**Trustees Annual Report for the period 1[st] January 2021 to 31st December 2021** ## **Reference and Administration Details** Charity Name :- Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association Other names by which it is known:- MAARA Registered Charity Number 257131 Registered Office: 7 Stadium Business Court Millennium Way Pride Park Derby DE24 8HP Names of the Trustees who manage the charity:- Dr Roger Chappell Mr Stuart Mills Dr Martin Stern Mr Stephen Watson Mr Peter Teasdale All of whom acted as trustees for the whole year. ## **Structure Governance and Management** The charity is governed by its constitution which was last changed in 2013 to reflect the changes in the objects of the charity, reflecting the cessation of medical trials and the disposal of the former premises in Vernon St. Derby. The association had a membership of 56 during the year and the trustees are appointed or reappointed according to the constitution, which stipulates that the committee will consist of:- - i) The officers of the Association, i.e. the Patron, President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Association and a Medical Advisor. All such officers shall be elected for a five year period and shall be eligible for re-election for a further period of five years after the expiry of the original five years - ii) Not more than eight elected members, one third of whom shall retire at each Annual general Meeting of the association. The members of the Committee [other than the afore-mentioned Patron, President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary] to retire every three years and again each of the eight elected members shall be entitled to stand for re-election for a further term of three years . - iii) The Committee may elect members to fill casual vacancies in the officers and members of the Committee until the next Annual General meeting 1 The trustees are appointed from the committee and therefore elected and re- elected in accordance with the Constitution at the AGM held in July. Trustees and officers of the Association continue to give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits ## **Objectives and Activities** Objects of the Association - a. Sponsoring of research into the causes and treatment of Asthma and Allergy - b. Sponsoring the dissemination of this to the public and/or to the medical profession by publication or through seminars or conferences - c. Providing general information on Asthma and Allergy to the public. - d. Fulfilling requests for information from academic bodies, interested groups and the public on matters relating to asthma and allergy, including research findings and information gathered by the Association or its agents, at the discretion of the Executive. - e. Undertake fundraising in support of the objects a – d ## **Summary of Activities undertaken** The activities of the Charity are largely dependent on the success of applications for funding from medical researchers and institutions in the East Midlands. A key responsibility of the Trustees is to ensure that the public will benefit from the research or projects which we fund. We have a separate Medical Advice Committee (MAC) chaired by Dr David Luyt which critically appraises applications, including the amount of public benefit likely to accrue, in accordance with the Charity Commission’s guidance. Acceptance of applications involves a protocol identifying differing levels of authorisation for different values of grant, including the involvement of an external referee for higher value grants. All MAC recommendations for funding over £5k are subject to approval by a vote of the Executive committee. ## **Achievements and Performance** This year, the pandemic continued to affect research, both in the ongoing projects previously approved and the submission of new grant applications. Further delay in some projects have been caused by researchers moving roles. ## Pollen counting and Public Information Pollen counting was under way within 18 months of the formation of MAARA in 1968 and our current counting continues to add data to our archive which is now the longest running in Europe. Originally MAARA directly employed Aerobiologists to collect and count Pollen in our own premises, but the cost of staffing and maintenance of even modest facilities and the upcoming retirement of key staff members led us to investigate outsourcing the service. Accordingly, in 2006 as part of a major grant, counting was transferred to Glenfield Hospital and more recently to The University of Leicester. The service is currently being provided as part of a two year project with the University after review of an existing 3 year contract which expired in early 2020. The Executive committee believe that the Archive is an important resource for researchers nationwide as well as for 2 MAARA’s own projects, but we check this on an ongoing basis, before agreeing to further funding. Two MAC meetings were held this year, each one to review a different grant application. No applications were approved, the projects were declined for funding after been passed to our independent external referees, due to their value. One of these projects was for nearly £200k to fund an automatic counter for pollen and investigate its use for spore counting, intending it as a replacement for the specialist and time-consuming manual counting practiced since counting commenced. After discussion at a number of Executive Committee meetings and consideration by the MAC the application was declined. It was also agreed that the pollen counting service would no longer be funded and it would therefore cease at the end of the 2022 pollen season. Other projects continue from previous years:- - - a) Investigation of mast cells from asthmatic bronchial biopsy tissue by single cell RNA sequencing for the assessment of novel therapeutics (£36,000) A no cost time extension to the completion of this project was agreed in July 2020 due to disruption caused by the pandemic b) Identification and Characterisation from A. Fumigatus associated with lung damage (£65,300) A no cost time extension to the completion of this project was agreed in July 2020 due to disruption caused by the pandemic ## Harry Morrow Brown Award The Harry Morrow Brown Award is an annual award commemorating the death of the founder of MAARA, it provides an annual sum of £5000 to support a range of health professionals wishing to present at suitable conferences and seminars, by paying bursaries covering conference fees and travel costs. Due to the pandemic, no grants were made under the award, however the rules allow expenditure to be carried forward into successive years if warranted by application numbers. ## **Financial Review** ## Reserves policy Unrestricted funds are currently £961,600 and are used to meet our liability in payment of agreed grants as well as the day to day operating expenditure. A decision was taken in 2006 to invest some of our funds in investment accounts in order to improve returns. These funds have performed well and we plan to leave these in place until the money they contain are needed for our work We have no funds materially in deficit. Our main source of funds this year has again been legacies which, by their nature, are difficult to predict or budget 3 Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees Slgned JIIN Full name stephen David Watson Posltlon Chairman Data g9)k￿ (otL I¥IIDtANDS ASTIIMA AND ALLERGY YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 MIDLANDS AsfHMA AND ALLERGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION rATEMENT OF FINANCL4L AcnvmFS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 21111 2021 202D INCONIING RESOURCES Fuad ￿111￿¥ ind Other IAcome Fund Rai5in& Don￿10￿&¢ Lcg4¢i¢s Menth¢rs SthsuiptK)n5 3851 2124 10599 200 12913 21825 320 32265 23132 TOTAL INCOL¥IING RLWURCLS 34748 RESOURCES EXPENDED co￿ OF GENERATING FUNDS Admlntstr*tlve And Other Exptnxs Sathri¢s Ind PleAssets lovestrnents 774921 618876 774923 088878 CURRENT ASSETS Debiots And Prepayme￿* Cth AL Bank •Ad IA Hand 147 188387 792 2O039D 181534 201182 CREDITORS: f•lllDg due wlthkn oneye 186677 199326 TOTAL A&SETS LFSS CiIRRFNf LIABILMLS 96160• FUNDS Un¢tSts1￿td Fwmts 9616OD AP￿0Ved by the Boud orrnw*es on its be￿rbY P•gt3 MIDLANDS AND ALLERGY RLSEARCH ASSOCIATION NOTLS TOTHEAccoufiTS FOR TUE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER IOZI ACCOUNfiNG POLICIFS Depred*tio LkpTrrialion ispmvided ort Jll Futd Assetsfjn l•% knis colCul￿ ￿ wite off th2 com over their es1imAttd seful live5 ￿ follm- 333'.•P DoTr•tloTrs and LtE•de5 These ￿e #COUDltd for in fidl iti the ytVDfYtteipL lyvutmemt Ixeorne B•nk initr¥t TtteivAble 15 fwon tk •ccndsbaqi%. Goloz co￿tr• TANGIBLE FIXED AssErs Cornp•¢ers E4￿meTht Tothl Nrt Book Vth BmuBbi Forward Prnvision r￿DepreCiAtIL Nel B•ok Vkn Cvrlod Fornanl INVEsfMErrrs 2421 1020 6B8876 86045 711705 122V9) Add: Gninl{Loss) on Revalwiioft T149ZI 688876 Ilo UK Uttit TnLSLS fwChBrii1￿j MIDLANDS ASTHMA AND ALLERGY RKSEARCH ASSOCIATION RECEIPTS AND PAYMENfs AccoiJKr YEAR TO 31 DECEMBER2021 PaBe I THE MIDLANDS A￿lIMA AND ALLERCY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION CHARrrY NUMBER 257131 RECEITtS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD I JANUARY 2021 TO 31 DECEMBER 2021 Unrestricted Funds 31.1221 Unrestrlcted Fllnd5 31.1220 RECEIFrs Donations, Legacies and Grants Members Subscriptions Envestment Income 31945 320 23132 12723 21Y) 21938 TOTAL RECEIFrs 55397 34861 PAYMENTS Sa]ories and Pension Ren4 Rates and Water Insurance Printing, Postage nnd Stationery Telephone Courses and Travelling Website Costs Accountlncy and Book-keeping Sundries Grants Bgnk Chprgc5 16266 16168 443 2001 610 70 360 3060 35 44800 107 3043 2549 112416 TOTAL PAYMENTS 67400 138935 NET (PAYMENTSYRECEIPTS (121103) (104074) CASH FUNDS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020 200390 304464 CASH FUNDS AT 31 DECEMBER 2021 188387 200390 Page ? THE MIDLANDS AsfHMA AND ALLERGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION CHARITY NUMBER 257131 STATEMENf OF ASSETS AND LIABILrriES AT 31 DECEMBER 2021 (UDrestricled Funds) 2021 (Unr¢strieted Fund5) 2020 CASH FUNDS HSBC BArelays COIF Charities Deposit Fund Lloyds Cash in Hand 14039 ?0667 758 146761 3?586 118 146?60 ?8068 20 TOTAL CASH FUNDS 188387 OTHER MONETARY ASS Other INVESTME1￿ AssErs COIF Charity Fund (market value £?10167) M&GGroup {maTk¢l value £154335) Ncwton Fund (market value £337984) Cordea Savills (market value £P_434) 151XKIO 1?5000 150000 75000 150000 150000 75000 TOTAL INVESTMEKf ASSETS 5000(10 LIABILITIES Other 1857 1856 TOTAL LIABILITIFS 1857 1856 Signsture . .. Tnweechairman Name Page 3 INDEPENDEKf EXAMINERW REFORTTO THE TR￿Sf￿ OF MIDL4NDS AsfHMA AND ￿ERGy RESLIRCH ASSOCIATION Wt rcpon on thB A¢¢ouAts ofthe Awcialion forthe 31 D#¢ots2L?I whKh4ff set on payes l and 2. Rrfp¢¢tlvt respoAslbllldes •fTruyttt5 Ey#wlttr The Akweiatitsn's trpJ5*es are ftspon*ble for the ofthe acwjnts. TtKy consider audil is Iitst wuit¢d for this ye4r{uNlerSediou 144(2) of the CbAriiie5 Aa 2011 (the2011 kn)) thl iD&pthicxAmiA&iim is J*eded. li is ournpollsibility to: amine the acc￿1￿ (wMkrSe¢tion 145 of the !0) l Ad): To follow the pnth laid down in the Dirtai￿ giveth by the (thvity Commitsioous (wthr5wtyon l45(5) (b) of the 2011 Aci): aod Basls ofindqbeadtnt Ex*mlller'g report ineludes A review ofthe reco￿5 kep¢ by the awiry a cotivi￿ of the ttCDunLS pfE5ented with th05c record& It 50 includts considerniioA of w unus1￿1 IleA￿ or di*losure5 in the •ccow4 seeking Lxplanaiion5 from you as trUs￿￿ 130 of the 2011 ompty with the accounling ry11e￿ ofthe 2011 Act ve Mi be¢n me4 io whieh. ID ourqJioi¢x4 •11￿11￿￿ shwld be thJvJtt iti (th oftheKE¢wnts ￿ be Richardqon Lirni*d Chartered AccounlXIIS 7 Stadium Busine55 c￿]rt MilknThium WDY Pride Park Duied..