Cornwall’s leading grant giving health charity for the promotion of health and wellbeing
and the prevention of sickness in Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly
can apply for grants to help reach their objectives
Chair's Report for the Duchy Health Charity AGM 2 December 2024
Introduction
The purpose of Duchy Health Charity is to:
- Prevent disease and illness by encouraging health and wellbeing;
- Facilitate change in health and wellbeing across Cornwall;
- Work in partnership with other organisations and institutions across Cornwall
In many ways, the year since I last reported has been memorable. It is a joy to note that we have successfully raised our profile; established strong partnerships and collaborated effectively with like-minded charities within Cornwall.
From the breadth of grant applications received and the number of them, it is clear that the Charity is making a difference to the health and wellbeing agenda across Cornwall. The thanks for this lie firmly with the Trustees and our Administrator but we also recognise the influence of our past and present Presidents, Michael Galsworthy and Katharine, Lady Falmouth who have helped us with timely advice, guidance and appropriate introductions.
Several years ago we reviewed our structures and processes with the Good Governance Institute and as a result we reduced the number of Trustees we had on the Board.
However this has not been helpful as too much work fell upon the shoulders of fewer Trustees. Therefore at the same time as we have seen some longer standing Trustees step down, , for a variety of reasons, we have accepted the need for a slightly larger Board. Happily, we have been successful in recruiting a number of excellent new Trustees.
Carol O’Brien has stood down from the Board and become an Associate and is still involved with the work of the Intergenerational and Social Prescribing group. Her commitment to Duchy Health Charity and Cornwall’s wider health agenda in a variety of roles over many years is superb – we may not see her like again!
Jonathon Croggon has also decided to stand down due to conflicts with work. Jonathan has been a knowledgeable Trustee whose financial acumen has been of great benefit to our Finance Committee in particular. We wish him well for the future and thank him for his service and support.
A significant loss for the Charity was the early retirement of Sally-Jane Coode. She has been Vice Chair and Chair of the Grants Committee for many years. We have benefitted from her advice, wisdom and guidance. It is notable that all who meet her have nothing but respect and admiration for her.
Happily we have recruited three new Trustees: Tracey Roose, CEO of Age UK, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly; Simon Burnett from Raymond James, Investment Managers and Lucy Walsh, Advanced Public Health Practitioner with Public Health Cornwall, working in Penwith in particular.
We’re looking forward to working with them all. It’s interesting to note that we have a Trustee on maternity leave – our Board age profile has lowered!
As can be seen in this report, Duchy Health Charity is in a good place and I thank all of the Board and the Associates for all their hard work to achieve this whilst maintaining financial stability. In some part this is due to the fact that DHC has few overhead costs and only one paid post: our exceptional Administrator.
Activities
Grants
Gay Coley and Sally-Jane Coode have shared the chairing of the Grants Committee this year. Their expertise and wisdom have enabled us to improve our processes and methodologies for assessing and awarding grants. I am delighted that Gay has agreed to continue as Chair of the Grants Committee into next year, after agreeing to take the role for a year from last year’s AGM.
In the year ended March 2024, we continued to give grants such that our total grant giving since the original investment of £5m in 1991, has reached almost £10m. The largest award was to Humphry Davy school for their health and wellbeing centre, called Enys, meaning ‘island’. It was a great delight, long anticipated, to see the centre opened on 25th October by a former student of the school – Helen Glover MBE, double Olympic gold medal rower.
Since March 2024, awards have been made to organisations such as:
- Young People Cornwall (£35k)
- Volunteer Cornwall – Launceston Health Inequality Hub (£25k)
- Truro Boxing Club (£5k)
- Dentaid (£20k)
- Wadebridge Sports and Leisure Centre (£50k)
- Read for Good (£5k)
- A Band of Brothers (£15k)
- Truro Methodist Church (£20k)
- National Literacy Trust in Cornwall (£6k)
Some of these organisations may not yet have drawn down all the money awarded.
From the variety of these awards, it can be seen that DHC are interpreting the definition of health and wellbeing widely as research shows that many aspects of life affect health; there is much health inequality across the Duchy.
Social Prescribing
After many years of work to address the concept of social prescribing and implementing plans to enable access for children and young people who have not had a share of the original funding from central government, we are extending the work and influence of social prescribers through the Launceston Health Inequality Hub initiative; the collaboration between Humphry Davy School (HDS) and the charity, Trelya, and continuing the work at Richard Lander and Penair schools. The models of working will be different but the job descriptions of the social prescribers/link workers (SPLW) have been shared so some commonality will be in evidence.
We have received the first draft of a report written by Dr Lynda Dawson, University of Exeter which evaluates the initial two school’s provision in which she notes the successes observed, particularly in relation to the perceptions of parents; the positive acceptance of involvement of the link worker (SPLW) by students; the significant progress of ‘school refusers’ and angry children to attending school; improvement in behaviour; the school staff’s perception that the SPLW was helping relieve pressure in an era of constrained or curtailed services and the increase in mental health issues, post pandemic.
It is an aim to have research undertaken on the developing relationship between HDS and the community they serve in relation to social prescribing in particular. For the young people, it remains the fact that the work is adversely affected by:
- Transport provision and the young person’s confidence to travel independently
- Financial limitations – inability to get to and from activities or inability to pay for activities where there is a charge. There can be a lack of specific funded provision therefore transport and finance issues can be problematic when signposting a young person out of the immediate area
Themes that are recurrent are:
- Social anxiety and lack of confidence
- Medical conditions e.g. epilepsy
- Housing – location of temporary housing and overcrowding
- School attendance/absence/EHE (Elected home education) of young people and working on revised timetables
Duchy Health Charity will continue with its 5 year Social Prescribing Plan.
Integrated Health and Wellbeing Centre at Humphry Davy School, Penzance
As already mentioned, the Enys Centre is now open and the work begins! The first Management Board will meet on 4 December to consider the Terms of Reference and the basics of how the Board will work in close relationship with the school’s other student services.
Very recently, the Duchy Health Charity Board had a presentation from Drs Rainbow and Walden from Penwith who are very keen to work in partnership with the Enys Centre. There is on-going discussion with Trelya about how more specific services could be sited in Penzance and managed locally.
Awards
Under the guidance of Tony Woolf (Trustee) a sub committee has been working on what form awards should take and how they should be given going forwards. After discussion at Board level, it has been decided to run a celebratory Conference event as a culmination of a process that will recognise good practice within different organisations with running themes connected to the different phases and stages of life.
The committee has recognised that there is a need to be distinctive and to establish the status of the awards across Cornwall. It is clear that an external panel will be needed to make judgements and that a project manager will be needed to ensure the initiative’s success. This part of the process is underway. It is expected that the conclusion and ceremony will take place in the Autumn of 2025.
Mermaid
After further meetings which have failed to produce an outcome we have established a set of regular meetings, starting very soon, with an outcome of reporting progress to the DHC Board in order to release the funds we hold on behalf of Mermaid. The first feedback meeting to DHC Board is on the February 24th 2025.
In the meantime, the funds have been invested and produced c.£20k in the last financial year.
Partnership with Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF)
A strengthening of this partnership is taking place. The Chair of DHC is now on the CCF Grants Committee and a meeting recently took place to discuss DHC processes and how they could help CCF.
The relationship with CCF is seen by the Board of DHC as being positive. Further opportunities for joint work will be sought.
Organisational health of Duchy Health Charity
All of our initiatives outlined to the AGM last year are now in practice. Access by Trustees, Associates and members of the public to our new website in particular are available and have received praise from users to the effect that the website is easy to use, attractive and fit for purpose.
Policies have been reviewed, written/rewritten where necessary, and logged with future review dates.
In particular our Treasurer/Company Secretary, Mark Williams, and Administrator, Helen Newton, deserve thanks and high praise for all the work they have done to bring the finished articles to Board for sign-off.
It’s good to feel that we are in such a strong position.
Trustees
As mentioned previously, we have three new Trustees who are to join us from this meeting forwards. Tracey Roose will strengthen our appreciation of what we should be doing to further the elderly person’s agenda. Happily, she has national representation which will help us to understand the Government agenda and the particular needs across the county.
Mr Simon Burnett is keen to join a health-related Board and can bring his understanding of investments to our decision-making.
Mrs Lucy Walsh has an excellent understanding of the world of public health, particularly across Cornwall and Penwith. She will be a great asset in the work we are undertaking around Penzance.