## **ELDER VOICE** ## **SCOTTISH CHARITY NO. SC051528** ## **REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** ## **For The** ## **YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2025** ## **www.eldervoice.org.uk** **1 |** P a g e **Trustees Annual Report For Year to 31[st] March 2025** Charity Name: Elder Voice (Strathmore & The Glens) Charity Number: SC051528 Bankers: Bank of Scotland **2 |** P a g e **Elder Voice Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2025** **________________________________________________________________** The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report for the year ended 31[st] March 2025. It has been another excellent extremely busy year for the charity in connecting older people through our transport service which has grown tremendously and is a valued service within the communities in and around Eastern Perthshire for people with disabilities or mobility challenges being able to access the services that matter to them and in particular medical appointments. There has also been a great demand for socialising in keeping groups supported to connect, such as groups in Coupar Angus and Blairgowrie together with social outings. More emphasis has been placed on wheelchair users to have better connections to socialising as well as improved access to medical appointments and support groups. 99% of the charity’s client base have mobility challenges and cannot access public transport due to age, frailty, ill health, mobility and a range of other issues. The service is very much essential in an environment with a high aged population. The charity receives nothing but praise from the people it supports. Without such a service in rural Perthshire older people would be faced with very high taxi travel costs in getting to where they need to be or face further isolation due to the barriers they face. ## **Objectives and Activities** The charity’s main objectives in providing services for older people (with mobility challenges and disabilities) is to break down barriers, address inequalities and connect them in the community and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to connect to what matters to them irrespective of their disability. It is shaped and led by the community to bring about benefits and change in helping them live independently in their own homes for longer by providing the services to match that need. - Maximise on services to match the needs of older people - Maximise accessibility for disabled people/mobility challenges - Maximise connectedness - Address inequalities - Address Mental Health, Depression and Anxiety - Address Social Isolation and Loneliness - Provide sustainable transport options addressing inequalities and barriers - Provide transport for essential medical appointments for well-being and ensuring NHS appointments are met. - Advancing on community development around older people services and the community - Addressing malnutrition and Eat Healthy to Age Healthy - Embedding the charity into the community - Embracing the challenges in reducing carbon emissions and planning/implementing sustainable travel options - Reducing carbon emissions with electric vehicle fleet - Embracing the Cost of Living Crisis **3 |** P a g e ## Core Activities - Community Transport Services - Providing Accessible Wheelchair Community Transport - Shopping Service - Socialising/Digital Inclusion for older people - Connecting through social outings and food sharing - Communication - Increasing Outings/Events in addressing isolation/loneliness - Embracing sustainable transport options - Working in collaboration with NHS/Social Care Partnership and other agencies The charity is aware that there is still much to be done to address the inequalities that disabled people face and to provide more inclusive opportunities around socialising for the disabled encouraging more people to get out and try new or existing opportunities. ## **Our Volunteers** We take this opportunity to thank our volunteers whose unwavering commitment to supporting others is truly inspiring. You have gone above and beyond to ensure that individuals have the support they need to attend medical appointments, social activities, social group outings, befriending, shopping and home support. Your efforts are the backbone of everything we do and we are profoundly grateful for all that you bring to the charity Elder Voice Voluntary Organisation. Thank you for your continued partnership and shared vision in assisting people to live the life they want. Another year is a testament to the power of volunteering, collaboration, compassion and community spirit, and it is thanks to your dedication and resilience that we have been able to make a real difference to the lives of so many older people in Eastern Perthshire. We have faced challenges together, embraced opportunities, and built a stronger connection that benefits older people and we are doing more now to address the inequalities of disabled persons, many who say that without our help would not be able to overcome the difficulties in simply ‘getting out’. Your volunteering has been invaluable to driving forward our shared goals and creating a more inclusive and supportive community. We receive nothing more than praise about the services we provide and the kindest and dedication of the volunteers. The service runs quietly but is appreciated by the disabled and those who face the challenges of getting out and about. ## **Community Transport Services** This extremely busy project is growing from strength to strength providing a robust voluntary transport service connecting people to medical appointments, ensuring that NHS appointments are being met and connecting socially. We have over 750 clients, and 99% of these are supported for their transport needs in the community and is backed by a pool of volunteer drivers who give up their time to help those who are unable to use public transport. This project initially derived from a Charette held in 2015 where the community expressed a need for transport options for older people who could not access public transport. Elder Voice acted on this unmet need and it is proving an invaluable asset as part of the Perth and Kinross Development Plan. It is an essential service for older people – without which there is no easy option to get to medical appointments particularly with age related mobility issues, wheelchair users and living with mobility challenges. **4 |** P a g e Our disabled vehicles and drivers have driven forward the need and accessibility for disabled people in providing specialised wheelchair accessible vehicles to match their needs and ensuring that they are given the same service for medical appointments and connecting socially with dignity comfort and equality. In Blairgowrie, it was agreed in early 2025 to discontinue the Taxi Voucher Scheme. Our vehicle fleet provides a variety of options for outings, wheelchair accessibility (a vital support for wheelchair users) and the service users are from areas such as Coupar Angus and surrounding areas. The charity supports a number of groups in Coupar Angus for weekly/monthly and outings and is widely used by older people for their medical appointments. We cover a wide area around Kettins, Guildtown, Balbeggie, Burrelton etc and everyone is so appreciative of the service. In 2024 the charity increased its vehicle fleet with an electric vehicle as part of a planned process addressing climate change and Net Zero emissions. We aim to be as inclusive as possible particularly for wheelchair users who are at a huge disadvantage with barriers accessing transport. The charity provides a Transport to Good Health & Wellbeing service. Community Transport also supports other local groups to help them keep connected with socialising. The service is well embedded in the community covering Eastern Perthshire. ## **Shopping Service** The shopping service continues to thrive providing a service for people who can no longer manage their own shopping. It provides a friendly face, a weekly chat and a connectedness to the charity and our volunteers. This links in with Eat Healthy to Age Healthy and Malnutrition in Older People. There are development plans to extend this service in the community to address a need identified on feedback from our client base – undertaken by survey. ## **Befriending/Telephone Befriending** Telephone Befriending and one to one Befriending is provided for people who are unable to leave their homes, have little or no family, or recovering from illness. ## **Social Clubs** Bringing people together to enjoy camaraderie, knitting, natter, whist, pool, exercising, arts & crafts and lunches. Projects address mental health and well-being and social isolation and loneliness. ## **Rattray Hall Community Hub** Extensive renovations took place over the year to turn an old building into a community asset for the benefit of the local community. With a lot of hard work and dedication this Community Hub is developing well and integrated into the community for a range of activities from youths to the elderly. New disabled toilets were installed together with increasing the number of toilets available. The old staging was removed and new kitchen formed and the overall facility is welcoming and has good potential for the long term future. The Ericht /Keathbank Rooms provide a unique facility for a range of activities. Enhancements on the building will continue. ## **Risks** Review of Risk, the Management Committee exercise control over the organisation through regular meetings. Regular reports on activities and finances enabling the Management Committee to mitigate exposure to major risks ensuring compliance with Policies and Procedures. **5 |** P a g e ## **Elder Voice (Strathmore & The Glens)** ## **Income & Expenditure** |
||**2024-25**||**Income**||||**2023-24**|**Income**|**Income**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||Core Cost||37286.29||||Core Cost||56445.23| |||||||||ISL Income||3990.21| |||||||||Projects||1156.21| |||Transport/Donations||29353.17||||Transport||10546.85| |||||||||Donations||369.41| |||Capital||35849.94||||Grants||79135.00| |||||||||Social Clubs||22933.13| |||Total Income||**102489.40**||||Total Income||**174576.04**| |||C/Fwd bal||3979.43||||C/Fwd bal||24071.26| |||||106468.83||||||198647.30| |||||||||||| |||**2024-25**||**Expenditure**||||**2023-24**||**Expenditure**| |||Core Cost||36951.70
||||Core Cost||47301.28| |||||||||ISL||4912.50| |||||||||Projects||6967.71| |||Transport||28476.66||||Transport||24434.47| |||||||||Social Clubs||21889.75| |||||||||||| |||Capital(Building)||35849.94||||Capital(Vehicles)||89162.16| |||Total||**101278.30**||||||**194667.87**| |||End of year balance||5190.53||||||3979.43| ## Reserve No.2 Account £9,200 The accounts of Elder Voice (Strathmore & The Glens) were approved by the Management Committee on 18[th] December 2025 and were signed on behalf OF Elder Voice (Strathmore & The Glens) by Chair **6 |** P a g e Independent Examlner's Report to the Trustees of Elder Volce Ind•p•nd•nt Ex•mln•rf• R•port to the Tfy•lw• ol Eld•f V¢)Ic• I report on the accounts of chanty ts Ibe ygar e￿Ied 31 IAar¢h 2025 t*tAch •rn on P•go S p•ctfv• rn•pon•lbllltl•• ol try•ts•• and •Mmln•r ol t￿ Chantles arKI Tw8*• In¥e¥lmenl IS¢ott¥ndl Act 21N)5 aTrJ Ch•(ths Accounts IScol•nd) R•0￿•tion• 21Kfj I￿ wMTrJodl. Th• tharlty truslo•1 thAi •ud féqulrwmnl ol Req￿a￿On 10(111¢) 01 tho 2rTh ACC￿nts Roo￿allonS nol api*. 1118 my mpon8ibilty ts) èxamirn th• ¥ccount8 u r•qwr•J w%l•f ￿ctIOn 44111 (cl ol lh• Act •r•J lo slat• wh•thof ￿rticUlar maltw• ￿ve c