2023-03-31-accounts

Bulllon Communlty Resource Centre Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 //• Frièndly . Company Registration No. 04046498 Charity Registration No. 1084105

COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 04046498 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1084105

Bullion Community Resource Centre Company Limited by Guarantee Unaudited Financial Statements 31 March 2023

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Financial Statements

Year ended 31 March 2023

	Page
Trustees' annual report (incorporating the director's report)	1
Independent examiner's report to the trustees	8
Statement of financial activities (including income and
expenditure account)	9
Statement of financial position	10
Notes to the financial statements	11

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report)

Year ended 31 March 2023

The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name	Bullion Community Resource Centre	Bullion Community Resource Centre
Charity registration number	1084105
Company registration number	04046498
Principal office and registered	Bullion Hall
office	South Approach
	Chester le Street
	Co Durham
	DH2 2DW
The trustees
	Jennifer Elliott	Chairperson
	Derek Shingleton	Treasurer
	Claire Galloway	Vice Chair
	Brian Ebbatson
	Colin Reynolds
	Karen Smith	Retired at the AGM July 2022
	Richard Taylor
Company Secretary	Belinda Lowis
Independent examiner	JFS Torbitt
	Chartered Certified Accountants
	58 Durham Road
	Birtley
	Co Durham
	DH3 2QJ
Staff Team at 31st March 2023
	Belinda Lowis	Chief Officer
	Martin Gollan	Community Development Worker
	Pat Lawton	Events Coordinator
	Diane Masterton	Finance Officer
	Liz Howe	Cafe Care Coordinator
	Ruth Lowther	Cafe Care Coordinator
	Louise Waller	Cafe Care Coordinator
	Jennifer Pollard	Cafe Care Coordinator
	Ian Taylor	Senior Caretaker
	Sandro Rea	Senior Caretaker
	Paul Dalkin	Caretaker
	Reece Thompson	Caretaker
	Barry Batey	Caretaker
Volunteers	Sheena Morgan	Hazel Courdry
	Michelle Wharton	Louise Dargue
	Claire Bevitt	Lisa Dargue
	Barbara Downey	Robin Downey

1

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Volunteers continued

Dan Smith Terry O’Donnell Sharon Lockie Martin Ferguson Anna Ray Sean Simpson Kieran Galleymore Sharon Gordon Amy Steatham Joseph Strong

Structure, governance and management

Governing Document

The objects of the charity are:

"... to promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the communities in the local government area of County Durham and in particular the former local government district of Chester-le-Street and in particular the advancement of education, the protection of health and relief of poverty, distress and sickness. Provided that in carrying out these charitable purposes the charity will seek to challenge all forms of oppression and inequality and to give priority to working with people whose full participation in society is limited by economic, political, and social disadvantage…"

At this year-end, there are 16 voting members.

Our Memorandum and Articles of Association was updated in July 2020 and requires a minimum of just five committee members to make up our board of trustees. Trustees are considering options to revise the governing document and the options are to be shared with members at a future general meeting.

Recruitment, Training and Induction of Trustees

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company's Articles are members of the Executive Committee. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the members of the Executive Committee are nominated and elected from the membership. There is an option to co-opt a further 3 people for their skills and expertise. Each trustee retires annually and all are eligible for re-election at the next Annual General Meeting. At the AGM in 2022 we said a sad farewell to Karen Smith who has been a long-time serving trustee and vice chair with this charity.

We have been delighted to welcome Alex Waites to shadow our board meetings as part of his induction to becoming a new trustee at the AGM.

Internal Control and Risk Management

The Executive Committee recognises its duty to safeguard the charity's funds and assets against abuse and continues to review internal policies and procedures that secure the charity against risk. These include carrying out risk assessments on our projects, on our day-to-day operations as well as regular reports and appropriate internal controls. This includes financial controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance against material misstatement or loss, Health and Safety policies, procedures and risk assessments for which staff are encouraged to contribute to and shape, to test out and for us to re-adjust as our learning and experience develops. This year we have been especially tested with two Health and Safety Assessments of our building, Policies and Procedures alongside a robust Day Care Services Inspection by Durham County Council - we are pleased to report that we passed all of them.

2

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Strategic report

The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review form the strategic report of the charity.

Achievements and performance

We continue to welcome some 600 people per week who take up the various activities and support services offered through Bullion Hall. We equate this to a footfall of some 30,000 per annum.

This year Bullion Hall has continued to provide a wide and growing range of services, maintaining many of its weekly activities and the development of new ones, most especially those that support adults with learning disabilities.

These include:

Patchwork Quilters, Senior Curling, Curling, Tea Dance, Judo, Camera Club, Puppy Training, BHI (British Horological Institute), Men's Cree, Ladies Cree, Ukulele, Choir, Sewing, Yoga , Zumba, Pilates ,Guitar classes for young people and adults, Seated Exercise with lunch, Seated Exercise without lunch, Boxercise, Tai Chi, Two Parent and Toddler groups, Two Youth Clubs, Senior Carpet Bowls, Stars Drama, Luncheon Club, Fibromyalgia self-help group, Mens Shed, Lets Connect, Art and Craft Group with lunch, Film Club ,Creative Writing and the Friday Night Tea Dance.

In addition, we have delivered a range of occasional activities including Christmas and Halloween Discos, Breakfast with Santa, School Holiday Activities with lunch, and a very busy Christmas Fayre with a visit from Puffing Billy and his team of elves as well as organizing a number of training courses including First Aid and Fire Marshal, Cooking on a Budget and Food Hygiene.

Over the winter we made available a warm space so that people could escape a cold home and receive free hot drinks and light refreshments along with access to newspapers and games. Alongside this a small number of warm packs were distributed which included thermos flasks, warm clothing and a hot water bottle for those least able to leave a cold home.

The Bread-and-Butter Thing has continued to thrive at Bullion Hall with over 700 members now signed up and a dedicated team of volunteers that make it all possible. The Bread-and-Butter thing is complemented by the availability of a number of free packs including Free Hygiene and Cleaning packs and when we can source them - pet food and baby formula milk. We also have Free Sim cards available that offer 6 months of calls and / or data that can be used for tethering to enable home broadband, including O2, Vodafone and 3 networks. We have also continued our longstanding membership of Fareshare which like The Bread-and-Butter Thing can be a little bit quirky, so that in the foyer of Bullion Hall visitors can pick up free toys and other goods such as books and videos that other participants have kindly donated alongside free food (donations are encouraged). Fareshare has expanded its offer to include frozen goods and along with a supersized brand-new chest freezer we now receive quirky frozen goods such as 15kg boxes of turkey or 20kg of sausages. Fortunately, the Wait er While café is well placed to make best use of these both keeping our day-to-day prices low and providing the meals that underpin an increasing number of activities in the centre. But we must be honest, there is a limit on how many times turkey twizzlers can be served and so with the help of a small grant we are planning to purchase a display fridge/freezer that will enable us to make frozen goods part of our Fareshare in the foyer food offer.

3

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

The Wait er While Café remains at the heart of Bullion Hall and is always very busy. Bacon sandwiches have been a big hit with the builders from NB Clark this year who have temporarily occupied Room 8 whilst the work on a new homes complex across the road from Bullion Hall is completed.

Our café supports the independent living skills of adults with learning disabilities, the majority of whom have been with us since the day the café was set up at Bullion Hall around 2006. It is a remarkable team, and we were very sorry to say goodbye to Pauline (aka Mrs. Kipling) and the smiling face of Jeffrey, both of whom retired in January. Of course, we couldn't let them go without a big send-off and held a very special retirement party for them and their friends and family with lots of good wishes and wonderful presents.

In order to be able to maintain this level of activity it is essential to have a strong team of caretakers who provide the health and safety, welfare, cleanliness, and customer service that is the backbone of Bullion Hall.

We were sorry to see Walter Smith retire in July 2022, after being with us for over 20 years - joining us first as a handyman, to later become caretaker, and finally Centre Manager. Walter, often described as Mr. Bullion Hall, will be sorely missed by customers and colleagues alike, and very difficult to replace. Bullion Hall as a building requires ongoing maintenance and repair and this year with support from Section 106 monies, we have been able to replace all of the shutters around the building, replace a number of windows and update the disabled toilets.

It is easy to overlook the behind-the-scenes requirements of running a community centre from policies, procedures and risk assessments to staff training and record keeping but all of these things have been tested in two very different independent Health and Safety inspections of the centre earlier this year. We have learnt a great deal from both and added to our record keeping as appropriate. We were delighted to be described by one assessor as "the best community building that they had visited".

In addition, as part of our day care services contract with Durham County Council, we received a very thorough assessment of all the behind-the-scenes policies, procedures, risk assessments, staff training and record keeping of the Wait er While café in its support of service users. Once again, we have learnt a great deal and are actively working to fill identified gaps. Overall, we were very pleased and relieved to have passed the assessment process.

This second assessment does not take into account that our day care provision is a café and as such there are a whole host of different procedures and assessments required on a day-to-day basis to ensure that we continue to meet the requirements of the 5-star food hygiene rating that we proudly hold.

It is also easy to overlook the behind-the-scenes requirements to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our participants, volunteers and staff from DBS checks to Safeguarding training, policies and procedures for safe recruitment practices to GDPR and PRS licenses - whilst most of these are eminently sensible collectively it begins to feel like there is a growth industry for all of these requirements!

4

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

In January we conducted our annual survey of participants, this year doing things slightly differently with a separate survey specifically for adults with special needs. A summary of the surveys with a total of 185 responses is set out later in this report.

But I wanted here to note some of the key findings from our general survey which received 151 returns from 36 groups that meet weekly in Bullion Hall.

Participants were asked to describe Bullion Hall in 3 words of their choice.

This is the first time that we have asked this question in our annual surveys, and it gives me great pride to say that the most repeated word was "Friendly", followed by words such as welcoming, clean, supportive, community, comfortable, good and great. Hence our front cover for 2023.

The survey asked participants what they gained from engagement and critically the overwhelming majority said that they had fun and made new friends, the latter being especially important given that many of our respondents (47%) live alone.

Finally, we note our continuing engagement with a number of partnership arrangements including One Youth which supports the delivery of our youth groups at Bullion Hall and for this we would like to thank Donna and her team of youth workers from the Brockwell Centre as well as Tom who heads up the partnership from Pelton Youth and Community Association.

We continue our shared Finance Officer post - shared with Wheels to Work and Fencehouses Community Association, and we have been excited to reconvene the Community Buildings Network for Chester-le-Street which last met sometime before the pandemic, the new group have got straight down to business and are looking at a shared database of tutors and group leaders of activities.

Financial review

Last year we noted the changing mix of income generation in contrast to grants received. This remains an ongoing cause for concern, but we have been delighted to welcome Carl Brough (a former caretaker with Bullion Hall who is currently studying for a Level 6 Diploma in Digital Marketing) as a placement with us. Since joining in February, he has brought considerable insight and challenge to the way in which we promote Bullion Hall, and I am confident that he can help us advance the level of income that we can generate most especially through room hire.

Our 4-year grant award from the National Lottery for our community development role is almost mid-way through, this work is subject to external evaluation and unfortunately due to illness we have had to say goodbye to Praxis but welcome to Durham Community Action who I am sure will be as challenging as Carl in helping us develop our practice.

With funding from NHS Connect we have delivered an amazing project over the past 12 months to support adults with learning disabilities, enabling them to socialise, make new friends and make the funniest short films. As part of this project, we have a collection of case studies that are a powerful tribute to the impact that such engagement has upon the individual and very often the family too.

We have been grateful for the continuing support of Virgin Money Foundation and also the County Durham Community Foundation who have provided core funding to our organisation alongside funding from Durham County Council including Older Peoples Social Isolation Fund (OPSIF), Public Health funding towards the costs of the men's and ladies Cree and Neighbourhood Budget awards that have been critical in supporting the day-to-day work of Bullion Hall.

5

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Investment Policy and Reserves

Company Law requires the Executive Committee to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and its incoming and expended resources. In preparing those financial statements, the Executive Committee seeks to follow best practice and;

• Consistently apply suitable accounting policies and procedures;

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

• Prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.

The Executive Committee is responsible for maintaining proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Executive Committee is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In accordance with company law, as the company's directors, we certify that:

• So far as we are aware there is no relevant information of which the company's independent examiners are unaware; and

• As the directors of the company we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant independent examination information and to establish that the company's independent examiners are aware of that information.

Trustees have agreed a policy in relation to Reserves which requires unrestricted reserves to equate to 50% of estimated annual running costs. This figure will exclude identified liabilities at any point in time.

The trustees have assessed their liabilities should the charity be forced into closure; in particular, the current staff redundancy liability is approx. £40,000. A further £10,000 is set aside for the premature winding up of contracts. Monies identified as restricted would of course be returned to their original source - in most cases funding from charitable trusts.

Independent Examination

For the year ended 31st March 2023, the company was entitled to exemption from the requirement to have an audit under the provisions of Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006. Furthermore, there are no members or indeed current funders who have required the company to obtain an audit of the accounts for the year in question. The trustees have elected to have the accounts independently examined believing it to be a more prudent use of resources.

Independent Examiners

JFS Torbitt were appointed as the charity's independent examiners during the year and express their willingness to continue as such, subject to the approval of members in general meeting.

The report of the directors has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities issued in March 2006, and with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

6

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Small company provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.

The trustees' annual report and the strategic report were approved on ....[1] ..[9] ..[/] .[0] ..[6] ..[/] .[2] ..[0] ..[2] ..[3 ] and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

J Elliott Trustee

7

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Bullion Community Resource Centre

Year ended 31 March 2023

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Bullion Community Resource Centre ('the charity') for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

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

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

3. the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

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.

Jane Freeman

FCCA

Independent Examiner

58 Durham Road Birtley Co Durham DH3 2QJ

Date: 28/06/2023

8

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)

Year ended 31 March 2023

			2023		2022
		Unrestricted	Restricted
		funds	funds	Total funds	Total funds
	Note	£	£	£	£
Incoming Resources
Grants and Contracts	5	–	208,920	208,920	170,474
Other trading activities	6	111,731	–	111,731	93,512
Investment income	7	1,366	–	1,366	104
		─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
Total income		113,097	208,920	322,017	264,090
		═════════	═════════	═════════	═════════
Expenditure
Expenditure on raising funds:
Costs of raising donations and
contracts and delivery charitable
activities	8	101,684	215,923	317,607	253,114
Governance costs	9	1,210	–	1,210	1,100
		─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
Total expenditure		102,894	215,923	318,817	254,214
		═════════	═════════	═════════	═════════
		─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
Net income		10,203	(7,003)	3,200	9,876
		═════════	═════════	═════════	═════════
Transfers between funds		(376)	376	–	–
		─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
Net movement in funds		9,827	(6,627)	3,200	9,876
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward		100,264	330,579	430,843	420,967
		─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
Total funds carried forward		110,091	323,952	434,043	430,843
		═════════	═════════	═════════	═════════

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 11 to 20 form part of these financial statements.

9

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Position

31 March 2023

		2023	2022
	Note	£	£
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets	13	257,426	250,017
Current assets
Stocks	14	1,170	–
Debtors	15	9,002	12,690
Cash at bank and in hand		172,143	172,809
		─────────	─────────
		182,315	185,499
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	16	(5,698)	(4,673)
		─────────	─────────
Net current assets		176,617	180,826
		─────────	─────────
Total assets less current liabilities		434,043	430,843
		─────────	─────────
Net assets		434,043	430,843
		═════════	═════════
Funds of the charity
Restricted funds		323,952	330,579
Unrestricted funds		110,091	100,264
		─────────	─────────
Total charity funds	18	434,043	430,843
		═════════	═════════

For the year ending 31 March 2023 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

• The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476;

• The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime.

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on ..1..9../.0..6../.2..0..2..3 , and are signed on behalf of the board by:

J Elliott Trustee

The notes on pages 11 to 20 form part of these financial statements.

10

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements

31 March 2023

1. General information

The charity is a public benefit entity and a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is Bullion Hall, South Approach, Chester le Street, Co Durham, DH2 2DW.

2. Statement of compliance

These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland', the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Companies Act 2006.

3. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified by the revaluation of certain financial assets and liabilities and investment properties measured at fair value through income or expenditure.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Going concern

There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.

Disclosure exemptions

The entity satisfies the criteria of being a qualifying entity as defined in FRS 102. As such, advantage has been taken of the following disclosure exemptions available under paragraph 1.12 of FRS102:

• (a) No cash flow statement has been presented for the company.

• (b) Disclosures in respect of financial instruments have not been presented.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds.

11

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements

Year ended 31 March 2023

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity; it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

• income from donations or grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable and its amount can be measured reliably.

• legacy income is recognised when receipt is probable and entitlement is established.

• income from donated goods is measured at the fair value of the goods unless this is impractical to measure reliably, in which case the value is derived from the cost to the donor or the estimated resale value. Donated facilities and services are recognised in the accounts when received if the value can be reliably measured. No amounts are included for the contribution of general volunteers.

• income from contracts for the supply of services is recognised with the delivery of the contracted service. This is classified as unrestricted funds unless there is a contractual requirement for it to be spent on a particular purpose and returned if unspent, in which case it may be regarded as restricted.

Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:

• expenditure on raising funds includes the costs of all fundraising activities, events, noncharitable trading activities, and the sale of donated goods.

• expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.

• other expenditure includes all expenditure that is neither related to raising funds for the charity nor part of its expenditure on charitable activities.

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.

Tangible assets

Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Any tangible assets carried at revalued amounts are recorded at the fair value at the date of revaluation less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

12

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Tangible assets (continued)

An increase in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of a revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, unless it reverses a charge for impairment that has previously been recognised as expenditure within the statement of financial activities. A decrease in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, except to which it offsets any previous revaluation gain, in which case the loss is shown within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Long leasehold property	-	4% straight line
Fixtures and fittings	-	10% straight line
Impairment of fixed assets

A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.

For the purposes of impairment testing, when it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cashgenerating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.

For impairment testing of goodwill, the goodwill acquired in a business combination is, from the acquisition date, allocated to each of the cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination, irrespective of whether other assets or liabilities of the charity are assigned to those units.

Stocks

Stocks are measured at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost includes all costs of purchase, costs of conversion and other costs incurred in bringing the stock to its present location and condition.

4. Limited by guarantee

Bullion Community Resource Centre is a company limited by guarantee and accordingly does not have a share capital.

Every member of the company undertakes to contribute such amount as may be required not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charitable company in the event of its being wound up while he or she is a member, or within one year after he or she ceases to be a member.

13

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

5. Grants and contracts

	Restricted	Total Funds	Total Funds
	Funds	2023	2022
	£	£	£
Donations
Virgin Money Foundation	23,000	23,000	18,000
Greggs Trust	10,000	10,000	10,000
One Youth	16,057	16,057	16,117
Durham Community Action	300	300	920
Power to Change	–	–	15,500
National Lottery Community Fund	42,000	42,000	46,000
DCC Cree	6,000	6,000	6,000
Groundwork (Kickstart)	9,722	9,722	8,784
CDCF	5,000	5,000	2,613
CDCF - CCTV	–	–	2,387
Neighbourly B&Q Foundation	–	–	5,000
DCC Cree Plus	2,000	2,000	2,000
CDCF - NHS Connector Grant	–	–	24,300
DCC AAP	–	–	12,480
DCC Salary Uplift	–	–	373
Sir James Knott	4,000	4,000	–
OPSIF	9,950	9,950	–
CDCF Community Safety	7,200	7,200	–
Awards for All	10,000	10,000	–
Sainsburys	500	500	–
CDCF – Poverty Hurts	10,000	10,000	–
CDCF – Organisational Sustainability	10,000	10,000	–
CDCF - Warm Spaces	1,000	1,000	–
Rothley Trust	1,800	1,800	–
DCC NB	2,004	2,004	–
OPSIF2	6,000	6,000	–
DCC Section 106	32,387	32,387	–
	─────────	─────────	─────────
	208,920	208,920	170,474
	═════════	═════════	═════════

The 2022 total of £170,474 relates wholly to Restricted Funds

Key: DCC – Durham County Council CDCF – County Durham Community Foundation AAP – Area Action Partnership OPSIF – Older Peoples Social Isolation Fund NB – Neighbourhood Budget

14

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

6. Other trading activities

	Unrestricted	Total Funds	Unrestricted	Total Funds
	Funds	2023	Funds	2022
	£	£	£	£
Bullion Hall - Room hire	50,198	50,198	32,595	32,595
Café sales	33,931	33,931	15,044	15,044
Contract - Durham County Council	25,789	25,789	17,571	17,571
Other	1,813	1,813	654	654
DCC - Covid Support Fund	–	–	23,768	23,768
Good Things Foundation	–	–	1,960	1,960
Government Furlough Grants	–	–	1,920	1,920
	─────────	─────────	────────	────────
	111,731	111,731	93,512	93,512
	═════════	═════════	════════	════════

7. Investment income

	Unrestricted	Total Funds	Unrestricted	Total Funds
	Funds	2023	Funds	2022
	£	£	£	£
Bank interest receivable	1,366	1,366	104	104
	═══════	═══════	════	════

8. Costs of raising donations and contracts and delivering charitable activities

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds	Funds	2023
	£	£	£
Project payments	–	42,274	42,274
Wages and salaries	45,706	140,283	185,989
Pension costs	5,241	–	5,241
Other employee benefits	6,130	213	6,343
Water	756	–	756
Light & heat	12,080	5,300	17,380
Repairs & maintenance	10,243	–	10,243
Insurance	2,071	–	2,071
Legal and professional fees	1,688	–	1,688
Telephone	2,405	–	2,405
Printing, postage and stationery	451	–	451
Depreciation	–	26,353	26,353
Bank charges	545	–	545
Kitchen expenses	9,151	1,500	10,651
Subscriptions	1,418	–	1,418
Cleaning	2,716	–	2,716
Sundries	1,083	–	1,083
	─────────	─────────	─────────
	101,684	215,923	317,607
	═════════	═════════	═════════

15

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

8. Costs of raising donations and contracts and delivering charitable activities (continued)

			Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds
			Funds	Funds	2022
			£	£	£
	Project payments		893	22,263	23,156
	Wages and salaries		45,273	112,214	157,487
	Pension costs		4,278	–	4,278
	Other employee benefits		4,989	729	5,718
	Water		–	227	227
	Light & heat		4,333	218	4,551
	Repairs & maintenance		4,586	14,676	19,262
	Insurance		–	733	733
	Legal and professional fees		1,907	404	2,311
	Telephone		674	1,352	2,026
	Printing, postage and stationery		175	–	175
	Depreciation		–	22,977	22,977
	Bank charges		199	–	199
	Kitchen expenses		1,378	2,408	3,786
	Subscriptions		1,421	466	1,887
	Cleaning		1,107	231	1,338
	Sundries		905	2,098	3,003
			─────────	─────────	─────────
			72,118	180,996	253,114
			═════════	═════════	═════════
9.	Governance
		Unrestricted	Total Funds	Unrestricted	Total Funds
		Funds	2023	Funds	2022
		£	£	£	£
	Support costs	1,210	1,210	1,100	1,100
		═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════
10.	Net income
	Net income is stated after charging/(crediting):
				2023	2022
				£	£
	Depreciation of tangible fixed assets			26,353	22,977
	Fees payable for the audit of the financial	statements		1,210	1,100
				════════	════════

16

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

11. Staff costs

The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as	The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as	follows:
	2023	2022
	£	£
Wages and salaries	185,989	157,487
Employer contributions to pension plans	5,241	4,278
Other employee benefits	6,343	5,718
	─────────	─────────
	197,573	167,483
	═════════	═════════

The average head count of employees during the year was 12 (2022: 10). The average number of full-time equivalent employees during the year is analysed as follows:

	2023	2022
	No	No
Charitable Activities	12	10

No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2022: Nil).

12. Trustee remuneration and expenses

No remuneration or other benefits from employment with the charity or a related entity were received by the trustees.

13. Tangible fixed assets

		Long
		leasehold	Fixtures and
		property	fittings	Total
		£	£	£
	Cost
	At 1 April 2022	574,435	53,597	628,032
	Additions	–	33,762	33,762
		─────────	────────	─────────
	At 31 March 2023	574,435	87,359	661,794
		═════════	════════	═════════
	Depreciation
	At 1 April 2022	324,418	53,597	378,015
	Charge for the year	22,977	3,376	26,353
		─────────	────────	─────────
	At 31 March 2023	347,395	56,973	404,368
		═════════	════════	═════════
	Carrying amount
	At 31 March 2023	227,040	30,386	257,426
		═════════	════════	═════════
	At 31 March 2022	250,017	–	250,017
		═════════	════════	═════════
14.	Stocks
			2023	2022
			£	£
	Raw materials and consumables		1,170	–
			═══════	════

17

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

15. Debtors

	2023	2022
	£	£
Trade debtors	6,197	6,201
Prepayments and accrued income	2,805	6,489
	───────	────────
	9,002	12,690
	═══════	════════

16. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

	2023	2022
	£	£
Accruals and deferred income	4,884	3,859
Other creditors	814	814
	───────	───────
	5,698	4,673
	═══════	═══════

17. Pensions and other post retirement benefits

Defined contribution plans

The amount recognised in income or expenditure as an expense in relation to defined contribution plans was £5,241 (2022: £4,278).

18. Analysis of charitable funds

Unrestricted funds

Unrestricted funds
		At				At
	1	April 2022	Income	Expenditure	Transfers31 March 2023
		£	£	£	£	£
General funds
		100,264	113,097	(102,894)	(376)	110,091
		═════════	═════════	═════════	═════	═════════
		At				At
	1	April 2021	Income	Expenditure	Transfers 31 March 2022
		£	£		£	£
General funds		84,327	93,616	(73,218)	(4,461)	100,264
		════════	════════	════════	════════	═════════

18

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Restricted funds

ricted funds
	At				At
	1 April 2022	Income	Expenditure	Transfers31 March 2023
	£	£	£	£	£
Renovation Amortisation	250,017	–	(26,353)	33,762	257,426
Tudor Trust	988	–	(936)	–	52
Sir John Priestman	3,361	–	(3,361)	–	–
Greggs Trust	4,167	10,000	(10,000)	–	4,167
Virgin Money Foundation	13,500	23,000	(17,333)	–	19,167
DCC - AAP - Covid 19	1,945	–	(1,945)	–	–
National Lottery Community
Fund	13,784	42,000	(55,784)	–	–
CDCF NHS Connector Grant	23,998	–	(23,998)	–	–
DCC AAP	12,480	–	(12,480)	–	–
One Youth	6,339	16,057	(19,741)	–	2,655
DCC Cree	–	6,000	(6,000)	–	–
DCC Cree Plus	–	2,000	(1,690)	–	310
Groundwork NE	–	9,722	(9,722)	–	–
CDCF	–	5,000	(5,000)	–	–
Sir James Knott	–	4,000	(1,667)	–	2,333
OPSIF	–	9,950	(6,620)	–	3,330
CDCF Community Safety	–	7,200	(1,855)	–	5,345
Awards for All	–	10,000	(5,000)	–	5,000
Sainsburys	–	500	(500)	–	–
Durham Community Action	–	300	(300)	–	–
CDCF – Poverty Hurts	–	10,000	(833)	–	9,167
CDCF – Organisational
Sustainability	–	10,000	(1,667)	–	8,333
CDCF - Warm Spaces	–	1,000	(1,000)	–	–
Rothley Trust	–	1,800	(1,133)	–	667
DCC - NB	–	2,004	(1,005)	(999)	–
OPSIF2	–	6,000	–	–	6,000
DCC Section 106	–	32,387	–	(32,387)	–
	─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
	330,579	208,920	(215,923)	376	323,952
	═════════	═════════	═════════	════════	═════════

Key:

DCC – Durham County Council CDCF – County Durham Community Foundation AAP – Area Action Partnership OPSIF – Older Peoples Social Isolation Fund NB – Neighbourhood Budget

19

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Restricted funds (continued)

	At				At
	1 April 2021	Income	Expenditure	Transfers	31 March 2022
	£	£	£	£	£
Renovation Amortisation	248,608	–	(22,977)	24,386	250,017
AAP Holiday Hunger	500	–	(500)	–	–
Kellet Trust	493	–	(493)	–	–
Karbon Housing	1,838	–	(1,838)	–	–
Tudor Trust	2,000	–	(1,012)	–	988
Sir James Knott	3,130	–	(3,130)	–	–
Hadrian Trust	500	–	(500)	–	–
Sir John Priestman	3,526	–	(165)	–	3,361
Dickon Trust	896	–	(896)	–	–
CDCF – ESF	1,781	–	(1,781)	–	–
Greggs Trust	8,542	10,000	(14,375)	–	4,167
CDCF – I Will Fund	3,455	–	(3,455)	–	–
Willan Charitable Trust	4,167	–	(4,167)	–	–
Awards for All	1,507	–	(1,507)	–	–
CDCF – TAPS	8,646	–	(8,646)	–	–
County Durham Sports	4,200	–	(4,200)	–	–
Virgin Money Foundation	18,750	18,000	(23,250)	–	13,500
DCC – AAP – Covid 19	11,620	–	(9,675)	–	1,945
Bernard Sunley	6,000	–	–	(6,000)	–
DCC Neighbourhood
Budget	2,481	–	–	(2,481)	–
Rank Foundation	4,000	–	–	(4,000)	–
CDCF – CCTV	–	2,387	–	(2,387)	–
Neighbourly B&Q
Foundation	–	5,000	–	(5,000)	–
National Lottery
Community Fund	–	46,000	(32,216)	–	13,784
Power to change	–	15,500	(15,443)	(57)	–
DCC Cree	–	6,000	(6,000)	–	–
Groundworks (kickstart)	–	8,784	(8,784)	–	–
DCC Cree Plus	–	2,000	(2,000)	–	–
Durham Community
Action	–	920	(920)	–	–
CDCF NHS Connector
Grant	–	24,300	(302)	–	23,998
DCC AAP	–	12,480	–	–	12,480
DCC Salary Uplift	–	373	(373)	–	–
CDCF – External painting	–	2,613	(2,613)	–	–
One Youth	–	16,117	(9,778)	–	6,339
	─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────	─────────
	336,640	170,474	(180,996)	4,461	330,579
	═════════	═════════	═════════	═════════	═════════

20

Bullion Community Resource Centre

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2023

19. Analysis of net assets between funds

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds	Funds	2023
	£	£	£
Tangible fixed assets	–	257,426	257,426
Current assets	115,789	66,526	182,315
Creditors less than 1 year	(5,698)	–	(5,698)
	─────────	─────────	─────────
Net assets	110,091	323,952	434,043
	═════════	═════════	═════════
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds	Funds	2022
	£	£	£
Tangible fixed assets	–	250,017	250,017
Current assets	104,937	80,562	185,499
Creditors less than 1 year	(4,673)	–	(4,673)
Creditors greater than 1 year	–	–	–
	─────────	─────────	─────────
Net assets	100,264	330,579	430,843
	═════════	═════════	═════════

21

Bullion Hall Annual Survey 2023

Introduction

The Annual Survey was circulated during March 2023. Paper copies of the survey were given out to all groups currently meeting at Bullion Hall and efforts were made to contact participants in groups that had been running during 2022 but have since stopped e.g. Boxercise. The survey received 151 returns from 36 groups.

Results from the survey can be divided into the four broad areas; one set of questions asks about time spent at Bullion Hall, including how people travel to the centre and what they do when they are at Bullion Hall.

Another section asks about the benefits that are gained from being involved in activities at Bullion Hall, and what could we do to improve their own or the local community’s experience of Bullion Hall. Thirdly about how effective our communications are and how well we keep people informed about what’s on. Finally we ask for demographic information.

What do people do at Bullion Hall?

The survey collected responses from 36 groups giving an even spread across the activities that take place here, morning, afternoon, and evening. However, it should be noted that from some groups only a few surveys were returned, while other groups returned as many as 18 or 19. The average return per group was 6.6 surveys.

The survey tells us that 65% of people come to Bullion Hall once a week. 22% come twice a week and 5.5% visit three or more days a week. When at Bullion Hall, 66% spend between 1 to 2 hours at the centre, (2 hours being the length of time of our regular activities). 28% spend 3 to 5 hours a week at Bullion Hall, which includes time in the café. A very small percentage, 3%, spend 6 hours or more at Bullion Hall every week.

The survey asks how long participants have been coming to Bullion Hall; 38% said for less than 12 months while 23% have been using Bullion Hall for 1 to 2 years. A staggering 17% of participants have been visiting Bullion Hall for more than 10 years.

To get to Bullion Hall, 58% drive to the centre, while 16% get a lift from friends. 20% walk but only 4% travel by bus, a reflection perhaps of route and timetable changes. Compared to the 2022 survey these figures show a slight drop from the percentage who drive to Bullion Hall, (61% in 2022) but also in percentage of those walking (27% in 2022).

When the travel results are broken down to highlight those attending morning, afternoon or evening sessions, there is some variation, suggesting that those attending morning activities are more likely to drive with friends (23% receiving a lift). While figures for those attending afternoon sessions find a slight increase in those walking (25%). Evening activities however see a leap in the numbers driving to Bullion Hall (75%) with a decline across all other categories (though 14% walk to the centre in the evening)

22

What are the benefits of coming to Bullion Hall?

The survey asked people to describe Bullion Hall in three words . The word cloud lists the most frequently given descriptions.

Individual responses included:

• Remarkable Organised Amazing

• Love it. Friendly.

• Brilliant community resource.

• Friendly Welcoming Covid Compliant

• Friendly. Welcoming. Busy.

• Friendly. Supportive. Excellent.

• Good centre for activities, skills and social needs

• Welcoming, integral, community

• Great fun classes

• Local. Happy. Cost effective.

23

Asked about the benefits of taking part in activities at Bullion Hall, having fun and making friends are clearly key positive outcomes for many people using Bullion Hall. Feeling fitter, healthier and happier and getting out of the house are all significant benefits that people gain.

These returns are broadly consistent with the 2022 annual survey, although 66% in this latest survey identify making new friends as a benefit, in contrast to just 45 % in last year’s survey. The question gave the option for respondents to give additional comments on the benefits they experience, among them “meet people”, “social gathering”, “the company”, “enjoy it” and “meal at café, warmth”.

The survey asked what we could do to ‘make Bullion Hall better for you’. Of the 50 responses received the majority were positive, with comments including:

• Can't. It's fine as it is. Staff are wonderful.

• Find it very friendly and helpful.

• I love coming.

• I don't think there is anything. They do a good job now.

• Perfect already.

Other comments were neutral, such as “not sure” or “don't know” while others offered some criticism or constructive ideas.

• Perhaps more activities for older folk

• Better social media performance.

• Wednesday 12 o'clock is a bottleneck for dinners with sometimes not enough seats.

• More marketing information would be good - online/via website. Additional info on what’s going on.

• A toilet in the cabin (not a caravan or Portaloo).

• More staff/stuff in holidays for kids.

24

• Taps in female toilets are terrible. You can’t wash your hands properly.

Other suggestions are well beyond our ability to satisfy :

• Add a swimming pool.

More particular to the current economic situation the survey asked what more could Bullion Hall do to support the local community through the cost of living crisis?

• I think they are doing as much as possible.

• Maybe could do with a drop in chat centre. Many have problems and nowhere to turn. They may chat when coming to classes but not all come to a class. Need to organise coach trips out - maybe play bingo on board. Maybe run Samaritans out of the building on a face to face.

• Talk on gas and electric saving tips etc. Jumble sales.

• Teaching or helping people how to manage money, cook meals cheaper.

• Perhaps a longer warm space time.

Asked if ‘you have used other community centres during the past 12 months’, 66% of respondents said that they hadn’t use any other community centre. Among the 34% that had taken part in activities at other centres these included Pelton Community Centre, Refuse Cafe, Chester le Street Masonic Hall and Birtley Community Centre.

The types of activity they took part in were dance, art and crafts and bingo but when compared to previous annual surveys, the reason for visiting other centres appear more frequently to be for free or low-cost meals rather than keep fit or enjoying a pastime, such as crafting. Examples given in the annual survey include Refuse Café, Birtley Community Centre where a ‘substantial meal’ is offered or Brandon community centre where once a month the ‘coffee morning social offers a meal’.

In May 2022, Bullion Hall became a hub for the Bread and Butter Thing, a charity providing packs of food at below high street prices. During its first month at Bullion Hall we carried out three surveys with people collecting their TBBT orders. Among the 150 survey returns, 99 answered a question about what other services they had been using during the previous 6 months, with 34 naming Refuse Café; other services frequently listed in answers were Citizen’s Advice (18) and Welfare Rights Service (11).

Results from the Annual Survey suggest a continuing need for provision of low cost or free meals for households struggling with the cost of living crisis.

The survey asked, ‘how do you find out what’s on at Bullion Hall’ asking respondents to tick all the media and ways they find out what’s on, from social media to word of mouth.

25

In line with previous annual surveys, word of mouth (62%) continues to be our most effective promotional tool. Facebook is more frequently used as a source of information, jumping from 11% in 2021 to 29%. However, noticeboards continue to hold their own as a simple and straightforward resource for people looking for information.

The survey also asked respondents to score, using a 0 to 10 scale, (where 0 is poor, 10 excellent), ‘how well are we keeping you up to date with news and information’. Only 4% scored our effectiveness

26

below 5, the remaining scores being fairly evenly spread between 18% scoring a 5 and 22% scoring a 10, suggesting definite room for improvement but with a broadly positive direction of travel. The survey also asked about experience of using Bullion Hall’s website. Almost three quarter of responses were positive, variously describing the website, as “very informative”, “very clear”, “very easy to find things”. Among the few negative responses, one person “could not find what I was looking for”, another “had to phone as website had not info about Tai Chi ”.

Demographics

The survey results show a slight increase in the percentage of people over 75 participating in activities at Bullion Hall, from 36% during 2021/22 to 38%. Similarly, the ‘55 to 64’ category has increased from 14% in 2021/22 to 19% in this survey. However the ‘65 to 74’ category has experienced a drop from 29% in the previous survey to 25%.

When considering the age groups that use Bullion Hall, it should be noted that not all groups currently using or which had used Bullion Hall, during the period from April 2022 to March 2023, returned forms. In particular the two youth groups, Junior Judo and junior guitar lessons, that meet weekly at Bullion Hall and children and young people who attended the After School Club and holiday activities at Bullion Hall are under-represented in these figures.

27

The North East has the highest level of disability among the English regions[1] at 21%. The results of this survey suggests a much higher concentration of people with a disability using Bullion Hall.

1

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/disability/articles/disabilitybyagesexa nddeprivationenglandandwales/census2021#disability-at-a-regional-and-local-authority-level-2021

28

Compared with the 2021/22 Annual Survey, the percentage of retired people using Bullion Hall, while still significantly the largest cohort, has dropped from 71% to 65% The percentage of people employed full time has increased from 3% in 2021/22 to 10% with the percentage of those unemployed having fallen from 13% to 8%.

----- Start of picture text -----
How many adults in your household?
2%
47%
51%
one adult two adults three or more adults
----- End of picture text -----

29

The 2021 Census[2] reports that 39.2% of households in Chester West and Central, the local authority ward where Bullion Hall is located, are occupied by only one person. This is higher average County Durham (33.9%), North East (33.7%) and England. (30.1%)

Figures from the annual survey show that the percentage of people living alone who use Bullion Hall (47%) is higher than all of these averages.The survey also asked about the number of children in the household with the highest percentage of households (52%) having one child living in it.

----- Start of picture text -----
How many children in your household
10%
14%
52%
24%
one child two children three children four children
----- End of picture text -----

2 https://tinyurl.com/57pmnv69

30

Postcode maps

This map shows the postcode catchment area of approximately 12km north, south and west, and 7km east towards Sunderland. Bullion Hall is in the cluster of markers in the middle of the map.

31

----- Start of picture text -----
Bullion Hall
----- End of picture text -----

This second map shows a more detailed view of the approximately 1.7km north, south and west, and 1km east.

Learning disabilities project survey 2023

Introduction

Alongside the annual survey, a second survey was carried out with those who have been part of Bullion Hall’s NHS Connector Fund funded project to provide new and inclusive activities and events for adults with learning difficulties.

The one-year project began in May /June2022, and recently secured further funding until March 2025. The survey was carried out during April 2023. When carrying out the survey the project worker supported participants to complete the questions, but with care not to influence the answers and the words recorded are the participants own.

The survey was completed by 32 participants who took part in a mix of weekly activities such as Lets Connect, and one-off or time limited activities such as the Film Club or Christmas disco.

What activities did people take part in?

Activities developed by the project were Mix and Match an informal social group, which became Let’s Connect, Cooking on a Budget, Film Club, and the Christmas Disco. Volunteering opportunities were provided by Bullion Hall’s Toddler group, which meets twice a week during term time and Thursday’s Bread and Butter Thing.

32

On average, how much time to do you spend at Bullion Hall each week (including the Wait 'er While Cafe)?

The majority of adults taking part in the project (75%) spent one to two hours a week at Bullion Hall, followed by 16% who were at Bullion Hall for up to four hours a week. A minority, most likely those who work in the Wait ‘er While Café, spend between four to six hours (3%) or more than six hours (3%) at Bullion Hall.

Please describe the benefits that you get from taking part in activities at Bullion Hall

The primary benefit is to ‘have fun’ (91%), the second most popular being ‘feeling happier’ (81%). As with the above annual survey ‘gets me out of the house’ and ‘make new friends’ are significant outcomes, motivating people to come to Bullion Hall. However for adults with learning difficulties, ‘Learning new skills’ scored much higher when compared to the annual survey (53% compared to 38%).

Other benefits were more closely matched, for example ‘feel part of the community’ (project survey 25%; annual survey 29%) but annual survey respondents appear to gain more from the availability of ‘affordable café meals’ (22% compared to 12%). Similarly, the annual survey reports a higher percentage feeling ‘fitter and healthier’ (44%) in comparison the project survey (15%).

What did you do before attending Bullion Hall?

The survey suggests that many adults with learning difficulties enjoy relatively few opportunities for meeting others and taking part in positive social activities. Only 2 out of 23 responses describe taking part in organised activity; one respondent attending film making sessions at Cornerstones, while another “stayed at the Learning Centre in Consett (and) came once a week to arts and crafts group (at Bullion Hall”

Apart from shopping or visiting family and friends, 73% said they “stayed at home” where they watched TV, played on computer games, or “did nothing”.

• “I would have stayed in house if the disco hadn't been on.”

• “Stayed in house. Sometimes met friends.”

• “Not a lot. Stayed in house. Played on computer.”

How can we make Bullion Hall better for you?

59% said they wanted project activities to continue, or wanted more of them, for example “another film club” or “more discos”. Cooking, computer courses and drama were suggestions for new activities. 41% were “happy with how it is” or “didn’t know”.

Apart from Bullion Hall have you used/visited any other community centre or venue during the last 12 months?

The majority (78%) have only visited Bullion Hall during the 12 months of the project. Cornerstones in Chester le Street, Innovations and Waddington Street in Durham are other venues attended by those who do go to other centres.

How long have you been coming to Bullion Hall?

75% of participants in the project have been coming to be Bullion Hall for less than 12 months, strongly suggesting that the project has been successful in bringing new adults with learning difficulties to Bullion Hall.

33

In three words how would you describe your first visit to Bullion Hall?

As with the annual survey, ‘friendly’ was by far the most common word used. One person said that they felt “strange to be in a new place” but also “happy”. Others felt scared being somewhere new, doing new things but “excited and hopeful” too.

How did you find out about what's on?

Social media, in particular Facebook was the most popular (48%) source of information, then email (35%) followed by word of mouth (29%).

Demographics

Almost half of those taking part in the project are aged 25 to 34 years (47%) and in contrast to annual survey there is a narrow majority (53%), of male participants. Only 18% live on their own, with 70% living in one or three person households. 34% use a bus and/or walk to Bullion Hall, while 21% are driven by a carer. Asked if they considered themselves disabled 78% said yes. More significant perhaps given the stigma that can be attached to having a disability[3] ) is that 20% do not consider themselves to have a disability.

3 https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics/stigma-and-discriminationresearch-and

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County Durham Community Foundation itfreilw-le-street & D151ilct Area Acllon . Portnershlp Durham County Council GREGGS The Rothley Trust 4N• SIR JAMES KNOTT TRUST Sainsburys . COMMUNITY FUND Bullion Community ReSOUTce Centre is 3 Company limited by Guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Compary No. 4046498 Registered Charity No. l(64105. Registered Office= Bullion Ha15. South Approach. Chester le Street. Co. Durham, DH2 2DW