Treasurer’s Report for AGM October 2021
Overview
Financially another good year for Busy Beavers. Income was £11,894.28 up year on year which is amazing considering we weren’t able to do a Christmas Fayre or much in regards to fund raising due to Covid. Funding was £8607.78 more than staff and rent costs which puts the playgroup in a comfortable position going forward.
Income
The group received funding and fees of £76,281.94 which is 96.7% of the total income of £78,892.17. Fundraising from selling Halloween sweets, Christmas Cones and Hot Chocolate Cones, Easter Sweet Cones and 100 Square, Sponsored Bike Ride and donations from parents raised a total of £2419.00 which after costs made a profit of £1946.02 which is fantastic. The sponsored bike ride was an amazing success this year with parents really going out of their way to help bring in vital funds.
Expenses
The biggest expense is staff wages but this is unavoidable although no increase year on year despite a wage increase, this is possibly down to the play group being closed due to covid at times and therefore not requiring additional staff cover. Rent has sadly been put up this year by £50 per month to £750 which means we paid a total of £9000 which is an increase of £1300 year on year, the amount shows as higher due to having Mays rent waivered last year because of covid.
Bank Account
Current balance is £52,599.58 and is £9996.57 more than last year. £2004.39 has been moved into the savings account for the redundancy funds and now has a balance of £21,739.92.
Forecast
As we are in a strong financial position with over £20k increase year on year for the last 2 years. I think we really need to encourage the staff to spend money on new equipment, replacing anything that is old and almost falling apart, new SEN equipment, new outside toys, new tables and chairs as discussed pre-covid and anything to help with the children and staff going forward. We have previously discussed doing a Amazon Wish List and I think that really needs to be pushed with the staff this year, as times have been hard there are many people wanting to help their local community out and this would be a way of them helping by funding new equipment as opposed to just putting money in a pot.
Future fund raising maybe we could consider doing a Christmas Fayre this year or leaving it and doing something over Easter instead with the hope that we could then offer outside stalls as well. The sponsored bike ride raised a lot of funds so definitely something to consider again, along with the sweet cones etc.
Busy Beavers Playgroup Annual Report 2020 - 2021
Staff News
In November 2020 we celebrated Jenni’s 20 Year Anniversary with Busy Beavers. We are lucky to have such a long-serving and dedicated team and once again extend our heartfelt thanks to Angie, Barbara, Jenni, Karen, Tara, Danielle and Heather for all their hard work, particularly over the last two years. We are hoping to find another part-time team member to join this busy team – the role has been advertised.
Successful Fundraising
2020-2021 fundraising activities were severely limited due to COVID restrictions and we were unable to hold our Christmas Fayre and regular cake sales.
We have successfully raised funds through smaller initiatives (trails, sweet sales, number squares, Teddy Tombola), and the highlight of the year was our sponsored cycle ride – congratulations to all who took part and thankyou to their sponsors. We hope this is something we can repeat again next year as everyone enjoyed the fresh air and exercise.
Fundraising continues to be one of the main focuses for the Committee as Busy Beavers is a charity and depends on both the big events and regular miniactivities throughout the course of the year. We are always open to new ideas whilst appreciating that parents’ pockets are not bottomless! It’s not always about money … we have been lucky to receive donations of stationery, toys and sometimes simply time to help with odd jobs or events.
A Positive Response to Coronavirus
The last academic year was again dominated by Coronavirus. Key decisions around closures and how we operate ensure that the children remain at the heart of every decision we make, along with their families and the welfare of our dedicated staff team.
Throughout, our staff team have maintained a full working timetable and have continued to be able to pay monthly salaries in line with what was implemented in April without the need to reduce the amount or call on alternative funding to assist.
We appreciate that the team have all faced challenging changes in a job that they love, whilst managing their own personal circumstances. Caring for 2-4 year olds, whilst social distancing and wearing protective equipment, is difficult and we all look forward to a time when those barriers and restrictions can be removed. Thankyou to all of the team who care for our children with love and dedication.
Looking Ahead
Intake for the 2021 Autumn Term has been steady although there are still places to fill. We usually see an increase in numbers over the year and hope that this trend continues as Government funding and parent-top up fees are the primary source of income. Our ethos focuses on inclusivity and we continue to welcome and support children with special educational needs and those from families where English is not their first language.
COVID continues to be a concern for all – whether parents or staff. Busy Beavers has an extensive list of policies and support procedures in place to keep everyone safe – rigorous hygiene and cleaning regimes, effective communications and rapid response approaches to emergency situations. We are committed to the provision of quality childcare whilst operating within evolving government guidelines and adapting our ways of working to ensure a safe and secure environment for our children, their families and our team. Our procedures were put to the test at the end of the last academic year and although frustrating for all, we closed earlier than planned … not the best way to end a year, but we successfully proved that the rigorous planning paid off.
Once again, we are encouraged by the enthusiasm of our children and their appetite to learn, form friendships and grow. We hope to provide opportunities to take part in activities and events that reflect a more ‘normal’ year and will see what 2021-2022 brings.
2021 - 2022 Focus
A new academic year and a new Committee.
As a Committee, we hope that things can return to a more informed state of ‘normal’. This group plays a critical role in the running of Busy Beavers – without it we close, and sadly we witnessed a fellow playgroup do just that last year.
We aim to meet twice each term – the agenda is agreed in advance with Angie and certain ‘regular’ agenda items may feature at different times of the year. We have learnt that meetings can be successful via Zoom, as well as in person; and we have a WhatsApp closed group to support more regular communication. Face to face interactions at drop off and collection play a huge role in building this small group – something we certainly missed during closures.
This year we are looking for a new Chairman and Secretary, as well as Committee members. Colleen has offered to stay on as Treasurer for another year - we will get to the formalities of nominations and voting later on.
So - to those outgoing Committee Members - thankyou for your input and support. To those who wish to join us - please do! As a Charity, we need your energy and ideas more than ever and look forward to working with you.
Thankyou.
Elizabeth Bentley Busy Beavers Playgroup - Committee Chair October 2021
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