ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS

Trustees' Annual Report for the period:
01/08/2020 to 31/07/2021

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)

Reference and administration details

Charity name		Dumfries & Galloway ME and Fibromyalgia Network
Other names charity is known by		DGMEFM Network
Registered charity number		SC030641
Charity's principal address		Thistledew Albert Street Dalbeattie DG5 4JP

Names of the charity trustees on date of approval of Trustees' Annual Report

	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
1	Craig Woods	Chairman
2	Paul Thompson	Treasurer
3	Nancy Wilson
4	Annemarie Shreenan		From 15th October 2020
5	Eileen Longworth		From 15th October 2020
6	Cornelia Schrijver		From 15th October 2020
7	Diane Bond		From 15th October 2020

Names of all other charity trustees during the period, if any, (for example, those who resigned part way through the financial period)

Name	Dates acted if not for whole year
Lesley Grieve (Secretary)	until 24th January 2021
John Bell	until 2nd March 2021

Structure, governance and management

Type of governing document

The Network is a charitable unincorporated association and the purpose and administration arrangements are set out in our constitution.

Trustee recruitment and appointment

The Network trustees are appointed by the members at our Annual General Meeting.

Objectives and activities

Charitable purposes

To support the needs of people in Dumfries & Galloway who suffer with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Fibromyalgia (FM) & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects

Raise awareness of the issues surrounding these illnesses.
Offer support to any person suffering with any of these illnesses or any matter concerning them.
Facilitate a mutual support network.
Enable access to transport, shops, public buildings, education and any other public facility for any person suffering with any of these illnesses.
Act as a central point for representative consultation between people with these illnesses and other agencies, including Dumfries & Galloway Council and NHS Dumfries & Galloway.
Gather and provide information about all aspects of these illnesses.

Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the financial period:

Membership

38 (nett) new members of Facebook group. Total 342 at 31st July. Nett increase of 12.5%
Total 358 full members at 31st July (excluding Facebook only) – nett increase of 14 or 4%.

Support to members

Facebook – mutual support between members and from the committee for group members. Facebook group for non-illness related chat. Facebook craft group for members to share and encourage each other in their creativity.
Website info continues to expand with the informative monthly blog
Postal/email Newsletters x2
Weekly Zoom meetings for 11 months of the year (in place of physical meetings), dropping to fortnightly recently.
Guests included: Action For ME; Finlay Carson MSP; ME Action – Janet Sylvester; Rose Wands Physiotherapist;
Topics included: Energy Efficiency from Home Energy Scotland; Benefits Advice from Citizens Advice Service; Long Covid Discussion:
Training Provided: Self Advocacy Training with Action for ME; Anti-Poverty Support with DAGCAS; Dr Nina Muirhead’s CPD Training Module;
Support to individuals in phone calls and messages
A lending library service of ME/FM books for loan to members
A 4-month craft project delivered online with kits sent out to members allowing craft-along sessions.

NHS liaison

Consultations included:
Promoting Dr Nina Muirhead’s CPD Module on CFS/ME to health and care professionals.
Ruth Griffith – Draft Strategic Commissioning Plan
Michelle Macaulay – Wigtownshire Health and Wellbeing Team
Maureen Stevenson – NHS Quality Strategy Development
Liz Forsyth – NHS Strategic Planning Manager

Promoting the Network more widely in the region

Using the covid publicity to spread word of our Network
Jointly produced a Long-Covid booklet with the ME Association and distributed it throughout the NHS and third sector organisations within the region

Funding

Applied and awarded a grant from Robertson Trust ‘Wee Grant’
Collaborated with a fund-finder (Sleeping Giants) to win funding from Foundation Scotland for covid response, recovery, resilience, which allowed us to appoint a development support worker
Funding from Alliance for building policy handbook, strategic plan plus feasibility study for a potential mentoring/befriending project
Lottery Community Fund which allows us to build on work started by the Foundation Scotland funding over the coming year
NHS Endowment Trust which will mainly allow us to produce and distribute newsletters and restart in-person meetings

Re-organisation and sustainability

Bought in the services of a Development and Admin worker; and commissioned work for a 3 year strategic plan.

Financial Review

Brief statement of the charity's policy on reserves

The Network had unrestricted reserves of £7,162 as at 31st July 2021. The Network had restricted reserves of £18,137 as at 31st July 2021.

This level of reserves should allow the Network to continue its charitable activities for a further 12 months and allow for any fall in income.

Details of any deficit

N/A

Donated facilities and services (if any)

N/A

Other Information

None

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees' report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees

Signature(s)
Full name(s)		Craig Alun Woods
Position (e.g. Chair)		Chairman
Date		25/08/2021

Dumfries & Galloway ME and Fibromyalgia Network
Scottish Charity Number SC030641

Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31^st July 2021

	Unrestricted Funds (£)	Restricted Funds (£)	Total 2021 (£)	Total 2020 (£)
Receipts
Donations Fundraising Grants - Robertson Trust - Foundation Scotland - Lottery Community Fund - Alliance Scotland - NHS Endowment Trust Gift Aid Bank Interest Other	1482 186 1000 0 0 0 0 226 0 0	0 0 0 4620 9961 5000 2478 0 0 0	1482 186 1000 4620 9961 5000 2478 226 0 0	1182 84 1000 0 0 0 0 191 0 0
Total Receipts	2,894	22,059	24,953	2,457
Payments
Cost of fundraising:	8	0	0	4
Total Cost of fundraising	8	0	8	4
Payment for charitable activities:
Postage Stationary and printing Travel Expenses/Subs Room hire/Catering; Zoom IT Publicity Sundry Self-employed contractors Craft Workshops Training	214 195 0 24 60 0 23 355 0 0	369 140 0 120 0 445 0 2048 800 0	583 335 0 144 60 445 23 2403 800 0	742 275 177 133 60 262 15 0 0 0
Total Payments for charitable activities	871	3922	4793	1,664
Governance costs:
Preparation of annual accounts and IE Advertising of AGM	30 0	0 0	30 0	30 0
Total Governance costs	30	0	30	30
Total Payments	909	3,922	4831	1698
Surplus / (deficit) for year before transfers Transfers between funds	1985 0	18137 0	20122 0	759 0
Surplus / (deficit) for year	1,985	18,137	20,122	759

Dumfries and Galloway ME Network
Scottish Charity Number SC030641

Statement of Balances as at 31^st July 20121

	2021(£)	2020(£)
Bank and cash in hand
Opening balance Surplus / (deficit) for year	5,177 20,122	4,418 759
Closing balance	25,299	5,177
Reserves
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds	7,162 18,137	5,177 0
Closing balances	25,299	5,177
Other Assets (Unrestricted Fund)
Computer equipment (Printer)	62	62

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf

Paul Thompson (Treasurer)
Date: 25th August 2021