Annual Report 2022/23
Hear Us Annual ReportChair’s Opening Statement
I had the privilege and pleasure of supporting Hear Us and the trustee board for another year as Chair with our vision to promote, educate, communicate and empower, for the benefit and interest of people affected by mental health issues.
The impact of the COVID pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on some sections of our mental health community has been severe leading to increasing depressive and anxiety illnesses and increasing feelings of loneliness and isolation as services they rely on were changed, reduced or, in many cases, removed completely. Our practical, regular activities help service users to cope better with daily living and helps to address their social, emotional and physical needs, which have never been more needed. Staff and volunteers have settled into the new ways of working and delivering services and to that end we have expanded our office space to better meet the needs of staff, volunteers and service users.
As a result of all the tremendous passion, dedication and commitment of Hear Us staff and volunteers we are a position to able to expand our workforce and secure the future of all Hear Us activities. Our funders have trusted us to continue to deliver and evolve our vital services in Croydon. Eleanor spearheaded several successful funding bids while building good relationships with our funders. The whole team have been involved in the huge amount of work required to prepare for the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) assessment due in June 2022. Claire Hawkes accepted the newly created positions of Deputy CEO. Thank you to Jonathan for stepping up to Treasurer and welcome our two new Trustees, Niall McVeigh and Jackie Ashton.
The herculean effort of the staff has meant that we successfully achieved the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) in June 2022, and the Welfare Surgeries Project is going from strength to strength. Linkworking continues to run virtual and telephone sessions, March 2023 has seen the start of face-to-face Link working; our plan is to be fully face-to-face by June 2023. Thanks to the Cooperative Stores for giving us funding to buy the equipment required for the Open Form to continue online, we are hoping to test a hydride approach by June going, live by February 2024. The Reachout project continued to deliver sessions to the Metropolitan police with plans to expand our reach in 2024.
Eleanor spearheaded several successful funding bids with the support and contributions from Senior leadership team and service leads. Thank you to Southwest London Integrated Care Board (SWL ICB), Lloyds Bank Foundation, City Bridge, Trust for London and the National Lottery for continuing funding us to deliver much needed services. The future fundraising plans will identify the gaps in funding that need to be met and find funders who can help us to continue to deliver existing and new projects in the future. Most significantly Trust for London funding is allowing us to realize a new campaigns project which we are planning to start in January 2024.
Ruth Govan sadly made the difficult decision to resign from the board after more than 20 years of dedicated support, a big thank you from the whole team. Jonathan also resigned from the board, thank you for all your support. Welcome to our new trustee, Millie Reid.
As a result of the tremendous passion, dedication and commitment of Hear Us staff and volunteers we are in a position to be able to expand our workforce and secure the future of all Hear Us activities. I would like to extend a well done and huge heartfelt thanks on behalf of myself and all the Trustees to staff and volunteers for continuing to make sure that the voice of service users is heard loud and proud in Croydon.
Abeline Greene
Chair of the Board of Trustees
OUR FUNDING
As a registered UK charity and part of our commitment to be open, honest and accountable in everything we do, we publish our annual financial reports here on our website.
The great majority of our funding comes from NHS South West London Clinical Commissioning Group, The National Lottery Community Fund, The City Bridge Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, London Community Foundation and other grant making bodies, but we also receive and welcome individual donations. We’re completely open about our finances – please feel free to read our financial reports.
Please contact us if you need any more information.
Tim Oldham
CEO
Orchard House
15a Purley Road
South Croydon
Surrey
CR2 6EZ
Tel: 020 8681 6888
Mobile: 07594 373 104
Email: tim@hear-us.org