## **Connie Medical Chair Trustees’ Annual Report** Covering the period: March 2023 to June 2024 ## **Registered Charity Number 1202127** **Principal Office Address** 40 Common View, Rusthall, Kent, TN4 8RG ## **Names of the Trustees** - Richard Williams - Saji Mathew - Judith Shaw ## **Bankers** Metro Bank. 2 & 4 Calverley Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2TB ## **Accountant** Christine Caplin Bookkeeping, 104 Imperial Apartments, South Western House, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 3AL ## **Independent Examiner** Craig Somerville, West Fife Bookkeeping. 12 Bevan Place, Rosyth, Fife, KY11 2HR ## **Charity Objectives** “To relieve sickness and to preserve the health of children in the United Kingdom by developing and assisting in the provision of equipment, not normally available by the statutory authorities” ## **Summary of main activities undertaken during the year** Key activities included: - **Engagement with Hospitals:** Consultations were held with staff from Evelina, Brighton, and Bristol Children's Hospitals and local children’s hospices to gather clinical feedback and improve the design. Modifications were made in response to suggestions from occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and play therapists to ensure that the chair met real-world needs. Discussions were held with infection control specialist on suitable processes for the cleaning of the product and the most appropriate materials to use. - **Product Development:** Iterative improvements were made to the chair, including removable arm supports, sliding backrests, and enhancements for cleaning and safety. The design progressed significantly toward manufacturability with input from engineers and design firms such as Plastech and One/Three. - **Appointment of Principal Designer & Clinical Consultation** The charity agreed to appoint One/Three as principal product designer to move the original prototype to the next iteration of design. The charity also engaged the services of Patient Guard to help explore the medical regulatory framework for the product. - **Charity Registration and Governance:** The charity was formally registered in March 2023 following detailed discussions with the Charity Commission about the structure, intellectual property, and benefit arrangements. Trustees were recruited to meet its constitutional requirements and strengthen the governance of the charities activities. - **Fundraising and Public Engagement:** A successful promotional video campaign was launched, raising over £3,500. Events such as the Edenbridge and Oxted Show, school fundraisers, and community presentations helped raise awareness and additional funds. Applications for grants and donations were submitted, including to Awards for All and local community groups. - **Outreach and Testimony:** The founder gave talks at churches, community groups and schools, sharing the story behind the product and the family journey that inspired it. He appeared on public radio at Sussex and Ashdown to promote the charity. - **Platform and Admin Setup:** The KindLink donation platform was implemented to streamline giving and Gift Aid claims. - **Volunteer and Team Support** : Efforts were made to recruit additional volunteers for social media, fundraising letters, and administrative work, and a professional engineer was found to advise informally. ## **Public benefit explanation** The charity exists to improve the lives of children with complex medical and mobility needs by developing and distributing the Connie Medical Chair to paediatric intensive care units (PICU), paediatric high dependency units and children’s hospices across the United Kingdom. Through close collaboration with hospital staff, engineers, and families, we aim to 2 Connie Medical Chair www.conniemedicalchair.org Charity Reg 1202127 provide a product that enhances comfort, accessibility, and quality of life of children in intensive and hospice care. We ensure public benefit by making the product available to hospitals and institutions serving children across the UK, regardless of background. Our fundraising, design improvements, and awareness campaigns directly support this charitable aim. The trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in shaping the charity’s activities. ## **Achievements** During the 2023-24 financial year, the Connie Medical Chair charity achieved the following: - Successful delivery of an initial prototype, followed by the testing of the prototype at a local nursery. - Awareness and fundraising gained through donations online and through community groups fundraising e.g. Bethany School, Knitting Bees Group. - Increased awareness through radio broadcasts including Ashdown Radio, Sussex Radio, Nicky Campbell phone-in on BBC Radio Five Live. - Established onlife website and kindlink platform for donations. - Gained positive feedback from families and clinicians on design and the need. - Undertook paper summary on the rehabilitation and impact of product. - Engaged services in primary product developer and regulatory consultant. - Began development of second prototype towards manufacturing potential. ## **Financial Review** - The charity received £22,292 in donations and grants with £1,657 in gift aid, totalling £23,949 total income. - The charity expenses were £21,026, which left a surplus of £2,923 as at 30 June 2024 - A significant cost was spent on - the initial prototype work, totaling £7,947.73 and - developing the stage 2 design, totaling £11,028 - Volunteer expenses were kept to a minimal £204.53, to focus the maximum benefit on the development of the product. 3 Connie Medical Chair www.conniemedicalchair.org Charity Reg 1202127 ## **Plans for the Future** The charity intends to spend any additional funds raised during the next financial year to complete the development of a second prototype, which incorporates feedback on the first prototype. Further testing will then be carried out in order to further develop the design towards a final manufacturing production unit. The charity will further seek to raise its profile through a range of activities that includes: - securing additional funding through donation and application to grant making organisations; - raising awareness on the need for the product in hospital and hospice environments, - seeking further clinical feedback on the design and use of the chair through the use of the second prototype that is currently in development, and - developing and building further conversations with partner agencies, parents, and medical staff. ## **Planned activities** To support these plans, the charity aims to carry out the following activities: - Local fundraising, pursuing grants and developing and implementing crowdsourcing opportunities. - Hospital visits with the prototype to review the product with parents and medical staff. - Testing of the prototype in childcare contexts. - Further iteration of the design. - Documenting design development and evidence of feedback to meet the Chair’s regulatory requirements, with support from PatientGuard. ## **Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities** Confirmation of responsibility for accounting records, report preparation, and compliance with Charities Act 2011: The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and the Charity’s governing document. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to: - Ensure proper accounting records are kept; 4 Connie Medical Chair www.conniemedicalchair.org Charity Reg 1202127 - Prepare an annual report and accounts which properly present the charity’s activities and financial position; - Safeguard the assets of the charity and apply them in accordance with the charity’s purposes; - Take reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees have had due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. ## **Signature** ## **Signature of a trustee** Chair of Trustees **Date** 29 April 2025 5 Connie Medical Chair www.conniemedicalchair.org Charity Reg 1202127 I CHARITY COMMISSION | FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Connle Mèdical Chalr Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For1￿ period from To 01103r2023 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Restr4Cted Endowment funds funds funds tothe £ to lh• nBar•#t£ to th• nwo•t£ to tho n•or••t E Total funds Last ve&" toth• n•nr•t£ Al Recel 22.292 1,657 292 1.657 ARJ 23.949 nvo¥ tsblèl. 23,949 A3Pa m•nts Costol ￿￿0[31￿ Costs oft*arttatleaclMI•& Pogtage Ad￿￿31Th0 and mart•bng Sub8cdption$ Tr8 19,U9 19049 105 286 17 Sub total 21,028 .026 A4 A•8•t and Investsn•nt Sub totsl 21,028 Net of rncoipts/(payments) AS Transfers betw¢•n lund8 A6 Cash fvnds last year end Cash funds this year end CCXX R1 *ttouftts ISS) Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unreslricted funds to noarost £ Rostri¢t¢d funds to n•aro8tE Endowment funds to D￿rest£ Catègoriès Detsi18 81 Cash funds 1923 Total cash funds 1923 ax￿￿1$1) Unr•strietsd Rostrlcted fund funds to nè8rnSt£ to n¢orest£ Endowment funds to nearest£ Details Fundto whlch 4sset belon Cost lopllonall Curr8ntvaluw tional Details Fund towhich CurrentV8lue lona Details CL*t{opti¢)rMII B4 Assets rntaingd for the Charity's own use Fund towhlch Amourrtdve When dug Details B6 Llabllltles Uryesthcted 350 INJ8p6nd*it Examin￿ fe8 1JO When aGcourts SKJr*d by one trustees on b8￿a￿OI all the Iwu518e5 Dale of roval Signature Prlnt Name { kn)1￿1 zr CCXX R2 a(xxJunts ISS} **INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT** _________________________________________________________________________ ## **BASIS OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS STATEMENT** My examination is carried out in accordance with the Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by Connie Medical Chair and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. I do not accept responsibility to anyone other than Connie Medical Chair members as a body, for my work and this report. ## **Independent Examiners Report:** In connection with my examination, no matters has come to my attention: - (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements to: - (a) to keep accounting records in accordance with the Regulations, and - (b) to prepare accounts which agree with the accounting records and comply with the Regulations 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. **_______________________________________** _16/04/2025_________ **C Somerville (MICB PM.Dip) Date**