SCIO SC 050222

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statement

For the year ending 30 June 2025
Reference and Administrative Information

Charity name
Clutter Chat SCIO

Charity number
SC 050222

Registered Address
14 Doonfoot Road, Glasgow, G43 2XH

Current Trustees

Barbara Potter		Chair and Acting Treasurer

Rowan Evenstar		Secretary

Derek Read

Alastair Callander 		resigned (21 May 2025)

Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

The charity is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).  It was registered in its current legal form on 18 June 2020.  The organisation was previously operated within Insightful Moves, a decluttering business.  The assets attached to Clutter Chat were transferred from Insightful Moves in 2020.  It has single tier structure and as such the trustees are the members of the charity.

Appointment of Trustees
The Board appoint Trustees at any of their regular meetings.  We invite potential new Board members to attend at least one Board meeting before they become a Trustee.  We recruit Board members from within our groups and from the wider community.

Minimum Trustees:  	3
Maximum Trustees		8

Charitable Purpose

To seek the relief of people in need or who are disadvantaged due to chronic clutter and problematic hoarding habits by offering support, advice and assistance, such as peer support groups, advocacy, research, awareness raising, and related activities.

Activities

The charity provides online and in person peer support meetings, aiming to have two peer supporters present at each meeting.  Our in person meeting has continued to meeting in partnership with Queens Cross Housing Association at their Community Hub.  This group has met every second week with breaks for the school holidays, when some social activities are offered.  Over the year our regular attenders increased in number from 6 to 12. Group members often send apologies when other commitments prevent them from coming to the meetings. People travel some distances to the meetings, from Edinburgh, Cumbernauld, and many from Glasgow taking 2 buses to reach Queens Cross.  

Our Zoom meeting has smaller numbers than the in person group with 4 to 7 people coming to the meetings.  Many in this group find it harder to travel due to a variety of conditions.  

In the holiday breaks we organise social outings often to a cafe with the option of a walk in the park, where people can take time to listen to each other, and explore issues, or just to get to know each other in the wider context. 

As a young organisation working in an area that has recently been recognised as a separate mental health issue we have made efforts to raise awareness of our organisation,  having our first Showcase to celebrate 10 years since our first meeting in October 2024.  Through contacts at this event we made contact with the Scottish Hoarding Taskforce, an initiative of IRISS, and have become part of this project team to contribute our lived experience.  We have also had meetings with researchers, other organisations and a professional declutterer, to develop awareness of the strengths of peer support, and progress our work.

Following the recruitment of our current Development Worker we have focussed on improving our governance structure.  The Board has met alternately with the new Operations group, which has released them from more day to day management tasks, to allow Trustees space to focus on future plans, and Board responsibilities.  The Operations group are more focussed on maintaining and expanding our groups and activities.  We have also added Development meetings, as in person sessions to work on future ideas and some training.  Our membership of SCVO and GCVS gives access to relevant training and we monitor these opportunities for all our volunteers.  Our peer supporters are members of the Operations and Development Meetings where they help to build the future of the Charity.

One of the Development Worker’s tasks has been fundraising, and we have been awarded a Community Health and Wellbeing grant of £10,500.  This has enabled the Development Worker post to continue for a further period.  

We are fortunate to have a Board member, Rowan, who manages our website and Social Media.  During the year we had daily posts in Hoarding Week, and in Volunteers Week prompted by our Development Worker.

We have a selection of topical books for browsing and borrowing by the in person group participants.  The table at our meetings is showing that many are out on loan.  New titles are added from time to time and we will buy some additional copies of favourites. The books can provide helpful prompts for group discussions.

Clutter Chat peer support meetings for the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025

21 in person meetings on Monday afternoons at QCHA
21 Zoom meetings on Friday mornings
42 meetings in total

Board meetings 9,  Operations meetings 3   Development meetings 2
Hoarding Taskforce Meetings 3
Hoarding Protocol Revision meeting 1

People very much appreciate the non judgemental space that we offer to those with clutter and hoarding issues, some travelling considerable distances to attend our in person meetings.  One of our recent recruits comes from Edinburgh, many more locally take two buses to get to our meetings in Queens Cross.  The online group has a steady membership of people who are comfortable with Zoom, some who find the time and place of our in person group difficult to get to.  There are some who have asked for a meeting outside working hours.

We have heard some insights from group members: one reported that following water ingress which meant they had had to clear two of the smaller rooms had led them to understand the benefit of starting small, previously the focus had been on the largest room; one reported the benefit of working with the Community Links Practitioner to apply for retirement accommodation, and prepare for downsizing by clearing things out with support from a local care agency; another struggled to dispose of a king size bed, group members supported them to consider alternatives, sale online, guidance to find the fire labels to engage with a charity uplift; 

We aim to have some social activities in the breaks between regular meetings.  These are often a coffee shop meet up with an optional park walk.  This enables group members to engage with each other on a different level, and for fuller relationships to develop.

Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended 30 June 2025
Income			
Donations	1667		
Gift Aid	258		
Fundraising	30		
Grants	10500		
Total	12455		
Expenditure			
Worker	8220		
Admin support	407		
group support	170		
Total	8797		
			
Balance Sheet 	30 June 2025		
Fixed Assets	0		
Current Assets	0		
Cash at bank 	10758		
Liabilities	0