The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
The objects of the company are to advance education and health in relation to prostatic disease and the relief of ill-health through the advancement of treatment and management of prostatic diseases by all or some of the following means: -
the advancement of education about the prostate gland, its diseases and their treatment;
the funding of provision of counselling, support and advice for those affected by prostate disease;
research into prostate disease in Scotland or elsewhere;
the provision of funding to purchase and maintain surgical equipment for the treatment of prostate disease.
The charity's short to medium term aims are to:
Enable more men, their families and key decision makers in Scotland to be aware of prostate disease and know how to get help, advice and treatment through printed, electronic and personal communication;
Encourage the development of health policies which include prostate disease and treatment;
Increase survival rates for prostate cancer through encouraging early diagnosis; and increase numbers seeking diagnosis;
Develop emphasis on the knowledge and availability of treatments, equipment and research into prostatic disease in Scotland;
Become a leading charity of choice across Scotland for anyone affected by prostate disease and a key voice for patients in Scotland.
Actions and significant activities towards achieving these include:
The development, dissemination and promotion of materials to increase awareness of prostatic disease;
The development and dissemination of leaflets and booklets to provide information about prostate diseases and their treatments;
The availability of a multifunctional website providing information on prostatic disease;
Delivering a Workplace Initiative on prostate disease information in the workplace;
Delivery of a training/fellowship award scheme to increase the number of surgeons in Scotland trained in robot assisted prostate cancer surgery;
The development and delivery of the COMPASS project which includes a range of services to help men navigate living with prostate cancer;
The development of and availability of an app to assist men to navigate living with prostate cancer;
The development and delivery of care and support packs (PROSPACKs) to help support patients starting treatment for prostate cancer – the project is in partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland;
The development, in partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland, of the Prostate Champions programme- to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and disease and to undertake awareness talks and presentations in lodges and with community groups across Scotland.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Key priorities for the year have been to:
Increase the amount, relevancy and appropriateness of information and awareness of prostatic disease treatments;
Enable men with prostate disease in Scotland to have appropriate, relevant, up-to-date, personalised treatments as well as treatment and support services;
Develop policy awareness and inclusion of prostate issues in national health/ public policy; being recognised as a key voice of prostate patients’ needs;
Take forward awareness and fundraising activities to encourage earlier diagnosis and awareness of prevalence, symptoms and risks;
Develop and extend the COMPASS project to help support more men with prostate cancer and their families and to help them navigate living with prostate cancer;
Continue to develop and deliver the fellowship/training award scheme to support the training in Scotland of surgeons and surgical teams in robot assisted prostate cancer surgery;
Widen Prostate Scotland’s reach and support across Scotland and develop the organisational resource base and capacity to support its’ work and objectives.
Significant progress during the year was made towards achieving these priorities:
Following the establishment of the COMPASS Project in 2020 and 2021 to provide services to support men with prostate cancer, 2023 saw a significant expansion of these. services, with an increase in demand and take up. New Living Well with Prostate Cancer Courses were launched and run in partnership with Maggie’s Forth Valley and Aberdeen (also in a partnership with UCAN), as well as with Ayrshire Cancer Support in Ayrshire and in Glasgow with Cancer Support Scotland to go alongside existing courses with Maggie’s Edinburgh, Highlands and Islands, Fife, Dundee and Lanarkshire. Take up of these courses has been very good, with over 115 men taking part, and with excellent feedback from participants. The One-to-One support service for men living with prostate cancer, or family members was also extended with access to one-to-one support services made available at Maggie’s Forth Valley and Lanarkshire in addition to the Highlands and the Lothians in partnership with Maggie’s have had good take up and feedback. The provision of this service was possible as a result of a generous funding award.
The Prostate FFIT 12-week exercise courses for men living with prostate cancer in partnership with the SPFL Trust and the University of Glasgow began in January 2023 with the first courses kicking off at Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Rangers Charitable Foundation. Further courses were held at Rugby Park with Kilmarnock and Hearts. On average 15 men attended per course. An independent evaluation by the University of Glasgow showed the programme to be beneficial with participants finding it exceeded expectations and was helpful in making them ‘physically stronger and mentally better, more energised, confident and more positive about life and their illness’.
Prostate Scotland (PS) continued to receive a high demand, from hospitals across Scotland, for booklets to distribute to patients. The number of electronic publication downloads from individuals continued to grow with a concomitant reduction in orders by individuals of printed booklets. In total, there was a 27% rise in the number of printed booklets distributed compared with 2022. We continued to receive significant enquiries from individuals relating to prostate cancer and disease and treatments, with a continuingly high number about Benign Prostatic Enlargement.
In partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland we developed and commenced a new initiative to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and disease through the development of the Prostate Champions programme to undertake awareness talks and presentations in lodges and with community groups across Scotland, and to support local fundraising activity.
We undertook a range of awareness activities during the year to encourage early diagnosis and symptom and risk awareness. We delivered awareness and fundraising talks to groups and individuals across Scotland both face to face and also via video. This included a series of ToolBox talks to fire stations in the North and North East, in connection with the Fire Brigades Union and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, following a recent research report showing that male firefighters have a higher prostate cancer risk than other men.
Over 77,000 website page views were achieved from over 45,500 visits. This was similar to 2021 which had been the highest annual total to date. Over 80% of the visitors were new. There was however a significant increase in the number of people viewing information about prostate cancer and disease and an increase in the number of people viewing the Help and Support pages, potentially reflecting the development of the COMPASS project.
A second initiative was taken forward in partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland the development and launch of the PROSPACKs initiative to provide care and support packs to people at the commencement of their treatment for prostate cancer. Four different packs have been developed for radiotherapy, brachytherapy, chemotherapy and surgery patients. The packs are now available in via several hospitals in Scotland. The project was a launched with the Grand Master Mason at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The apple/iOS version of the PS Cancer Navigator app to assist men to navigate living with prostate cancer was launched - to go with the Android version which had been launched at the end of the year before. Sincere thanks to the Francis A. Connolly Trust for supporting this project.
Many people were reached through partnerships with the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Scottish Freemasonry, as well as through Rotary Clubs. Activity took place the length and breadth of Scotland including in Ross and Cromarty in the north, through to Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire, Fife, the Lothians, Tayside, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and the Borders.
1. Increasing the amount of information and awareness of prostatic disease and its treatments
Significant progress was made during the year on taking forward our information work, with a continuing volume of information enquiries. This included:
Several hundred telephone, email and written enquiries about prostate disease, cancer and its treatments were answered.
Orders from hospitals across Scotland, for booklets to distribute to patients increased. The number of electronic publications downloads from individuals remained high with a concomitant reduction in orders by individuals of printed booklets. Over the year we distributed over 8,600 printed guides and booklets about prostate cancer and disease and treatments, a 27% rise over the previous year. Of publications downloaded the Early Prostate Cancer Explained guide, The PSA guide, the External Beam Radiotherapy, Hormone therapy, Pelvic floor exercises, Minimal Access surgery, Treatments for Advanced Prostate Cancer and Treatment for an Enlarged prostate were the most downloaded. We continued to receive a substantial volume of enquiries regarding prostate cancer and disease and treatments, with a continuing high number about Benign Prostatic Enlargement, and access to minimally invasive treatments.
During the year the range of information materials was expanded and updated, with new editions of the Spotlight on Hormone Therapy, External Beam Radiotherapy, Watchful Waiting, Incontinence as a Symptom of Prostate problems and Pelvic floor exercises.
The trustees would like to thank the advisory group (PAGES) that supports the charity’s information medical and advice work. This includes patients, former patients, clinical nurse specialists and clinicians from across Scotland. It was chaired during the year by trustee Mr Ben Thomas.
Membership during the year included: Prof. Alan McNeill trustee, Scott Little - Clinical Nurse Western General Hospital, Brian Corr - Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist Raigmore Hospital, Dr Andrew Dunlop GP Lead East Calder, Alan Dickinson, Sioned Hancock Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner, Camila Gonzalez Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner Western General Hospital, Ashleigh Ward Lead Cancer Nurse Consultant NHS Forth Valley, Mr Feras Al Jaafari Consultant Urologist NHS Fife, Mr Daniel Good Consultant Urological Surgeon Western General Hospital, Bill Taylor Advanced Practice Physiotherapist, Dr David Astill, Dr David Gillanders, Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Derek Brown, Ms Stephanie Guillaumier, Consultant Urologist NHS Fife, Adam Gaines PS Director Emeritus, Mae Bell the charity’s Information and Advice Manager and Elaine Stewart the charity’s Service Development Manager. Thanks are also due to Mr David Douglas - Consultant Urologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Dr Nick MacLeod Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Beatson, Dr David Dodds, Chief of Medicine at the Beatson, Prof Duncan McLaren and Dr Aravind Sundaramurthy at Western General Hospital.
2 and 3. Enabling men with prostate disease in Scotland to have appropriate, up-to-date, personalised treatment and support services through the development of policy awareness and inclusion of prostate issues in national health/ public policy; and becoming a key voice of prostate patients’ needs
This has been a busy year in relation to policy issues, especially in relation to access to medicines for men with prostate cancer. We have also worked hard to ensure that prostate cancer issues featured on the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland agendas.
We submitted evidence to the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to its’ review into possible approval and availability on the NHS in Scotland of Darolutamide for hormone sensitive prostate cancer and Lutetium 177 for advanced hormone/ castrate resistant prostate cancer on the NHS in Scotland. Research had shown that treatment with Darolutamide for men with metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer which is still sensitive to hormone treatment can lead to a delay in metastatic cancer progression and potentially lead to an improvement in overall survival by comparison to standard hormone therapy alone. SMC initially turned Darolutamide down for this indication, but after a resubmission later in the year made it available on the NHS in Scotland. Disappointingly SMC turned Lutetium 177 down for its availability on NHS in Scotland, despite research evidence showing significant benefits of this medicine for men whose prostate cancer has progressed and where novel hormone therapies or chemotherapy are no longer effective, or where chemotherapy is not suitable. There is an unmet need for further treatment options for men in such situations.
We were also asked for a submission and evidence by the National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group on the availability of abiraterone for low-risk hormone sensitive metastatic prostate cancer on the NHS in Scotland. It had previously been available on an exceptional basis during the pandemic. We were very pleased when NCMAG decided to make it available on the NHS in Scotland for those people who are not suitable for currently accessible on-label alternatives. Unfortunately, after its’ approval by the NCMAG not all health boards felt able to make it available straight away, due to service difficulties and we worked hard to make the case to those boards to make it available as soon as possible to men who could benefit from it. It is now available Scotland wide.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium asked us for a submission for its review into the potential approval and availability on the NHS in Scotland of Olaparib (in combination with abiraterone) for metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, for patients where chemotherapy is not clinically indicated. Our submission and evidence focused on the additional progression free time that Olaparib could offer men with castration resistant prostate cancer, by comparison with abiraterone alone, and the potential benefits for patients with BRCA1 and 2 gene alterations. We were pleased when in 2024 the SMC announced that this medicine would be available on the NHS in Scotland.
PS is a member of the Scottish Cancer Coalition (SCC) whose purpose is to exchange information and cooperate on issues affecting cancer in Scotland. We worked closely with members of the SCC to collectively take forward work about cancer and treatment related issues. This included discussion and liaison by the SCC with the Scottish Government Cancer Policy team and the Scottish Cancer Strategic Board about the new Scottish Cancer Strategy, cancer treatment and the remobilisation measures on cancer treatment post pandemic, as well as participating in the SCC’s Medicines Sub-Group.
PS has worked with other prostate disease organisations including Prostate Cancer UK, the Edinburgh and Lothians Prostate Cancer Support Group, and the Dumfries and Galloway Prostate Buddies and several other support groups over the year to advance prostate related activity. The charity attended meetings of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Cancer. We would like to thank all the volunteers and supporters who provided comments and responded to our consultations on policy and health issues during the year.
In November 2023 we launched the PROSPACK project in partnership with Grand Lodge of Scotland to provide care and support packs to people diagnosed with prostate cancer at the commencement of their treatment. Four different kinds of packs have been developed to cater for men having surgery for prostate cancer, external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy and chemotherapy. The packs are distributed to the men through participating hospitals. The packs include a range of tailored products to assist men going through treatment, as well as information booklets. The packs are funded through a generous donation from the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The project was launched with the Grand Master Mason Ramsey McGhee at an event at Raigmore Hospital kindly hosted by Maggie’s Highland. The trustees would like to thank the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the participating hospitals for their support in taking forward this project.
4. Take forward awareness and fundraising activities to encourage more early diagnosis;
Our awareness work during the year focused on two key activities:
i) In partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland the development of the Prostate Champions initiative and
ii) The taking forward a programme of awareness talks, presentations and exhibitions across Scotland
Prostate Champions initiative: In partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland we developed and started a new initiative to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and disease. The Prostate Champions programme was developed to undertake awareness talks and presentations in lodges and with community groups across Scotland, and to support local fundraising activity. The Prostate Champions are volunteers from lodges across Scotland, and during the year a training programme to support the Prostate Champions was developed and 3 sessions were delivered in Renfrew, Inverness and Inverkeithing. Some 41 Prostate Champions were recruited and trained during the year. Many of the Champions commenced their activities by giving presentations to lodges in their areas/provinces, with some reporting of instances of people hearing about symptoms and risks of prostate cancer and disease, and subsequently going to their doctors to get checked. The partnership initiative is enabling the charity and the Grand Lodge of Scotland together to reach more people with awareness information across Scotland.
The trustees would like to record their thanks to the Grand Lodge of Scotland for their support and partnership in the initiative and also thanks to the many Prostate Champions for their efforts in spreading awareness and also for their assistance with our local fundraising.
Awareness Talks and Presentations: Our programme of awareness talks across the year involved giving presentations and holding exhibition stands/ awareness stands at a range of organisations, across Scotland. Presentations and talks were given to businesses, local authorities, several prostate cancer support groups, Men’s sheds, Probus and Rotary clubs and as well as many Provincial Grand and District Freemasons’ Lodges. Organisations reached with Toollbox talks and awareness sessions included Glasgow City Council, Social Security Scotland, the Oceaneering Group and the Engineering Contractors Association, as well as with the African Caribbean Association in Glasgow amongst others. 39 Toolbox Workshops were delivered and with over 880 people attending these presentations.
Following the publication of a research report during the year showing that firefighters were at a considerably higher risk of prostate cancer, we approached the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to take forward an awareness initiative with fire brigades staff. This initiative was warmly received by the FBU and SFRS and during the year we undertook a significant number of Toolbox workshops, for staff in stations from Tayside to right across the Northeast of Scotland, with plans for further awareness sessions in the North of Scotland and Glasgow in place for 2024.
We would also like to thank the many volunteers and support groups we worked with during the year to raise awareness and provide information as assist with presentations including Kevin Lalley, Derek Brown and Alan Dickinson for their help and efforts during the year.
5. Develop and take forward the COMPASS project to support men with prostate cancer and their families and help them navigate living with prostate cancer
The COMPASS service (Comprehensive Prostate Scotland Support Service) saw major and substantial progress in 2023, with support services developed and available across Scotland. The service was launched in 2020 following a generous funding award to meet the key needs identified from the Living with Prostate Cancer in Scotland research that PS undertook in 2019. The service is aimed at helping men and their families navigate living with prostate cancer, and to provide help and support for living with the disease. The services include:
Living Well with Prostate Cancer Courses (LWwPC). The courses are of six/seven-week duration with sessions led by a Cancer Support Specialist with experience of prostate cancer issues. This service is provided in partnership with several Maggie’s centres and also Ayrshire Cancer Support. During the year, further significant progress was made in the number of centres offering courses with Maggie’s Forth Valley, and courses in Ayrshire with Ayrshire Cancer Support and in Glasgow in partnership with Cancer Support Scotland taking forward new courses, complementing the courses already available in Maggie’s Lanarkshire, Dundee and Fife and the online courses in partnership with Maggie’s Edinburgh to assist with rural reach and with Maggie’s Highlands to reach people in the Highlands and Islands. Several courses during the year have also involved sessions for partners. The progress in further widening the geographic spread of centres offering the courses has been a significant step forward. Plans were in hand to further extend the reach with a course set to take forward in Aberdeen in 2024 with Maggie’s Aberdeen and UCAN.
The course content has proven successful and includes information on fatigue, nutrition and various clinical aspects of prostate cancer. In 2023 over 110 men have attended our LWwPC courses and the feedback continues to be excellent, with all men saying they would recommend the courses. As with Prostate FFIT (see below) the opportunity to meet men in a similar situation and share experiences in a safe environment is the overwhelming message. The map shows the spread of centres delivering courses at the beginning of 2024
(please note Cancer Support Scotland closed in June 2024).
Comments from participants on the courses included:
‘Combination of this course and Prostate FFIT has completely changed me - I feel 10 years younger!’
‘The main message of the programme is that you're not alone in your journey with prostate cancer’
‘Family are really pleased I've come along to get some support - feel it's helping me & them’
The trustees would like to thank the teams at Maggie’s Lanarkshire, Tayside, Fife, Forth Valley, Edinburgh, Highland, Ayrshire Cancer Support, Cancer Support Scotland and the support of local NHS colleagues for the clinical sessions, including NHS Ayrshire and Arran at ACS and the Beatson Cancer Centre for Glasgow, at Ninewells in Dundee, Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, for their assistance with the LWwPc courses in 2023.
Prostate FFIT The first courses of our unique Prostate FFIT 12-week exercise course for men with prostate cancer, developed in partnership with the SPFLTrust and the University of Glasgow, began in 2023. Four courses were delivered at Ibrox with the Rangers Charitable Foundation and at Tynecastle with Heart of Midlothian Football Club as hosts, with further courses taking place at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock FC with the Killie Community Trust, and a further course at Tynecastle with Hearts
The courses which follow NICE guidelines setting out the importance of such courses for men with prostate cancer having hormone therapy, are based on a development of the successful FFIT course developed by the SPFL Trust. The sessions are led by a specialist cancer exercise coach, assisted by coaches from the clubs running the standard FFIT course. In addition, participants receive access to weekly exercise videos, developed in conjunction with The Exercise Clinic, specialists in prostate cancer exercise. Comments by participants included:
‘I have found the course of great benefit to my current journey with prostate cancer. The weekly sessions in exercise/diet/ emotional wellbeing have allowed me to feel more energised and informed’.
‘Enjoyable, entertaining and extremely worthwhile. The course should be offered/ compulsory for all men with prostate cancer’.
‘I feel the Prostate FFIT has been very helpful with exercises and diet recommendations. It has also made it easier to speak to people about my condition and what I have come through’.
‘Its’ changed my life - I feel fitter and 10 years younger’
The first two courses were independently evaluated by the University of Glasgow. The evaluation showed that:
Participants found the course highly acceptable and described the programme as exceeding their expectations and helpful in making them feel physically stronger, mentally better, more energised, confident, and more positive about life and their illness
Many highlighted the mental health and emotional benefits they had experienced from being able to talk to other men who were in a similar situation to them and whose advice and opinion they felt they could trust
On average, men succeeded in increasing their weekly step count and increasing the number of days on which they did at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity (from 4.3 to 6.3 days per week).
Men also reported improvements in sleep quality and general wellbeing, and a marginal improvement in fatigue. However, there was limited improvement in prostate cancer-specific wellbeing and quality of life outcomes, which perhaps reflects the short timeframe (12 weeks) over which change was measured.
They also made some dietary improvements
Despite weight not being a major focus of P-FFIT, significant reductions in weight, BMI and waist circumference were recorded and there were significant/marginally significant reductions in blood pressure.
Men taking part in the second wave of courses also found the programme very beneficial:
In addition to the 12-week Prostate FFIT course, we continue to receive significant number of visits to our Exercise video, which we have developed in partnership with the Exercise Clinic, so that men could undertake the exercises safely from their own homes. The programme has received excellent feedback and there have been over 2840 viewings.
Prostate Scotland would like to record its thanks to the project’s funders who wish to remain anonymous, Elaine Stewart, Nicky Reid and Fiona Taylor from the SPFLTrust, Prof. Cindy Gray and Christos Theodorakopoulos from the University of Glasgow, Rangers Charitable Trust, Heart of Midlothian FC, The Killie Community, Gregor Cranston, Rebecca Miller, Carol Devlin, Claire Cobban, the Exercise Clinic, Morag Idan and Adam Gaines for their hard work and efforts to take forward Prostate FFIT.
•One-to-One support services. These provide men and their families with one-to-one support and information via face to face, video, telephone with a prostate cancer support specialist. During the year we began one-to-one support services for men and their families in Lanarkshire and Forth Valley, again in partnership with the Maggie's Centres to go alongside the provision for one-to-one support services for men and their families via Maggie’s Edinburgh for the Lothians and Borders and via Maggie’s Highland for the Highlands and Islands. The One-to-One support services have had good take up - the sessions are delivered face to face, as well as by phone or video. On average, people utilise the service for three sessions. The service received slightly lower uptake in 2023 compared to 2022. There was a slightly different composition by comparison compared with 2022, with a greater percentage of people with non-curative stage of cancer seeking support. The graph below shows the percentage of people seeking information/support from the service, by stage of people’s cancer journey.
Prostate Scotland Cancer Navigator app The development of an app to assist men to navigate living with prostate cancer was completed with the iOS version launched in in April 2023 (the Android format was launched in late 2022). Around 400 downloads of the app had been made in 2023..The app includes sections on useful resources for men, a side effects monitor, PSA and tests trackers, appointments and medications diaries as well as a section to assist men in choosing treatments for early prostate cancer. Grateful thanks to the Francis A. Connolly Trust for their development and support of the app project, without which it could not have taken place. Feedback from testers and from users has been excellent – with people being very satisfied with the app and finding that the choosing treatments information section was very useful. Comments have included:
‘Overall impression this App is excellent’
‘The contents are good & I wish it were/had been available &/or given to me at time of my diagnosis’.
‘Overall, I am very impressed by the app. A lot of work has obviously gone into it, and it should prove useful to a lot of men..’
‘It all seems to work well, and I am sure the patients will find it helpful’.
Input to the app development was provided by many clinicians as well as men with prostate cancer. Thanks are due to Dr Belinda Hacking, Prof Louise Wallace, Prof Alan McNeill, Prof Duncan McLaren, Mr Ben Thomas, Mr David Douglas, Dr Nicholas McLeod, Mr Graeme Conn, Brian Corr, Dr Andrew Dunlop, Mr Feras Al Jafaari, Mr Daniel Good, Scott Little, Dr Ashleigh Ward, Sioned Hancock , Derek Brown, Dr David Astill, Alan Dickinson, Adam Gaines, Mae Bell, Richard Walker, Christine Roxburgh, Gareth McAteer and others for their help and advice on this project and from a group of men with prostate cancer who acted as testers for the project.
Prostate Scotland would like to place on record its sincere thanks to the funders of the COMPASS, project, who wish to remain anonymous, for their generosity that has enabled the COMPASS services to make such a difference to the lives of the men concerned. We should also like to thank our partners in Maggie’s Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Forth Valley, Highlands, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire Cancer Support, Cancer Support Scotland, the SPFL Trust, the University of Glasgow, the Exercise Clinic, Heart of Midlothian FC and Rangers Charitable Foundation, the Killie Community, Gregor Cranston, Rebecca Miller, Carol Devlin, Claire Cobban, John Joyce, Gregg Veitch, Jordan Boyd, Jordan Allison, and UCAN for their tremendous help, work, enthusiasm and expertise.
Thanks, are due to Elaine Stewart, Services Development Manager for her dedication and effort in taking forward and managing the COMPASS project over the past year, and Morag Idan for her work on marketing the project.
6. Take forward and develop the fellowship/training award scheme to support the training in Scotland of surgeons and surgical teams in robot assisted prostate cancer surgery
Following extension of the scheme to include nurses and first surgical assistants involved with robotic assisted radical prostatectomy in addition to consultants and trainees, awards were made for a training fellowship, a clinical visit for a trainee surgeon and nurse/first surgical assistant to a centre of excellence.
Our thanks to The Urology foundation for their help in the administration of the scheme, and to Richard Walker and Suzanne Heffron for their coordination work.
7. Widen Prostate Scotland’s reach and support across Scotland and develop the organisational resource base and capacity to support its key work and objectives
Fundraising activities This had been a very busy and successful fundraising year. Thanks to the generosity and commitment of supporters and effective fundraising work, a good result was achieved. A significant programme of supporter communication and engagement was taken forward to assist supporters and fundraisers.
The trend which arose post pandemic of an increase in supporter activity and engagement in events continued, with events such as the Kiltwalks, Edinburgh Marathon Festival, and the Prestonfield Burns Supper being important sources of fundraising. This activity and the many generous donations and backing from supporters and trusts, and the support from the Grand Lodge of Scotland towards legacy projects, led to a strong fundraising performance over the year.
The trustees would like to thank all the charity’s donors, supporters and charitable trusts for their generosity during the year which has made a real difference to the charity. Thanks also to the PS fundraising team for their commitment and efforts in supporting our fundraisers.
Total funds raised during the year were £391,050 (2022 £447,207). Donations, grants, legacies and Gift Aid made up £381,958 (2022 £442,491). Grants and support from charitable trusts and foundations was £14,000 (2022 £17,000). Expenditure of £93,377 (2022 £69,635) was incurred on fundraising activities during the period. Donations, grants and legacies account for the largest elements of the charity’s income 97.7%. Significant activity was taken forward during the period to communicate and engage with supporters of the charity.
The trustees would also like to repeat their continued appreciation to the charitable trust, that supports the COMPASS initiative, and which has enabled a significant, innovative and very much needed support service for men with prostate cancer and their families, to be developed and taken forward.
The trustees have also very much appreciated the continued partnership and support of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Scottish Freemasonry, for their support of three legacy projects covering the development of PROSPACKs to men starting treatment for prostate cancer, support for the forthcoming BPH research project and the development of the Prostate Champions initiative. Over £63,000 was received from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, Provincial Grand Lodges, Lodges and individuals from fundraising in aid of the charity during the year. This included a £30,000 donation from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, as well as over £15,000 raised from the Masons for Munros fundraising initiative, involving the scaling of a series of Munros. This partnership is making a significant difference to helping to make men and their families aware of prostate cancer and disease and to the support available to men starting treatment for prostate cancer. The trustees would like to specifically thank the Grand Master Mason, the Immediate past Grand Master Mason, the Benevolence and Care Committee, Tom Davidson the Grand Almoner, Dawn Oliff and all the Provincial Grand, District and daughter lodges across Scotland and overseas who kindly contributed.
The charity was also very grateful to receive donations from trusts and foundations during the period including John M. Archer Trust, the Pettigrew Trust, and several anonymous donors. In addition, the charity received donations from the Edinburgh and Lothians Prostate Cancer Support Group.
Thanks are also expressed to James Thomson, Alan McGuiggan and the team at Prestonfield who hosted a Burns Supper at Prestonfield in aid of the charity. The event raised nearly £20,000.
The breadth of fundraising activities in both geographical and type was extensive, with a huge amount of fundraising undertaken by individuals, families and groups during the year. We would like to thank and pay tribute to the achievements, generosity and commitment of our supporters for their many and diverse ways of fundraising in support of the charity. Our thanks also go to our fundraising team for their effort and dedication over the year. The trustees are very appreciative for donations including from:
The Charity Clay Pigeon Shoot organised by Wilsons Young Senior and Junior of Eskdale Shooting which raised over £40,000
The 148 walkers in aid of the charity in the Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh Kiltwalks, who raised over £39,500, including a team of 53 people from JKR Contractors who took part in the Aberdeen Kiltwalk;
The Rotary Club of Perth for raising £10,000 from their Perthshire Classic Car Tour;
Lodge Rosyth for a donation of £8,000;
The Scots to the Arctic drive in a vintage Volvo from Scotland via Sweden and Norway to the Arctic raising over £8,000
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Perthshire East for a donation of over £2500
Nine Rotary clubs across Scotland who took part in the Rotary Ride for Prostate Cancer, raising over £7,000
The Rolling Hills chorus who raised over £2500 from outdoor carol singing and Christmas concerts;
Three sisters who raised over £5,000 from a charity evening
Lodge Nitshill who raised over £5,000 from a charity Curry and Comedy night
A sportsman’s dinner in Airdrie Working Men’s club organised by Bobby Clark raising £2,250;
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Perthshire West for raising £700
Over £4,000 from runners in the Scottish 10K and Scottish Half Marathon
Over £3,400 from a Bollywood Night held by South Queensferry and Kirkcaldy Rotary Clubs
An acoustic Music night at Orchardhill Parish Church in Giffnock raising over £1,250
Rotary Club of Inverness Culloden raised £1,000
Over £1,000 raised by a music night at the Dunfermline’s Fire Station Creative
Players at Tulliallan Golf Club who raised over £3,000
34 Runners in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival who raised over £12,000, including 2 relay teams from the Western General Hospital and a McNeill family team (who together had raised £50K for the charity through marathons over the past 15 years) ;
Chris Igoe from St Mary Newbattle Lodge for organising a firewalk with the Lothian Young Masons raising over £3600;
Fife Fabrications Golf Day for a kind donation of £1000
McDonald Water Storage Ltd for a kind donation of £1000
CGI Metro East for a raising a £1000 from sponsored cycle, bake sale and tombola!
Over £2,400 from our Bournemouth Supersonic £10K runner
Over £1,200 from a supporter trekking 26.2 miles from Glencoe up the Devil’s Staircase in the Glencoe Challenge
The charity received several donations from families and friends of loved ones who had passed away and who had made donations in memory of those they had lost. The trustees would like to express condolences and acknowledge these generous donations. In addition, we received a number of legacy gifts during the year.
The results for the year are set out in the statement of financial activities. Total funds raised during the year were £391,049 (2022 £447,207). Donations, grants, legacies and Gift Aid made up £381,958 (2022 £442,491). A loss of £37,592 was made in the year. During the year due to the generosity of supporters, a strong fundraising programme, and prudent cost control there had been a positive income trend, with income being greater than expenditure by £84,908 if the COMPASS expenditure is excluded.
Donations, grants and legacies account for the largest elements of the charity’s income 97.7%. Grant and support from charitable trusts and foundations was £14,000 (2022 £17,000). Expenditure for the year was £450,272 (2022 £338,000) There was an increase in expenditure on services to support men and their families via the COMPASS project during the year. New expenditure was incurred on the setting up of and delivery of the PROSPACK project. During the year there was also an increase in expenditure on fundraising, reflecting the need to invest in fundraising support given the increased number of supporters and fundraising events requiring support. Expenditure of £93,377 was incurred on fundraising activities.
The trustees recognise that raising income remains a key task, and that the further development of and support of voluntary/individual giving remains a priority as well as further diversification of income. With respect to 2023 income, 23.9% went on fundraising - equivalent to 20.7% of expenditure. In regard to expenditure in the year, 19.5% of total income was spent on support and governance costs, representing 17% of total expenditure. Expenditure on administration remains low, maintaining cost effectiveness.
Key areas of expenditure in 2024 are expected to be:
Taking forward and further expanding and developing the COMPASS support services
Scotland-wide advice and Information work, in particular developing additional materials and publications;
Awareness activities to improve public understanding of prostatic disease and encourage early diagnosis;
Taking forward further research into services and treatment provision for prostate disease across Scotland particularly taking forward a project into BPH;
Expenditure on care and support packs (PROSPACKS) for men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and access to surgery;
New IT support and supporter relations software including the purchase of a new database
Investment in further staff support covering operations, communications and supporter care as well as supporting volunteers
Investments
The charity holds investments in equities. Its policy is to maximise return with a cautious approach to risk. In view of the charity’s role and objectives, the charity takes ethical considerations into account in its investment policy, avoiding investing in funds associated with the production and distribution of tobacco and alcohol. The portfolio showed an increase of £21,631 over the year.
Reserves Policy
The trustees have endeavoured to build up sufficient reserves to support the ongoing activities of the charity, and like many other charitable bodies, has a policy of aiming to maintain free unrestricted funds equal to 9 months of total expenditure. The funds for the COMPASS project are restricted, as are the funds for the PROSPACKs and BPH research project. The trustees will continue to designate certain funds for key projects to assist in fulfilling key objectives. This includes the designation of £50,239 towards the robotic assisted training fund, £75,000 towards information and advice provision, £41,871 towards research work, £40,000 towards prostate awareness activity, £25,000 towards Legacy project and £100,000 for future COMPASS services. The trustees anticipate that for the year ended 31 December 2024, expenditure from free reserves will be required to cover core costs.
Risk Management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure that appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees have identified and reviewed its’ major risks and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to those risks and an updated risk register was produced for its meeting in May 2023. The principal risks and uncertainties to which the charity is exposed are:
The economic and health environment- the cost-of-living crisis and inflationary pressures could put pressure on voluntary charitable donations at time of increased demand for the charity’s services. The charity significantly benefits from voluntary donations and has seen a rise in the number and amount of these in the past few years. In order to mitigate against this risk, the trustees have scrutinised the budget carefully in order to ensure that projections of income are prudent, as well as having developed plans to diversify and grow income and sustain voluntary donations and have prioritised investment in the charity’s fundraising capacity as well as investing in new legacy and wills materials;
The charity has been successful in developing its services for men with prostate cancer and disease and their families and profile and raising the funds to introduce new services. Plans are being developed and taken forward to ensure future sustainability of those services;
Demand for the charity’s services could begin to exceed resource capacity. Demand for materials and services from the charity is rising and in some cases people’s expectations of the charity have also risen, due to a combination of factors (including the pandemic, greater awareness of prostate issues, success of the charity’s services and outreach, and pressures on the NHS), with higher demand for information or support or for communication and support over fundraising. Following a review by the Operations and General Purposes Sub Committee of the Board a number of steps to increase support, including a new distribution system for materials, a Customer Relationship Management System and investment in operations, volunteering, communications and supporter care staffing support have been put in place.
Future Plans
The charity’s Trustee Board discussed and reviewed progress as well as future activity at its meetings in May, September and November 2023, including discussing steps towards the development of a 5-year strategy for the charity. The charity has prioritised the following key objectives for the charity going forward for 2024:
Continuing to take forward the charity’s activities to provide information, help and support to men with prostate disease and their families;
Extending the range of and establishing further support services for men with prostate cancer through the further development of the COMPASS project, including with further Prostate FFIT exercise courses, and further Living Well with Prostate Cancer courses in a wider number of areas across Scotland;
Continuing to develop the charity’s Information and Advice materials for men with prostate cancer and disease and for health professionals and steps towards further digital materials;
Developing and extending the charity’s fundraising activity, and fundraising base as well as continuing to place emphasis on communication with supporters;
Taking forward targeted awareness action about prostate disease, including on early detection;
Further development of policy awareness and inclusion of prostate issues in national health/public policy including on BPH;
Taking forward the further rolling out of the Prostate Champions initiative in partnership with the Grand Lodge of Scotland
Further taking forward the PROSPACK initiative to provide support and care packs for men being treated for prostate cancer;
Taking forward the training fund for robotic surgery in Scotland.
Extending the charity’s capacity to support its fundraising, services and activities
Acknowledgements
The trustees would like to place on record their thanks to the supporters, donors, charitable trusts and to the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Rotary clubs and the many supporters undertaking fundraising activity for their generous support during the year. Thanks are also due to the hard work by the urology and oncology clinicians in treating and support prostate patients across Scotland. We should also like to thank and acknowledge the PS staff team for their hard work, dedication and effort taking forward and developing the charity’s services and fundraising with such commitment.
The charity is controlled by its governing document, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and is a company, limited by guarantee, as defined in the Companies Act 1985. The organisation is a registered Scottish charity under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. The Board of trustees meets quarterly and receives reports on income and expenditure, as well as on the charity’s administration and management. The Trustees set and approve the charity’s strategy and key policies. Day to day operations, management and administration of the charity were delegated by the trustees to the charity’s Director Adam Gaines (up to the end of March 2024), and from 1 June 2024 to the charity’s Chief Executive Officer Alison Wright, who is a full-time employee and who makes regular reports to the Board. Sir Tom Farmer CBE CVO KCSG DL was appointed as the charity’s Patron in July 2009.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Trustees when appointed are given an induction pack about the charity and its strategy, work, policies as well as opportunities to meet with the Chairman and the director/CEO prior to appointment and to be briefed about the charity’s work on appointment and to meet key staff.
The charity is directed, controlled, managed and operated by the board of trustees, who are the statutory company directors, and the managing director, who comprise the charity’s key management personnel. All board members give their time freely and no remuneration was awarded to any board member in the period. Remuneration of the charity’s staff management is determined by the board. This is reviewed by the board annually against key benchmarks and is subject to an annual performance appraisal system. There are no employees who receive employee benefits of more than £60,000 per annum.
Related Party Transactions
During the year unconditional donations of £2,775 were received from trustees or companies where directorships are held.
Going Concern
The charity has cash resources and has no requirement for external borrowings. The charity's financial performance is continually monitored through management accounts and budgets and projections are prepared to provide assurance as to its financial well-being going forward. The trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for at least a period of 12 months. The trustees have actively taken steps to mitigate the impact the pandemic may have had on the charity. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing financial statements
The trustees, who are also the directors of Prostate Scotland for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2023, which are set out on pages 17 to 34.
The charity’s trustees, who are also the directors of Prostate Scotland for the purposes of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investments (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(a) to (c) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations; and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations;
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Prostate Scotland is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is Princes Exchange, 1 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9EE.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain financial instruments at fair value. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for a period of not less than twelve months. The trustees have reviewed their cashflow requirements and are satisfied that the charity has sufficient cash reserves to cover any shortfall of income over the next twelve months. The trustees consider that both short term liquidity and longer term financial viability is appropriate and as such continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
All expenditure is included on an accruals basis and is recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation to pay expenditure. All costs have been directly attributed to one of the functional categories or resources expenses in the SOFA.
Resources expended are included in the SOFA on an accruals basis, inclusive of any VAT which can not be recovered. Certain expenditure is directly attributable to specific activities and has been included in those cost categories.
Certain other costs, which are attributable to more than one activity, are apportioned across categories on the basis of an estimate of the proportion of time spent by staff on those activities.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Rent
Heat & light & phones
Promotional & awareness material
Courses & service provision
Printing & stationery
Maintenance
Travel & subsistence
Subscriptions
Robot equipment donations
Sundry
Employee costs
Legal & professional costs
Prospacks costs
Venue costs
Prostate FFIT costs
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Rent
Heat & light & phones
Promotional & awareness material
Courses & service provision
Printing & stationery
Maintenance
Travel & subsistence
Subscriptions
Sundry
Employee costs
Legal & professional costs
Venue costs
Prostate FFIT costs
Allocated on time
Allocated on time
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The trustees and the managing director are the key management personnel of the charity. All board members give their time freely and no remuneration was awarded to any board member in the year. The total employment benefits received by the management of the charity, including pension contributions, for the year were £49,154 (2022 - £52,973).
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £5,962 (2022 - £5,524).
Robot Appeal Fund
This fund is the remaining donations from the Robot appeal. We will be looking to close this Restricted fund this year by allocating the funds to Robotic Surgery Training expenditure.
Healthy Living & Exercise Fund
This is a small fund that will be closed this year through expenditure in Compass that promotes Exercise and Healthy eating.
COMPASS
This fund will run down by the end of this year as the initial funding comes to an end. Compass will then become a designated fund and part of our Core Charitable Activities.
Prospacks
This fund has been created by the commitment of the Grand Lodge to fund the Prospacks for 5 years. The expenditure goes to buying and distribution of products for men going through Cancer treatment.
BPH Research
This fund has also been created by a two year commitment by the Grand Lodge to fund BPH Research.
Information and Advice
This fund is used for producing and distributing information leaflets to hospitals and patients. In previous years we have kept the designated amount at around £35,000. This year we have increased the amount of the fund from general reserve to £75,000. This will ensure we have sufficient funds to revise and update our leaflets in line with the advancement in treatments and outsource our publications distribution.
Prostate disease, service and research
This fund is used for hiring research staff and will be used this year for some of the BPH research expenditure.
Prostate Awareness
This fund is used for Toolbox workshops and public campaigns that increase the awareness of Prostate disease and prostate cancer through leaflets, social media and advertisement.
Robotic Surgery Training Fund
This fund was originally the residual amount that was designated to the Robot Appeal but has been re-designated to fund Nurses and Doctors training for use with Robotics for Prostate surgery. Currently we are looking to continue this training for the current year and into 2025, but see less need for this fund in the future. Due to the reduction in demand we have decreased the amount of the fund by £35,000 and re-allocated this to the Compass Future Fund.
Legacy Project
This fund was set up two years ago to help grow our legacy fundraising efforts.
Compass Future Fund
This fund has been recently developed to ensure that we have the resources to carry Compass forward when the current funding finishes at the end of 2024. We have increased the current designated amount of £65,000 to £100,000 by using £35,000 from the Robotic Surgery Appeal Fund. We are also hoping to increase this fund again through fundraising efforts by the end of the year.
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
During the year unconditional donations of £2,775 (2022: £1,631) were received from trustees or companies of which a trustee is a director.