## Annual Report 2024 HELP US TO HELP OTHERS www.qmcg.org.uk Charity Registration No. 211764 1 Photo Credit: QMCG Our fi rst QMCG Carol Service held at T e King’s Chapel of the Savoy on 4th December 2024. 2 HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy, Patron 3 Patron: HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy Trustees: Secretary to the Trustees: Mary Guppy - Chairman of Trustees Sharon Stewart - Hon. Treasurer Ruth Briant - Executive Chair Diana Dix Sallie Hawkins Julia Knight Helen Whitbread Matilda Woodford Susan Wallace Executive Committee: Ruth Briant - Executive Chair Victoria Spendlove - Vice Executive Chair Sharon Stewart - Hon. Treasurer Julia Buckmaster Susan Hammond - until December 2024 Donna Hart Vicki Meakin Natalie Meehan - until May 2024 Abigail Sarfaty - until May 2024 Secretary: Heather Mears Charity Number: 211764 Registered Address: 22 Stamford Brook Road London W6 0XH Independent Examiner: Catrin Thornton, BSc ACA Investment Advisors: Rathbones: Incorporating Investec Wealth and Investment (UK) 30 Gresham Street London EC2V 7QN 4 ## **Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31[st] December 2024** The Trustees present their accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2024. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in the statement and notes to the accounts. ## **Purpose of the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild (QMCG)** The aim of the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild is to make, buy and source new clothing, sleeping bags and linen and to distribute these items once a year to British charities, operating only in the United Kingdom, to help the vulnerable, the homeless and those in need. ## **Why our work is important** QMCG is one of the oldest charities in the United Kingdom and, from its inception in 1882, its purpose has been to support those in need. QMCG responds to requests from charities across the UK for new items they have difficulty in sourcing or funding themselves. QMCG knows that the gift of brand new clothing and linen provides not only warmth and comfort but, importantly, also helps to restore dignity and self-respect. ## **How we work** Our list of 53 supported UK charities includes refuges for women and children escaping violence, homeless shelters and outreach units, neonatal units and hospices providing respite and end of life care for children and adults - and many others. Each year we ask the charities that we support to complete a list of items they most need, and that will make a difference. For over 140 years QMCG supporters all over the country have been knitting and stitching and still continue to make beautiful handmade items for QMCG to donate to charities. The timing of our annual distributions, usually in the Autumn time, works particularly well for charities helping the homeless as their need is greatest during winter months. ## **Where we work** QMCG works with charities across the UK, but its main activities are in England and Scotland. ## **Public Benefit** In setting the objectives and activities of the charity, the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidelines concerning public benefit. QMCG continues to place great emphasis on its commitment to support other charities in their work, providing brand new clothing and linen to help where the charities have difficulty in sourcing these items themselves. The public benefits of QMCG’s work are wide reaching through the varied charities it supports and can be seen as both direct and indirect in their nature. Direct, through the practical help that is given to the charities QMCG supports in response to their actual needs. Indirect, through the positive effect of these donations of new clothing and linen on those who receive them, helping to restore their sense of self-worth and dignity - both essential to those facing hardship. Direct also through the friendship, purpose and sense of belonging that knitting and stitching gives to the many supporters all over the country. ## **Fundraising** Under the Charities Act 2016, all charities in England and Wales that spend more than £100,000 a year on fundraising are expected to make a voluntary contribution to the regulator’s running costs. As QMCG spends considerably less than £100,000 a year on fundraising it is, therefore, not eligible to pay the voluntary contribution to the regulator’s running costs that would be required under the Charities Act 2016. ## **Risk Assessment** Again this year, in making decisions, the Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission Guidance on public benefit, in compliance with section 4 of the Charities Act 2006, and have given due consideration as to how the activities of QMCG contribute to its charitable status. 5 The Compliance Committee meets regularly to ensure that the Governance document is kept updated and is used as a guidance framework for both the Executive Committee (EC) and Trustees. All supported charities, existing and proposed, are regularly visited by members of the Executive Committee, and a record kept of the meeting. Guild Friends and Trustees are encouraged to join these interesting visits. Through these visits, either by Zoom or In Person, QMCG can gather information about the charities, their current needs, and how best the Guild can assist them. Importantly, visits help to guard against inappropriate use of QMCG donations and help us monitor whether our donations are relevant and reaching those we aim to help. The other main areas of risk are QMCG’s two annual events: Packing Week and the AGM. Public Liability insurance continues in place. ## **The Guild in Scotland Report** Soon after the dust had settled from our London-based Packing Week in October 2024, the Secretary and Treasurer started arranging for the donation of linen to a range of charities in Scotland. By December 2024, 7 charities received 832 items of new bedlinen, towels, slippers and dressing gowns based on their requirements, which members of the Executive Committee and Trustees had discussed with the charities during 2024. At the same time, our tireless Guild Ambassador in Scotland, Shona Docherty, was gathering together over 1,300 handmade items from a team of 12 volunteer knitters based all over Scotland. These have now been distributed to 12 charities, and no doubt the kind knitters are already busily producing items for QMCG’s distribution in Winter 2025. In total we have helped 16 charities across Scotland in 2024. We have received many grateful emails from CEOs showing how much the QMCG donation is appreciated by the charity and their clients. Bethesda Hospice on the Isle of Lewis and Harris, NW Hebrides wrote: ‘A main priority for us is to ensure the comfort of our patients, and this donation goes a long way to making this possible…so grateful for the lovely homemade items …. which keep people warm in this cold weather…so thankful for the beautifully coloured blankets and cosy hats which keep our residents warm when they go out…These are essential items that are always needed in abundance in a setting such as Bethesda, and we are very grateful to you for donating these to us.’ ## **Ruth Briant, Executive Chair** ## **Chairman of the Trustees’ Report** The AGM was held at The Royal Automobile Club on May 15th, thanks to Trustee Diana Dix, and proved to be an excellent venue. The Reverend Canon Thomas Woodhouse, Chaplain of The King's Chapel of the Savoy, gave a very interesting and lively talk which was enjoyed by all. Natalie Meehan, Abigail Sarfaty and Susan Hammond retired from the Executive Committee. Thank you for your hard work over the past three years. Packing Week in October was a joyous occasion with all hands on deck; each year it amazes me how much is achieved in such a short time. During the two days we sorted, packed and distributed 35,100 items to 37 Charities in England. Several members of the Royal Household attended View Day thanks to Trustee Matilda Woodford. It was so inspiring to meet the representatives of the charities who attended and listen to their stories. Sadly, HRH Princess Alexandra was unable to attend due to ill health, however her Private Secretary Diane Duke very kindly attended on both days. Including the charities we supported in Scotland, a grand total of 37,352 items were distributed to 53 charities throughout the UK in 2024. We have had several very successful fundraising events this year organised by Linda Thompson and Susan Hammond. This included our first Christmas Carol Service at The King's Chapel of the Savoy, which we hope will become an annual occasion. It was a complete success and very well attended. Linda and Susan stepped down from the Fundraising Team at the end of December after a very successful term. Thank you for your hard work in raising funds for the Guild. We continue to be extremely grateful for the support of HRH Princess Alexandra. She has been and continues to be a wonderful Patron. A huge thank you also to our Independent Examiner Catrin Thornton and Investec. I would also like to say how much we appreciate our loyal helpers, knitters and donors for their time and generosity which makes our wonderful charity what it is today. ## **Mary Guppy, Chairman of Trustees** 6 ## **Fundraising Report** The Guild is so grateful to The Worshipful Companies of Drapers, Dyers, Glovers and Weavers for their continued support through generous grants that enabled us to purchase thousands of brand new items of clothing and bedding for distribution at Packing Week. The Fundraising Committee organised three big events in 2024, raising over £14,000, starting with an evening champagne reception and guest speaker in Lord and Lady Hammond’s home in May. Former Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle, Admiral Sir James Perowne KCVO, KBE, had everyone hanging on his every word talking about his time at Windsor with the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. The second event in November, hosted by The Worshipful Company of Dyers in their stunning livery hall, was a sellout wine tasting led by Former Yeoman of the Royal Cellars, Robert Large MVO, RVM. Fifty guests were expertly guided through a selection of champagnes, wines and port that The Queen Mother enjoyed at one of her last banquets at Windsor Castle. The final event of 2024, in early December, was the Guild’s first ever Carol Service led by Canon Thomas Woodhouse and held in the stunning King’s Chapel of The Savoy, with which the Guild has a longstanding and close association. A wonderful opportunity for over 100 Guild Friends to gather together at the end of a busy year, while raising much needed funds. It is planned to make this an annual fixture in the Guild calendar. A big thank you to the Guild Friends who organised individual fundraising events throughout the year including a bluebell walk cream tea, sponsored sock walk, church collection, Christmas wreath making and Christmas sales. Without active and successful fundraising throughout every single year, the Guild will not be able to continue our valuable work helping those in need. ## **Linda Thompson and Susan Hammond, Fundraising Team** **Accounts For year ending 31[st] December 2024** **Summary of income and expenditure account for the financial year ended 31[st] December 2024. Please refer to the separate signed Accounts 2024 document for more details.** The 2024 accounts show a positive financial performance for the charity. Total income increased to £94,748 from £87,528 in the previous year, while payments rose to £94,171 from £83,931. Donations decreased to £36,259 from £50,329, primarily due to the absence of three significant one-off donations received in 2023. Fundraising saw a substantial increase to £24,288 from £4,033 with new events such as the Savoy Chapel carol concert, the Wine Event and a champagne reception with guest speaker. An increase in fundraising from our Friends also contributed to this total. The sales of our merchandise and knitted items generated £7,671. Investment income showed a modest increase to £24,110 from £23,526. We were delighted to be able to allocate £58,407 to the purchasing of clothing and linen to benefit the charities we supported in 2024. Our operational expenses increased to £28,198 from £22,420. This increase reflects the investment in fundraising events, which yielded significant returns and expenditure on digitalising archives (funded by previous year’s donations). Overall the charity’s financial health remains robust with a slight surplus and substantial reserves. Our thanks go to all those individuals and organisations for their ongoing support and contributions to our mission. ## **Sharon Stewart, Hon. Treasurer** 7 The chaiWstru8te88aie resp(msibiÈtr*tts kW8[at￿011he accounts. The¢har￿'S trustees consi¢Jerihat an audit is noi reouweo fwthisyÈaf under seetiw 144 of the charrties Act 2011 ItheCheirtiesActl and Ihatan independentey2minatiM i$no000(l. It is ffly re5ponsibilityto.. Ex8rnin?the accounts uTrd8r8ect6Dn 14501t￿ CharitiesA¢t Tofolltrwiherff￿e￿ure818#l ¢1rwm inthe8**rè1￿.rStI1On$lll￿￿ tythe Charity Cornmissi￿￿ urKlersectJon 145151 bo11￿Ch￿l[leS￿￿. and 10 818t8whether particutar maners havecome to my attent￿. Bast8 oflnd•p•nd•rt •X8fflin8rfs *tat•m•nt Myex8rninationwas carried oui in 8ccordanc8l%lth thegeneral Dlrections wven bythe ChBflty Commission. An examinarion includes a feviewofthe accounting records kept by the charlty and 8 comparison oflhe accoun15 PfeseThtedwih those records. It 8180 includesconside18110n of anyunusuol iiems or disc105ure5 inihe accounis ano seekin8expL9nationsfrorn ihetrustees eonterning8lly $Uth marters. The pWO￿a￿e￿ undertakendo provide all the e¥idence rhet would be required in an audrt. and consequentty. r￿SOp1n1OTh is g￿n8$to￿￿ethe1 th& accounts piesent a Irue ar¥tlairf¥war*Jll* repm 15 bmrted ioltsne rnatters set out in the Statement bÈlow. Ind•p•nd•nt •xamin•r'5 St*0m￿t I have cOrn￿ete￿ my examination. I confimihai no materi81 rnaners haveeorne ro my attention in conneulon￿th thÈ examifi0t1¢)n￿1Ch gNes rne ¢au5e io bebevethat in, #rv matsri81 respect.. accountingrecords %we inaccwdancetAllh Se￿￿jn 130oftheAcior Ihe gccounts do not ac¢ordvmh If% accounting ￿tOr￿S I have no ¢on¢erns and havecome across rKTrother mattersin connectionwittt the examin8tlon towhieh attent￿n should bedr8wn In orderto eTrabie a proper Under￿an(ling of rhe 3ccounts tobe ie8ch8d. gned by CATRINTHORNTON 8S¢ ACA . 2015 QLIEEN MOTHER'SCLOTHING GUILD R¢cdptsand payments accourtforth*yeareTrJed 31 Decthnb•t2024 1r4w 7T5 ststement olassets and lIa￿lM￿aIthe¢ThjOIthe pulod •M )tI 71TI 2711 4 11• Fund N*IWy'sFund io 1023 phrtin￿5111l0￿*ty/PQS￿￿ webirteSCrrnD￿Ikn1￿ 5é(refari￿ FeÈS T 13T BankChaF8E5 rtha9n6of￿tfthafid1l¢ MainFund Mr5￿pe.SFur Ilain Fund ngtheYearln￿￿￿thI￿1dI￿￿￿w£J.1 IZQ23.e3,*3I￿9(OMe¢lL￿e￿05(￿wEetr rniwngth¢pwtE mainF￿d •Ji aj FF 13b* Main Fuhd Irl￿Pt,$￿￿ 147 151 510 XO 1014wa5£6112811102a.EfA12.756J ## **BENEFICIARIES 2024 (** *Newly supported in 2024) |**BENEFICIARIES 2024 (***Ne|wly supported in 2024)| |---|---| |**Charities in England**|**Neo Natal Units supported**| |Age UK, Wiltshire|Evelina, St Thomas'Hospital, London| |Barons Court Project, London|Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow| |Berkshire Women's Aid|| |Changing Pathways, Essex|**Charities in Scotland**| |CHESS, Essex|AberNecessities, Aberdeen| |Companions of Malta, London|Bethesda Care Home & Hospice, Stornoway| |Crawley Open House, West Sussex|Cardinal Winning Pro Life Initiative, Glasgow| |Croydon Refugee Day Centre|CHAS Robin House, Balloch| |Emmaus, Greenwich|CrossReach Oversteps Care Home, Dornoch| |Emmaus, Hastings & Rother|Cyrenians, Aberdeen| |Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity Samaritan Fund,
London|Erskine House, Renfrewshire| |Home of Comfort, Southsea|HALO Highland Action for Little Ones,
Inverness*| |Kairos, South East London|Highland Hospice, Inverness| |Leonard Cheshire St Cecilia's, Bromley|Kindness Street Team, Glasgow| |Little Village, London|Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow| |London City Mission, Central London|Seaforth Care Home, Sutherland*| |Manna Society, London|Simon Community, Glasgow| |Medaille Trust, London*|St Vincent's Hospice, Johnstone| |Nelson Trust, South West (supporting refuges in
Bridgwater, Bristol, Cardiff, Gloucester, Swansea)|Women's Aid, Dundee| |Nelson Trust, Swindon|Women's Aid, Glasgow| |Ollalo House, London|| |Pottergate Arc, Norwich|| |Pram Depot, London|| |Project Linus, UK*|| |Ronald McDonald House Charities, London|| |Salvation Army, Hoxton, London|| |Seaview, East Sussex|| |St Anne’s, Little Sisters of the Poor, North London|| |St Hilda's House, Middlesex|| |St Peter’s, Little Sisters of the Poor, South
London|| |Stonepillow, West Sussex|| |The Carers Centre, Tower Hamlets, East London|| |Upper Room, Central London|| |Warming up the Homeless, East Sussex|| |Your Place, East London|| 12 ## **THANK YOU LETTERS** ## **Nelson Trust, Bristol** ‘The recent donation from the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild including the lovely assortment of knitted items has been incredibly impactful for our community of women. These items have provided much-needed warmth and comfort, especially as the colder months approach. The sleeping bags have been distributed to those who are rough sleeping and on our Sex Worker’s Outreach Programme. They have been a lifesaver for many of our clients and have offered a sense of security and warmth that is crucial during this time. The jogging bottoms and jumpers are being used daily by our clients, providing them with comfortable and practical attire for when they’re in hospital, rough sleeping, or have little finances for luxury items such as clothing. They have been very well received and are not only comfortable but also help our clients feel more at ease and dignified. The handmade knitted and crochet items have been distributed among our clients, adding a personal touch to the donations. They are particularly appreciated and are beautiful and unique. They bring a sense of warmth and care, knowing that someone took the time to make these items by hand. Our clients feel cherished and supported. The variety of items donated has addressed multiple needs of our clients, from warmth and comfort to a sense of personal care. These donations have made a significant difference in women’s daily lives.’ ## **Nelson Trust, Bristol, Client Quote** ‘Having fresh, high-quality towels makes me feel valued and cared for. It’s the little things that make a big difference for me, that others wouldn’t think about.’ ## **Erskine House, Renfrewshire** ‘We are indebted to QMCG for all their years of support for our veterans. Having such a generous donation of good quality linens each year is a great help to us, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis. Some of our residents arrive with very little so it’s wonderful to be able to give them brand new bedding and towels. We also received many hand knitted jumpers, blankets, mittens, socks and hats that are created by QMCG knitters. Giving our veterans lovely handmade items, which are created especially for them is a lovely gesture. The continued support from QMCG is something we really appreciate, especially as the price of linen and household items continues to rise. We value your support very much.’ ## **Stonepillow, West Sussex, Client Quote** ‘I was freezing cold and very wet from the storm – I have been sleeping rough, I was so relieved to have thermals, new warm clothing and a dry sleeping bag from the Stonepillow Hub.’ ## **Ollalo House, London** ‘Our team was delighted to receive these thoughtful contributions, and they are sure to make a meaningful impact on those we serve. The feedback from our clients and staff has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m pleased to share a few of their remarks: ‘The jogger and hoodie are really good, it’s wonderful to feel warm and presentable. Thank you for making a difference in my life.’ (client) ‘The handmade items truly feel like gifts of kindness. Knowing someone crafted these with care means a lot to us.’ (staff) ‘These donations are more than just items—they bring comfort, dignity, and hope to our residents.’ (staff) 13 Charities supported by QMCG in 2024 Homeless charltles 21 charities¥ihosuprA)rt ihosew are homele55. & Fwnl 22.6% Hosplces and the Elderly 11 h05pices. &4re homes and daycentres 39. Women's charities 8 wornpn'5 refuges and SUPPDrt wps Children and Families 12 charities 5UPPOrting children and lamilies irfluding Neo-Natal unrts HD¥p￿￿&thEldwfy Veterans I charity 5UPPQrtlngVetetans QM QUEEN MOTHER'S CLOTHING GUILD 14 ++ Iher of 4111 mercie5 we are clotlie , we are souns in min6 bo6¥, n sralilu6e these real Ile551nJ5 we offer tlitse malerial Ihiii lo those It55 forlunale, b66 Illii ble55l1155,tve 'we are ++ or our beseecli I'liee,to the work of h.In65 &in6 heor15 carr so Ilial ¢och sarinent niay ¥ lo Ihe tveartr not onl 6ecenci an llyarmth,but couraj , forl, 6 hore for brijhèer Sa 15 QM CG QUEEN MOTHER'S CLOTHING GUILD FOUNDED 1882