.25		 The Charities Constitution states:
18. Appointment of trustees
(1) The charity in general meeting shall
elect the officers and the other trustees.
(2) The trustees may appoint any person
who is willing to act as a trustee.
Subject to sub-clause 5(b)of this clause,
they may also appoint trustees to act as
officers.
(3) Each of the trustees shall retire with
effect from the conclusion of the
annual general meeting next after his or
her appointment but shall be eligible
for re-election at that annual general
meeting. (4) No-one may be elected a
trustee or an officer at any annual
general meeting unless prior to the
meeting the charity is given a notice
that: (a) is signed by a member entitled
to vote at the meeting;
(b) states the member’s intention to
propose the appointment of a person as
a trustee or as an officer;
(c) is signed by the person who is to be
proposed to show his or her willingness
to be appointed.
(5) (a) The appointment of a trustee,
whether by the charity in general
meeting or by the other trustees, must
not cause the number of trustees to
exceed any number fixed in accordance
with this constitution as the maximum
number of trustees.
(b) The trustees may not appoint a
person to be an officer if a person has
already been elected or appointed to that
office and has not vacated the office.

Reference and Administrative details

Charityname LGBT+ Cymru Helpline
Other name the charityuses
Registered charitynumber 1198081
Charity’s principal address YMCA Building
1 The Kingsway
Swansea
SA1 5JQ

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole
year		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee(if any)
Catherine Window Chair of Trustees
Sophie Ray Trustee Secretary
Elizabeth Jayne
Lewis		 Trustee Treasurer

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Muslimah Miah Trustee From 12 [th] July 2023
Tony Humphries Trustee
Anthony Smith Trustee
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– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets n/a held in this capacity

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

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

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Debbie Lane

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

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

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Catherine Window

Signature(s)

Full name(s)

Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)

Chair of Trustees

Date 31/1/25

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANO AND WALES LGBT+ Cymru H•lplth• 1198081 Receipts and Payments Accounts CC16a For t1￿ porlod 01m112023 31ioJr2024 To Section A Receipts and payments Unr05trict8d funds R95th¢¢0d lunds Endowment funds Tolal fund• Last y••r t•th• Tr••rn•t£ A1 R8cel t5 DonBbon$ Fundroiwn Tmnlrlrom LGBT C￿nIu￿ 11$27ni 3A92 1.974 1.974 26AOO 12J•2 AR) 4JN24 32 71,111 8&t an 18ge ¢ablo1- 76.110 A3 Pa ment• TrAv* •ndwbtht•nc• 2,OJO 490 2.6 130 YVIb￿•s IT¢wt• SubXCnptstsfl• RèpBirg Jnd mairrt￿n SIAtyano 21ty 21• 21• 18.793 171 01,312 171 2.220 sts Insuiqnce CounseNifflg fw• Refit ts•ne141• 149 Sub tot81 44A 27N42 71A78 A4 A88•1 •nd In¥wtsn•nt urchas88 508 table PuthStollT equipmèm Sub tot•1 44N36 27.042 71.478 Nèt of r•c•{pt￿{p8yM•nts) AS Transfers betwn fund$ A6 Cayh funds last year end Cash funds thls yur end 1,01 5ffi60 4.638 463B CCXX R1 accounts ISSI 3110112025

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestrlcted funds Re5trscted funds b) n•4r•st£ Endowment lunds to n¥lr4t£ Jri B1 Ca8h funds I￿12 Tot41 caslj funds 1.012 &650 Unrnslrld•d lunfl$ tyj n•4r•#£ Rostrfcted Ivnds b) nur••t£ Endowment fund$ Details Fund trlthh Cury•ntVil￿ onbl Oelail ¢obllopUoMIJ 83 In¥￿IMnt ¥8• Fufid t&A¢h umni ¥•1 on•1 B4 A•••ts r•taln•d lor th• ¢b•rlty'¥ own FvTrdtowhkh Amount du• 85 Llbllltle• S*neil by•neorts5￿In￿I&￿)n behalf of 811 the trusteeB SvJnaw Print Name Date of roval 31101r2025 CCXX R2 8cefjunt8 ISSI 3110112025

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of LGBT+ Cymru Helpline On accounts for the year 31/03/2024 Charity no 1198081 ended (if any)

Set out on pages 1 and 2

Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. responsibilities of The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year trustees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:

Signed: Name: Henry Lloyd Davies Relevant professional ACA qualification(s) or body (if any):

Date: 31/01/2025

1

IER

March 2024

Address: Bevan Buckland LLP

Ground Floor, Cardigan House Castle Court, Swansea Enterprise Park, Llansamlet, Swansea

SA7 9LA

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.

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

2

IER

March 2024