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Trustees’ Annu _ eport For the year ended 3 = April 2024
Reference & Adm _ trative Information Charity Name Talk Lipoedema (SCIO) Charity Number _ ae Contact Email Website
Constitution
Th is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. It is gove by its co . The group has been a registered charity in Scotland since 1 March 2015 A nt of Trustees A of 3 trustees and maximum of 9 trustees are allowed by the stitution. The tr own as the board, apply to become members of the board. ach AGM the tr st all stand down but are eligible for re-election. M nt Th s are responsible for the direction and governance of the gro _ The trustees ar for their role as trustees. Risk management and governanc licies are in pl eguard assets and ensure compliance. Safeguarding, data pr tion, vo g, and complaints policies are in place and reviewed regular
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Objectives
Charitable Purposes
The charity’s purposes as written in the constitution are:
The organisation is established for charitable purposes only; in particular, the objects are
the advancement of health and the relief of those in need by reason of ill-health. This will
be achieved by:
e Providing advocacy and support to those living with Lipoedema, their families and
carers by signposting to services, establishing support groups and providing a
source of information both online and by telephone.
e Delivering workshops, training and information packages which raise awareness
of the condition and its effects amongst both the general public and the medical
profession
e Supporting, wherever possible, the development of medical research into the
condition
e Undertaking social research into the effects of Lipoedema on the quality of life of
those suffering with the condition, and to act upon the findings to campaign for
greater awareness and support.
Our aim and activities
Our activities are aimed at improving health outcomes, reducing isolation, and increasing
access to accurate information and support for people affected by lipoedema.
Our vision is for Talk Lipoedema to be widely recognised as a trusted source of support,
information, and advocacy for everyone affected by lipoedema.
Our aim is to empower and support people affected by lipoedema through accessible
information, peer connection, education, and practical resources—online and in person.
Ke s include By Your Side peer support, Living Well with Lipoedema courses,
ro professional engagement, and digital community development.
A ents and Performance
our Side launched July 2024, supporting ~150 women.
lished Lipoedema Companion Manual, now available via website.
site redevelopment for improved accessibility.
nership with Heriot-Watt University on Design HOPES project.
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e Running Health and Wellbeing sessions launched in March 2025 in Wild Water
Swimming, Nordic Walking, Arts and Crafts, Pilates within Midlothian.
e Secured dedicated office space for meetings and training.
e Social media growth: Facebook reach up to 250,000 views; Instagram 15,097
followers.
Future and Strategic Goals
1. Scale By Your Side
Grow reach and capacity so more people get personalised support.
2. Expand Living Well Courses
Offer more courses in more formats to increase access. Increase
Roadshows
Strengthen community presence and reach underserved areas.
3. Boost Professional Education
Improve clinical understanding through expanded training.
4. Enhance Digital Engagement
Improve online resources, storytelling, and community interaction.
5. Build Sustainability
Strengthen funding, governance, and long-term organisational resilience.
Financial Review
Total receipts for the charity decreased significantly during this year. Linked to the
decreased receipts, payments also decreased significantly.
Total receipts for the year were £38,917 (2024: £72,443) — with £17,180 (2024: £4,273) in
unrestricted funds and £21,737 (2024: £68,170) in restricted funds.
Pa r the year decreased in line with the reduced receipts. Total payments
de rom £67,385 to £36,127 in this financial year.
Th surplus for the year of £2,790 (2024: £5,058). The majority of the surplus in
bo s due to timing of receipts of and payments made, from restricted funding.
Th lance of funds at the year-end was £13,395 (2024: £10,605) with minus
£2 4: £5,464) in restricted funds and £15,517 (2024: £5,141) as unrestricted
fu
R licy
Th s level agreed by the Board for the charity is approximately 95% annual
op xpenditure. We set this reserves level based on an analysis of existing funds
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and reserves and an examination of past trends. 95% of
expenditure amounts to £34,321 and 95% of unrestricte
charity’s total operating ayments comes to £6,464.
The reserves that we have set aside provide financial st ity and the means for developing our principal activities. The actual free reserves of the charity at the year-end w ~— £5,517. At the current rate of expenditure this represents approximately 10 months o —_e annual unrestricted expenditure of the charity, rather than of operating exp _iture as defined by the reserves policy.
The Trustees’ Report was approved by the trustees oni February 2026
And signed on their behalf by:
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Independent Examiner’s Report
to the Trustees of Talk Lipoedema (SCIO)
| report on the Statement of Account of the charity for the year ended 3 April 2024
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accoun accordance
with the terms of the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2 and the
Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of regulation1 §(d) of the
Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine accounts as
required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act and to state whether particul atters 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 (as amended). 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
do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently | do
not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In the course of my examination, no matters have come to my attention, other than
stated below:
1. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the
requirements:
e to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the 2005
Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
O prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply
ith Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations have not been met, or
hich, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable proper
erstanding of the accounts to be reached.
Th hat have come to my attention, are:
A f internal challenges within the trustee board, there have been a number of
is
ificant issues remained over recording of transactions relating to the
unts. This made generating final accounts more challenging. The trustees had
made aware of the need to record all expenditure by the appropriate
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analysis category for consistency of reporting last year and have been reminded once again of the need for this to happen.
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e While charity accounting software is now being utilised, transactions have been entered into the software using the import bank statement function, rather than using source documents, and without checks being made against source documents. A number of transactions were recorded as negative expenditures, rather than as income which meant that the charity's income was understated in the accounting records.
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e The accounts prepared do not reflect the original transaction records, as those would have produced a report that was inconsistent with the underlying records.
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e Although two different restricted grants are reported as being received, all of the transactions were recorded only against the general fund and the Alliance Grant. It has not been possible to split out transactions related to the other restricted fund.
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e The charity isowed money by HMRC as the Employment Allowance was not claimed over the two periods when the charity had an employee, even though the issue last year.
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8| Page
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of Balances
As at 3 il 2025
Unr icted Re ted To ds To ds
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n ere app the trus 1 Febru) 2026 ned ont
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Notes to the Accounts
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- Basis of Accounting
These accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities & Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
- Funds
Unrestricted Funds are funds that the charity may freely use in furtherance of its objects. Restricted Funds are those funds which must be used for the purpose for which they are given.
Details of the funds held by the charity are given in Note: 6
- Trustee Remuneration and Related Party Transactions During the year, 1 trustee received remuneration for work undertaken on behalf of the charity. Jenny Bruce received payment for admin work for the charity and was paid a total of £7,054 (£1,200 of this was prior to her becoming a trustee and £5,854 after her appointment as a trustee).
In addition, one trustee was paid a total of £1,137 in travel expenses.
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Income
e
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Yea pril
Year to3 ril2
Unref s¢ Restri fun
(p ounting
Total ll ll ll ee
Total ll llll ee
ctivities
ce ll lll EE ee
g Ac
ents
21,7 7
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a n
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Yea
Year to3 ri
Unre ¢ Restri fu
f s
s u Ac
nd
r
s
7
101
10,333
1,550
12,013
3,176
3,197
498
96
300
10,517
a
11,172
52 525
65
s 1,02 1,896
666
83
aa9B 8B
s
370
eeting 634
004
400
550
600
1,074
224
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se and Mo nt of Fund
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At 3
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At
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ted Funds und
d Funds Voluntary Ac triced Fund
ds of thec
ted Alliance was provide fe) (e) thian Volunt tion Fund w d er oede , be used to e activities rdi , Cold rapy the Lipoede ounge” — an ers twor
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