2025-04-04-accounts

Making Some Noise

4 Mental Health - Trustees Report

2024 – 2025

Charity Name: Making Some Noise

Charity Registration Number: 1204766 Reporting Period: 5 April 2024 – 4 April 2025

Table of Contents

Our Aims ............................................................................................................................ 2 About Us ............................................................................................................................ 3 Public Benefit Statement .................................................................................................... 3 Our Objectives and Achievements ...................................................................................... 4 Operational Objectives – Developing the charity infrastructure ................................................. 6 Members’ Voices: Our Community Feedback .......................................................................... 4 Trustee Profiles: Our Commitment ......................................................................................... 4 Financial Performance ........................................................................................................ 7 Future Plans ........................................................................................................................ 8 Structure, Governance, and Management ............................................................................... 8 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 9 Contact Details .................................................................................................................... 9

Our Aims

The aims of the charity, set out in our constitution, 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.

Purpose of Report

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

About Us

Making Some Noise is the charities registered name and named after Mason Clark’s nickname. The charity also operates as Making Some Noise 4 Mental Health.

Mason Clark died in September 2021 by suicide, at the age of 14 years. Mason was the sixth teenager in West Sussex to die by suicide in 5 months that year. Mason’s mum, Jess Clark, and Mason’s friends, came together to create a charity that they would access and felt was needed for their age group.

The people who use our spaces are known as Members and are aged between 16 – 26+ years old and who live in the Horsham, West Sussex area. Our charity supports young adults with mental health challenges, those with a range of disabilities, additional needs and processing differences and people struggling with isolation and making connections. We are an open and inclusive charity with strong anti-discriminatory awareness, promoting kindness and respect, creating a non-judgemental and safe environments.

The charity has grown with a more substantial group of Members invested in the charity and a range of in-person and online mechanisms to hear from and support young adults, to improve their mental health. The charities objectives and activities are directly influenced by our members’ feedback and how they feel the charity will best serve young adults to improve mental health. Members are asked to vote on all aspects of how the charity operates, from funding to risk assessment procedures, their involvement is key to how we run.

Making Some Noise is staffed by volunteers and three Trustees, further information on our structure and governance is further down in this report.

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees of Making Some Noise have complied with their duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.

In planning and overseeing our activities for the year, the Trustees have considered how our work directly furthers our charitable objects for the public benefit by:

• Improving Mental Health Literacy: Providing identifiable benefits to the public through the dissemination of lived-experience feedback and information regarding suicide prevention.

• Reducing Social Isolation: Creating safe, non-judgmental spaces (Making Some Space) where young adults can build resilience, foster connections, and improve their mental fitness.

• Influencing Policy: Highlighting the stories of those affected by poor mental health to public service providers to improve the delivery and accessibility of mental health services for everyone.

The charity ensures that all benefits are accessible to our target cohort of young adults (aged 16 – 26+) regardless of their financial means, as our sessions and 1-2-1 supports are provided free of charge. Any private benefits, such as training for our volunteers, are purely incidental and necessary to safely deliver our charitable mission.

Members’ Voices: Our Community Feedback

This section is dedicated to the views of our Members, ensuring the charity remains comanaged and shaped by the Members we serve.

We asked our Members what Making Some Noise means to them and why they come to Space. These are their words:

“[To] make my mental health better and socialise with different people”

“To be with people who give a fig”

“It’s like a second home and it makes me feel safe 😊 ”

“[Helped] me to socialise”

“Helped me get back into drumming”

“Want to make it the best mental health charity”

“Make new friends”

Trustee Profiles: Our Commitment

Our Board of Trustees manages the affairs of the CIO in good faith to further our charitable purposes. Below, they share their personal focus and contributions:

• Jessica Clark (Founding Director & Trustee): "My focus this year has been on taking our local feedback to a national level at Westminster, ensuring that suicide prevention remains a priority for policymakers and in building Making Some Space so we adapt to Member needs and provide the most suitable environments for people to feel safe and enjoy themselves.”

• Murray Clark (Trustee): "As an ex-police officer, I am dedicated to ensuring our sessions remain a safe, secure, and supportive environment for every Member and volunteer who walks through our doors. I have focused on being a critical friend, ensuring compliance, risk and safety are regular conversations."

• Juliette Rivett (Trustee): "With my background in accounting, personal experience of neurodiversity and in running a business, I have focused on ensuring our documentation and systems are clear and are providing the best possible value for our young people. I attend Making Some Space to provide direct support to our Members and to maintain a clear understanding of their needs."

Our Objectives and Achievements

Objective 1: Enhancing Social Connection and Reducing Isolation - Deliver monthly young adult social network evenings.

Activity: Successfully ran monthly "Making Some Space" sessions, providing a free, ageappropriate environment with entertainment and refreshments.

Objective 1 Achievements: Making Some Space

Building Connections: In-person social networks. Providing spaces and opportunities for young people to connect, build relationships and find unique support systems.

• Expanded the program to include a larger "Mindgames" event in Horsham (March 2025) for 18 young people, specifically addressing the feedback that members need more spaces to connect, experience, and reduce loneliness.

• Young adult Members returning to sessions in a range of venues.

• Members inputting into charity decisions, articulating needs, sharing thoughts and experiences and increasing their confidence.

• Provided 1-2-1 support meetings in the local area, increasing Members activity levels and reducing isolation and anxiety. Several Members of “Making Some Space” returned to college, employment or achieved other personal goals such as gaining a driving license.

Objective 2: Diversifying Support Pathways through Strategic Partnerships by - Increasing cohesion with community groups

Activity: Built relationships with local charities and organisations to support the charities objectives and to provide suitable venues for “Making Some Space”.

Objective 2 Achievements: Making Some Noise

Amplifying Unheard Voices: gathering and sharing the experiences of young people, families, and professionals to identify gaps and improve support systems for mental health.

• Established a referral pipeline with Amber, a young adults independent living provider and iRock an NHS mental health walk-in team for 14-25 year olds. This ensures young adults in crisis have a direct pathway from clinical support (iRock) to our social community (Space), closing the gap in local mental health provision. Amber residents who have left that provision have then independently attended our sessions as a safe and supportive environment for them when other support mechanisms have ceased.

• Increased our reach to young people not in work, education and / or struggling with life circumstances, hearing their views and translating this into feedback and signposting to support.

• Offered both group social activities and 1-to-1 sessions to enhance socioeconomic position, such as supported work experiences and accessing the job centre, reducing barriers and improving mental wellbeing.

• Developed Members skills through opportunities, such as developing the charity website and governance documents, plus providing opportunities for conversation, debate, awareness of regulations and risk management.

Objective 3: National Advocacy and Policy Influence - highlighting experiences to improve the delivery of mental health services.

Activity: The Founding Director represented the charity in local political meetings and in the Houses of Parliament, collaborating with Inquest.org on the "No More Deaths" campaign and "Learning from Deaths" discussions. Conversations regarding Members experiences of suicidal ideation and losing a friend to suicide were authentically shared to diversify awareness and improve services. Relationships built with West Sussex CAMHS, local youth services and a wide range of mental health support charities.

Objective 3 Achievements: Making Some Moves (for Mason)

Preventing suicide: Advocating for a national mechanism to report on and follow up on the cause of deaths (NO MORE DEATHS CAMPAIGN | Inquest) and promoting awareness of trauma and neurodiversity.

• Ensured the lived experience of Mason and our members continue to inform national suicide prevention strategies and curriculum change.

• Met with local and national political leaders to raise awareness of preventable deaths and mechanisms to improve awareness.

• The founding director, Jess Clark, gave evidence to the Justice Committee to highlight the lack of shared knowledge around preventable deaths and how the “No More Deaths” campaign can support this.

• Co-produced a suite of policies and procedures for the charity directed and influenced by Members with lived experience of trauma and whom are neurodiverse, giving them autonomy and opportunities to create environments suited to them.

• Supported Inquest.org by running a local bereaved family’s session to broaden understanding of local suicide prevention challenges, family voices, and increase support for the “No More Deaths” campaign.

Operational Objectives – Developing the charity infrastructure

Activity: Co-produced policies and procedures. Developed risk assessments and tested these with Members. Created opportunities for Members to support the production of the charity website, social media content and branding and marketing. Reviewed and improved systems and access to software to improve communication and marketing methods.

Achievements: Efficient and Effective Charity Working for its Members

• Updated volunteer and charity procedures and handbook. Developed and tested risk assessment with Members.

• Created the first draft of the co-produced Making Some Noise website.

• Created and shared a range of leaflets and social media content promoting Member views and Making Some Space.

• Increased the number of volunteers by two people.

• Received support from the ambulance services, Community Responders, to provide free first aid training to volunteers and our Members, widening the knowledge and skillset for all.

• Met with organisational leads to obtain advice on grants and funding and undertook a review of the charities structure to understand how to improve fundraising.

• Continued to communicate with previous doners via the Go Fund Me account, set up in Mason’s memory, which provides small amounts of ongoing funding to Making Some Noise.

Financial Performance

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

Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA)

preceding year.	preceding year.
Statement of Financial Actvites (SoFA)
For theperiod 20th September 2024 -	4th April 2025
	Unrestricted Funds(£)	Restricted Funds(£)	Total (£)
Total Funds Brought Forward	6,209	0	6,209
Income
Donatons & Grants	735	0	735
Other Income	0	0	0
Total Income	735	0	735
Expenditure
Charitable Actvites	1,774	0	1,774
Governance & Admin Costs	309	0	309
Total Expenditure	2,083	0	2,083
Net Movement in Funds	(1,349)	0	(1,349)
Total Funds Carried Forward	4,860	0	4,860

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

• We donated to Huxley Birds of Prey Centre, who enabled us to use their site to meet with Members. The centre is suitable for visitors of all ages and people can experience the beauty and wonder of nature. Some of our Members volunteer there from time to time, giving them access to unique work experiences.

• 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.

• Our expenditure of £1,050 on venues and refreshments directly supported the delivery of 12 Space sessions, providing safe environments for over 100 Member visits.

Future Plans

• Further increase the number of volunteers within the charity, by a further four people.

• Enhance volunteer training and skills by developing an interactive training resource and hands-on first aid training.

• Utilise technology to reduce administration and increase communications and marketing by changing our operating systems and providing Members with easy access to software.

• Undertake marketing activity to increase fundraising. Apply for grants and bids.

• Increase the frequency of Making Some Space to two sessions every month, providing more young adult social network evenings and community-based events.

• Launch our co-produced website and provide greater awareness of Making Some Space, increase access to Member and family feedback, and highlight strategies and information to support improving mental health.

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

• Provide dynamic and interesting opportunities to increase the co-management of the charity through the ongoing creative approaches to sessions at Space and through Members skills development.

Structure, Governance, and Management

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

• Two Trustees and a range of volunteers support the running of the charity.

• Volunteers are usually well known by the charity Trustees, through employment or via local networks. All Volunteers are reference checked and those regularly leading Space sessions are Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checked.

• Volunteers do not routinely provide private 1-2-1 sessions with Members. Where the Member wants a quieter or more private environment for a conversation, only specific people with relevant experience and valid DBS can offer this type of 1-2-1 session. These sessions must be agreed in advance with the founding director and wherever possible, take place in a public place, or with a parent, carer, friend or support person in the same building. This is to protect both the Member and the volunteer.

• The charity is managed by the founding director who staffs Making Some Space and the 1-2-1 sessions. The charity is administered by the founding director, who works in a strategic leadership role within children’s social care, is safeguarding trained and holds an up-to-date DBS check.

• The charity deems its Members to be fully part of its governance and decision making. Members may attend online meetings or take part in discussions at Making

Some Space, to influence and direct the charity. Members may also contact the founding director to share views and ideas.

• 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. The charity periodically reviews and updates it documents. If an incident or risk arises, the policies, procedures and guidelines for volunteers are also 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.

Acknowledgements

Thank all those who have supported the charity during the year, particularly our donors and also our partners and volunteers. Our Members have been instrumental in developing and shaping the charity, and in considering the needs of a wider group of young adults, in order to improve the lives of others. We could not operate without this support.

Contact Details

• Making Some Noise – Bowshots, RH13 8LY

• [e-mail]

• Makingsomenoise.co.uk

• Community Group and Phone Number – 07951 594442

• Instagram and YouTube @MakingSomeNoise4MH