AGM Chair Report: 27[th] November 2024
Thank you all for attending our 2024 AGM. It is great to see new parents and carers who are interested in joining our committee here at Three Bears.
As always it has been a busy and successful 12 months for the playgroup.
From a staffing point of view, our biggest change was Michelle stepping down as manager of the setting at Easter after 3 years. The role was taken over by Carly Goodall. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Carly on the fantastic start she has made as the manager of Three Bears over the last two terms, on how you have managed the team of staff and ensured that children at the setting receive a high quality excellent early years education.
Maintenance wise we have had a complete garden refurbishment outside with a new coat of paint on the fence and play equipment and new turf being laid, which has made a huge difference to the children as it means that they are able to go out when it has been raining and not worry about getting too muddy as they did with the previous grass. We were very lucky to be given a £7500 grant from Spark in order to complete this refurbishment. It was lovely to bring together the Three Bears community at the end of September to officially open our new garden and especially to have Margaret there who was one of the founders of Three Bears.
In terms of fundraising events, we held our bunny hop at Easter which the children always love and our annual summer fair in June which was our most successful summer fair recently. Across the year money has also been raised through cake sales, hamper raffles and My Child’s Art. Looking ahead the committee is keen to organise fundraising events such as a quiz night to bring parents and the local community together to raise money for Three Bears.
Three Bears is currently in a strong position in terms of the number of children attending the setting. There was a high intake in September with a particular increase in the number of two year olds due to change in government funding. A number of children have increased their number of sessions for January meaning we are now full for every morning session with only a handful of afternoon spaces and a very healthy waiting list for September 2025. We are in a position now that we are having to unfortunately turn people away who are wanting to start immediately due to being at full capacity. This is especially encouraging given the closure of local nursery settings and confirms the excellent reputation that Three Bears has in the local community. Three Bears is in a good position for the foreseeable future and there is a noticeable positive feeling within the setting.
The committee is a very important part of Three Bears and is needed in order for the setting to run. I have been chair of the Three Bears committee for the past three years.
My role is to be the first point of contact for Carly as setting manager and to support with management issues, liaise with staff and to arrange and lead our half termly meetings. The committee ensures that we are fulfilling expectations whilst meeting our legal and educational obligations, however, the staff team led by Carly take care of the day-to-day childcare and learning journeys to ensure all children meet the EYFS criteria.
The parents on the committee have all had or currently have children who attend Three Bears. Being on the committee has given us the opportunity to see how the playgroup is run, develop a good relationship with the staff and to have an impact on our children’s early year’s education.
We would love new members to join the committee and to share their ideas, skills and experience as the setting needs parents input and assistance to run efficiently.
Thank you to all the current committee members for their hard work and dedication over the last year, for attending our meetings and for helping out at events. Your help and ideas are always needed and are very appreciated.
I would also like to thank all the parents and families for their help and support throughout the year with all that we do and finally a big thank you to Carly, Kerri, Jane and all of the staff at Three Bears for all of their continued hard work and for always ensuring that our children receive such excellent early years provision.
Thank you
Natalia Horsfield
Chairperson of Three Bears Playgroup
Kesgrave Three Bears Playgroup
Balance Sheet as 31st August 2024
Bank Current Account £18,935.39 Bank Reserve Account £31,980.91 Cash Box £194.21 Cash Card £0.00 card closed Net Current Assets £51,110.51 Deferred Income £ - Net Current Liabilities £- Net Assets £51,110.51 Brought Forward 1st September 2022 £36,385.59 Profit for the year £14,726.48 Total Funds £51,112.07
10/02/2025https://d.docs.live.net/5630b5e493ca205a/Documents/Admin/finance/23-24/endofyear23-34
DFF.F(S F(ING ACCOUNTANTS Unit 2 The Rutherford CeIitre Dunlop Road . Hadleigh Road IIid Estate Ipswich . IP2 OUG Tel: (01473) 711234 E-mail: siinon@,deeksc2ndking?.co.uk www.deeksandking.co.uk THREE BEARS PLAYGROUP FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS OR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 I hereby certify the attsched Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024 I have made such verifications as were necessary for the proper certification of these AccoLJnts, S EMMERSON DATE DEEKS & KING ACCOUNTANTS UNIT 2 THE RUTHERFORD CENTRE DUNLOP ROAD, HADLEIGH ROAD IND ESTATE IPSWICH, SUFFOLK IP2 OUG PToprietor: Siinon Eminerson