Annual Review 2014/15. Professional Integrity. Enterprising. Responsive. Passion

Transcription

1 Annual Review 2014/15 Professional Integrity Passion Enterprising Responsive

2 A year of helping older people Joint statement from Chair and Chief Officer. This has been a year of change with a focus on improving the services we provide and addressing our balance sheet. We have been successful on both fronts, although there is still work to do to try and improve the lives of our older people living in the Boroughs of Spelthorne and Runnymede. Looking at our governance in 2014/15, we have recruited some high quality Trustees, amended our Articles and achieved the Organisational Quality Standard. All of our services have grown and we have received some delightful feedback from clients and customers, so we know we are going in the right direction. Our feedback system also helps us to continually improve what we are doing, and how we do it. Also we are making more and more use of Charitylog, our CRM software, to learn more about our clients and how we can support them. Though our income has not grown as much as we would have liked, our earned income has grown along with legacy income, counterbalanced by some loss in grant income. For a fuller look at our finances in 2014/15 see our annual accounts, due to be published in September. In order to keep this short, our thank you list is published on page 8, but as our clients are at the heart of our business, we make special mention of them here for supporting us with their custom during this last year, we aim to reach even more people in 2015/16. Roger Glenwright Chair Tony Docker Chief Officer Five year performance I have been delighted to chair Age UK Runnymede and Spelthorne and especially pleased that we have been able to strengthen our team, staff and volunteers, management and Trustee board. It is a privilege to chair this really effective team. Roger Glenwright Funds c fwd Deficit/Surplus The chart here shows our funds carried forward each year and annual surplus/deficits. Year Our aims for this year To build a sustainable business. To develop additional new services. To deliver our services to more older people. 2 Annual Report 2014/15

3 Information and Advice We provided help on over 5000 occasions. Our free Information and Advice service enables people to get the help they need and access benefits they are entitled to that improves their quality of life. AUKRS brought over 900,000 into the local community last year in this way. Many phone calls asking for help or advice are handled straight away by our Telephone Helpline Advisors; if they cannot help then our friendly staff will refer people to another organisations or to someone else within AUKRS. Thanks to our intervention Mr W, who suffers from Parkinson s, will no longer be evicted and can get a regular supply of food from Foodbank. He told us I was having trouble engaging with other services and have very much appreciated the support Age UK has given me to date; otherwise I would have become homeless and been put in bed and breakfast. Because of my illness I did not realise the seriousness of my situation People like Mr W are seen at home by one of our Community Advisors, these specially trained staff rarely come across a problem that cannot be solved and regularly advocate on people s behalves. We also have staff visiting community locations, including St Peter s Hospital, talking to people and ensuring there is always information to hand. The aim this year is to maintain our current level of services despite a reduction in funding. Because we successfully helped Mr & Mrs G apply for Attendance Allowance, Council Tax benefit and a grant for a new boiler they can live in a warm home, feeling safe and secure now that they can pay for someone to do their gardening. A big thank you for all your hard work getting me rehoused, I could not have done it with out K s help, she is a star If you have a problem, call us on such a lovely lady I could not have done any of this without their support, she was very professional and caring Annual Report 2014/15 3

4 Independent Living A range of services tailored to the needs of individuals. You may want a Handyman to fit or repair something in the home, or perhaps a Gardener to keep your home looking as tidy as ever. We can provide both to keep you feeling safe and secure. If your garden is really overgrown you might even be entitled to a free garden clearance. Our handymen and gardeners completed over 1300 jobs last year. Any jobs too big for them were referred to traders in our directory, to which we received 2500 enquiries. We also received 24 compliments last year about our Handypersons and Gardeners. For example Mrs L was very pleased with P s two hour gardening work and rebooked him for on-going gardening. Mrs J about our G Team Wow they work so hard! Mrs M about our Handyman He was very patient and thorough Do you have a problem bathing? If so one of our experienced Bathing Assistants could pop round and help. Last year we assisted with nearly 1000 bathings, helping people retain their personal hygiene standards. 100% of our Bathing clients tell us they are treated with dignity and respect. Perhaps you don t need a Handyperson, a Gardener or a Bather, but you would like someone to help you around the house, perhaps do some cleaning, empty the washing machine, do those jobs which have become awkward. Or perhaps you d like someone to go out with, or just spend some time with? Our Support4YOU team are happy to provide such services, individual to your requirements. Our newly formed Support4YOU service made 400 visits supporting people in 2014/15. Our aim this year is to bring these services to even more people, and we have recruited more staff to fulfil the increasing demand for home based services. Don t forget, to access any of these services call Most are chargeable by the hour. 4 Annual Report 2014/15

5 Social Activities The key to loving later life is to stay connected. This year we hope to get a Gardening Club going on our allotment and start more exercise classes, especially suited to those a bit less mobile. We run a range of activities and are looking to start new ones in They were accessed around 2000 times last year and we want to offer more. Currently we offer fun at the Monday Club every other week, Bingo every Thursday, Coffee Mornings at garden centres every month, a fun exercise class every week and we run the occasional outing to the seaside! 98% of people attending our Monday Club and 97% of those attending Tonic Time exercise classes would recommend it to others. Our aim this year is to increase the number of activities, providing further opportunities for people to have fun and to reduce social isolation. If you fancy trying something why not give us a call on An excellent way to improve mobility, a very happy group Nice to be served tea one hasn t made oneself and have a chat with one s peers Everyone very friendly, nice atmosphere. All the helpers very friendly and helpful Annual Report 2014/15 5

6 Volunteering Endless opportunities for those wishing to give something back. Pictured above is our G Team. A group of dedicated volunteers that provide garden clearance work. Probably one of the most rewarding jobs is our volunteer befriending, a great way to make new friends and so much appreciated by those you befriend. Or perhaps you d like to drive a minibus, be king of the road? We train our drivers to take groups of older people from A to B or out on daytrips, great fun! We completed over 500 trips last year. This year we want to recruit lots more volunteers to help many more people. We are very proud of our volunteers and they tell us it s very fulfilling. If you d like to have a chat about volunteering for us, give us a call on very nice to see someone in the evenings, improved my quality of life helps me understand letters prior to my visits D had a couple of falls, now she is quite active and we go shopping 6 Annual Report 2014/15

7 Transport Our buses provide vital transport solutions. Lack of transport is often the reason for people not getting out. Our minibuses can help with this problem. This year we want to increase the use of our minibuses, so more people can get out and about more. Our three minibuses are specially adapted to accommodate wheelchairs so they can be hired by other organisations to transport their people around. We supply the bus with a driver, they supply an escort and everyone gets to where they need to go. If you d like to hire our bus call us on You couldn t find an improvement on P..., looking after us Annual Report 2014/15 7

8 Fundraising In addition to applying for grants, we fundraise locally mainly by attending fayres and fêtes. It s not just about the money, it s also about having fun doing it and we do rely on all our fundraising efforts to provide many of our services. With this in mind we d like to thank everyone who has provided us with vital funding and donated their valuable time for the benefit of others. We are particularly grateful to the following organisations for their support in 2014/15. North West Surrey Clinical Commissioning Group Community Foundation for Surrey Ashford & St Peter s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Thank you Last, but by no means least, the Trustees and management would like to express their continuous gratitude and thanks to everyone that contributes toward the running of Age UK Runnymede and Spelthorne and to the delivery of our services, which make a huge difference to many individuals and a big contribution to improving the lives of older people. These people are primarily our staff and volunteers, which includes the Trustees themselves and also our partner organisations. Also, of course, the many people who purchase our services and in doing so, support our charity. Age UK Runnymede and Spelthorne The Orchard Staines Lane Chertsey Surrey KT16 8PS t e sec@ageukrs.org.uk Age UK Runnymede and Spelthorne is the trading name of Age UK Runnymede and Spelthorne which is a registered charity number and company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales number Registered office: The Orchard, Staines Lane, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8PS Annual Report 2014/15 8