History

Page last updated: June 2021
Next Routine Update due: December 2021

How the Charity continues to develop from small beginnings:

2021:
The year was again affected by the slow release from Lockdown introduced to hekp to control the COVID 19 pandemic
Activity was steady in Q1, but picked up rapidly in Q2, reaching 30 grants totalling £38,484.74 by the end of May
Total grants made since inception are now approx £959,000, and we continue to seek further fundraising in order to reach our milestaone target of £1 Million raised and granted, at zero administration cost, since commencing activity at the end of 2003.

2020:

The year has been dominated by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Q1 was surprisingly quiet after the very busy Q4 of 2019, and with the Covid 19 Lockdown at the start of April, we expected activity to decline sharply as face to face consultations and close contact assessments were no longer possible.
Q2 however became very active as assessments completed in February/March were subsequently submitted. By early July we had completed 35 grants totalling £44,742.42.
The main problem the Charity encountered was that the Lockdown restricted fundraising activities, and with many groups unable to meet, and events cancelled, our reserves have been under pressure.
As the Lockdown eases we expect activity to increase sharply, and fundraising will become an even greater challenge.
We completed our 55th grant of 2020 on 29.10.20, which brought the total grants since we started to £900,000.
We re-entered lockdown on 05.11.20, but with applications known to be in preparation, we still expect a number of further requests for help before the year end.
We completed the year with 76 grants in total, amountiong to £83,253.19, and bring the total since inception to £919,800.00.

2019:

With the completion of the 11th grant in early February, we reached the latest milestone of £750,000 raised and granted since we started. All with zero administartion cost, and we reached this milestone only two years after reaching £500,000 raised and granted.
Dr Janine barnes received her MBE at the Palace, from Prince William, during May.
Lewis barnes moved from Deputy Chair to Chair of the Sommerville Foundation at the start of 2020.
a further 90 grants were completed during the year, with just over £100,000 granted once again during 2019, bringing the total to approx £837,0000 granted since inception.
Assuming the current rate of progress can be maintained, the target now is to raise and grant a total of £1 Million since inception, by late 2021. A challenging, but we feel achievable, target.

2018:

Lewis Barnes is also a Trustee of the Somerville Foundation, and was recently elected to the position of Deputy Chairman of that charity. With two Trustees now members of other charities, useful information and feedback to help with new legislation is being obtained.
We received a much needed donation of £10,000.00 from Alloy Wire Group at the start of the year
After a busy final quarter we completed 88 grants totalling £109,438.01 for the year
This brought our totals to 600 cases and £736,120 granted since we started in November 2003.
Having reached the milestone of £500,000 in grants made by February 2017, we would now expect to reach our next major target of £750,000 raised and granted during Qtr 1 2019, and we can then look towards the challenge of reaching One Million Pounds raised and granted with no administration costs since we started, with a view to reaching that by 2021, or around 17 years since we started.
Having updated our procedures to comply with the new legislation in 2018, we have now upgraded our Trustee Declaration procedure, to comply with the latest Charity Commision Guidance Notes.
We are also very pleased to report that in the 2019 New Year's Honours List, Dr Janine Barnes has been awarded an MBE for Services to Pharmacy, and we are very pleased that all of her additional work, in her own time, has been recognised in this way.

2017:

We were kindly invited to speak at the Loan Talk Annual Awards ceremony in London in January, and to receive the proceeds of a collection and silent auction held on the night. The event raised £1,380.00
We received the final payment of £7520.60 from Charter Court Financial Services in early January, for the funding raised for us as their Charity of the Year for 2016 which raised the total for the year (with Gift Aid) to just over £60,000. A truly exceptional amount, which has made a great difference to the work we have been able to do, and a very big thank you to them.
On completion of a grant on the 8th February, we completed over £500,000 made in grants since we started, with zero administration expenditure, every penny raised having been used to help the children. During the year we completed 102 Grants at a cost of £137,186.81, bringing the totals since inception to 512 Grants and £626,700 granted.
The major project this year was to prepare for the new GDPR - General Data Protection Regulations, which become law on 25th May 2018. Our Privacy Statement is now on the Data Protection Webpage.
The usual events were again held at the end of the year, the Quiz Night raising a record £1,320.00, the Christmas Fayre at the Tennis Club raising £281.20, and we received support of £500.00 from both an Asda (Merry Hill) collection, and Worcestershire Freemasonry.
We ended the year with reserves of £29,099.45, following exceptional help once again from the Robert McAlpine Foundation.

2016:

We received the final part of a legacy from the estate of a family relation of the founder, amounting to £13,524.45,the bulk having already been received in late 2015.
In January, we also received the proceeds of a collection for Martyn Morgan, from his Memorial Service in Worcester cathedral. With Gift Aid, this raised almost £11,000, a sum of great use to us, but most certainly not obtained in a way we would have wished.
A local group - Charter Court Financial Services - made us their "Charity of the Year" for 2016, and collected for us all year, with the company match funding whatever was raised from a number of major events. By the end of the year we had received £52,815.17, with more to come from the final event, and other collections.
With the rapid expansion in activity (+56% on 2015), we completed 90 Grants at a cost of £136,323.44, bringing the totals since inception to 410 Grants amounting to £459,500.
Lewis Barnes joined us as the new fourth Trustee on 02.04.16, and will bring the views and particularly the social media expertise, of a younger generation to the group, as we look to our long term succession plan.
18th May - Chris Westwood received the Palfry Award from Stourbridge Rotary for services to the community through the Charity. This also included a £250.00 donation which was a useful addition to the funds.
We again received tremendous support from the Robert McAlpine Foundation.
Reserves carried forward to 2017 were £52,561.11.

2015:

The highlight of the year was the receipt of an MBE for the founder, Chris Westwood, revealed in the New Year's Honours List at the end of 2014. The award was subsequently received at Windsor Castle in July, and the Founder also received an invite to the Garden Party at the Palace, which was held in May. The award was regarded as a great honour for the work of the Charity, but little did we know or expect the great sadness that the Trustee group would face in December.
On 10th December, one of the founding trustees, Martyn Morgan, passed away after a short illness, he will be greatly missed. The funeral for Martyn was held in Worcester Cathedral on the 6th January 2016, and the family very kindly requested all donations in memory to be made to the Charity, with the final total, including Gift Aid, exceeding £11,000.
Income increased dramatically to £153,248.13, and was needed to cope with a rapid expansion in grant requests.
Grants made totalled 63, at a cost of £87,270.34, bringing the totals since inception to 320 Grants at a cost of £323,172.
We received the final payment from the Wolves Community Trust, totalling £3,500.00, which completed their three year programme at £8,000/year. We were now required to wait a period before re-application.
The Hagley Quiz Night moved to a new venue, and brought in £1,140, and we again received tremendous support from the Robert McAlpine Foundation.
The major factor contributing to funding was a legacy from the estate of a relation of the Founder. Payments received during the year amounted to £93,000, with a small balance to come.
Reserves were £80,041.79 at the year end, but with rapid expansion, would be needed for 2016.

2014:

Income again increased, to 69,205.71
58 Grants made totalling £59,238.07, a slight pause, caused more by timing of submission of applications, with a number pending at year end.
257 Grants made since inception, totalling £265,902.
Relationships were established with St James' Place and the Robert McApline Foundation, both of whom provided, and have continued to provide, much needed support.
The Wolves Community Trust provided a further £5,817.94 of support for grants made in the Wolverhampton area.
A Talbots Quiz Night raised £1,100, and the annual Hagley event £850.00, partly due to space limitations of the venue used.
The slight pause enabled reserves to increase to £14,064.00 at the year end, pending and expected surge in Q1 2015..

2013:

Income increased slightly to £57,936.50
61 Grants completed, totalling £66,853.11, bringing the totals since inception to 199 Grants and £206,664 granted.
A Property Seminar replaced the Brockencote Lunch, and raised £5,050.00, the Walkathon (43 entrants) raised £527.00, and although now popular, was becoming too time intensive to continue to organise in future years, and the first Quiz Night was held raising £1,049.00.
The association with the Wolves Community Trust continued, supporting children in the Wolverhampton and surrounding areas, and £9,969.56 was kindly granted to us retrospectively, in response to support we had granted.
We ended the year with reserves of £4,096.36.

2012:

Income rose dramatically to £55,145.92. We received 100,000 shares from Eurovestech (one of only 11 charities to do so) and sold them later for £8963.44, our third Brockencote Lunch raised £6,744.00 (Adrian Chiles spoke at no cost to help us),Talbots entered a team of six in the 100 mile Aberdovey Bike Ride, raised £3,919.71 separately, and all general sponsorship was paid to a central fund from which we later received £7,000.00.
We began a three year association with the Wolves Community Trust, set at £8,000.00/year, and during 2011 we received £4,712.50 during the calendar year.
We made 46 Grants totalling £50,706.80, another rapid expansion.
We exceeded the "100's" regarding Grants made since we started, ending the year with 138 Grants totalling £139,811.28 since the start of 2004.

2011:

Income was £34,027.29, a major increase on 2010, helped by our second Brockencote Lunch £6,935.00, A donation of £6,000.00 from Pedmore Sporting Club, and £783.00 from a new fundraising initiative, the Walkathon.
36 Grants were made, totalling ££35,166.91, although timing of grant completions at the end of 2010, reduced the figure for that year slightly, and increased the 2011 total.
Reserves carried forward were £8,574.05.

2010:

Income was £19,433.78, approx the same as 2009
This was achieved without the benefit of the major fundraising from the Cyclr Ride. Instead we held our first lunch event at Brockencote Hall and raised £6,526.00, and we also benefitted from help of £2,127.96 from Sunrise Medical.
We again made 18 Grants, totalling £15,399.04, but a timing delay at the year end meant that some of our work was moved into 2011.
The reserves at the year end were £9,713.67.

2009:

Activity doubled with income of £19,846.25, and 18 Grants made totalling £19,420.79
The year ended with reserves of £5,678.93
Fundraising included a sponsored Cycle Ride by one of our Trustees (Martyn Morgan), which raised £9,173.00
Our Standing Orders from regular donors exceeded a rate of £1,000 in a full year, and began to become a significant source of funds
We created an online Donation page through what is now Everyclick, to provide another method for donations to reach us.

2008:

Further rapid growth, and we ended the year with reserves of £5,253.47
Total income was £9558.50, raised from a number of events, collections, and pledges, as well as the usual sources.
We circulated our first colour version of an Annual Report brochure (printed at no cost for us), and received some very useful personal donations
We completed 9 grants during the year totalling £8,998.00.

2007:

Dr Janine Barnes joined us as a trustee, increasing our number to four.
Income increased to £5,074.66, boosted by a collection from the Cruiser Club at Stourport Marina, of £2,910.00 (the Treasurer had found us through our website).
5 Grants completed totalling £5,633.49, leaving reserves of £4,692.97 at the year end.

2006:

In February of that year, the Trustees agreed that it was time that the Charity developed a website, and this was originally kindly hosted by Talbots Solicitors, who provided some of their spare web space, and access to their website designers for any updates required, at no cost to the Charity. Later the Charity site was moved to a free website/and website software provider - Weebly, the Founder then being able to regularly update the site he had constructed.
Income was £1,435.63 which included the annual £1,000.00 from the Founder
3 Grants made totalling £3,375.00, leaving £5,262.36 at the year end.

2005:

The Charity began the year with funds of £901.06, and ended with £7,201.73
The Founder won the non-expert class in a Pension Competition, organised by Axa Equity & Law, and the Financial Times. The original prize was £5,000 of educational vouchers, which they kindly commuted to a donation directly to the Charity.
A report in the local paper resulted in an application for help from a local special school, and we began to realise the extent of the problems that local children with disabilities were facing, particularly when further applications began to be submitted. This was also the beginning of our relationships with the local special schools.
We made our first Gift Aid claim for £713.68
We completed one grant of £500.00

2004:

First Trustee Meeting 4th February 2004, when the founding Trustees were formally listed
Two grants completed in the year totalling £600.00
Total income for the year was £1,501.00 (the £1 was Bank interest, the remainder was from the Founder)
Our initial aims were to supply mobility equipment where the State system was unable to help, and no other sources of funding were available, to operate at minimum cost (and we have continued to manage to operate with zero administration cost, with the Trustees covering any minor incidental expenses, as they arise), and with a fast response (which we have also managed to maintain, generally responding within 24 hours).

2003:

The Charity was founded with a Declaration of Trust on 19th November, starting with three Trustees, and Dr Janine Barnes joined us in February 2007 - see the Trustees page.
Registered with the Charity Commission 17th December 2003, and readt to start work in 2004.