Trustees’ Annual Report
The Wellness Gateway
For the year ending April 2026
Objectives and Activities
The Wellness Gateway is a charitable organisation committed to supporting mental health and wellbeing within the community. Our aim is to provide accessible therapeutic and wellbeing services, plus trauma-focused education that help individuals improve their emotional resilience, mental health and quality of life.
Our activities include providing counselling services, wellbeing programmes, traumafocused education and community-based support that promote emotional wellbeing and reduce barriers to accessing mental health support.
The charity works with qualified practitioners and supervised student counsellors to expand access to safe and ethical therapeutic support while also contributing to the development of future professionals in the mental health sector.
In planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and believe that the charity’s work clearly supports the public benefit by increasing access to mental health support and promoting wellbeing within the community.
Achievements and Performance
During the year the charity has continued to develop its services and expand support for individuals experiencing mental health difficulties.
Key achievements this year include continuing to provide counselling and wellbeing support to members of the community via our Listening Spaces, supporting the development of student counsellors through structured placements and supervision, delivering wellbeing activities designed to promote emotional resilience and self-care, and strengthening organisational governance and processes to support the safe delivery of services.
The charity remains committed to increasing access to mental health support and creating safe, supportive spaces where individuals can seek help.
Financial Review
The charity continues to operate on a modest scale, with careful management of its financial resources to ensure sustainability and responsible use of funds.
Income figures and financial accounts are prepared separately by the charity’s accountant and filed in accordance with Charity Commission requirements.
The trustees review the financial position of the charity regularly and ensure that appropriate financial controls are in place.
Reserves Policy
The trustees have adopted a reserves policy to ensure the financial stability and continuity of the charity’s services. The charity aims to maintain reserves equivalent to approximately three months of operating costs.
This level of reserves is intended to provide sufficient financial resilience to manage unexpected changes in income or expenditure while allowing the charity to continue delivering its services safely and responsibly.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Wellness Gateway is governed by a board of 5 trustees who are responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of the charity.
Trustees meet regularly to review the charity’s activities, finances and governance. The board ensures that the charity operates in accordance with its charitable objectives and complies with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
Day-to-day activities are supported by volunteers and practitioners who contribute to the delivery of services.
Safeguarding and Clinical Governance
As a mental health charity providing counselling and wellbeing services, safeguarding and clinical governance are central to the charity’s operations.
The charity maintains safeguarding policies and procedures designed to protect vulnerable individuals and ensure safe practice. Counselling services are delivered by qualified practitioners and supervised student counsellors who work within established ethical frameworks and professional standards.
Clinical oversight is supported through appropriate supervision structures and governance processes that ensure safe triage, allocation of clients and ongoing monitoring of service delivery. Trustees review safeguarding and governance arrangements periodically to ensure that appropriate safeguards remain in place.
Risk Management
The trustees recognise their responsibility to identify and manage risks associated with the charity’s activities.
The main areas of risk relate to safeguarding, clinical governance, financial sustainability and operational capacity. Appropriate policies and procedures are in place to manage these risks, including safeguarding policies, supervision structures for counselling services and financial oversight.
Trustees review risks periodically and take steps to ensure appropriate mitigation measures are in place.
Trustee Recruitment
The charity seeks to maintain an effective and appropriately skilled board of trustees. When new trustees are required, recruitment is undertaken with the aim of ensuring that the board collectively has the skills, experience and perspectives necessary to support the charity’s work.
Prospective trustees are provided with information about the charity’s objectives, governance responsibilities and regulatory obligations. Trustees are expected to act in the best interests of the charity and to comply with the duties set out in Charity Commission guidance.
Plans for the Future
Looking ahead, the charity aims to continue developing accessible mental health and wellbeing services along with trauma-focused education within the community.
Future priorities include expanding counselling provision where possible, continuing to support student counsellor placements in a safe and structured way, developing wellbeing initiatives that promote preventative mental health support, and strengthening partnerships and community engagement.
The trustees remain committed to ensuring that the charity continues to provide meaningful support to individuals seeking help with their mental health and wellbeing.
Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement
The trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and that the report reflects the charity’s activities and achievements during the reporting period.
Signed on behalf of the trustees: Dr. Angela Wright, Peter Annear, Gail Donnan and Mike Gibbs
Name: Gail Donnan Position: Chair Date: 16.03.2026