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2025-03-31-accounts

NORTH TAUNTON PARTNERSHIP

ANNUAL REPORT

1[st] APRIL 2024

to

31[st] MARCH 2025

Registered Charity no.1078827

Paint and Prosecco Workshop

Summer Activities

Christmas Market

CONTENTS

ITEM PAGE
Mission statement 1
Trustees 2
Staff 3
Volunteers & Partners 4
**Our Community ** 5
Chair’s Report 6 & 7
Manager’s Report 8 & 9
Breakdown of service users 10
Delivery Plan 11 - 14
Funders 15
Reserves Policy, Future Plans &
Trustee Declaration
16
Statement of financial activities &
Notes to the Accounts
17 & 18
Independent Examiner’s Report 19
Photo’s 20

MISSION STATEMENT

The Charity’s objects are to promote charitable purposes for the benefit of the community of North Taunton and in particular, the advancement of education, the promotion of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress

It felt like such a wonderful warm setting, I can see a huge amount of effort and time is put into it! Jo, Alzheimer’s Society

APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES

The constitution governs the appointment of Trustees who are elected at the Annual General Meeting.

NAME POSITION ELECTED RESIGNED
Paul Tooze Trustee
Chair
April 2011
September 2017
Mark Wood Trustee February 2019
Melanie Butt Trustee June 2021
Gill Harrison Trustee September 2021
Verity Underhill Trustee July 2022
Jonathan Barter Trustee September 2023 September 2024
Jeanette Keech Trustee September 2023

Pau l lives in Taunton and works at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. He represented the area as a district councillor before becoming a trustee and is now a town councillor.

Mark grew up in Priorswood. He works in software engineering and helps with youth and children's work at Wellsprings Community Church.

Gill worked in Education as a teacher, head teacher and SENCo before joining the WATCH project as a wellbeing course facilitator. She worked as part of The Open Mental Health Community Engagement Project and as a cancer Information Officer for the NHS before taking up her current role as Volunteer Coordinator for ARC.

Verity lives locally and trained as a mental health nurse with the NHS, then in the private sector as an area manager with responsibility for staff appointment and retention for 6 nursing homes. She volunteers in the community centre one morning a week on reception.

Mel has lived in North Taunton for over 25 years and has a background in administration. She volunteered in the centre before becoming a trustee.

Jeanette lives locally and had a career in marketing and public relations within the aviation and drinks industries, followed by a term as trustee of Age UK Somerset and director of Crimestoppers West of England. She was a governor of a sixth form college before a 9-year appointment as NonExecutive Director at Musgrove Park Hospital. She is currently chair of the Lyngford Park GP patient group and governor of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

STAFF

Lesley Councill – Manager lesleycouncill@priorswoodcommunitycentre.co.uk Tracy Wood – Finance Administrator tracywood@priorswoodcommunitycentre.co.uk Lisa Herd – Office Administrator & Activities Coordinator lisa@priorswoodcommunitycentre.co.uk Lee-Anne Dew – Cleaner

All staff work part time and equate to 1.9 full time equivalents.

Lesley joined as Manager in 2006, previous roles included PA at an electrical contractors, insurance underwriter and childminder. She has 3 sons and lives locally.

Tracy joined as finance officer in 2012, she took on extra hours in 2018 as the events coordinator. She took early retirement in 2022 but returned in March 2024 as the finance administrator. She is married with two sons.

Lisa joined the team in July 2022 having a background in finance and office administration, she is married with 2 sons.

Lesley Councill, Manager, receiving a certificate in recognition of her service to the community of North Taunton from the Mayor of Taunton Councillor Vanessa Garside March 2025

VOLUNTEERS

Management costs are kept to a minimum through the use of volunteers for daily operation of the Community Centre. We have 24 regular volunteers and 19 occasional volunteers who gave a total of 3,270 hours of time during the year. In addition, 6 trustees gave 336 hours during the year. This represents £44,029 of unpaid hours working on the minimum wage .

We had 3 new volunteers, 1 volunteer attained their one-year certificate, 2 received their 5 year key ring, 2 received a 10-year pen set and 1 volunteer received their 15-year award receiving an engraved tankard. 14 of our regular volunteers live within the local area, our eldest volunteer is 89.

I absolutely love all the activities and events the Priorswood Community Centre offer. It’s lovely watching all the community come together for chats/coffee/companionship. To all the staff and volunteers a massive well done.

Partners Partners
Age UK Somerset Somerset Community Credit
Union
Avon & Somerset Police Selworthy School Oakhill and
Hazlebrook Campus
Citizens Advice Taunton SkyCollege
Devon & Somerset Fire &
Rescue
Spaeda
Everyone Active Somerset Activity and Sports
Partnership (SASP)
Friendship& Sons Somerset Council
Get Set Services Somerset Skills & Learning
Leonard Houlden Court (Housing
& Care 21)
St Andrews Church
LiveWest Housing St Peters Church
Lyngford Park PrimarySchool St Teresa of Lisieux Church
Lyngford Park Surgery Taunton North Youth Club
Oakwood Church Taunton Area Debt Advice
Priorswood Library Taunton Street Pastors
Priorswood PrimarySchool Taunton Town Council
Pyrland School Wellsprings CommunityChurch
Read Easy Taunton and
Wellington
Wellsprings Primary School
Rowbarton Church Somerset Community Credit
Union

OUR COMMUNITY

North Taunton is an area of multiple deprivation with one area being ranked as 20% most deprived in the country.

The total population of North Taunton is made up of, Rowbarton 5,000 with 2,250 households and Taunton North 10,502 with 4,619 households.

Both wards are made up of mainly white British with 12.2% classed as other ethnicities.

Council tenants make up 30% of the population with 1,507 Council owned properties. 10.4% of households have no access to a car or van. 2.6% are carers providing 20 hours or more compared to 2.1% across Somerset. Around 30% of the population have either a long-term health condition or disability.

There is a great community spirit with the Community Centre being seen as the hub of the community.

We have 4 primary schools; Lyngford Park Primary, Wellsprings Primary, Priorswood Primary and St Andrews Primary School.

A secondary school: Pyrland School

A special educational needs school: Selworthy School with two campuses and Sky Academy for students in years 5 – 11 who have an EHCP.

POLICY REVIEW

The trustees have a robust system in place for reviewing policies and procedures which are reviewed in line with good practice.

The Governance Code, Health & Safety, Safeguarding and Data Protection are reviewed annually along with others that are either reviewed annually or as agreed at an executive meeting.

Chair’s Report by Paul Tooze

This year has again been a successful one for the Community Centre, and the positive impact it has in the North Taunton area. Looking back over my time as a trustee it is incredible how the Centre has changed and evolved over the years in order to meet the emerging needs and challenges faced by local residents. Whilst it is vital to change and grow, the Centre continues to be what it has been for many years - a safe and secure place where people can come simply to chat, have a coffee, and enjoy the company of others. The increased footfall this year is testament to both the new and the old.

I am grateful to both Somerset Council and Taunton Town Council for

maintaining their core funding grants and support for the summer activities in the park, especially when resource within local government is becoming extremely stretched. It is reassuring that both bodies recognise the huge value that the Centre brings, and their continued support is essential to our future. These grants, whilst ye nod Commu most

welcome, need to be supplemented greatly through other charitable donations and funding streams. This year we have placed a greater focus on monitoring in terms of funding successfully received and how we are progressing against budget.

I can report that the Charity’s accounts are in good order and have been independently signed-off by our accountant. We have strong financial controls in place and policies are frequently reviewed. The trustees also have full oversight of our accounts. We are also moving with the times and even have a policy around Artificial Intelligence and its safe use!

We’ve been incredibly lucky to have a team of committed and knowledgeable trustees. Their expertise and thoughtful contributions ensure that the Charity is managed with care and professionalism, continuing to progress even in the face of challenges that arise. Each trustee brings a valuable set of skills, and I appreciate the time and dedication they invest. We are always looking to expand our team and are committed to building a team that reflects our community, so please contact us if you think you can add value as a trustee. In terms of trustee meetings, I am grateful to Fiona who has joined us as minute taker, an unenviable, but important role!

In addition to our trustees, our work is greatly enhanced by our partners and

local organisations who have continued to collaborate throughout the year to deliver outstanding services, support, and activities across the community. I’d like to thank them for their contribution, and the outstanding services they deliver when they visit the centre.

Lastly, my heartfelt thanks go to Lesley, Tracy, Lisa, Lee-Anne, and all of our dedicated volunteers.

They remain the driving force behind the Centre, giving generously of their time and energy to support the residents of North Taunton. It is down to their continued efforts and the astounding groundwork which was put in by our beloved former Chair Sue Kilbey between 2009 and 2017, which has led to the fantastic and well-run Charity that we have today.

We look forwards to another positive year.

Managers’ report by Lesley Councill

This year we’ve seen the Community Centre grow into a real community hub with an increase in footfall and new groups added to our program.

We took stock of what was on offer and how we could move forward for the benefit of our community. As manager I attended many networking and funding meetings, these were both online and in person and proved very worthwhile with more partnership working and links formed.

We are always striving to offer more and found that there was a gap in what we offered and realised that, for those that wanted something different and were able to pay for it, we could offer workshops of an evening. This made even more use of the Community Centre and proved extremely popular. They ranged from canvas painting to resin art, felt making and Christmas wreath making; this enabled us to bring in new people to the Community Centre which in turn meant

they could see what we had to offer and

how they could access support, if and when needed. We plan to continue with a program of monthly workshops well into 2025/26.

Unfortunately, after 23 years, we had to stop our weekly luncheon club, this was a sad day especially for all the volunteers who had helped for many years, but due to falling numbers, higher overheads and volunteers having to step away due to health issues, we had no

option other than to close.

We continued with all of our other groups which have all seen a rise in people attending, on top of these we held various information mornings including the RSPCA offering free cat microchipping, the NHS offered covid vaccination drop ins and advice on bowel screening, we held a talk from John of the Museum of Somerset with a

fantastic reminiscence session on the old fashioned sweets we used to eat as children.

The Village Agents donated a brand new school uniform which we gave out to parents in need and the foodbank supported us with emergency food parcels. Cooper Associates offered a monthly pension advice morning as well as Burnham & Weston Energy, who gave out freebies and advice on cutting energy costs. Our history group attended Hestercombe House and gardens finding out about how the house was used in the war.

The main event of our calendar was our summer activity days on Lyngford Park which proved even more popular than previously with many families attending each week. This year Rowbarton Food Pantry supported us with 400 picnic bags to give out to children, especially those on free school meals. We

were incredibly lucky with the weather and would like to thank all the stallholders,

advice stands and activities that took part.

To finish 2024 we held our Christmas market around the shopping precinct, again

we were

lucky with the

weather and increased the footfall by bringing the start time an hour earlier attracting those from local schools. I would like to thank the schools who brought students to sing carols around the Christmas

tree.

2025 started with planning and fundraising to enable us to carry out alterations to the inside of the Community Centre which we hope will be completed by the end of 2025.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff, volunteers, trustees and partners who have all worked tirelessly to make the Community Centre what it is today, without their continued support we would not have been able to offer so much to our community, which in turn has made North Taunton a better place to live and work.

BREAKDOWN OF SERVICE USERS

2024/25 **2023/24 ** 2022/23
Cafe Customers 5991 5192 4591
CommunityEvents 2835 3965 2240
Bric-a-Brac sales 2458 1934 1828
Scrabble Group 298 261 262
Circuits Exercise class 315 306 285
Lunch Club(stopped March 24) 0 299 461
General enquiries 420 528 434
Tai Chi Class 288 244 247
Digital supportgroup 127 117 104
Knit,Natter & craftgroup 142 101 190
Citizens Advice(Ceased April 2024) 12 56 48
HistoryGroup 109 135 32
Somerset Council Benefits advisor
(Ceased July2024)
6 8 53
CookingGroup 31 13 17
Job Club(Ceased 2022) 0 0 6
Write2Read(Ceased April 2024) 0 7 48
Somerset Council Housing Advisor
(ceased 2023)
0 0 8
WalkingGroup 12 23 0
Police 10 14 14
Credit Union 9 6 24
Creative Writers Group 60 41 49
Workshops 193 100 36
NHS & Health Related 45 11 70
Bereavement Support(Ceased 2023) 0 0 2
Menopause Support Group (Ceased
January25)
19 46 24
TOTAL SERVICE USERS 13380 13142 11073

Data shows a snapshot of users to the Community Centre. There were 5,096 unique visits to our website. There were 384,228 hits on our social media sites.

Thank you so much for the lovely food hamper you delivered before Christmas, it made me really happy.

DELIVERY PLAN: Business DELIVERY PLAN: Business
Plan 2023/2024
Objectives Desired Outcomes Measures and
Timescale
Actual
Outcome
1 Recruit and
train volunteers
and trustees.
Offer training
opportunities.
Produce
updates
through
meetings,
newsletters
and a
volunteers’
manual.
Open to all.
Maintain volunteers.
Reflect our
community. Build self-
confidence; use
existing knowledge &
skills, learn new
skills, role
satisfaction, seek
employment,
recognition through
awards.
Recruit professionally
qualified volunteers
for specificjobs.
Increased
numbers.
Numbers gaining
paid
employment.
24 regular
volunteers, 19
Occasional. 6
trustees. 1
volunteer
gained their 15
year award
and received
an engraved
tankard.
2 Operate the
Community
Centre.
Gain funding to meet
core costs.
Maximum potential
Community
Centre Usage
Footfall 13380
3 Host advice
surgeries
Access to advice and
support
On-going Footfall 51
4 Maintain
Hallmark 1
accreditation.
Maintain Hallmark 1
accreditation.
On-going Hallmark 1
maintained.
5 To offer a
collection
facility for
Credit Union
Offering people the
opportunity to save
On-going £704.40 saved
6 Organise
weekly social
groups.
Scrabble
Knit & natter
Offer a warm, friendly
environment to
socialise and enjoy
activities facilitated by
volunteers.
To be attended
by a minimum
of 5 people. To
be selffunding
Footfall 440
7 Provide
transport and a
hot meal via a
Lunch Club
Ceased March
2024 due to
falling numbers
and supervisor
retiring
8 Provide fitness
classes.
Circuits
Tai chi
Walking Group
Provide a venue and
tutor.
Collect and
bank money.
Move towards
sustainable
selffunding.
Participants benefit
from:
• improved health
and mobility
• the opportunity for
social interactions
To be attended
by a minimum of
6 people each
week.
Footfall of 615
9 Organise food,
nutrition and
cookery
classes.
Teach basic skills.
Provide education
about diet and
health. Participants
experience improved
health through:
Increased
understanding about
healthy eating Gain
confidence and
develop new skills
Participating in group
learningsessions
A minimum of 4
people
attending.
Footfall 31
10 Offer support
with health &
wellbeing.
NHS sessions
Offer support
Signposting
Health information
On-going
support
Footfall 64
11 Deliver open
access
community
events aimed at
young people.

Raise funds to
hold the
events.
Access to
experiences and
activities that
entertain, educate
and provide
diversionary activities
aimed at reducing
anti-social behaviour.
Parents,
grandparents and
carers have
opportunities to share
experiences with their
children, meet others
and talk to a range of
public service
providers.
1 day events
attended by a
minimum of 30
young people.
School holidays.
Footfall 2050
12 Work with
schools and
colleges to offer
work
experience.
Participate in a
working environment,
develop skills to add
to their CVs.
Offer as many
opportunities as
possible.
13 Organise
educational
groups; Digital
support
History
Creative
Writers
Gain knowledge and
learn new skills,
facilitated by
volunteers and tutors.
To be attended
by a minimum
of 5 people. To
be selffunding
Footfall 296
14 Organise
• bazaars in
Spring and
Autumn
• Christmas
Market
• World Book
Day event
• One off
events
Raise awareness of
the Community
Centre.
Recruit volunteers.
Raise funds.
Residents are able
to:
• learn about
services on offer
• find volunteering
opportunities
To raise:
• £750 from
bazaars
• £1000 from
the Christmas
Market.
Bazaars raised
£1443.10
Christmas
Market raised
£1810.77

Footfall 978
•buy items at low
cost.
15 Host Somerset
Council
community
computer.
On-line access.
Volunteer-assisted.
Develop IT skills.
On-going.
16 To be the voice
of the
community
whilst staying
politically
neutral.
Enable those
adversely affected by
and concerned about
current issues or
changes to have their
say and forward
concerns to the
appropriate agency.
On-going. Concerns re-
laid to those
agencies
concerned
17 Work in
partnership with
the North
Taunton
Development
Group.
Residents benefit from
the ‘joined-up’, inter-
agency approach.
Timescale
ongoing.
Attended North
Taunton
Development
Group
Meetings
18 To be dementia
friendly.
Visitors greeted in a
friendly and
welcomingmanner.
On-going
19 1. Produce a
community
newsletter. 2.
To hold
information
leaflets.
3. Signposting
facility.
Residents are well
informed of events,
services and
opportunities.

Offer a signposting
facility.
Spring, Summer
and Winter





3000 hard
copies
produced and
distributed.
Electronic
copies emailed

Having an opportunity to distribute our museum ticket offers face-to-face is a great way to introduce the community to what we have to offer. Priorswood Community Centre has helped us reach many people over the last few years and they are a valued partner in our social prescribing project. The work done by the staff and volunteers is worthy of high praise. The support they offer is clearly invaluable

and the centre is very much the heart of the area.

Keep up the good work! John Somerset Museum We would like to thank our funders, without their support the Community Centre would not be able to function.

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Charitable Trust
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Stan Vidler Memorial Charitable Trust

CHANGING LIVES

Foyle Fundation

Supported by Somerset Council

We would like to thank all those organisations and individuals who have generously supported the charity. North Taunton Partnership has continued to support many local residents who have benefitted from our services. Details of restricted grants are shown in the accounts.

RESERVES POLICY

The trustees are aware of their obligations under charity law and therefore set out the policy for the use of reserve funds. The intention in establishing this reserves policy is to ensure the continuation of the charity’s normal activities through any medium-term shortfall in funding.

For the financial year to 31 March 2026, the trustee’s policy is to maintain free reserves (defined as unrestricted reserves not invested in fixed assets) equivalent to 4 months’ budgeted expenditure of £30,000

The trustees feel it is also prudent to have an additional reserve of £2,500 for any substantial unexpected and urgent need for which funding cannot be obtained in the necessary timeframe, giving a total reserve of £32,500.

Free reserves at 31 March 2024 were £36,139

FUTURE PLANS

A Business and Development Plan has been produced by the trustees setting out the objectives for the Partnership and Community Centre for the twelve months April 2025 to March 2026.

The trustees declare that they have approved the report as above and that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commissions guidance on public benefit.

Signed on behalf of the North Taunton Partnership’s trustees

Paul Tooze Chairman Date: 16[th] July 2025

Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 Receipt and Payments Account

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds Funds 2025 2024 Receipts Grants 76,750 76,750 41,822 Donations 1,652 1,652 2,295 Interest 912 912 1,066 Activities Community Centre Sales 10,854 10,854 10,178 Community Social 5,376 5,376 4,708 Education 812 812 521 Fundraising 1,450 1,450 1,621 Health & Wellbeing 2,934 2,934 4,360 Newsletter 1,285 1,285 1,189 Room Hire 1,086 1,086 2,272 Workshops 4,736 4,736 0 Other 491 491 156 ________ Total Receipts 31,588 76,750 108,338 70,188 Payments Administration Staff Costs 25,086 31,324 56,410 51,260 Heat & Light 1,512 845 2,357 2,530 Phone & Internet 1,136 375 1,511 1,035 Water & Rates 449 449 368 Office Costs 4,303 1,094 5,397 6,295 Garden 276 276 328 Maintenance 1,143 1,143 0 Fees 80 80 60 Newsletter 811 785 1,596 2,017 Garage Rent 844 844 769 Volunteers 573 573 450 Activities Community Social 2,985 5,400 8,385 15,192 Education 177 177 13 Health & Wellbeing 0 4,460 4,460 7,465 Workshops 756 1,667 2,423 0 _______ Total Payments 40,131 45,950 86,081 87,782 Surplus/(Deficit) (8,543) 30,800 22,257 (17,594) _______ _______ Cash Funds brought forward 44,682 4,000 48,682 66,276

Cash Funds carried forward 36,139 34,800 70,939 48,682 Analysis of Restricted Funds Balance Bfwd Receipts Payments Balance Cfwd £ £ £ £ Stan Vidler 0 400 400 ASDA Foundation 0 600 600 SCF Somerset Fund 0 2,300 2,300 SASP HHM 0 3,500 3,500 0 SASP Wages 0 1,050 1,050 0 SCF High Sheriff 1,500 1,500 0 Somerset Play Forum 0 5,000 0 5,000 Norman Family Trust 0 1,500 750 750 The Foyle Foundation 0 5,000 2,083 2,917 SCF Festive Fund 0 400 400 0 CAB Somerset 0 2,000 2,000 SCC Core 0 12,500 12,500 0 NS Trust 0 15,000 0 15,000 SCF Winter Grant 0 16,000 16,000 0 SCF Summerfield 0 5,000 1,667 3,333 SCF Accelerated Fund 0 3,000 3,000 0 Taunton Town Council 0 2,500 0 2,500 Tesco Groundworks 0 1,000 1,000 0 TTC Summer Activities 2,500 2,500 0 ____________ Total Restricted Funds 4,000 76,750 45,950 34,800 ____________

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

Accounting Policies

Section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 permits a charity to prepare a receipts and payments account and a statement of assets and liabilities where gross income in the financial year does not exceed £250,000, therefore receipts and payments accounts and a statement of assets and liabilities has been prepared and presented for the year ended 31 March 2025; this is consistent with previous years.

All Income, including grants, is recorded when received. All Expenditure is recorded when paid.

NORTH TAUNTON PARTNERSHIP

INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

I report on the accounts of North Taunton Partnership for the year ended 31st March 2025 which are set out on pages 2 to 3

RESPECTIVE REPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES AND EXAMINER

The charity trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to;

BASIS OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’s REPORT

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes a consideration of any unusual issues or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S STATEMENT

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements

No other matter has come to my attention in accordance with my examination to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Timothy Green FCMA 29 Beechwood Drive Crewkerne TA18 7BY Date: 23rd June 2025

Food Waste Carrymoor at the summer activity days

Volunteers selling raffle tickets at the Christmas Market

Members of the Quality and Performance Team in the Southwest with Lesley Councill, Manager, and Pip Sheard, Garden Volunteer. The team lent a helping hand in the community garden.

Michelle Holt, team leader, said: "We were happy to make our small contribution to tidy up this lovely garden which is a place of beauty, reflection, and calm for the local community.

Priorswood Community Centre

13-14 Priorswood Place Eastwick Road Taunton TA2 7JW 01823 353643

Email: lesleycouncill@priorswoodcommunitycentre.co.uk

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PriorswoodCommunityCentre

www.priorswoodcommunitycentre.co.uk

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