Annual Review 2011-12
AR 2011-2012
There are so many ways to get involved with Age Scotland - making a donation, fundraising, campaigning and volunteering. You can help us achieve our vision in the way that is right for you. Just call 0845 833 0200 email info@agescotland.org.uk or visit www.agescotland.org.uk
Age Scotland plays an important role in the lives of older people and I am proud that Scottish Government support has helped the Charity’s information provision activities with the expansion of the Age Scotland Helpline and its quarterly magazine ‘Advantage’. Both of these ensure that older people and their friends, families and carers across Scotland have access to the right advice and high quality information, when they need it.” Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing
I know that community transport is so important for the welfare of its passengers and that’s why I fully back Age Scotland’s campaign to have community transport included in the concessionary travel scheme.” Jim Hume MSP
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Foreword The 1990s and the early part of the last decade saw unprecedented growth in the scale and scope of the voluntary sector in Scotland, but now, with the financial future far from secure, the picture is very different. Almost two out of every three charities have been forced to cut services, and one out of every ten is facing possible closure. Despite the challenging circumstances, Age Scotland has made good progress. A particular source of satisfaction is the 28% increase in membership to a total of 592, a growth which is continuing at a similar rate in the current year, and is a measure of our success in engaging with older people’s groups and individual older people all over Scotland. We have also expanded the scope and range of our Helpline. We have incurred a deficit, but one arising from the planned use of reserves deliberately built up over the last five years to enable the Charity to adapt to the challenges that the current climate presents. This has enabled us to maintain grants to member groups, to expand our retail and enterprise activities to increase future income generation, and to develop new approaches to branding and fundraising. Our staff, our volunteers who work tirelessly in the background, and the countless people who support our work across the country have made this progress possible. In these difficult times we are also especially grateful to our individual donors, corporate partners, and statutory bodies such as the Scottish Government for financial and material assistance. With that backing, we look forward to creating more opportunities in ageing, challenging disadvantage and unfairness wherever we find it, and building a Scotland where older people are truly valued and respected for who they are and their huge contribution to our society.
James Wright, Chairman 3
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Who we are: Age Scotland is the national charity for everyone on the ageing journey, working to improve later life for them, today and tomorrow. Age Scotland has a positive, forward looking vision for our ageing society, listening to older people in order to understand what they need to transform their lives for the better, and empowering them to do so.
What we do: Age Scotland staff are experts in the issues, needs and experiences of getting older and community by community, life by life, are working to improve later life through information and advice, support for older peoples’ groups, campaigns, lobbying and research.
Advantage is far too good to throw away – I always pass it on to someone else to enjoy.” Respondent in our 2011/12 readership survey
The Age Scotland campaigning resource is excellent for our purposes and the work we have done with it has shown how effective the pack actually is as a campaigning tool.” NHS Health Co-ordinator Prevention and Management of Falls
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How we do it: • We have a genuine countrywide presence, working with and for older people across Scotland on issues that matter to them, providing one-to-one support and grants to local older people’s groups and facilitating networking and sharing of best practice through our Regional Assemblies and Networks; • Nationally and locally we work with and for older people on issues raised by them, campaigning together on changes to legislation, policy and practice to enable communities to make their voices heard and ensure a better later life for all; • Our helpline, publications and online presence via our website and social media platforms provide assistance on a wide range of issues and our quarterly magazine Advantage offers information, inspiration and ideas to empower everyone in later life; • Our social enterprise arm, Age Scotland Enterprises, offers products specifically designed to meet older people’s needs in a market that other businesses are often disinclined to cater for and all profits are gift-aided to Age Scotland; • Our network of shops acts as a focal point for local communities, providing information and assistance on local, regional and national issues and access to our products and services as well as raising money for the Charity; • Through our fundraising we aim to reflect the true worth of older people, portraying them rightly as valuable, wise and experienced. We work with older people to help them show their capability, independence and aspirations by becoming champions and raising money to help others in later life; • We are not precious - when we share common goals we work in partnership with other, like-minded bodies and individuals to ensure that our impact is maximised.
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1,490,000
Voluntary income raised by Fundraising (£)
1M
£
168,000
Age Scotland’s grant pot (£)
40,000
Copies of the Age Maze distributed to outline the changes later life can bring
100K
22,000
Enquiries dealt with by the Age Scotland Helpline
9,870
Views of the information pages on our website
10K
7,000
Information items sent out to Helpline callers
2,000
1K
1,033
Information packs distributed to libraries and GP surgeries
Twitter followers
400
Delegates attending our 9 regional assemblies, representing many older people’s groups
Member groups receiving a share of Age Scotland’s grant pot
100
14
Shops operated by Age Scotland Trading
10
Age Scotland’s first local government election manifesto produced 6
0
4,347,000 £
1M
100K
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Value of premiums, policies, energy contracts and funeral plans sold by Enterprises (£)
401,000
67,750
Gift aid payment to the Charity from Enterprises, up 28% on last year (£)
Miles travelled by our Development Officers
40,000 10K
‘Hot Tips’ calendars distributed with advice on coping with winter weather
16,000
8,600
Free copies of Advantage distributed to keep older people informed
Average monthly visitors to www.agescotland.org.uk 1K
4,250
1,273
Facebook ‘likes’
Number of Life Books distributed to older people
492
165
100
Volunteers contributing to Age Scotland’s work across the country
68
10
4
Trustees currently on the Age Scotland Board, nominated and elected by the membership
0
Member groups receiving one-to-one support from our development officers
Information publications applicable to Scotland highlighted in our New Publications Guide
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What lies ahead Looking to the future, we can view with a fair amount of confidence the challenges and opportunities heralded by changes in both the policy environment in which we operate and the economic climate. During 2011/12, Age Scotland undertook a fundamental review of its charitable and income-generation activities, driven by the need to ensure the future impact, value and sustainability of the charity. The process has resulted in the adoption of an integrated approach to meeting the needs of both those in later life and the charity in 2012/13 and beyond, with a clear focus on empowering older people to demonstrate to themselves and others, the continued value of their contribution to society. Age Scotland’s strategic objectives in 2012/13 will be to: • Ensure that all of the charity’s activities are aligned to empowering older people; • Deliver an experience of interaction with the charity that enables customers and users to benefit from the range of services, products and activities offered by the charity and its trading subsidiaries (Enterprises and Retail); • Extend the reach, brand and profile of the charity to generate new income streams and achieve significant increases in income through both new and existing channels, building on the new case for support; • Maintain an organisation fit for purpose.
I have already recommended your fact sheets to my GP, the social worker who has been dealing with my wife’s situation and many others.” User of Age Scotland’s information factsheets
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Our future plans include: • Continuing to build strategic partnerships within and outwith the sector: listening to and consulting with individuals in later life and older people’s groups, engaging at the highest level with policyformers and decision-makers, collaborating with academics on relevant research projects and working with the media and other opinion-forming agencies to ensure that the issues that matter are raised and addressed; • Ensuring long-term sustainability through growing our social enterprise businesses, constantly challenging the market by offering an increasing range of appropriate financial products and services for clients in and approaching later life; • Evaluating and promoting the quality and depth of our information and advice services; • Enhancing the face-to-face service Age Scotland Enterprises provides by moving to a central location in Glasgow and increasing the number of face-to-face events in which we participate.
The Wilkinsons and Age Scotland partnership was a great success. It had many layers to it including activities our team members were able to get involved with and this really drove the engagement with the cause forward. We had charity fundraising days, volunteering activities in support of numerous Age Scotland campaigns such as Spread the Warmth, Donate a Coat and Bobble Day all of which were great events and helped to imbed the fantastic support Age Scotland provides to help ensure that older people receive the best possible care and support in later life.” Clare Jones, Charity Officer, Wilkinson Hardware Ltd 9
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Thank you Age Scotland is extremely grateful, particularly in this time of recession, to all our funders, too many to mention, whose generous contributions made our work with and for older people in Scotland possible.
Contributions of £2000 and over: Row Fogo Charitable Trust The Souter Charitable Trust Rev. W N Monteith’s Charitable Trust ELPD Charitable Trust The Elizabeth Frankland Moore & Star Foundation The Moffat Charitable Trust The Hugh Fraser Foundation Westwood Charitable Trust The Robertson Trust
Contributions of £1000 and over: John Lewis innocent drinks Signs Express Ethcom Ltd. Prudential plc. Wilkinson Scottish Power Ladbrokes
We could not carry out our vital work without your continued support. Voluntary donations and legacies make up half the charity’s income, so please maintain your generosity. For example, giving regularly through direct debit gives us stability and enables us to plan ahead, knowing that we will have the funds we need. Alternatively you could make a one-off donation, hold an event, run a marathon, leave us a gift in your will, ask your club or society to raise funds for us or request that your employer makes us their charity of the year. There are many ways in which you can support Age Scotland’s work and make a real difference to older people across Scotland. Please call us on 0845 833 0200 or visit www.agescotland.org.uk to find out how! 10
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A few of our clients told us this would be the only Christmas meal they had, so it was wonderful that Age Scotland paid for this outing for them.”
The grant from Age Scotland allowed us to hire a coach which was accessible to all members and this provided the opportunity for the residents to enjoy a fun day out visiting the seaside, where many hadn’t been in years due to ill health and the fear of travelling alone.”
Many thanks to Age Scotland for the kind donation that enabled 102 of our forum members to get together and banish the winter blues with a “Brightening up a dull January party” which everyone really enjoyed.” We were able to share information and ideas with older people from all over the UK and in turn passed this on to our forum members so we all benefitted from Age Scotland funding our attendance at the National Pensioners’ Convention in Blackpool.” Recipients and Beneficiaries of Age Scotland grants
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Income & Expenditure
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Income 2011 / 2012
2010 / 2011
Expenditure 2011 / 2012
2010 / 2011
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Income (£’000)
2011/12 2010/11
Voluntary income - General Fundraising 1,490 Grant Funding for Fieldwork & Service Delivery 121 Grant Funding for Policy & Campaigning 110 Profit from Trading Operations 412 Investment Income 30 Total
Expenditure (£’000)
2,059 482 97 389 18
2,163 3,045
2011/12 2010/11
Fundraising costs Fieldwork & service delivery Policy & Campaigning Development Costs Governance
338 571 1,676 1,372 650 550 301 0 32 43
Total
2,997 2,536
Deficit / Surplus
-834 509
Age Concern Dundee provides an excellent and vital service for local older people. I really enjoyed my visit up to the old Five Ways Club and was delighted that Age Scotland arranged it. I am looking forward to going back.” Jenny Marra MSP
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Board of Trustees James Wright, Chair Paul Adams, Vice Chair (from 28/06/2011) Primrose Scott, Treasurer Diana Findlay (appointed 13/10/2011) James Fry Anne Glencorse (appointed 14/04/2011) William Martin Susanne Munday Brenda Nicolson (appointed 29/06/2011) Hamilton Smillie Glenda Watt Professor John Williams Acknowledging the fact that our Trustees are volunteers, we particularly appreciate the experience, knowledge, commitment and energy brought to bear during their membership of the Age Scotland board by Marjory D’arcy, Vice Chair (resigned 27/06/2011) and Ian Purvis (resigned 17/11/2011).
Senior Management Team David Manion, Chief Executive Kay Hutcheson, Director of Charity & Community Services Judy Cromarty, Director of Finance, Facilities & Corporate Resources and Company Secretary (until 7th October 2011) Katie Docherty, Interim Director of Business Support & Special Projects Logan Steele, General Manager Age Scotland Enterprises Sheena Hunter, Associate Director of Fundraising & Marketing Susanne Cameron-Nielsen, Associate Director of Policy, Research & Influencing
Board of Age Scotland Enterprises
Brian Sloan, Chair (appointed 1 August 2011) Primrose Scott James Wright David Manion Ian Purvis (until 31 August 2011) Gordon Morris Jaqui Porritt Simon Wathan
Board of Age Scotland Trading Primrose Scott, Chair Hamilton Smillie Ian Purvis (appointed 28 September 2011) Logan Steele (appointed 30 November 2011) Hazel Tierney (appointed 15 June 2011) 14
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The training was informative and thoughtprovoking. I can’t honestly think of anything I would change – it was a good balance between presentation of information and interactive group sessions using the materials provided.”
It was very helpful in my work supporting long-term vulnerable adults in care – the materials put a picture into my head of what goes on, and rather than just giving out statistics and stating the law, it clarified it.” The Care about Rights programme has given me the practical skills to actually use in my advocacy work. It’s helped to bring the legislation to life.”
More and more people will require care services. Elderly people deserve everything we can do for them at that stage in their lives and it’s too important not to get it right.” Participants in the ‘Care about Rights programme’, facilitated by Age Scotland for the Scottish Human Rights Commission
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0845 833 0200 info@agescotland.org.uk www.agescotland.org.uk Age Scotland Helpline 0845 125 9732 helpline@agescotland.org.uk Age Scotland Enterprises 0845 833 0758 enterprises@agescotland.org.uk
Age Scotland, part of the Age UK family, is an independent charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people in Scotland, within a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland. Reg No: 153343. Charity No: SC010100. Registered Office: Causewayside House, 160 Causewayside, Edinburgh EH9 1PR.