VITAL PROJECTS

Registered charity 1155071 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BAMHAG, BRADFORD AND AIREDALE MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY GROUP

VITAL (Value, Involve, Talk Advocate & Link) were previously known as Bradford and Airedale Mental Health Advocacy Group (BAMHAG) is a service user led mental health organisation and was established in 1989. Our mission is to ensure that the vulnerable and disadvantaged have a voice within the health and social care framework, whilst supported by experts by experience. www.vitalprojects.org.uk

Objects

TO PROMOTE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT THE PROVISION OF SERVICES DIRECTED TOWARDS ADVOCACY FOR USERS OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SERVICES WITH A VIEW TO THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF THEIR GOOD HEALTH BY:- I)HELPING PEOPLE SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES PARTICULARLY IN SITUATIONS OF STRESS (SUCH AS THEIR ENCOUNTERS WITH PROFESSIONALS AND AT TRIBUNALS.); II)RECRUITING, TRAINING AND SUPPORTING ADVOCATES, WHO WHERE POSSIBLE WILL BE MATCHED WITH INDIVIDUALS REQUIRING HELP AND SUPPORT;AND III)WORKING COLLECTIVELY WITH A BROAD RANGE OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, TO REALISE COMMON INTERESTS IN EMPOWERING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE USERS.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £1,178 for the year ended 31 March 2025, following a deficit in the previous year. Unrestricted reserves stood at £21,932, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of three to six months of average yearly expenditure. The trustees note that severe funding cuts necessitated reductions in staff and expenditure to ensure the charity's survival.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (18/09/2014) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Sara Firthchair
• Chris Buckley
• Colin Perry
• JACQUELINE OLDROYD
• Richard Ellis
• TREVOR RAMSAY

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Bradford City

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).