## **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** **----- Start of picture text -----**
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
**----- End of picture text -----**
**Additional information (optional)** ## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: **----- Start of picture text -----**
SORP reference
**----- End of picture text -----**
|
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||| **----- Start of picture text -----**
Muslimah Miah Trustee From 12 [th] July 2023
Tony Humphries Trustee
Anthony Smith Trustee
**----- End of picture text -----**
– 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 Tmn*l*rlrom 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¥lr*4t£ 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 tr**lthh Cury•ntVil￿* onbl Oelail ¢obllopUoMIJ 83 In¥￿IM*nt ¥8• Fufid t&**A¢h umni ¥•1 on•1 B4 A•••ts r•taln•d lor th• ¢b•rlty'¥ own FvTrdtowhkh Amount du• 85 Ll*bllltle• 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: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, - to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. - **Basis of independent** My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given **examiner’s statement** by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. - **Independent** In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention - **examiner's statement** (other than that disclosed below *) 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act - have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. **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**