2024-04-04-accounts

Making Some Noise

Trustees Report for the Year Ending 2024

1. Introduction

• Charity Name: Making Some Noise

• Charity Registration Number: 1204766

• Reporting Period: 18 September 2023 to 4 April 2024

• Purpose of Report: To provide an overview of the charity's activities, achievements, and financial performance during the reporting period.

2. Our Aims

The objects of the charity are the promotion and protection of good mental health for the public benefit by:

• Providing information to the general public to promote better awareness of the causes or triggers that can lead people to suicide.

• Creating better understanding and recognition of young people and adults' mental fitness, by providing those affected with an outlet to tell their stories and educate others.

• Working in partnership with public service providers who may deal with people at risk of suicide, and those delivering mental health services.

3.Objectives

• To achieve our aims, our key objectives for the year included:

• Objective 1: Collate, research and document information in a variety of ways that improves awareness of suicide.

• Objective 2: Co-producing with young people a social network where they can make friends, feel safe and have fun, whilst telling stories and sharing ideas.

• Objective 3: Highlight the stories of those affected by poor mental health and suicide with public service providers and policymakers to improve the delivery of mental health services.

4. Review of Activities and Achievements

Objective 1: Raising awareness about suicide prevention

• Activity: Disseminated lived experience feedback via documents, videos and social media posts to raise awareness about suicide prevention to help young people and the wider community.

• Achievement: Reached professionals via LinkedIn, receiving over 27,000 impressions, developed our YouTube account sharing healthy mental health videos and achieving 200 followers on Instagram. Worked with young people to identify healthy online content and share examples with us to inform our marketing and communication plans. Ensuring young people and adults receive messages about our suicide prevention aims and the support available.

Objective 2: Providing a platform for sharing stories and educating others on mental health

• Activity: Created a safe and supportive space called "Making Some Space" for diverse young people to connect, share their experiences, and access a local network to support their resilience and mental health. The Space provides opportunities for connections and friendships, as well as sharing perspectives and having fun.

• Achievement: Delivered 6 co-produced and designed sessions with young people in the "Making Some Space" programme, providing them with opportunities to build connections, develop life skills, and improve their mental wellbeing.

Objective 3: Working in partnership with public service providers

• Activity: Collaborated with mental health and government bodies, and community groups and charities, to deliver feedback, share research and support. Commissioned market research from young adults and supported campaigns to ensure youth mental health and suicide prevention strategies are prioritised.

• Achievement: Established partnerships with 9 organisations to enhance the reach and impact of our programs and advocacy efforts. As a result, a young people’s walkin-mental health service opened locally, delivering mental health support and careers advice. Young people’s feedback directly input into the Education Prevention Strategy which was hand delivered to the Department of Education during a meeting with civil servants on curriculum change.

5. Financial Performance

• The charity had an opening balance from fundraising activities undertaken in the preceding year.

 The charity had an opening balance from fundraisin preceding year.	 The charity had an opening balance from fundraisin preceding year.	g actvites underta	ken in the
Statement of Financial Actvites (SoFA)
For theperiod 20th September 2023 - 4th April 2024
	Unrestricted Funds(£)	Restricted Funds(£)	Total (£)
Total Funds Brought Forward	6,495	0	6,495
Income
Donatons & Grants	384	0	384
Other Income	0	0	0
Total Income	384	0	384
Expenditure
Charitable Actvites	540	0	540
Governance & Admin Costs	129	0	129
Total Expenditure	669	0	669
Net Movement in Funds	(286)	0	(286)
Total Funds Carried Forward	6,209	0	6,209

• The charity funds this year were primarily used to deliver charitable activities such as venues to co-develop the Making Some Space social network.

• We also donated to a youth charity to fund open-access youth sessions during school holidays.

• Our volunteers provide us with their time, at no cost, plus they frequently purchase refreshments and equipment for activities, meaning our running costs are currently very low.

6. Future Plans

• Increase the number of volunteers within the charity.

• Develop the charity infrastructure, systems and technology.

• Identify further funding opportunities and apply for grants and bids.

• Deliver monthly young adult social network evenings and community-based events.

• Develop our website that will provide improved access to feedback, strategies and information to support improving mental health.

• Increase cohesion with community groups and charities to develop information on provisions for young people, that they say is accessible and usable.

• Identify opportunities to increase the co-management of the charity through young adult / Members skills development.

7. Structure, Governance, and Management

• Our charity has three Trustees, including the founding director.

• The charity is managed by the founding director who staffs the social network groups, with support from the other Trustees and volunteers. The charity is administered by the founding director, who works in children’s social care and is safeguarding trained and holds an up-to-date Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

• All accounts and financial information are overseen by the Trustees, one of which is a fully qualified and practising accountant, and the other is an ex-police officer who now delivers lifesaving first aid training. The organisation is small but with a complementary range of skills within the team.

• Our charity has a variety of policies and procedures and a handbook for volunteers, which people are supported to understand, based on their communication levels. As the charity increases in size and scope these documents will be periodically reviewed and updated.

• We do not provide therapeutic or health services and young people attending our Space are asked to become a Member and sign up. We then collect information on support needs and emergency contacts, along with sharing our expectations and our behaviour code of conduct.

• We have a strict no alcohol, drugs or weapons policy. Risk assessments have been developed and tested by the Members and volunteers.

• Where young people attend our sessions with a support worker or through another charity that is supporting us to staff the session, we will not obtain additional contact details. The supporting organisation will hold this information and be available onsite if these details are required.

8. Acknowledgements

• Thank all those who have supported the charity during the year, particularly our donors and also our partners and volunteers and the young adults that shape everything we do.

9. Contact Details

• Making Some Noise – Bowshots, RH13 8LY

• [e-mail]

• Instagram and YouTube @MakingSomeNoise4MH