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2025-12-31-accounts

Bearwood Community Centre Association Registered Charity No. 1118753

19[th] Annual Report 2025

Management Committee

Chair Natalie Pilcher
Vice chair Celia Mitchener
Treasurer Jenna Milton
Secretary VACANT
Membership Secretary VACANT
Trustees
Sheila Wells
Anne Clark
Jennifer Casadio
Centre Manager Nichole Rexon
Minutes Secretary Anne Clark
BCP Council Rep Marcus Andrews

The Bearwood Community Centre Association Management Committee is responsible for the Community Centre building under the terms of a lease with BCP Council This entails:

• the day to day running of the centre • managing the Association’s finances and administration • a continuing programme of works to maintain and improve the physical condition of the premises

• continuing to make the Centre more accessible and engaged with the local community

The Chair and Vice Chair continued their roles as of voted on May 2023. Its pleasing to be able to get people for these voluntary roles. As with the trustees and other committee jobs, we would not be able to run properly without them, so we are incredibly grateful for your time and commitment. We are always looking to recruit new trustees and volunteers to assist in the running and management of the centre.

The Centre’s staff are a Centre Manager (Nichole Rexon), responsible for bookings and the general management of the centre as well as the relationships with all the groups using the premises and a cleaner, both are part-time roles and Jenna Milton as Finance, compliance & administration.

The following pages of this report detail the principal areas of activity during 2025.

We continue to work in partnership with the Bearwood Social Club (BSC)

There is still potential for the Centre to grow and develop further and a lot of desire and need within the area for even better facilities, activities, and events to meet the needs of the Community, whose ages range from Toddlers to the Senior members. To keep improving the centre and keep it appealing to the community is at the forefront of our thoughts.

We wish to continue growing the community around the centre and have more interaction with everyone in the area. We would also like to continue working with the local school and church in the positive way we do.

Activities at the centre and involvement with the community

Our centre truly is the heart of the community. Every week it’s filled with people of all ages coming together — dancing, learning, laughing, and supporting one another.

We’re home to a wonderful mix of groups: children’s, adults’ and seniors’ dance classes, fitness sessions, Martial Arts, Cheerleading, Yoga and Pilates. There’s music from the brilliant Ukulele Rebels, dog training, model trains, and even philosophy with Philosophy in Wessex. We’ve also just welcomed Musical Story Box , along with two new fitness classes , adding even more variety and energy to our weekly timetable.

It’s especially lovely to see groups who look after each other — from our happy seniors meeting for tea and bingo, to AA offering a safe, supportive space.

Our lounges and the Bridge room are always buzzing with training groups, and we’re proud to work with charities such as U3A, who join us termly for short mat bowls. Homestead also brings a fantastic Kurling group to the centre.

Our Friday community coffee morning continues to thrive with soft play, and on the first Friday of every month a bouncy castle joins the fun , bringing even more laughter and energy to the morning. It has become a warm, welcoming space where people can - connect — especially those who may not see anyone else all week. A huge thank you to Natalie, Jenny and Anne for making this free weekly event such a joy.

Weekends are often full to the brim with birthday parties and baby showers — sometimes three in a single day. We regularly hear how clean and inviting the centre is, and we love seeing families return again and again.

Our youth club is a huge part of who we are. Lol and her team do an incredible job, and it’s wonderful to see the club thriving.

We’re also proud to host regular training groups who use the centre week after week, helping to keep our spaces lively and full of purpose.

Thank you to all our hirers and groups for helping make the centre the friendly, welcoming place it is. You are what brings it to life.

Administration of the Association and the Community Centre

A key part of this activity is to efficiently manage the administration of the centre to support its continuing growth and to meet the various demands placed on the Centre as a public venue and as a Registered Charity.

Management Committee & Trustees

The Management Committee also act as the Trustees of the Association.

Membership

The annual membership fee for 2025 is £5 and comprises of 45 members who hire facilities at the Centre.

Organisation Structure and Constitution

The Association is an unincorporated association and Registered Charity no. 1118753 as of April 2007. The Association operates in accordance with our revised Constitution which was approved by members at the AGM in April 2006.

Engagement with supporting organisations

The BCCA is conscious that it will not be able to achieve the long term aims without the active involvement and support of a range of agencies that advise, guide, and facilitate any development. To this end the Association are actively engaged with various departments at BCP Council as well as Community Action Network (CAN). Membership of CAN has continued to access all the advice and support needed for the management of an active public building.

Licensing

Throughout the year the Centre has been licensed with the local authority to offer all forms of regulated entertainment in the Community Centre. The Community Centre does not hold an alcohol licence, feeling that it is sufficient for this to be restricted to the Social Club, however it is registered with the local authority as a food business able to serve tea, coffee, drinks and snacks in the lounge and youth centre.

Lease

BCCA agreed and signed a 35-year lease on the building in March 2007. We have a good working relationship with BCP Council to ensure both parties are abiding by the terms of the lease and fulfilling the necessary requirements for the maintenance and upkeep of the building.

Insurance cover

Insurance cover for the premises, contents and liabilities has been in effect throughout the year for both the Community Centre and Social Club parts of the building, including Public Liability cover of £10m as required by the Council’s lease. Review of our insurance our cover was carried out and is in place until May 2026, it was Decided to insure with Ecclesiastical from May 2025.

Policies

We are currently working on renewing and expanding our range of policy's

Relationship with Bearwood Social Club

We continue to keep in constant contact with the Social Club, and feel they are an important and integral part of the Community. We hope to continue this relationship going forward

Meeting our legal obligations

The Management Committee are aware of their responsibilities in running the centre in compliance with the wide range of laws and regulations influencing the Association’s activities, including Charity Law, Licensing Regulations, Health and Safety Law, Fire Safety, Environmental Health, building regulations, the Disability Discrimination Act and Data Protection Act. Compliance with these laws and regulations has influenced the Committee’s discussions and decisions throughout the year and have sought assistance from CAN, the BCP Council and other bodies where necessary.

The committee is conscious that the need for legal advice and guidance will be ongoing and will take this up when required.

All these activities have been essential for ensuring the proper and transparent governance of the Association in support of their position as a registered charity.

Sheila Wells was instrumental in updating and securing our newest fire safety, and evacuation protocols. Introducing the star system and evacuation routes in all the rooms to ensure the building is empty in case of emergency.

Community Involvement

The Association continues to make our premises available for charity fundraising events which are of interest to members and residents.

Vision for the future

Our vision is of creating a vibrant and active Community Centre of which the residents of Bearwood can be proud. We ensure this is at the heart of our working.

There is still great potential for delivering improved community facilities and activities which meet the needs of the people of Bearwood, but this has not stopped us setting our sights higher and we continue to consider how to expand what we do in order that more people can benefit from a first-class community facility.

The achievements over the past twenty years have provided the basis for achieving this vision and combined with our plans for future development and the significant investment we are continuing to make, this will position Bearwood Community Centre to be a valuable and beneficial resource for the Bearwood community and a place of which we can all be proud.

Finances – Treasurers Report

I am pleased to present the Treasurer's Report for the financial year ending 31 December 2025.

During 2025, the Association generated a total income of £62,159 , compared with £88,687 in 2024. The main sources of income continued to be hall and room hire and party hire. Although the Social Club continued to make its agreed monthly payment of £1,000 , totalling £12,000 for the year, no additional profits or membership fees were transferred to the Association during 2025. This reduction in contributions from the Social Club had a significant impact on the Association's overall income compared with previous years.

Total expenditure for the year amounted to £69,986 , compared with £74,633 in the previous year. The main areas of expenditure included the refit of the kitchen in the downstairs lounge and the installation of a new security system. In accordance with the terms of our lease, the Association has a responsibility to keep the building in good order and to provide a safe environment for all users of the Centre. Expenditure was therefore directed towards maintaining and improving the facilities, ensuring that the Community Centre remains a welcoming, secure, and well-maintained space for the local community.

As a result, the Association recorded an overall deficit of £7,827 for the year.

Although the year ended with a deficit and a reduction in reserves, the Association continues to maintain positive balances across all accounts. The Committee will need to monitor expenditure closely and consider ways to strengthen income generation during the coming year to ensure the long-term financial stability of the Centre.

I would like to thank the Committee members, volunteers, staff, and everyone who has supported the financial management and activities of Bearwood Community Centre Association throughout the year.

Chair report

My name is Natalie Pilcher, and as Chair of Bearwood Community Centre, I am pleased to present this year's report.

I am delighted to say that we have had another successful year, and the centre continues to run smoothly thanks to the hard work, commitment, and support of our dedicated trustees. I would like to take this time to thank them personally and on behalf of everyone else for their hard work and dedication. It is a pleasure to work alongside such a dedicated team and their efforts do not go unnoticed.

I would also like to extend a special thank you to our Centre Manager - Nichole and our bookkeeper, Jenna, whose professionalism and dedication play a vital role in the day-today running of the Centre.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our regular hirers for their continued loyalty and support. Your commitment to using our facilities for your groups and

activities is greatly appreciated and helps ensure that the Centre remains a thriving community resource.

Our weekend children's birthday party hire continues to be successful and remains an important source of income. The revenue generated allows us to invest back into the Centre and continue making improvements for the benefit of all our users.

We are still in the process of updating and improving the Centre. During the year, we experienced some issues with the main hall flooring, and I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while these were addressed. We hope that the new flooring now provides a suitable and improved space for all our users.

Our Communi- Tee Coffee Morning continues to go from strength to strength and has become what I would describe as a real hub of the Community Centre. It provides a welcoming space for people to come together, connect, and support one another, and we are delighted to see it remain so popular.

I would also like to thank the Social Club for maintaining such a positive relationship with our committee. Working together has enabled us to achieve shared goals and strengthen the sense of community that is so important to us all.

As we look ahead to the coming years, we remain committed to developing and improving the Centre for everyone who uses it. I am always open to feedback and suggestions about how we can do better, as we are here to work together for the benefit of our community.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Bearwood Community Centre over the past year. We look forward to another successful year ahead.

Acknowledgements

BCCA would like to record their grateful thanks to the very able Centre Manager, Nicole Rexon, who has continued to ensure the smooth running and maintenance by keeping the centre up to high standards and makes sure of good relationships with the groups using the centre as well as with the members and visitors, while at the same time working towards the future.

We would also not be able to carry on with our continuing success without the quiet, consistent, and excellent standard of work of our cleaners, Carole, Nichole and Thomas and Amy, and we are grateful to them for maintaining a clean and pleasant facility for all our visitors and coping with the increasing cleaning procedures of the centre. They are getting brilliant feedback weekly on how clean the centre is.

The committee have worked with various organisations during the year, and we should like to record our thanks to them for their support.

There are several people we would like to thank for their support in the last year:

In Memory – Angela Legg

We pay tribute to the late Angela Legg, beloved wife of Leslie Legg, and remember with gratitude the dedication and commitment she gave to our organisation during its formative years.

Angela served as our Minutes Secretary for an estimated twelve years, carrying out this important role with diligence, care, and unwavering support. Her contribution helped shape the foundations of the organisation, ensuring that the work, decisions, and achievements of those early years were faithfully recorded for future generations.

We honour Angela’s memory with sincere appreciation and respect. Her service, kindness, and quiet dedication will not be forgotten, and she will always remain a valued part of our history.

Our thoughts and condolences remain with Leslie and his family.

Bearwood Community Centre Association Telephone: 07975627515 King John Avenue Bearwood Bournemouth Dorset BH11 9TF enquiries@bearwoodcommunitycentre.co.uk

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