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← Blue Light Minds

2025-10-31-accounts

Blue Light Minds

Clyde Offices 2[nd] Floor 48 West George Street Glasgow G2 1BP

Scottish Charity Number: SC052992

TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025

1

Blue Light Minds Trustees’ Report and Accounts For the Year ended 31 October 2025

Reference and Administration Details

Registered charity number SC052992
Principal address Clyde Offices
2ndFloor
48 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 1BP
Trustees Ewan Hay
Steven Henderson
Caeleb Wall
Kelly Savery
Mark Harrington Appointed 13 November 2024
Ryan MacDonald Appointed 19 May 2025
Scott Strachan Appointed 28 June 2025
David Oneil Resigned 14 June 2024
Kathryn Hemming Served between 7 June 2025 and
8 October 2025
Independent examiner Linda Johnston
Paterson Boyd & Co
18 North Street
Glenrothes
Fife
KY7 5NA
Banker The Royal Bank of Scotland
36 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh
EH2 2YB

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Blue Light Minds Trustees’ Report and Accounts For the Year ended 31 October 2025

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The Charity is a SCIO formed on 7 December 2023.

The Charity has a single tier structure and as such the Trustees are the members of the Charity.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

The charity is overseen by a committed Board of Trustees, who provide strategic direction, financial oversight, and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements. Two of the Trustees, David O’Neil and Kathryn Hemmings, resigned from their positions due to their availability / personal circumstances.

The current Trustees come from a varied background both from within the Emergency Services and private sector. We have recruited 3 new Trustees this reporting year to assist with the strategic development and growth of the charity.

Day-today operations are managed by the Founder and Chairman, Ewan Hay, supported by the team of Associate Clinicians and volunteers.

Dr Kelly Savery, Clinical Lead Trustee and Kahryn Hemmings, Trustee, also assist on day-to-day referral and client management.

Steven Henderson, Trustee, manages clinician invoicing and finances. Mark Harrington, Trustee, has been appointed as the Communications Lead and Caeleb Wall, Trustee, has been appointed as the Discharge Lead.

Objectives and Activities

Overview

The key objectives of Blue Light Minds are to:

  1. Reduce mental ill-health in Scottish Emergency Service workers through free, confidential Trauma-Focused psychological treatments, such as Trauma-Focused CBT and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

  2. Provide PTSD awareness / education to Paramedic Science university students.

  3. Promote awareness of mental health challenges, particularly PTSD among Emergency Services workers and their organisation.

Charitable Purpose

Blue Light Minds is a Scottish charity that was founded in December 2023. Blue Light Minds provides free, highly confidential psychological treatment and support to Scottish Emergency Service workers that experience mental health challenges after attending a traumatic incident. Too often, Emergency workers are overlooked following such events, leading to long-term mental health issues, particularly Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This highlights the critical need for Blue Light Minds.

Charitable Activities

Key activities in 2025 included:

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Blue Light Minds Trustees’ Report and Accounts For the Year ended 31 October 2025

Achievement and Performance

Key Achievements:

During our first full year of operation, Blue Light Minds established a solid baseline for service delivery and demonstrated clear demand for specialist trauma-focused psychological support across Scotland’s Emergency Services.

Between November 2024 and October 2025, the charity received a total of 37 referrals. Of these:

Following initial clinical screening and assessment, 17 individuals proceeded to receive trauma-focused psychological treatment through Blue Light Minds. On average, clients recorded a CORE-10 assessment score of 22, indicating a moderate to severe level of psychological distress. The remaining referrals were deemed unsuitable for the service, primarily in cases where the presenting mental health concerns were not directly linked to a traumatic incident, which falls outside the charity’s specific clinical remit.

These figures provide an early indication of both the demand for trauma-specific interventions within Scotland’s Emergency Services and the importance of maintaining a focused, evidence-based approach to ensure the delivery of appropriate, effective care.

We have maintained a strong and consistent presence across social media, building awareness of our work and engaging the Emergency Services community. This year alone we have had 115,448 views on social media, reflecting the growing interest and recognition of Blue Light Minds across Scotland.

• Clinical Excellence

We have established a robust team of Associate Clinicians, offering Trauma-Focused therapies such as, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. We have consultancy agreements with Psychologists and Therapists who provide treatment, these clinicians are given the tittle Associate Clinicians. The organisations / individuals the charity chooses to employ MUST:

Our Associate Clinician’s professionalism and clinical effectiveness have been instrumental in building trust with our clients and ensuring high-quality care.

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Blue Light Minds Trustees’ Report and Accounts For the Year ended 31 October 2025

Achievement and Performance (continued)

Blue Light Minds secured the following grants and donations:

We raised an astonishing £11,311 at our first black tie fundraising event.

Our generous supporters have raised £21,027 by fundraising in various ways such as the Kilt Walk, running events and one off donations.

• Community Engagement and Fundraising

Over the past year, Blue Light Minds has prioritised building strong community connections and raising awareness of the charity’s mission. Our first major fundraising and awareness event, held on 7th February 2025 at the Voco Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, was a sold-out success, bringing together Emergency Service personnel, supporters, and partners. The event not only raised essential funds but also strengthened our professional reputation within the Emergency Services sector.

Alongside this, we have delivered presentations at universities across Scotland to Paramedic Science students, increasing awareness of PTSD, promoting early intervention, and introducing future frontline professionals to the work of Blue Light Minds. These sessions have helped position the charity as a credible voice in trauma education and prevention.

We were also proud to be a charity partner of the Scottish Blue Light Awards, an event that celebrates the outstanding contributions of Emergency Service staff across the country. Through our involvement, we engaged directly with senior leaders and representatives from a range of services, providing an invaluable opportunity to share the work of Blue Light Minds and raise awareness of the specialist trauma support we provide.

Community engagement has proven to be a vital component of our success, both in raising awareness and in fostering trust and collaboration. This is an area the charity will continue to prioritise in the year ahead, recognising its importance in growing reputation, expanding partnerships, and developing new income opportunities to sustain and extend our impact.

Financial Review

The charity recorded a surplus of £24,144 for the year ended 31 October 2025 (Period to 31 October 2024: £5,554). The Trustees are happy that the Charity is in a good state financially and predict a successful financial year ahead.

Reserves Policy

Blue Light Minds is committed to building a stable and sustainable financial foundation. Our focus moving forward is on securing a consistent income stream while also growing our financial reserves. This approach will ensure the charity is well-positioned to manage future demand, particularly during periods of increased referrals, and to maintain long-term stability. The reserves policy will be reviewed annually to reflect the charity’s evolving needs and financial position.

Donated facilities and services

We were delighted to have the services of Power Diary (practice management software) and SALUS technical marketing staff kindly provided to us for free.

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Independent Examiner’s Report To the Trustees of Blue Light Minds For the Year ended 31 October 2025

Plans for Future Period

The year ahead promises to be an exciting period of growth and impact for Blue Light Minds. Our key objectives include:

  1. Hosting our fundraising event on February 7, 2026, at the Voco Grand Central Glasgow, to raise both awareness and essential funds for our work.

  2. Continuing to provide Trauma-Focused therapy to Scottish emergency Service Workers.

  3. Developing a range of resources, both digital and printed, for clients on our waiting list. These will include psychoeducation materials, coping strategies, lived experience stories, Blue Light Minds success stories, and “Five Ways to Better Wellbeing.”

  4. A focus on prevention and education.

  5. Securing consistent and sustainable funding to ensure the continued growth, stability, and long-term impact of the charity

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

Charity Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which reflect a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity and its financial activities for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf.

………………………………….

Ewan Hay (Chairman)

02 December 2025

………………………………. Date

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Independent Examiner’s Report To the Trustees of Blue Light Minds For the Year ended 31 October 2025

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 October 2025 which are set out on the following pages.

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) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). 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 (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 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 view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44 (1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations have not been met, or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

linda Nolurstow

…………………………… Linda Johnston FCCA Paterson Boyd & Co. Chartered Certified Accountants 18 North Street Glenrothes KY7 5NA

02 December 2025

……………………………

Date

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Blue Light Minds Receipts and Payments Account For the Year ended 31 October 2025

2025
Unrestricted
Note
funds
£
RECEIPTS
Grants
2,000
Donations
30,558
Fundraising
9,600
Interest received
170
_
42,328

PAYMENTS
Cost of Charitable Activities
4
12,123
Cost of fundraising
6,061
______
18,184
Net surplus/(deficit) for the year
24,144		 2025
Period
Total
07/12/2023 -
funds
31/10/2024
£
£
2,000
2,500
30,558
5,583
9,600
-
170
-
_
_
42,328
8,083
12,123
2,529
6,061
-
__
____
18,184
2,529
24,144
5,554

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Blue Light Minds Statement of Balances For the Year ended 31 October 2025

2025 2025 2025 2024
Unrestricted Total Total
funds funds funds
£ £
Cash and bank:
Opening balance 5,554 5,554 -
Surplus/(Deficit) shown on receipts and payments account 24,144 24,144 5,554
_ _ _
Closing balance 29,698 29,698 5,554
Bank and Cash Balances
Bank Current Account 3,405 3,405 5,554
Bank reserve account 26,293 26,293 -
_ _ ______
29,698 29,698 5,554

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf.

………………………………………

Ewan Hay (Chairman)

02 December 2025

…………………………………….. .

Date

9

NOTES TO THE RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

1.Basis of Accounting

These accounts have been prepared on the Receipt and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2015 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).

2.Nature and Purpose of Funds

Unrestricted funds are those that may be used at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charity. The trustees maintain a single unrestricted fund for the day to day running of the Charity.

3 . Banking Arrangements

The Charity having regard to the liquidity requirements of operating the charity maintain the funds in a standard business current account.

4.Cost of Charitable Activities

st of Charitable Activities
Office costs
Computer expenses
Printing, postage & stationery
Advertising and promotion
Accountancy fees
Consultancy fees
Insurance
Miscellaneous expenses
Total		 2025
54
201
37
374
180
10,040
470
767
12,123		 2024
-
100
91
-
-
1,970
334
35
2,529

5.Risk

The Trustees continually assess all major risks to which the charity is exposed and reviews the systems necessary to mitigate these risks on a regular basis.