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REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2022-2023

Chairman’s Report

In the year 2022-2023 the Adnams Community Trust awarded 60 grants totalling £77,310 . A summary of the grants can be found on pages 8 to 14 of this report.

We were delighted to welcome guest speakers along to each of our meetings to broaden our knowledge and better inform our grant making. Our thanks go to Christine Pinder and Jo Ashton from Footsteps, walking with you (a Woodbridge-based charity which provides low-cost counselling sessions to young people), Laura Drysdale, Darren France and Phil Wells from The Restoration Trust (a Norfolk-based charity which aims to connect people experiencing mental health issues with arts and creativity through the mediums of the natural environment and archives), Linda Bailey from Bungay Community Support (a new organisation which provides a wide range of services for residents of Bungay and its environs, including a Local Pantry and a Warm Room) and Andrew Quartermain from Pro Corda (which, as well as being the national school for chamber music, provides music therapy sessions for young people with special education needs and disabilities).

The Adnams Community Trust saw a rise in the number of applications received in the last year, perhaps a reflection of the difficult economic times through which we are living. This increase in demand for assistance has come at the same time as a huge fall in funds being received from Adnams plc due to difficult trading conditions and a reduction in funds received from Pennies (the electronic charity box scheme operated in Adnams shops and online). The Adnams Community Trust was able to continue awarding grants to help those in need in our community thanks to the generous bequest received from a former shareholder, Leona Levine, in July 2022.

As the UK and global economic situation continues to have a big impact on the fortunes of Adnams plc and therefore the percentage of profits and dividends received by the Adnams Community Trust, donations from shareholders and others are more important than ever. If you do not already donate to the Adnams Community Trust and would like to mandate your dividends, set up a standing order, remember us in your will or make a one-off donation, please contact Rebecca Abrahall, the Adnams Community Trust Administrator, communitytrust@adnams.co.uk. Donations can also be made online - through the Adnams Community Trust page on TotalGiving - https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/charity/the adnams-community-trust. Your full donation will go to help good causes, as all administrative and staffing costs for the Trust are met by Adnams plc.

If you know of an organisation that would benefit from a grant, do ask them to get in touch with the Trust’s administrator, Rebecca. Application guidelines can be found later in this document.

I hope you enjoy reading the report of the grants awarded during 2022-2023.

Dr Jonathan Adnams OBE Chairman

THE ADNAMS COMMUNITY TRUST

RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 1 September 2022 TO 31 August 2023 These accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis

2021/2022 £ 7,343 2,470 495 3,975 6,940 579 50 74,722 19,828 116 8,942 104,237 10,089 1,095 11,184 122,361 129,704 (53,076) (53,076) 1,000 0 1,000 77,628 77,628 0 77,628

Brought forward surplus Income Income from Adnams Tax on Gift Aid and dividends Returned grants Donations TotalGiving Speaking Fees Individual donations Pennies Fundraising Donations re Adnams 10K run Dividends Robinson Fund Other shareholders Total income for the year Total amount available for distribution Expenditure Grants paid out during the year Commitments Previously committed Commitments made this year Carried forward to next year Represented by Bank balance Less commitments Surplus carried forward	2022/2023 £ 77,628
	0 264 3,095
	3,359 0 50 1,660 8,156 79 6,093
	16,038 0 177
	177 19,575
	97,203 (77,310)
	(77,310) 0 0
	0
	19,893
	19,893 0
	19,893

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19 October 2023
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE ADNAMS COMMUNITY TRUST

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts for The Adnams Community Trust (the Trust) for the year ended 31 August 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

P N van Dijk FMAAT van Dijk Accountants Limited Georgian House 34 Thoroughfare Halesworth Suffolk IP19 8AP

15 December 2023

THE ADNAMS COMMUNITY TRUST RISK & RESERVES POLICY

1 Risk Assessment – Internal Controls

1.1 The need for robust internal controls is fundamental to guarding against reputational risk , through poor decision making.
1.2 The Trust undertakes an annual skills audit to ensure that the trustees are collectively competent to make informed and responsible decisions.
1.3 The Trust keeps a register of interests which is regularly updated. Potential conflicts of interest are declared at the start of every meeting to ensure decisions are bias-free. The trustees take care to ensure that decisions are never taken in order to benefit the commercial objectives of Adnams plc.
1.4 The loss of key staff is not an issue because the Trust employs no staff but benefits from secretarial and administrative services provided free of charge by Adnams plc, which has the resources to ensure appropriate cover, as necessary.
1.5 Accurate minutes are kept and reviewed, and up-to-date financial statements provided for each meeting, to ensure trustees have adequate information to assist decision-making.
1.6 Applicants dealing with children or vulnerable people are required to demonstrate that they have the appropriate safeguarding procedures in place.
1.7 Data protection is taken seriously. The IT systems provided by Adnams plc have high levels of protection and regular training is provided in GDPR (General Data Protection).
1.8 Due diligence is undertaken on grant applicants, including follow-up checks to ensure grants have been spent in accordance with the stated objectives.
1.9 Regulatory compliance is checked against Charity Commission guidelines and updated as necessary.

2 Risk Assessment - Funding

2.1 The risk for most charities can be summarised as a risk to future income (because of poor investments or for other reasons) and/or a risk from excessive future commitments , which (if income fell short of expectations) might endanger the operations of on-going recipients of charity funding. In the case of the Adnams Community Trust, the risk to future income is mitigated by the avoidance of future commitments.
2.2 The primary sources of income are from Adnams plc activities and from dividends on Adnams shares (a mixture of legacy income and mandates from existing shareholders). Both are at serious risk at present because the company has struggled to remain profitable since the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent economic difficulties that the country has faced. The Trust has been able to turn to other sources of income such as the Pennies electronic cash box, but these, too, have been adversely affected, and recent donations have only been possible because of a substantial legacy from a shareholder, Leona Levine.
2.3 These risks to income have been offset by the policy of the Adnams Community Trust not to give funds on an on-going basis , year on year, but to make one-off donations to achieve immediate specific ends. Under these circumstances the risk of being unable to fulfil commitments to recipients is very small.

2.4 The trustees do not, therefore, feel it necessary to accumulate large Reserves to cover significant potential shortfalls in income or contingent liabilities. This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis.
3 Reasons for Reserves
3.1 Although the typical donation from the Adnams Community Trust is quite small, the trustees wish to be able to fund more significant local ventures , as and when these occur, and it is therefore felt prudent to maintain a Reserve against this possibility.
3.2 Applications are occasionally received where funding is ‘ time-critical ’, particularly in the case of matched-funding, and the trustees wish to be able to respond promptly in such circumstances. This will only be possible if funds are held in Reserve.
3.3 Applications in any given quarter may exceed the funds available but may, nonetheless, be deserving of a positive response. Once again, a Reserve will allow for greater flexibility in meeting local needs.
3.4 It may be prudent to deal differently with large legacies or other unusually large donations , either by holding such funds in reserve against larger than usual projects or by spreading their disbursement over a number of years when other funding sources are insufficient to meet our normal pattern of giving.
4 Reserve Policy
4.1 For the reasons outlined above, the trustees feel it prudent to accumulate a Reserve up to a maximum of 20% of annual income.
4.2 The percentage retention, and the Risk Assessment which helps justify this Policy, will be reviewed on an annual basis .
4.3 As noted above, the trustees may decide to deal differently with the proceeds of large legacies or other donations, holding such funds in reserve for a longer period, but this should not normally exceed five years .

Reviewed October 2023

THE OBJECTS OF THE ADNAMS COMMUNITY TRUST

The Adnams Charity was established in 1990 to mark the centenary of Adnams as a company and changed its name to the Adnams Community Trust in 2016. The objects of the Adnams Community Trust, as laid out in the Trust Deed, are:

1 the promotion of high standards of planning and architecture in or affecting Southwold, the preservation protection development and improvement of features of public interest in Southwold and the promotion of civic pride in Southwold;
2 to promote the provision of facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants in the area of benefit;
3 the promotion and support of musical artistic and other cultural activities within the area of benefit;
4 the relief of sickness and poverty among the disabled and other persons in the area of benefit;
5 the preservation development and improvement of features of environmental scientific or public interest in the area of benefit;
6 the promotion advancement or support of such one or more exclusively charitable purposes as the trustees think fit.

The Adnams Community Trust fulfils its objectives by giving modest grants for specific items to worthy causes within 25 miles of Southwold in Suffolk, for public benefit.

THE ADNAMS COMMUNITY TRUST TRUSTEES

The Adnams Community Trust currently has ten trustees who bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge:

Dr Jonathan Adnams OBE – Chairman and Original Trustee
Helen Williams – Elected Employee Trustee
Clare Teasdel – Elected Employee Trustee
Samantha Crocker – Elected Employee Trustee
Juliet Grimes – Co-opted Trustee
Guy Heald – Co-opted Trustee and Adnams plc shareholder
Melvyn Horn – Co-opted Trustee and former Adnams plc employee
Simon Loftus OBE – Original Trustee
Geoff Stevens – Co-opted Trustee
Dr Andy Wood OBE DL – Director Trustee

In accordance with the Trust’s Trust Deed there may be up to three Director Trustees, three Elected Employee Trustees and four Co-opted Trustees who may or may not be employees of the company and those Original Trustees who have not retired. All trustees give their time freely, no remuneration is paid. The Trust’s Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Loyalty Policy is followed when awarding grants.

The trustees meet quarterly (usually January, April, July and October) to award grants in line with the guidelines to be found on pages 16 and 17 of this Report and dependent upon the funds available.

GRANTS AWARDED

Education

Blundeston Primary School has 192 pupils; 19.3% are eligible for Pupil Premium and 12.5% have Special Education Needs. The school has recently signed up to the WildEast pledge to rewild 20% of its land and has launched a school eco-council to make the school ‘greener’. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,500 to purchase outdoor musical instruments, gardening equipment, a polytunnel, sensory support materials and wildlife night cameras.

Friends of Surlingham School raise funds to provide resources for the school’s 65 pupils. 9.2% of pupils have Special Educational Needs and 8% receive Pupil Premium. The trustees awarded a grant of £803 to purchase kits which will enable pupils to design, build, test and evaluate different computercontrolled models and vehicles.

Bungay High School has 946 pupils; 223 are eligible for Pupil Premium. The trustees awarded a grant of £851.05 to purchase 19 graphic-drawing tablets for use by GCSE pupils.

Friends of Forncett School raise funds to provide additional financial support for the school. The school has 96 pupils; 20.8% are eligible for school meals and 23% have Special Educational Needs. The trustees awarded a grant of £600 to purchase equipment to support the teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths throughout the school.

Leiston Primary School has 337 pupils and is situated in an area of high deprivation. Staffing costs take up most of the school’s budget, with little left to spend on resources. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,500 towards the cost of two interactive whiteboards.

Gillingham St Michael’s Primary School has 56 pupils from the local area and further afield from Reception to Year 6. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 to purchase outdoor resources.

Reydon Primary School has over 200 pupils, 19.7% of whom are eligible for free school meals. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 to purchase musical instruments to give all pupils the opportunity to learn an instrument.

East Norfolk Sixth Form College provides further education to young people in an area of high deprivation in Gorleston. Nearly a quarter of their students receive free school meals or a bursary due to financial hardship. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of a radio microphone system for use by pupils in the performing arts department.

Health & Social Welfare

The Restoration Trust (TRT) works in partnership with heritage, arts and health & social care bodies to provide ‘culture therapy’ for people with mental health problems through participation in heritage and creative projects. TRT is currently working with 80 people with serious mental health problems. In March 2022 TRT began a funded heritage pilot project in Great Yarmouth in partnership with Access

Community Trust and Dial Great Yarmouth. The project connects isolated local people on low incomes and with mental health problems with local heritage, bringing about an improvement in well-being and mental health, giving them a greater sense of belonging. The trustees awarded a grant of £797 towards transport costs for participants, as this was proving to be a barrier to participation.

Disability Advice Service (East Suffolk) (DAS) provides independent, free advice on welfare benefits, housing rights, adaptations to homes, accessible transport, leisure, and energy efficiency for physically and mentally disabled people in East Suffolk. Due to a large increase in the number of people using the service, DAS has taken on more staff and office space to ensure demand can be met. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of office furniture.

Inspire Suffolk delivers education and sports initiatives for those ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’ (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET, to improve skills, confidence, self-esteem and well-being. Inspire Suffolk has recently set up a Well-being Helpline to support young people aged 16 to 24 experiencing poor mental health and has seen an increase in demand for face-to-face counselling. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of converting a storeroom at Inspire Suffolk’s base in Lowestoft into a confidential well-being-service Counselling Room.

Sunbeams Play in Great Yarmouth provides regular respite sessions for 70 children and young people up to the age of 25 with autism and related conditions such as ADHD, anxiety and depression. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,390.98 to purchase a hydraulic changing table for use by older members who require support changing nappies and pads.

The PBC Foundation provides support and information to those affected by primary biliary cholangitis, a progressive autoimmune liver condition, which eventually leads to destruction of the bile ducts and cirrhosis of the liver. The trustees awarded a grant of £537.60 to pay for copies of an informative magazine which helps sufferers cope with their condition, for the 28 registered service users in the Adnams Community Trust catchment area.

Cohere Arts CIC offers a route to health and wellbeing through projects which bring about engagement with arts and heritage in East Suffolk. One such project, Gentle, is a free programme of seated yoga to music, which encourages vulnerable people to take gentle exercise in a sociable and creative environment. Typically participants suffer from Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, dementia, long COVID, anxiety and depression, visual impairment or mobility issues. The trustees awarded a grant of £400 to pay for venue hire and refreshments for a new class of ‘Gentle’ in Saxmundham.

Woodbridge Ukraine Hub works with volunteers in Woodbridge to provide support for people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,092 to pay for Disclosure and Barring Service checks and safeguarding training for all volunteers, venue hire for monthly social events and educational games for use by the Ukrainian children whilst their parents attend English classes.

Hour Community in Framlingham provides support from volunteers to vulnerable people living in the town and surrounding area. Hour Community runs a community transport service, a mental health dropin café, a dementia-friendly lunch club, a befriending service and a help-in-the-home service. The trustees awarded a grant of £739.98 to purchase two lightweight wheelchairs, to be used in Hour Community’s wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Norfolk Schools Sailing Association (NSSA) is a charity based near Filby which has been teaching children to sail for over 60 years. All of NSSA’s instructors and helpers are volunteers and receive no payment for time or travel costs. In addition to sailing lessons for individuals, NSSA offers sailing courses for schools and other youth groups and runs instructor-training courses for adults. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of first aid equipment, including a defibrillator.

Debenham Parochial Church Council runs a weekly Parish Pantry. The PCC purchases food from Fareshare (an organisation which purchases unused food from supermarkets and others) and then sells bags of food for £3 a bag to their weekly customers. The PCC makes a small surplus on food sold which is put into a discretionary fund to help those in the community who are really struggling. The trustees awarded a grant of £247.20 to purchase 100 jute bags, which are given to new customers to ensure fairness.

Families Together Suffolk (previously Home-Start Mid & West Suffolk) has been supporting families in Suffolk for over 40 years. It became an independent organisation in May 2022 and helps families with children under the age of 12, particularly those struggling with poor mental or physical health, isolation or financial difficulties. The trustees awarded a grant of £875.36 to purchase equipment and toys for a free ‘Chill, chat and play’ perinatal mental health support group in Bungay or Eye.

Brave Futures (formerly Fresh Start - New Beginnings) provides one-to-one therapeutic support to children and young people who have been sexually abused. Brave Futures works with children from 3 years up to the age of 18. The service aims to help them make sense of what they are feeling, improves confidence and equips them with coping strategies. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,062.50 to pay for 15 therapeutic sessions for a young person from Lowestoft.

Waveney Hygiene Bank is a local, volunteer-run, autonomous branch of the national charity, the Hygiene Bank. Waveney Hygiene Bank consists of a team of three volunteers who collect and sort donated hygiene products and then distribute them to community partners, supporting those in need so they don’t have to choose between food and hygiene. The trustees awarded a grant of £600 to purchase sixth months’ supply of hygiene products to distribute locally.

Feathers Futures CIO is a women’s charity based in Great Yarmouth which aims to provide a safe space for women to build confidence and resilience and to make friends. Feathers Futures runs groups and training courses to reduce isolation and teach new skills and offers specialist support for health and well-being, peer mentoring and counselling. The trustees awarded a grant of £810 to purchase and install an oven and hob, which will allow them to provide meals for those in need and run cookery classes.

The Arts

Jubilee Opera , based in Suffolk, offers a platform for local children aged between 7 and 14, to explore the world of music and performance. The children get to work with professional musicians, conductors, directors and animateurs. Membership of Jubilee Opera is free and open to all. The trustees awarded a grant of £425.10 towards the cost of Jubilee Opera’s involvement with Shake Fest in October 2023, giving around 30 children a unique opportunity to explore Shakespeare’s work in a creative and imaginative way.

Pro Corda Trust is a national music school, based at Leiston Abbey, internationally recognised for its chamber music courses. Pro Corda also runs weekend courses for young people from Suffolk with additional needs, focusing on musical theatre. Through these courses Pro Corda has seen how performing arts training can translate into skills for life. In 2023 Pro Corda started a free twice-weekly pop-up Musical Café in the Barn Theatre at Leiston Abbey for the families of young people with additional needs from Suffolk. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,400 towards the cost of a goodquality digital mini-grand piano for use in these sessions.

The Norwich Dandies is an award-winning Norfolk-based arts collective of three professional artists who work primarily with people from hard-to-reach communities or who have mental health problems or disabilities. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,500 to fund the production of a mural at Lowestoft Community Hub (a social care provider for people with learning disabilities and complex needs) in the communal outside courtyard play space to make the area more colourful and engaging for those that use the centre.

Pakefield Singers is an amateur choir with 70 members ranging in age from early 30s to over 90 years. The choir works with local musical ensembles as well as renowned musicians and soloists, bringing high-quality musical performances to an area of deprivation, enriching the life of its members and the local community. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,100 towards the cost of a new trailer for transporting the equipment needed for concerts.

Eye Bach Choir aims to advance, improve and develop public education in and appreciation of choral music. The Choir performs three concerts a season and has strong links with the local community. It brings enormous physical and mental health benefits to its members. The trustees awarded a grant of £500 to pay for the hire of Eye Parish Church for a 50[th] anniversary concert.

Recreation

Waveney Gymnastics Club , based in Lowestoft, provides gymnastic sessions, trampolining and Parkour for the local community. It is used by people of all ages and abilities and over 1,000 people use the Club on a regular basis. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,460 to purchase a new competition beam and competition rails.

1379 (Leiston) Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets is an organisation for young people with an interest in aviation and its supporting services, as well as sports, craft and life skills. It has approximately 20 members. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,994 towards the cost of a multi-task Science Technology Engineering and Maths kit which will help the cadets to develop useful skills and competencies, such as conceptual and logical thinking, accurate measuring, planning, practical maths and teamwork.

Syleham & Wingfield Village Hall and the adjacent open space, J’s Meadow, are managed by a committee of trustees to provide residents with indoor and outdoor areas to meet but there are currently no play facilities for children in the village. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of a nest swing.

1[st] Rendlesham Scout Group has over 100 members aged between 6 and 18. Scouting teaches the young people many skills, such as map reading, fire lighting and using tools safely, and provides an opportunity to try new activities, such as hillwalking, sailing, climbing, and shooting. 1[st] Rendlesham Scout Group’s equipment is currently stored at the local army barracks, but this space will soon be unavailable. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,500 to purchase a shipping container to be used for storing equipment and to be fitted with toilet facilities.

Easton Cricket Club is a not-for-profit community club which aims to promote cricket at all levels. The Club has over 100 playing members and runs three men’s teams, a ladies’ team and several junior teams. Players of all abilities are welcome. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,038.10 to replace stained carpet tiles in the clubhouse with laminate flooring, to make it easier to keep clean.

Blundeston & Flixton Parish Council is responsible for the village play park which is well used by children from the village and surrounding area. A recent safety inspection highlighted the need to replace some equipment. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,530 to purchase a seesaw.

Wortwell Short Mat Bowls Club has 27 members ranging in age from mid 40s to late 80s. The Club meets on Monday afternoons and Wednesday evenings for three-hour sessions, providing an opportunity for social interaction and exercise. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,182 to purchase a bowling mat.

Orford Recreation Ground Charity cares for Orford Recreation Ground which has two tennis courts used by family-ticket holders, visitors who pay to play and by the local school. One of the courts is a multi-use court which is also used for football. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,680 to repair cracks in the surface of the multi-use court.

Woodbridge Cricket Club is a grassroots club with 40 members, male and female, including 20 children. Training sessions are held each Wednesday, matches are played every Saturday and there are also competition matches. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of a reconditioned roller to be used to compact the soil to make the pitch more uniform and improve bounce. The roller will mean more matches can be played on the cricket squares during a season and the pitches will be safer.

Newton Flotman Parish Council has engaged the services of the YMCA to run a free weekly youth club at the Village Centre for up to 20 young people aged 8 to 16 years. The young people are given the opportunity to learn new transferable skills and interact with others in a safe environment. The trustees awarded a grant of £780 to pay for the venue hire for 40 weeks of youth club provision.

1[st] Deben Valley Scout Group is a small but growing scout group with 39 members in Cubs, Scouts and Explorer sections. The Group meets weekly in Kettleburgh Village Hall. Members come from Framlingham and the surrounding villages. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,450.92 to purchase tables and benches for use at residential camps.

1[st] Halesworth Scout Group has 56 members, male and female, who meet weekly during term time. The Scouts work towards badges which cover a wide range of subjects. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,800 to supply and fit new fencing to secure the premises when not in use and to prevent younger members running onto the road.

Reydon Parent & Toddler Group is a volunteer-run group which meets every Thursday morning at Reydon Sports & Community Centre. Sessions last two hours and are open to all pre-school age children with their parents, carers and relatives. Attended by 30 to 40 people a week, the sessions give the children the opportunity to socialise and play with different toys and allow the parents to meet others, reducing isolation. The trustees awarded a grant of £740.97 to purchase an outdoor storage box, a play table and a boomwhacker frame.

Wish List Bikers Charity was set up by experienced bikers to provide motorcycling experiences to sick and disabled children and adults. Since its inception in 2020, it has given over 130 rides. Riders may be fulfilling a dream or being reunited with motorcycling, reducing social isolation. The rides are given on a specialist motor trike and all safety equipment is provided. A full risk assessment is undertaken before any ride, including a medical assessment, and each ride is tailor-made. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,969.52 to purchase a heavy-duty branded gazebo for use at shows and events to raise awareness of the charity.

Pulham’s Youth Engagement Project is a new youth group for young people aged 11 to 17 in the Pulhams and the surrounding area. Sessions take place at either the Pennoyer Centre in Pulham St Mary or Pulham Market Memorial Hall every Monday evening and provide a safe place to meet, with activities, even during school holidays. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,666 to pay for trips during the school holidays including transport costs.

Buildings/Community Facilities

Holton & Blyford Village Hall is the only community building in the two villages. It is very well used by local groups and organisations, as well as for community events, as a polling station and for private bookings. The hall has been greatly improved in recent years, but its 40-year-old sewage system frequently fails. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of a new sewage system, which will make the hall more pleasant to use and reduce running costs.

Reydon Sports & Community Centre is a new building, available for hire for functions, events, societies, clubs, sports and weddings. The Centre incorporates a large lounge and bar area, hall and public toilets. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,433.60 to purchase tables and chairs to increase the number of people the venue can accommodate at any one time.

Yoxford History Group was formed in 2018 to manage an existing archive started in the 1970s by the former postmistress, to research Yoxford’s history and to share this history with the village through exhibitions. Materials stored include photographs, letters, newspaper articles, posters, books and ledgers. The trustees awarded a grant of £384 to purchase a metal, fire-proof cupboard.

Framlingham Parochial Church Council has built a new community building, Castle Community Rooms, to replace old community rooms which were beyond repair. The new building will be well-used for a broad variety of community activities – dancing and fitness classes, education and training, youth activities, events and social occasions. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,302.60 to purchase tables and chairs for the new building.

The Rifle Hall Trust in Halesworth is used as a venue for numerous classes and clubs, a produce market, exhibitions, as a polling station and for private parties. Over the last decade much has been done to make the hall more sustainable and a pleasanter place to be. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of flooring as part of a larger project to improve toilet facilities.

Ilketshall St Andrew Village Hall is the hub of this very rural community and is used regularly for dance clubs, indoor bowls, sewing and knitting groups, community support groups, parish council meetings, private bookings and large events. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of new UPVC vented soffits to increase ventilation in the hall roof.

Debenham Shed has 35 members aged from late 30s to over 80 and is a place to make or mend things. Attending sessions at the Shed allows members to work with tools they would not otherwise have access to and reduces social isolation. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of enclosing an external storage space.

Bungay Community Support was established in 2020 at the start of the pandemic to assist with shopping and medication deliveries to vulnerable people in Bungay but has since developed to provide many more services. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,412 to purchase building materials, kitchen units, a kitchen sink and taps and a kitchen worktop for a new community hub which will provide a Warm Room, a food hall (amalgamating the existing Food Bank with the community larder), a hot desk for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, an advice service, and an area for activities such as art groups.

Runham Village Hall is the only community venue in this rural village. It is run by a group of local residents for the benefit of the community. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 to purchase kitchen equipment, so that the hall can be used for community events, provide hot meals, warm-space sessions and drop-in sessions to combat loneliness.

Alburgh Parish Council and the River Waveney Trust look after Homersfield Bridge picnic site. The area is equipped with picnic tables and benches and is well used by the public. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,050 to install a handrail for the steps down to the river and to replace rotting bollards.

Brampton with Stoven Village Hall is well used by local residents for community events, Pilates classes, crafting, bingo, dog-training classes, a summer play scheme, meetings and private hire. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of partially glazed aluminium doors which will increase the light in the hall and reduce heat loss.

Weybread Village Hall is the only meeting place in this rural village. The hall is well used for social evenings, events, private parties and regular bookings – an art group, coffee mornings and a ladies’ social club. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of a new kitchen.

Creative Leiston CIC has set up Project40Seven in the centre of Leiston. Project40Seven will include The Leiston Pantry, a Fuel Bank, a Library of Things, a Repair Shop and a uniform exchange. To help to fund these activities the building will also be home to a zero-waste shop, Crafted (a shop selling locally made craft items) and two micro-shop units. The Project is run entirely by volunteers. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,000 towards the cost of a commercial freezer for the community pantry.

Cransford Village Hall is the hub of the village – there is no school, shop or pub. It is managed by a committee of local residents and used for a wide variety of activities and events. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,960 to pay for the site-preparation aspect of refurbishing the hall’s toilets to make them more accessible.

St Andrew’s Melton Parochial Church Council looks after the village church and church hall. As well as being used during church services, the church hall is used throughout the week by the wider community, including by a parent and toddlers’ group and a lunch club for older members of the community. The trustees awarded a grant of £1,320 to replace the hall’s lighting with energy-efficient lighting and to install safety lighting.

Conservation/Environment

Waveney Volunteers for Nature is a wildlife conservation and environmental protection group made up of local volunteers who meet weekly to carry out practical activities such as scrub clearance, tree planting, maintenance of hedges, trees, wildflower meadows, ditches and ponds on the commons in Brockdish, Rushall and Dickleburgh. The trustees awarded a grant of £2,100 to purchase and fit out a storage shed to store the group’s tools.

Debenham Green Team is a recently formed community group which aims to reduce the community’s environmental impact and build resilience to cope with more expensive energy and a changing climate. The trustees awarded a grant of £574.80 to purchase an infra-red thermal-imaging camera attachment which can be used with phones to show energy loss in buildings. The equipment will be loaned out to local residents to show them where to target insulation and draught proofing.

The Friends of St Peter’s Church, Sibton , exist to maintain and repair the Church of St Peter’s in Sibton and its churchyard. The Church is the only community building in the village and is used for exhibitions, concerts, indoor games and bazaars as well as church services. The churchyard is still open for burial and has a public footpath running through it. The trustees awarded a grant of £750 towards the cost of improving and maintaining the churchyard to allow wildflowers to thrive.

Returned Grants

Waveney Volunteers for Nature were able to purchase items for less money than expected and therefore returned the underspend of £143.32 .

East Suffolk & North Essex Foundation Trust (Aldeburgh Hospital) received a grant of £600 in January 2021 to purchase two cycle storage units for Aldeburgh Hospital. However, the units were not purchased, and the grant was returned in May 2023.

Suffolk County Council received a grant of £1,836 to purchase a wheelchair for a lady in their care but the wheelchair was never purchased, so the grant was returned.

Orford CEVA Primary School received a grant of £1,125.88 in April 2022 to purchase items to improve the school’s outdoor area. The items purchased cost less than expected to the school returned £515.95 .

THE ADNAMS COMMUNITY TRUST APPLICATION GUIDELINES

The Adnams Community Trust

1 The Adnams Community Trust (charity no 1000203) was founded in 1990 to mark the centenary of Adnams as a company. It is funded by a percentage of Adnams plc’s profits, Adnams dividends donated by shareholders, customer donations through the ‘Pennies’ scheme, general donations, legacies, and funds raised through events like the annual Adnams 10k Run.
2 The Adnams Community Trust is managed by a skilled board of trustees, who run the Trust independently from Adnams plc. The trustees are a mix of elected Adnams employees, Adnams directors and others whose expertise and commitment add to the quality of decision-making. All trustees give their time freely, and no remuneration is paid.
3 The trustees publish independently examined accounts on an annual basis.

Who may/may not apply

4 Applications must be for charitable causes within a 25-mile radius of St Edmund’s Church, Southwold. Applications from national charities which operate within the 25-mile catchment area may be considered if assurances can be given that the money will be used for a specific purpose, exclusively within the above catchment area/exclusively for the benefit of individuals from within our catchment area.
5 The Adnams Community Trust does not normally make grants to religious organisations or private clubs unless these can demonstrate that the purpose of the grant is for something of clear public benefit, accessible to all.
6 No grants are made to individuals. However, public bodies and charities may apply on behalf of individuals.
7 The Adnams Community Trust does not award grants to Community Pubs or community Christmas light displays.

What grants are/are not made for

8 The trustees prefer applications for specific items.
9 Grants are generally of a one-off nature.
10 There must be at least two years between grants to the same organisation.
11 The trustees are reluctant to give grants to cover on-going running costs, although in very exceptional circumstances they may do so.
12 The Adnams Community Trust does not provide sponsorship of any kind.
13 The Adnams Community Trust does not provide raffle prizes.
14 The Adnams Community Trust does not give funds indirectly to charities, for example by sponsoring the fundraising efforts of individuals.
15 Grants are not awarded retrospectively (ie for items which have already been purchased).

How to apply

16 The trustees meet quarterly, in January, April, July and October. For application deadline dates, please contact the Adnams Community Trust Administrator.
17 For an application form, please contact the Adnams Community Trust Administrator by emailing communitytrust@adnams.co.uk, telephoning 01502 727200 or by writing to Rebecca Abrahall, The Adnams Community Trust Administrator, The Adnams Community Trust, c/o 23 The Street, Brockdish, Norfolk, IP21 4JY.
18 When completing your application, please include the following information:
what the grant is for
who will benefit
how much the item(s) will cost, including a detailed quotation
fundraising activities being undertaken and/or other grants applied for and the amount raised so far
necessary financial documents (see points 19 to 21)
19 If your organisation is VAT exempt, or is able to reclaim VAT, please ensure VAT is not included in your application.
20 Please include with your application:
your organisation’s most recent set of audited or examined accounts. If the accounts are more than 12 months old, please also provide management accounts for the most recent financial year
your organisation’s planned budget for the coming year
a copy of your organisation’s most recent bank statement
details of the number of people needed to authorise payments from the organisation’s bank account

If your accounts show a significant surplus or deficit, high or low reserves, please provide an explanation. If your organisation has not been running for a full year, then a copy of the most recent bank statement and income and expenditure statement/management accounts must be sent.

21 Please provide copies of your Reserves Policy and your Safeguarding Policy/Procedures (if relevant).
22 Please note, if an application is successful the trustees will expect the grant to be spent within one year . Copies of receipt(s) will be required as proof of purchase/expenditure and the End-of-Project Reporting Form must be completed and returned. Any changes to the use of the grant must be approved in writing in advance by the Adnams Community Trust. The trustees reserve the right to ask for a grant to be returned if these conditions are not met.

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

The Adnams Community Trust Bankers

Barclays Bank plc 67 High Street Southwold IP18 6DT

The Adnams Community Trust Independent Examiners

van Dijk Accountants Limited Georgian House 34 Thoroughfare Halesworth Suffolk IP19 8AP

The Adnams Community Trust Solicitors

Nicholsons Solicitors 23 Alexandra Road Lowestoft NR32 1PP

The Adnams Community Trust Sole Bay Brewery Southwold Suffolk IP18 6JW

Registered charity number 1000203

2022-08-31-accounts