25% ME GROUP

(SUPPORT FOR SEVERE ME SUFFERERS)

SECOND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TO BE HELD ON 1^ST SEPTEMBER 2005

25% ME GROUP

(SUPPORT FOR SEVERE ME SUFFERERS)

SECOND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TO BE HELD ON 1^ST SEPTEMBER 2005

REPORT (A) CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

INTRODUCTION

Welcome, all readers to the Second Annual Report of the 25% M.E. Group under charity status.

This has been an exciting and fruitful year for our charity, which is outlined below. I take heart from the fact that as a national charity for the severely affected ME sufferer, that progress is being made in recognition of our plight and that we are able to provide services that are of practical and emotional use for our membership.

As in previous years we continue to devote much of our resources and time into supporting our membership, as well as establishing and maintaining firm contacts with statutory and voluntary organisations, other relevant agencies and institutions, health authorities and social services departments.  This has greatly increased the promotion of our group and the services we offer.  More importantly, it continues to heighten awareness of the illness to statutory and voluntary agencies who are now using our group as a prime illness specific information, resource and referral agency for clients and carers.

GROUP DEVELOPMENTS

We were recently successful in our bid to the Big Lottery Fund (Scotland) to fund a new (and much –needed) advocacy service for the group. We were delighted to receive funding for three years for this venture which commenced on 7^th March 2005. Funding has allowed us to employ a full-time Advocacy Worker, and part-time Administrator. In addition, we were able to secure office premises and some additional equipment and resources to finance the new operation. This is a great new addition to the Group, which will benefit all members in many different ways.  We have also been able to retain part-time Development Officer’s post (financed directly from the Group’s core funds) and we are therefore able to continue to attend more conferences and seminars organised by the Department for Work and Pensions, Social Work Department, local health authorities, various local and regional M.E. Support Groups and other voluntary agencies dealing with disability issues. These have proved to be very effective, worthwhile partnership networks which have allowed us to keep abreast of changes in legislation and disability issues.

As in previous years, we have been able to attend various meetings and be pro-active in delivering various presentations relating to the group’s services to other M.E. support groups.  Attendance at such events provided the Group with an opportunity to have its articles published and promoted via their newsletters and websites. This has helped promote our services and allowed us to reach many more severely affected sufferers.

Our membership continues to increase (by approximately 25% in the past twelve months, resulting in an overall increase of over 50% in the last two years) and our services remain very much member-led. Following production of last year’s Questionnaire entitled “Essential Services for Severely Affected ME Sufferers” which was completed by over two thirds of our membership, we were able to produce an Analysis Report based upon the findings from the Questionnaire.

This Report formed part of our ME Awareness Campaign Pack for 2004 which also included a specially designed colour poster, a document highlighting the key symptoms of the illness and ways in which service providers can properly treat those symptoms. Form letters to service providers along with a detailed press release were also included with the pack in order to allow members to send these packs to various agencies within their locality thus reaching a wider public arena.

Throughout this year, we continued with our campaign to promote M.E related issues on behalf of sufferers and their carers.  We continue to play a vital role within the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group (which is a follow-on from the CMO’s Working Group on CFS/M.E. in England). Following the publication two years ago of the Short Life Action Group’s Report for services within Scotland to specifically treat ME sufferers, several pilot schemes have been introduced by specific health authorities within Scotland in order to examine and develop services for M.E. sufferers within Scotland.

As a national organisation, we are attempting to reach those further afield.  To this end, we have redesigned and re-launched a more “user-friendly” and comprehensive website which has helped to attract members, not only from the UK, but also from other parts of the world.

ANNUAL REVIEW

MEMBERSHIP

Over the last year our membership has increased by approximately 115 new members.  This increase has largely been due to UK-wide (although focused mainly within Scotland) distribution of information packs.  To date over 70,000 information packs has been sent to GPs, Social Work Department, Health Centres, Hospitals, Health Shops, Homeopaths, Citizen Advice Bureau’s and the general public.  These mailings have led to many more statutory and voluntary organisations utilising our services, with many more severely affected people being directed to the group.

New Group Services

·       Dedicated advocacy helpline and services covering community care, benefits and other advocacy issues.

·       We have developed an Information Pack covering a wide range of M.E. related issues and problems. This has proved very popular with members, carers and indeed health professionals throughout Scotland. We have recently added a dedicated section covering Multiple Chemical Sensitivities which affects many of our members.

·       Our Carers Information Pack has been updated and improved and is available from the Group’s website. A dedicated carers section of our Newsletter has also been developed by one of our members specifically dealing with carers’ issues and providing information to carers about support services and benefits.

CAMPAIGNING

M.E. AWARENESS WEEK MAY 2004

Following the introduction of our extensive information pack which was presented to the Dept of Health, 10 Downing St and MPs at the Houses of Parliament on ME Awareness Day, 12^th May 2004, many other UK ME Support Groups also featured extracts from our information packs in their own campaigns thereby greatly widening distribution and awareness. Our thanks go to all Group Members, their families and friends, as well as other M.E. Support Groups, who not only helped with ideas, but distributed the information packs to their local hospitals, GP surgeries and other public buildings.

FUNDRAISING

Various fundraising events and initiatives were organised throughout the year, ranging from marathon runners, producing greeting and Christmas cards, attendance at car-boot sales, to hiring of stalls at local fairs and coffee mornings.  These ventures proved to be extremely popular and fruitful for the Group particularly with regard to local recognition and development.

Special thanks go to all Group Members who donated funds and participated in numerous fundraising events and activities.

FUTURE PLANS

New initiatives include - developing and extending our new advocacy services via membership feedback and monitoring of the services provided.

 A new fundraising initiative is to be launched at the end of 2005 in order to seek future funding for the group and our advocacy services beyond our current Big Lottery Fund funding period in order to maintain our new premises and core running costs.

REPORT (B) TREASURER’S REPORT (STATEMENT)

                                           The total amount of income for the year ending 31 March 2004 was £59,480.25

Restricted income received from the Community Fund was £8,500 from which £8,500 met the salary costs of the 2 part-time staff employed by the group.  £20,403.00 (£10,878 Revenue, £9,525.00 Capital) was received from the Big Lottery Fund to meet associated costs of the new Advocacy Project from which a total of £12,765.94 has been spent.

Unrestricted income raised via trusts, donations etc was £30,577.25 from which £25,537.86 was spent on group and direct costs, including salary costs, employers national insurance contributions and bacs transfers.

Group reserves carried forward from the previous year ending 31 March 2004 is reflected in The Income and Expenditure Accounts which shows a surplus for the year of £51,690.24 for year ending 31 March 2005, which is made up as follows: £43,919.85 unrestricted funds and £7,770.39 restricted funds.

I hope the membership approve the accounts as written. A copy of the complete set of accounts is available to members on request. If any person wishes a fuller explanation or would like to discuss the content of the accounts please do not hesitate to contact me, where I will be happy to help.

It is envisaged that the group’s income and expenditure will remain consistent as with previous years, although an increase in postage and printing costs is inevitable as members, groups and other agencies take up membership with the group.  An area of concern is that we need to source alternative funding to meet salary and other associated costs of the part-time Development Worker which are currently being met from the group’s general reserves, although financially the group are in a position to meet all such costs for the next year.

 This report was approved by the Management Committee and signed on its behalf. (NOTE: The Financial Statements for the financial year were also certified by Fiona Collie, Treasurer for HIV-AIDS Carers & Family Service Provider Scotland)

25 % M.E. GROUP

BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 MARCH 2005

I certify that these summary accounts are a true and fair précis of the full accounts upon which I have produced my Audit Report.

Signature:                                                                            (25% M.E. Group Treasurer)          Date:

INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT

I have been asked to verify the accounts of the 25% ME Group which is an unincorporated charity, charity registration SC034265.  I have therefore examined the income and expenditure records, financial documentation and accounts of the 25% ME Group for restricted, unrestricted and project based income and expenditure.  The independent audit took place on 25^th June 2005.  All the necessary bankbooks, bank statements, ledgers, accounts, vouchers, invoices, wage slips, petty cash slips and all associated financial documents were made available for me to conduct my work in relation to the above.  On the basis of the documentation I find the accounts of the 25% M.E. Group to be a true and fair record.

Signed:                                                                                                                                                 Date:

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