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2025-03-30-accounts

Nice 2 Meet Ya

Charity Number: 1209147

Trustees’ Annual Report

for the period

From: 16/07/2024 To: 30/03/2025

Trustees

Helen Coulouras

Hannah James Sian Kenrick

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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Contents

1. Objectives and Activities

2. Achievements and Performance

3. Financial Review

4. Structure, Governance and Management

5. Reference and Administrative details

6. Declarations

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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Objectives and Activities

Summary of the Purposes of the Charity

The objects of the CIO are to promote social inclusion for the public benefit by working with adults who are socially excluded on the grounds of disability, learning difficulties, autism and/or other neurodiverse conditions, to relieve the needs of such people and assist them to integrate into society, by:

  1. Providing an online platform on which enables them to develop friendships and relationships

  2. Providing social and recreational facilities and events

  3. Providing workshops and education sessions on topics such as forming healthy relationships.

Overview / Summary

During the period July 2024 – March 2025 our highest active membership numbers were maintained at 67. Throughout this time, 51 of our members attended one or more online or in-person social events. Membership within our service cannot be directly compared to other social groups. It is designed to be flexible and can often be paused or end for positive reasons. When members are successfully matched with a friendship or relationship and are happy with their connections, there is no longer a need for them to remain in the service. Our aim is to provide safe introductions and support members to build meaningful connections; when this is achieved, ongoing membership is not usually required.

Our In-Person Workshops were run once a month, and covered topics such as Managing Expectations Around Meeting New People and Dating, Understanding Consent, and Effective Communication in Relationships. During the aforementioned period, around 40 of our members accessed one or more of our In-Person Workshops. Feedback received from our members has shown that they have found the workshops to be helpful, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive from those that have attended.

Additional 1:1 workshops with individuals were offered to specific members and 26 individual workshops were carried out on subjects such as Staying Safe in a Sexual Relationship, Contraception, Female Health Education, Effective Communication in Relationships and Neurodiverse Affirming Self-Care. Some of these workshops were offered in-person where a suitable location and additional assistance could be arranged if required, within the member’s own support network. Other sessions were carried out online via Zoom, if this was the more suitable delivery method for the individual.

During the time period specified, our team facilitated 34 Friendship and/or Relationship Introductions, both being a mixture of online (Zoom call) or in-person chaperoned meetings.

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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A full group social was held in December 2024 in the form of a relaxed Festive MeetUp. This was open to all members and their support networks where applicable (carers/support workers or family members). This proved a great opportunity for members to meet in person and to socialise in a safe and supported environment, with four members of our own team in attendance to support in the socialising as well.

We also ran a series of smaller sub-group Zoom Workshops, offering 2 opportunities per month for members to access these with a smaller number of attendees, where we could better adapt the level of delivery to suit the groups and the learning styles. The sub-group online workshops we have offered include subjects such as Handling Rejection and Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, Exploring Core Beliefs and Staying Safe Online.

The purpose of our Nice 2 Meet Ya Mobile App is to enable members to talk privately and safely following a 1:1 introduction. It has largely been successful in helping social connections to develop. However general online group chatting via the Mobile App has been more difficult to sustain during this time, due to a lack of team members available to monitor and moderate the communications taking place.

We are heavily reliant on the help of the volunteers that we have, and we would not be able to function without them.

The Trustees have had due regard to the guidance published by the Charity Commission on the public benefit requirement and have considered this guidance when planning the charity's activities and setting its objectives for the year.

Achievements and Performance

We routinely collect feedback from our members, their support network and/or families, regarding the difference they feel being a member of Nice 2 Meet Ya has made to them. This is collected via feedback forms, during regular memberships reviews, by email, and verbally.

We have had members report an improvement in their confidence and their ability to socialise after attending our supported sub-group meet ups and social events. We have received feedback from some members’ families and support workers, stating that they have noticed improvements in confidence and a desire to socialise and meet new people, where there was less desire beforehand.

As a direct result of the Friendship and/or Relationship Introductions carried out, we are pleased to report that 8 successful friendship matches and 1 successful relationship match were made and, with support, continue to be maintained as healthy and meaningful connections.

A 2024 poll by the Belonging Forum found that 40% of adults with disabilities in the UK reported feeling lonely, compared to 29% of the general population. Worryingly, 14% of disabled respondents said they had no close friends at all. We hope that Nice 2 Meet Ya has helped to alleviate some of the loneliness and isolation felt by our members and enabled them to become more social not only within our membership community, but also in the wider community as a result.

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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Many members join us without having received adequate relationship and sex education, leaving their understanding shaped by unrealistic media portrayals. This often results in confusion, unmet expectations, and heightened vulnerability. We have found that support workers can sometimes be unequipped with the knowledge, tools and confidence to offer this type of guidance, leaving many of our members with no one to talk to openly about sex and relationships.

Without the specialist education, support, and guidance we provide through our online and in-person workshops, many are left to navigate dating apps or online platforms alone, leaving them highly vulnerable to exploitation. People can take advantage of their inexperience, manipulating them into giving money or complying with inappropriate requests. Our work is essential in safeguarding them, enabling safe connections, and preventing serious harm.

We address the gap in relationship and friendship support for people with learning disabilities and neurodiverse conditions by delivering tailored education sessions for members and inclusive events where they can meet new people, build confidence, and form friendships or romantic relationships with the guidance of trained staff and chaperones.

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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Financial Review CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGIAND AND WALES NIC• 2 Mpvt Y Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For1￿ period from To 30103t2O25 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted nd$ Endowment nds Total lund6 Lasty￿r loth•nDaT•¥t£ 147lh•nD•Mst£ to th• nHr••t£ A1 R•c•lpts Sub totallGross incom8 for ARI .TlO A2 A#￿tand In¥￿tr￿￿t &l•s, tablo). Sub total r￿aIr•colpts 6,710 Pa e¢ 24B BankchaDJB5 Tra￿l(￿sts 54P 2,958 2.9 Evenlco& In$urdnce Ptol se￿￿9 AdMIntstrA￿¥è Sub total TJ15 A4 As•tand iNVStrTrl•lIt pur¢hases, sèe tsble Sub total 7,315 Nel of receIPt￿{PaY￿enI5) Transfèrs bofv10on lunds Cash funds last ￿areThd Cash funds thls year end 605 605 947 342 N2MY Tru5tees' Annual Report & Financial Statement5 2024-25 Page 6 of 11

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Llrfè6trfcted lunds Rest￿Clea lunds lofiMr•sl Endtswment funds Bl C¥¥h fund¥ Total¢¥8h lunds VThroslrfct¢d lund$ R•$trlct•d lunds Endowmfynt funds loffle4nBtE FuTrJtowNL •t•tb•lo cun1ni￿lUth on B3 Imslment ass•t• FundiowNth CoDtlopHoMII CurMThl onal 84 As$ots rotaltd lorth• charity'¥ own L*• Fur￿lowN￿ •ndu• onal 85 LlablllUo8

yon¥ ¢¢￿ haKofa1ltfvt￿￿t£eS Print Name Date of HELEN COULOURAS 2110112026 HANNAH JAMES 21101tt026 N2MY Tru5tees' Annual Report & Financial Statement5 2024-25 Page 7 of 11

Independent examiner's report on the accounts 7 High st Tingrilh MK17 9EH Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees1 Members of Nice 2 Meet Ya On a￿¢)￿nIS for the year ended 3110312025 Charity no lif any) 1209147 Set out on pag85 Draft accounts provided lo me by the Charity I report lo the trustees on my exarnination of the accounts of the above Charity for the year ended 3110312025. Responsibilities and As the trustees of the Charity. you a￿ responsible for the preparation of the bo$1$ of report ac¢ounls in accordance with the ￿quireMents of the Charities Commission. I report in ￿Spect of my examination of the Twst's a¢¢ounts ¢arried out adopting section 145 of the 2011 Act and In carrying out my examinabon. I have followed the applicable Directi￿8 gN8n by the Charity Commission under sedion 14515llbl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material Tnatter5 have orne to My attention in connection wth the exarnination which gives Me cause to b81iev8 that in, any material respect. there exists any areas of concern with ￿gard to the financial p0511ion of the Charity nor it5 financial porting. Independ•nt ¥xarningr'$ $tat&m¢ftt I have no ¢on¢em$ and have Come across no other matters in ¢onnedion with the examin2lion to which attention should bè drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts lo be reached. Signed.. Date.. 1110112026 Name.. Andr8w Eldridge (Andrew Eldridg8 Financi81 S&rvice81 Relevant profe$$ional quo1ificationl$l or body lif any).. Arr Associati￿ of Taxation Technician5 IATh- part of the Chartered Institute of Taxalionl Addres$'. 7 High Street. Tingrilh Milton K8yn8S MK17 9EH Section D%sclosuTe Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight mallers of concern18ee CC32, Independent exatninalion of Gharily aGcount5'. ￿1￿ctIonS and guidanGe for examiners). IER October 2018 N2MY Tru5tees' Annual Report & Financial Statement5 2024-25 Page 8 of 11

Financial position

The CIO is in a stable financial position at the end of March 2025. Funding from the previous period has been used and finding appropriate fundraising support needs to be prioritised to improve the financial position going forward.

We are very grateful to all our funders, including community organisations, companies and individuals who have supported us during the year, and allowed us to operate and offer these much-needed opportunities and services to our members.

Policy on reserves

The Trustees have decided that the CIO needs to hold reserves, if possible, to cover any gaps in funding that may occur. The holding of reserves would allow extra time to source alternative sources of funding without a gap in the services that we provide to our members.

Details of reserves held

At the end of March 2025, the CIO is holding £342 of reserves.

Details of funds materially in deficit

The CIO has no funds which are materially in deficit.

Uncertainties about the CIO continuing

Demand for our service remains extremely high. However we are at capacity with our current staff team number and cannot scale up without significant funding to do so. We are a small team and Trustee ill health has also unfortunately limited the group’s growth.

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts

Constitution adopted on the 16[th of] July 2024. The charity is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its charity trustees.

Trustee selection methods

There must be at least three charity trustees. If the number falls below this minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees may act only to call a meeting of the charity trustees or appoint a new charity trustee. There is no maximum number of charity trustees that may be appointed to the CIO.

Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed [for a term of three years] by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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Reference and Administrative details

Charity name

Nice 2 Meet Ya

Registered charity number

1209147

Charity’s principal address

70 The Enterprise Centre, Cranborne Rd, Potters Bar EN6 3DQ

Names of the Charity Trustees

1
2
3		 Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not
for whole year		 Name of person (or
body) entitled to
appoint trustee (if any)
Helen Coulouras Chair Trustees at AGM
Hannah James Treasurer Trustees at AGM
Sian Kenrick Trustees at AGM

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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Declarations

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above.

Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees:

Helen Coulouras (Chair)

Hannah James (Treasurer)

21[st] January 2026

N2MY Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 2024-25

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