Charity Number SC023808
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Trustees' Report and Financial Statements
For the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Reference and Administration Details | 3 |
| Trustees' Annual Report | 4 - 6 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 7 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 8 |
| Statement of Balances | 9 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 10 - 12 |
Page 2 of 12
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Reference and Administration Details
| Charity Name | Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO |
|---|---|
| Charity Number | SC023808 |
| Principal Address | 222 Leith Walk |
| Edinburgh | |
| EH6 5EQ | |
| Trustees | Chair |
| Treasurer | |
| Bankers | CAF Bank |
| 25 Kings Hill Avenue | |
| Kings Hill | |
| West Malling | |
| Kent | |
| ME19 4JQ | |
| Independent Examiner | |
| Brett Nicholls Associates | |
| Herbert House | |
| 24 Herbert Street | |
| Glasgow | |
| G20 6NB |
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Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Trustees' Annual Report
The trustees present their report and annual accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document
Lothian Community Health Initiatives’ Forum (SCIO Charity Number: SCO23808) was founded by a constitution dated 16th April 2014. On 28th August 2019, its name changed to Edinburgh Community Health Forum. The organisation has been recognised as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) by OSCR and is generally exempt from taxation.
Trustee Recruitment and appointment
The members elect the Board of Charity Trustees at every annual meeting. The day to day running of the Forum is delegated to its Strategic Development Manager,
Objectives and Activities
The charity’s main objective is to advance education and community development and to preserve and protect the good health of the people living in Edinburgh by bringing together in association community based health initiatives.
Membership is open to any individual aged 18 and over responsible for an organisation in Edinburgh which has clientele status and whose main objectives are the advancement of health using a community development approach.
Chair's Report
Thank you once again to and for supporting the Forum so well over this most challenging of all years. I feel I can use that description with some authority since it is my twenty third year of being a Forum member and it is the first time I have ever experienced significant anxiety over the survival of our member charities. Thanks also to my fellow board members who have been, as always, such a pleasure to work with.
This time last year we were concerned that ‘all EIJB funded projects were likely to face a significant reduction in funding.’ Little did we know that the EIJB were intending to totally withdraw their grant funding to the third sector. It would be unfair not to acknowledge the extreme financial challenges that our EIJB colleagues are facing - with a £25m funding deficit, but in our view their decision to sacrifice the third sector in order to meet their statutory obligations will only serve to increase the pressure on statutory services and drive the EIJB into even greater financial deficit.
We are confident in our view because we know the value of the social model of health. We witness it every day of our working lives and between us we have an abundance of evidence to prove that our community led services:
-
•Reduce the burden on GP; NHS and CEC resources (Social Work; care packages etc)
-
•Bring additional funding into the city through non-statutory grants and fund raising (£16m in 2023 – 2024)
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•Manage resources and deliver services on extremely moderate budgets demonstrating value for money that is unmatched by any other sector.
-
•Attract and support thousands of volunteers to deliver, administer and manage services at practically no cost
-
•Build stronger more resilient communities and reduce social isolation and ill health.
Page 4 of 12
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Trustees' Annual Report
Chair's Report (Continued)
We had real fears, for a while, that some of our members would close following the IJB disinvestment but we were saved from this by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee who, following a vote by local councillors, set up a Resilience Fund for all 64 charities affected by the cuts. This has been a lifeline to those of us who lost our core funding, which is so hard to get from other sources, and which allows us to keep our doors open.
Sadly the Resilience Fund is a temporary measure and we are under no illusions regarding funding beyond March 2026. We will work together to address this problem and the Forum is the vehicle which will enable us to move forward on this challenging journey. We have survived this year, we will work together to survive the next with the usual generosity of spirit, good humour and absolute certainty that what we do is worth fighting for. Thanks to all those who are behind us.
Achievements and Performance
Introduction
The Forum has continued to play a crucial role throughout 2024/25, maintaining its core function of bringing third sector organisations together to share updates, concerns, and strategic input across Edinburgh. Despite a year marked by funding uncertainty and significant sector-wide challenges, the Forum’s resilience and adaptability have been evident.
Forum Meetings
Monthly hybrid meetings (in-person and Zoom) were held consistently throughout the year, with strong attendance levels maintained. Guest speakers on a variety of topics continued to encourage members to attend as well as the opportunity for networking and working collaboratively with other member organisations. Specific briefing meetings became a regular feature of Forum life during 2024/2025 with these meetings becoming a trusted source of accurate and up to date information on the funding issues facing the sector.
Funding Challenges and Advocacy
In October 2024, the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) unexpectedly announced the withdrawal of all third sector grants, effective from January 2025. This triggered several months of intense lobbying, campaigning, and direct engagement by the Forum with the EIJB. Also, the Forum’s Strategic Development Manager worked very closely with the Chair of EVOC and the Chief Executive of Volunteer Edinburgh to form a new Third Sector Reference Group that would coordinate and lead on the sector’s response to the EIJB ‘s proposals. While the Forum’s efforts, and those of the Third Sector Reference Group led to a partial success, the final decision deferred the end of funding to June 2025. As a result, many organisations were left facing significant financial uncertainty. The focus for the Forum then shifted to working with the City of Edinburgh Council to provide a one year Resilience Fund to secure the survival of many of the cities critical community health service providers.
Information Sharing & Representation
The Forum became a go-to organisation for up-to-date information and facilitated shared responses from members. Staff actively participated in a range of citywide and national forums, including:
- Menu for All - EVOC’s Mental Health and Older People’s Fora - EIJB Strategic Planning Group -Green Network -Third Sector Reference Group - Voluntary Health Scotland (VHS) - CHEX - Health Equity Network - Scottish Parliament’s Inequalities Group
Page 5 of 12
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Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Independent Examiner's Report
| Report to the trustees/members of | Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO |
|---|---|
| Registered charity number | SC023808 |
| Accounts of the charity for the year | 1 April 2024 - 31 March 2025 |
| Set out on pages | 8 - 12 |
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner:
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) 2005 Act and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's statement:
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and, consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
Independent Examiner's statement:
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
-
Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to:
-
keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
-
prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met, or
- To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
........
Date:
FCCA
Fellow of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Brett Nicholls Associates Herbert House, 24 Herbert Street, Glasgow, G20 6NB
Page 7 of 12
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Notes Grants 3 Trading Income 4 Investment Income 5 Other Income 6 Payments Charitable Activities Costs 7 Net Receipts/(Payments) Funds Brought Forward Funds Carried Forward 10 |
Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ - 63,263 63,263 2,265 - 2,265 143 - 143 3,763 - 3,763 6,171 63,263 69,434 17,402 52,763 70,165 (11,231) 10,500 (731) 45,056 17,100 62,156 £33,825 £27,600 £61,425 |
2024 Total £ 70,292 3,598 149 3,658 |
|---|---|---|
| 77,697 | ||
| 79,159 | ||
| (1,462) | ||
| 63,618 £62,156 |
The notes on pages 10 to 12 form an integral part of these accounts. All income and expenditure has arisen from continuing activities.
Page 8 of 12
Frywn sao Rep(Yt•ndActixwts f¢x the Year Ended 31 M•rth 2025 St•ttment of Baknnc•s 2024 F¢md5 Ttxul Open1 Cash arnl 8ank 8alarKes SurpW.Defvtfrthe >tor aoslng Cash and Bank &lleS 45,056 (112311 33A25 17.1(N) 62256 1731 61.425 63fi18 11,4621 62,156 27,61X) Slgned on behjff of the Inthes: Date: /q/L r Page 9of 12
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Notes to the Accounts
1. General Information
Edinburgh Community Health Forum ("the charity") is a trust governed by its constitution dated 16 April 2014. It was registered as a charity in Scotland (registered number SC023808) on 13 May 1996. It's registered address is 222 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 5EQ.
2. Basis of Preparation
These accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
| 3. Grants Edinburgh Council (IJB) NHS Lothian (C2C) 4. Trading Income Training 5. Investment Income Bank Interest 6. Other Income Employment Allowance |
Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ - 49,763 49,763 - 13,500 13,500 - 63,263 63,263 Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ 2,265 - 2,265 Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ 143 - 143 Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ 3,763 - 3,763 |
2024 Total £ 55,292 15,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 70,292 | ||
| 2024 Total £ 3,598 |
||
| 2024 Total £ 149 |
||
| 2024 Total £ 3,658 |
Page 10 of 12
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Notes to the Accounts
| 7. Charitable Activities Costs Salaries Employer NI Pension Accountancy IE Fee Bank Charges Evaluation Framework Grants 8 Insurance Office Expenses Payroll Costs Travel Workshop and Training |
Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ 8,232 37,442 45,674 691 3,072 3,763 361 1,618 1,979 660 - 660 60 - 60 5,220 - 5,220 - 3,000 3,000 523 - 523 - 2,101 2,101 562 - 562 - 1,956 1,956 1,093 3,574 4,667 17,402 52,763 70,165 |
2024 Total £ 44,915 3,658 1,933 660 60 2,160 7,400 508 1,659 557 945 14,704 |
|---|---|---|
| 79,159 |
8. Grants Distributed
As part of the NHS Lothian agreement, grants of £3,000 were distributed to the following organisations:
| ELGT Edinburgh Community Food Ltd Car Gomm |
Unrestricted Restricted 2025 Funds Funds Total £ £ £ - - - - 3,000 3,000 - - - - 3,000 3,000 |
2024 Total £ 3,400 3,000 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 7,400 |
9. Related Party Transactions
Trustee is the CEO of Edinburgh Community Food Programme which received grant money from the Forum in 2024 and 2025. Trustee is also the CEO Of ELGT which received grant money in 2024.
There were no other related party transactions during the year.
Page 11 of 12
Edinburgh Community Health Forum SCIO Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Notes to the Accounts
| 10. Funds Analysis Unrestricted General Restricted Edinburgh Council (IJB) NHS Lothian (C2C) Grand Total Purposes of Funds General Fund Edinburgh Council (IJB) NHS Lothian (C2C) |
Opening Closing Balance Balance 1 Apr 2024 Receipts Payments Transfers 31 Mar 2025 45,056 6,171 17,402 - 33,825 |
|---|---|
| - 49,763 49,763 - 17,100 13,500 3,000 27,600 |
|
| 17,100 63,263 52,763 - 27,600 |
|
| 62,156 69,434 70,165 - 61,425 |
|
| - Main Grant funding for the Forum - Collaboration fund for unspecified work with members of the forum - The unrestricted, free reserves of the charity |
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