2025-03-31-accounts

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VISION REDBRIDGE CULTURE & LEISURE

ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

www.visionrcl.org.uk

2024 - 2025

1. Introduction
Company Information	03
Chairman’s Foreword	04
Vision’s Corporate Aims and Objectives	08
2. Trustees’ Strategic Report
Trustees’ Report	11
Structure, Governance and Management	12
Senior Pay Policy	13
Employees	14
Gender Pay Gap	15
Employee engagement	17
3. Our Activities
Arts, Culture and Libraries.	18
Parks and Open spaces	22
Sport and Leisure	24
Health and Wellbeing	25
Corporate Services	26
4. Strategic Report 2024/25
2024/25 Review	28
Achievements and Performance	29
To improve the health and wellbeing of local residents by providing physical,	30
cultural and learning experiences
To build stronger and more sustainable communities	50
To improve the skills of our communities through participation and learning.	71
To focus our resources on delivering our purpose cost effectively	73
5. Future Service Improvements and Developments 2025/2026 onwards

Future service improvements and developments 2025/26	76
6. Financial Review 2024/25
Financial Review	84
Auditor’s Report	89
Financial Statements	95
Notes of Financial Statements	98

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

DIRECTOR TRUSTEES

Chair Martin Solder

Councillor Zulfiqar Hussain

Councillor Councillor Saira Jamil Nav Johal

Resigned August 2024

Appointed September 2024

Linda Perham

Catherine Rowan

Kevin Pittman David Thorogood Caroline Ward Stephen Wilks

Chief Executive

Iain Varah

CONTACT DETAILS

Company Secretary Pam Flindall

pam.flindall@visionrcl.org.uk 020 8708 3354 www.visionrcl.org.uk

Registered Office:

3rd Floor, Redbridge Central Library Clements Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1EA

Charity Registration No: 1122720

Company Registration No: 6032714

Bankers:

National Westminster 3rd Floor 280 Bishopsgate London EC2M 4RB

Solicitors:

Winckworth Sherwood Arbor 255 Blackfriars Road London SE1 9AX

External Auditors:

Moore Kingston Smith LLP 6th Floor 9 Appold Street London EC2A 2AP

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

•4fftrf. VISION REDBftIDGÉ CULTURE & LEISURE i& i2 CHAIRMAN'S FOREWORD ANNUAL REPORT 2024125

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD

Welcome to our 2024/25 Annual Report and Financial Statements

A message from the Chair

As we reflect on the past year, there are a significant number of positive events and good news stories across the whole of our organisation. As usual, we cannot include all of them within this annual report, but I hope that we are able to comprehensively demonstrate our positive work in Redbridge and our commitment to the community. I would like to pick out a few highlights.

We returned to the Royal Albert Hall late on in the year with the Redbridge Choral Festival. Over 2,000 children and young people took part in a collaboration produced by Vision’s Music and Drama Services under our Redbridge Creates Production Company. The Festival was acknowledged as being the best ever, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Redbridge as a borough. Our young musicians were accompanied by Music and Theatre alumni, including a number of performers who have gone on to become professional artists in the West End and beyond.

Hainault Forest Country Park in its first full year of trading exceeded income expectations, and the customer feedback for all aspects, including the farm, visitor attractions and bistro, has also been fantastic. We welcomed a new Head of Food & Beverage to the company and his work has already paid dividends at Fairlop Waters, Owls Indoor Play and Hainault Forest. In addition, and following the departure of the Greek restaurant at Fairlop, new kitchen and development plans are taking shape for a much-enhanced future offer.

This year’s financial position is strong and our objective of putting £100,000 into reserves has been met, strengthening our position following the challenging period in postpandemic recovery. We are however mindful of the increase in employer’s National Insurance in the year ahead, which is estimated to be £400,000, and the strain this will put on Vision’s finances just as we have reached a point of stability and a stronger financial position. We have been doing all we can in preparation and the Medium-Term Financial Plan has plotted the pressure and how we will meet the challenges. The key will be to continue to grow income through increased usage and volume, along with further focus on our costs.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD

We were faced with two temporary closures of facilities during the year due to the Council’s inspection of facilities for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete – more commonly known as RAAC. Firstly, South Woodford Library and Gym was closed, followed by the Kenneth More Theatre (KMT). Early into the new financial year RAAC was also discovered in roof structure over the main pool hall and gym areas of Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre. This has resulted in partial closure of the centre, with only the spa and two fitness studios remaining open.

Closure of the KMT meant the Pantomime was cancelled late on in the year, which was a disappointment. With South Woodford, our staff very quickly adapted Redbridge Drama Centre to house a Library, Gym and exercise studio. This work was done at pace, and an exceptionally good option was developed and opened within weeks that minimised the loss of customers and associated income. The theatre and drama team also adapted to deliver a much-enhanced Christmas show and season at the Drama Centre in lieu of the KMT. At the time of writing, the Council is in the process of procuring contractors to undertake repairs South Woodford in Autumn 2026, while the KMT work is currently being procured and hopefully we will open for the 2026 pantomime.

While having a very successful year from a financial and performance perspective, meeting our objectives and achieving record levels of income for reinvestment in our charitable activities and facilities, we face longer term uncertainty as the Council reviews the future procurement options for leisure and culture services.

I have to make the point strongly that Vision’s track record since formation in 2007 has been exceptional, growing to become one of the largest and certainly most diverse leisure and culture Trusts in England. Our focus has been on delivering strong outcomes, dedicated to Redbridge residents in order to fulfil our vision to ‘provide places where people and communities can thrive’.

We are a Redbridge based charity and concentrate our work and investment to improve services and facilities solely in the borough. Recently we heard the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt Hon. Wes Streeting MP, strongly advocate Vision’s innovation and management of the Library Services at the reopening of the refurbished Fullwell Cross Library.

My fellow Trustees and I are all local residents, service users and volunteers who have devoted significant time and effort to shaping what is a fantastic organisation for the local Redbridge community. We also have over 3,000 volunteers who I am sure wouldn’t want to give their considerable involvement if a commercial operator were to take over, supporting profit over people.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD

These are my personal views, but I do feel strongly about the future; we will do all we can to ensure that Vision continues to deliver for our staff, volunteers, residents and service users for many years to come.

In preparation for the potential significant work that may be required for reshaping the charity and our services for the future, we have implemented part of our succession planning strategy. Gareth Morley has been promoted to become the Deputy Chief Executive with greater corporate responsibility, and Anita Luby joins the senior team taking on Music, Drama and Venues, in addition to her current role managing Culture and Library Services.

Despite Vision’s uncertain future, as always there are a number of positive developments, both during the year and on the horizon. Mildmay Centre is currently being converted into a women-only gym and studio – ‘Serenity Ilford’ - due to open in September; Fullwell Cross Library was refurbished, and a significant amount of work has also been completed at the neighbouring leisure centre to improve the quality and offer where we hope there will be further developments to increase capacity, although like everything is dependent on funding.

As we move forward, 2025 will also see the strengthening of our corporate brand and digital transformation, allowing us to offer improved membership options for residents across leisure and culture services. Our focus on wellbeing throughout our integrated services aims to support residents to make the most of their lives, strengthen the outcomes that we deliver and increase awareness and engagement of Vision’s services. Our ‘Vision Is Evolving’ programme will launch in early summer, building on much of the sector leading work that Vision has already completed, particularly around digital innovation and access.

Very positively, the Council has committed to investing significant funds over the next few years for the refurbishment and upgrades across leisure, parks and culture facilities. This will support quality improvements and support income growth for Vision. Looking further ahead, we also look forward to Wanstead Pool opening and the Lido construction commencing in Valentines Park.

Finally, as always, I do want to give my unreserved thanks to the commitment, hard work and personal contributions of my fellow Director Trustees, volunteers and staff in what has been a very successful year. I really hope the future of Vision becomes clear very soon so that we can plan for the future.

Martin Solder Chairman

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

CORPORATE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

CORPORATE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Vision's governing objectives are contained within its Memorandum and Articles of Association which were drafted and adopted in setting up the original Trust in 2007. The expansion of the Trust in 2011, and then in 2016, led to a widening of activities within the scope of those objectives.

Our Vision: Providing places where people and communities can thrive. Core Purpose: Supporting people and communities to thrive.

Objectives:Objectives

To improve the health and wellbeing of local residents by providing physical, cultural and learning experiences.
To build stronger and more sustainable communities.
To improve the skills of our communities through participation and learning.
To focus our resources on delivering our purpose cost effectively.

Activities:Activities

We offer inclusive, affordable cultural activities and events for local people. In the places and spaces we manage, people feel safe and have opportunities to explore, relax, exercise, socialise and learn together.

In shaping the objectives of the Trust and planning activities, Trustees are mindful to take into account the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (as guided by the Charity Commission) in terms of the public benefit requirement. It is an overriding consideration, and Vision remains committed to meeting both the “benefit” and “public” aspects in everything it does. For example:

Diversity breadth is a priority in the provision of the culture and leisure services that we provide, often for example through providing and promoting cultural activities directly relevant to specific sections of the community, but including the broader aim of developing an understanding and appreciation in the wider community (thus promoting community cohesion). Many cultural activities especially therefore remain free of charge or low cost.
The same commitment to public benefit prevails where services are subject to charges. For example, Vision administers Passport Membership and Flexi Pay, which is a membership and pay-as-you-go scheme at much reduced rates for Redbridge residents. Those eligible are in receipt of:

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

CORPORATE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Pension Credit
Carers Allowance
Anyone in Full-time Education
Universal Credit, plus a range of qualifying disability entitlements, benefits and tax credits.
Similarly, the Music Service where fee remission is available to ensure that long-term opportunities remain accessible to low-income families.

Vision also seeks to maximise public benefit in service delivery itself and is always keen to support initiatives such as work experience schemes and volunteering initiatives, thus further engaging with the community and providing access to valuable work and life experience from which participants can directly benefit. More broadly this includes apprenticeship opportunities and routes into employment or participation for Council care leavers.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

Trustees’ Report

The Trustees, who are also Directors for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2025. This report has been prepared in accordance with The Charities Act 2011, and also contains the information required by the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013.

The Financial Statements on pages 95 to 97 have been prepared in accordance with the Accounting Policies set out on pages 98 to 104 and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).

Structure, Governance and Management

Vision-Redbridge Culture & Leisure (“Vision”) is a charitable company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales, company number 6032714). It is also a charity registered in England and Wales (Charity Commission registration number 1122720). In the event of winding up, the Trustees, who are the sole members of the company, are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1. Vision's governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

A Board of Trustees is responsible for the oversight of Vision's operations. Board members set objectives, approve the annual budget and determine overall policy. Trustees are briefed, supported and kept abreast of changes and developments across the sectors in which we operate, in addition to general company and charity governance, along with key areas of compliance such as health & safety, safeguarding and data governance.

The Board meets a minimum of four times a year and delegates the day-to-day management of the Trust to the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team (SMT). In addition to the main Board, there are five Sub-Committees that meet with the same frequency as the main Board as part of a cyclical timetable:

Executive Martin Solder, Chair. Audit Steve Wilks, Chair. Arts, Culture & Libraries Catherine Rowan, Chair. Leisure & Parks Linda Perham, Chair. Staffing & Remuneration Catherine Rowan, Chair.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

A review of the Trust’s governance arrangements was undertaken to ensure regulatory compliance and to ensure best practice, following the Charity Commission’s Governance Code Diagnostic tool and Charity Commission’s Financial Control Checklist.

One of the key recommendations was to undertake further recruitment to fill Trustee vacancies and ensure the board has a diverse composition. However, at this time, Trustees have decided not to undertake further recruitment until there is greater clarity on the future of the long term contract arrangements with Redbridge Council beyond 2026.

Senior Pay Policy

The key management personnel are the Trustees and the Senior Management Team (“SMT”). Collectively, these are the persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling Vision’s activities, either directly or indirectly.

All Trustees serve on a voluntary basis and are not remunerated. Details of Trustees’ Expenses and Related Party Transactions are disclosed in Note 8 on page 109 and Note 11 on page 110 of the Financial Statements.

The SMT is comprised of the following roles:

----- Start of picture text -----
Iain Varah
Chief Executive
Pam Flindall
Executive Support &
Governance
Kevin Wackett Victoria Paris Mutala Olaniyi
Gareth Morley Andy Jones
Director of Parks & Open Head of Human Head of Corporate
Deputy Chief Executive Head of Leisure Facilities
Spaces Resources Finance
Anita Luby
Assistant Director, Arts,
Culture & Libraries
----- End of picture text -----

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

The Chief Executive – under delegations from Trustees – determines the SMT pay structure in consultation with the Staffing & Remuneration Committee, with roles subject to benchmarking against external market rates.

The total employee benefits received in 2024/25 by key management personnel are disclosed in Note 9 to the Financial Statements.

EmployeesEmployees

Vision is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. Our workforce should be truly representative of the diverse community it serves and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. Job applications and career development opportunities are considered solely on the basis of merit, regardless of age, sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, marriage and civil partnership, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy/maternity or any other factors.

Vision especially welcomes job applications from people with disabilities and is committed to making reasonable adjustments wherever necessary throughout the recruitment process and during their employment with the Trust.

From April 2025 onwards, incremental progression within grades has been removed and Trustees approve any increase to the pay grades based on the Trust’s performance and financial affordability. We also operate Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year schemes, which offer a one-off payment for exceptional performance or contribution to the charity’s objectives.

As at 31st March 2025, the Vision gender profile was as follows:

Director Trustees	5 Male, 4 Female

Senior Management Team	5 Male, 3 Female

Service Management	5 Male, 5 Female

Staff	301 Male, 343 Female

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

Gender Pay Gap Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap is the difference between the average earnings of men and women over a period of time, irrespective of their role or seniority.

Vision is committed to the fair treatment, reward and recognition of all staff, irrespective of gender. Our pay and grading strategy is linked to the level of responsibility for a role, where each grade has a set pay range with spine points in between grades. Apart from our staff whose pay is linked to the London Living Wage or a market rate for their job role, all other permanent staff are appointed to the appropriate pay grade within the pay and grading structure.

We have previously reported that Vision RCL has consistently had a positive gender pay gap in favour of women. However, this year the latest gender pay gap figures reflect a change in this position to show women’s median hourly pay being 5% lower than men’s. The full position is shown in the table below.

As always, we continue to promote our family friendly policies and our approach to flexible working and to encourage further opportunities at senior managerial and higher pay quartiles for women.

We remain committed to ensure that all staff receive relevant equalities training, and recruiting managers are aware of their responsibilities to ensure decisions are made transparently and objectively to help minimise gender bias.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

Key Metrics Key Metrics

Hourly Rate - The difference between the mean and median hourly rate of pay that male and female full-pay relevant employees receive

Pay quartiles -the proportion of males and females in each quartile pay band	Pay quartiles -the proportion of males and females in each quartile pay band
Upper quartile
58.8% Women	41.2% Men
Upper middle quartile
46.4% Women	43.6% Men
Lower middle quartile
57.1% Women	42.9% Men
Lower quartile
60.6% Women	39.4% Men

Pay quartiles - the proportion of males and females in each quartile pay band

Bonus Pay – the difference between the mean and median bonus pay that male and female employees receive

Women’s median bonus pay was 0% lower than men’s. This means they earned £1 for every £1 that mean earned.

Women’s mean (average) bonus pay was 22.05% lower than men’s.

4.7% of women and 4.3% of men received bonus pay.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

TRUSTEES’ STRATEGIC REPORT

Employee Engagement Employee engagement

All Vision employees are able to take an active role in formulating the policy and strategy of the company. There is a golden thread from each individual performance development plan to team programmes that feed into Team/Service Plans. Teams are actively involved in establishing financial, operational and corporate objectives that are then embedded in the company’s key strategic documents, such as Business and Delivery Plans.

The Board of Trustees actively encourages participation by employees and the Senior Management Team. Although Trustees formally agree the high level strategic, policy and financial frameworks, they provide a high degree of delegation, including all operational responsibilities to the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team.

Vision’s governance model is that of an overarching Trustee Board, an Executive Committee, Audit Committee and a number of specialist sub-committees. Directors, Heads of Service and staff regularly attend service committees and present agenda items in order that their views and perspective can be included in Board recommendations about the future direction of the charity, from both an operational and strategic perspective.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

VISION REDBftIDGÉ CULTURE & LEISURE OUR ACTIVITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2024125 18

OUR ACTIVITIES

LibrariesLibraries

Managing and delivering library services through a large Central Library and ten branch libraries within Redbridge. A Schools’ Library Service is also operated, which covers the wider area of North East London. The Central Library hosts a number of specialist services, including for example, Redbridge Museum and Heritage Centre and Hub Central, a community advice and information hub, and Lab Central – an interactive innovation and technology lab for digital learning and entrepreneurs. The Library hosts a number of partners on both a permanent and temporary basis, including Redbridge Council’s Work Redbridge Team, Debt Free London and Redbridge Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

Culture & Library DevelopmentCulture & Library Development

The Culture & Library Development Team is responsible for developing library services, ensuring their relevance and increasing usage. This is achieved through outreach, engagement and partnership working, in addition to direct programming. The Team also supports grass roots community arts projects, helping the voluntary arts sector to develop and thrive. A key focus for the team is to deliver a range of cultural programmes in areas of low arts engagement, increasing participation with the arts by Redbridge’s diverse communities, delivering arts activities and exhibitions in libraries and community spaces, and animating outdoor spaces through the Redbridge Outdoor Arts programme in Ilford Town Centre and Ken Aston square.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

Museum and Heritage Museum and Heritage

Redbridge Museum & Heritage Centre delivers a comprehensive education, exhibition and events programme showcasing the Borough’s history, often set in a global context and in partnership with local community organisations. The local studies and archive resources support local history and family research. The Museum reopened in Autumn 2024 following major refurbishment

Mildmay & Community ServicesMildmay Nursery

Further responsibilities include oversight of the Mildmay Neighbourhood Learning Centre (home to an ‘Outstanding’ rated nursery), and a managing agent role for three Redbridge community centres. The Mildmay site will shortly be transformed into a new women’s only gym and wellbeing facility, alongside the nursery and a range of third sector partners who will be delivering from some of the rentable spaces on site.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

Vision Venues // Vision Venues

The Vision Venues Team manages Valentines Mansion, Sir James Hawkey Hall and Redbridge Town Hall Main Hall & Lambourne Room.

Valentines Mansion is a 300-year-old mansion house that is home to weddings, ceremonies, exhibitions, special events and creative workshops, along with an education programme for school children. The Mansion is also open to the general public with guided tours and private hire. Walks and outdoor music and theatre also take place in the gardens.

Hawkey Hall and Redbridge Town Hall are large civic/function venues, available to hire for a range of functions, exhibitions, community events and performances.

Music Service

Delivers opportunities for children and young people to learn and engage with music, including schools-based teaching, from whole class learning through to individual tuition. Further opportunities include participation in ensembles and choirs, with an annual concert programme. The Music Service is also the lead organisation for the Redbridge Music Hub, working in partnership with a range of music organisations.

Following the national review of Music Education Hubs, Vision has partnered with eight other music services, as part of the East London Music Association, to deliver the London East Music Hub and associated outcomes of the National Plan for Music.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

The Parks & Open Spaces service division carries out a range of activities including:

Parks and Open SpacesParks and Open Spaces

Managing Valentines Park, along with eight other parks, all of which have facilities that include outdoor gymnasia, bowling greens, tennis courts and a variety of children's play areas. Hainault Forest, which contains a small farm, and Fairlop Waters Country Park, including Owls Indoor Play Centre, are also managed, along with over 40 recreation grounds and open spaces.

Grounds MaintenanceGrounds Maintenance

Operation and management of grounds maintenance for parks and open spaces, plus individual contracts with schools, residential homes and private sports grounds, as well as a contract for monitoring play inspections on housing sites.

Nature ConservationNature Conservation

A specialist team providing support and advice to Council officers on ecology and managing the Borough’s nature conservation assets. Physical sites include Roding Valley Park, Hainault Lodge Local Nature Reserve and Claybury Park, as well oversight at Hainault Forest. The team is based at the James Leal Centre where they run a successful education programme for schools. They also manage and run a range of projects, including a highly successful volunteer programme, and key partnerships, including the borough’s main tree planting initiative with Trees for Cities, and other projects and initiatives across the Borough.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

AllotmentsAllotments

Managing almost 900 allotments across 14 different sites, as well as monitoring 10 society managed sites across Redbridge.

Events

Organise a wide range of community festivals in Redbridge, as well as a full programme of events and commercial hires.

Food and Beverage Food & Beverage

Operation and management of a bar / café at Fairlop Waters, café at Hainault Forest and also a kitchen and café at Owls Indoor Play Centre.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

Sport and LeisureSport & Leisure

The Sport & Leisure service division comprises two key areas of activity:

Leisure FacilitiesLeisure Facilities

Operating leisure centres at Fullwell Cross (including pools, fitness and spa facilities), Loxford (dual-use facility with pool, sports hall and outdoor pitches), Wanstead (dual-use facility with sports hall, fitness facilities and squash courts), Mayfield (pool, studio and Gym which is also complemented by the school sports hall and all-weather pitch out of school hours.)

Two outdoor sports grounds with athletics tracks are also operated at Cricklefields and Ashton Playing Fields, with the latter having an all-weather pitch, grass pitches, gym, studio and hall.

Vision also operates Redbridge Cycling Centre, Fairlop Outdoor Activity Centre and Woodford Green Gym and South Woodford Gym; the latter two as innovative integrated library/fitness facilities.

Indoor Commercial FacilitiesIndoor Commercial Facilities

Sport and Leisure operates Fairlop Waters Boat House, Hainaut Forest 1856 Café and Owls Play Centre, with all three facilities focusing on customer experience and food and beverage.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

Health and Wellbeing Health and Wellbeing

The Health & Wellbeing Team is a cross-cutting function, working across all divisions of the charity to manage, co-ordinate and deliver a range of sport, physical activity and health and wellbeing community programmes, including additional contracts with Redbridge Council’s Public Health Team. The team offers universal programmes, as well as a referral service targeting children and young people, older people, females and people with disabilities, mental health issues or long-term health conditions.

In addition, the team organises sporting events for young people, adults with disabilities and health awareness events and workshops. The Team also leads on the co-ordination of the Megamix programme, offering leisure, arts and culture activity to children as an early intervention/introduction to participation.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

OUR ACTIVITIES

Corporate Services Corporate Services

Finance, HR and MarketingFinance, HR, and Marketing

These corporate services provide the ‘engine room’ in support of frontline services. Their role is to ensure we operate a compliant, efficient and effective charity.

Customer Support & Digital TeamCustomer Support and Digital Team

The Customer Support Team provides first line support to customers looking to hire a Vision facility or book a ticket for an event, including the Theatre Box Office function. This team has expanded to manage a range of other bookings including functions at Hainault and Fairlop, Owls Play Centre party bookings, support swimming lesson and exercise class bookings, as well as Parks Tennis and the Vision app. The Team also has oversight of digital service delivery and development across the charity. The Head of Service has a focus on improving the overall customer experience across the charity, monitoring customer feedback, participation levels and financial performance.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

VISION REDBftIDGÉ CULTURE & LEISURE .4A. STRATEGIC REPORT ANNUAL REPORT 2024125 27

OUR ACTIVITIES

2024/2025 Review 2024/25 Review

The constitution of Vision as a charitable Trust and the breadth of services brings some key benefits, such as NNDR (Non National Domestic Rate) relief and significant VAT advantages, as well as access to external funding and creative industry tax schemes which directly run Council services and private sector competitors are not eligible for.

Vision is a social enterprise that is able to utilise those advantages and many others for the benefit of Redbridge residents. The Trust has a lower cost base compared to the previous ‘in-house’ Culture and Leisure services which has helped to protect and expand many valued services. Alongside the financial benefits and efficiencies, Vision is focused on innovation and providing positive outcomes for our communities across a range of priorities, delivered through our facilities and services.

Where the Trust competes with the private sector, especially in the field of Leisure services, the non-profit making model enables fees and charges levied on the public to remain affordable to residents, thus maintaining accessibility and promoting inclusion. Across our portfolio we have a positive reputation for innovation and pace of working.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

STRATEGIC REPORT

Achievements and Performance

As previously mentioned, the 2024/25 financial year has seen many highlights, against a backdrop of challenges presented with inflation and the cost-of-living crisis impacting significantly. A number of service development initiatives and improvements came to fruition during the year.

While the majority of services have seen activity return to pre-pandemic levels, others are on a slower trajectory, notably libraries where footfall patterns have changed postCovid and with service redesign. However, generally we have seen performance increases across the board.

Our highlight achievements against our key objectives are as follows:

1.5M

Library digital and physical issues

1.18M Library visits

963,000+ Leisure centre visits

66,000+

Class and workshop attendances across our Theatres

44,000+

Swimming lessons delivered to adults and children

17,000+

Volunteer hours recorded in support of Vision’s activities

11,000+

Children and young people took part in music activities in schools with Redbridge Music Service

Green flags held for Vision parks

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

STRATEGIC REPORT

Our key achievements against our strategic objectives are as follows:

To improve the health and wellbeing of local residents by providing physical, cultural and learning experiences

Much of Vision’s work is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of Redbridge residents and communities in the broadest sense; from targeted opportunities to improve physical and mental health, to universal services for all, learning new skills and providing opportunities to participate in local community life. We do this in many ways; some obvious such as leisure centres and outdoor facilities, through to creative opportunities across libraries, arts and culture. We underpin the development of strong, active and sustainable communities.

We deliver a range of services that are integrated and work collaboratively in order to deliver our charitable aims and the outcomes and objectives of our funders. Simply, we offer opportunities for people to ‘Do More’. To increase and enable participation and activity throughout the year, we have delivered a diverse programme of activities, significant improvements and investment into facilities.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

STRATEGIC REPORT

Early on in the year, Fullwell Cross Library closed for a major refurbishment, reopening in August 2024. The new library has been redecorated and reconfigured to include a dedicated maker space (Lab FX) where the community has enjoyed learning to Code, use 3D printing and can access VR headsets, Ozobots and Cubelets – a broad range of digital equipment to support learning and creativity. The new feel Children's library now includes sensory awareness materials featuring a ‘sensory nook’, interactive resources, overhead and wall projectors so children can use touch to develop their cognitive skills. One of the community halls at Fullwell has a special overhead projector to support people with Dementia.

The feedback on the library refurbishment has been overwhelmingly positive. To celebrate the library’s refurbishment, an event was held with a formal unveiling of a celebratory plaque by the Mayor of Redbridge, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP – local MP for Ilford North and Cllr Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council. The refurbishment was made possible through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Library Improvement Fund, administered by Arts Council England, which Vision successfully bid for on behalf of the Council. Additional funding was made available by both the Council and Vision.

The Culture and Library Development Team has been working across the borough with children, young people, adults and older people, delivering on strategic priorities such as Health & Wellbeing, Reading & Literacy, Diversity & Inclusion and Digital & Access. Through partnership working and delivery with libraries, community groups, council services, local charities, schools and many more the team has delivered an impressive 570 sessions, events and exhibitions to over 64,384 participants, visitors and audience members.

ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

STRATEGIC REPORT

A highlight for the Team was delivering our Fabula Festival; they engaged nine local schools, 452 children, with visits from award-winning authors Dean Atta, and Trish Cook. 1,070 visitors came to Redbridge Central Library to take part in the Families’ Take-Over Day in July.

The Schools’ Library Service (SLS) has had another busy year; they’ve successfully subscribed 35 schools to the service across East London, including 25 primary, nine secondary and one nursery. Subscriptions in the London borough of Redbridge include 15 primary, six secondary and four independent primaries.

The Redbridge Children’s Book Award (RCBA) 2024 celebrated its 20th year in June with 19 participating local schools. Over 300 children attended the RCBA Ceremony, as well as voting for their favourite children and teen books published in the UK that year. Children took part in writing competitions, and we received 51 entrants for poetry and 55 entrants for short story writing.

The ceremony allows children to hear directly from authors and to ask the panel any questions they may have about their work or life as an author as well as getting signed copies of the shortlisted titles and meet some of the shortlisted authors in person. Alongside the Book Award we run a short story and poetry competition in both age categories.

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The Culture and Library Development Team provided a wide and varied Health and Wellbeing offer throughout Redbridge Libraries. They worked in partnership with NELFT, Public Health, LB Redbridge, Community Action Redbridge and various voluntary and community sector groups, organisation and volunteers. They delivered information stands, Mental Health Awareness and Health Information Week, Death Positive Library events, reading for pleasure initiatives, supported and promoted the NHS App, delivered creative workshops, physical activities and learning opportunities.

The team successfully secured £38,190 in external funding from Arts Council England and Without Walls, a National Portfolio Organisation, to deliver the Redbridge Outdoor Arts programme and Community Engagement Project. This initiative brought free, highquality outdoor arts performances to public spaces, creating vibrant and inclusive experiences for the entire community.

The Redbridge Outdoor Arts programme featured an exciting array of theatre, music, dance, and circus skills in Ilford Town Centre and Ken Aston Square in Barkingside. These events celebrated our diverse community, with themes ranging from environmental responsibility to South Asian Heritage Month and Black History Month. Over the course of the programme, we hosted eight outdoor arts events, attracting an estimated audience of 5,865.

Our community engagement project was equally impactful, delivering 34 participatory sessions to 1,150 participants. To ensure inclusivity, we offered five Spectrum Studio sessions for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) families, which saw 86 attendees and 18 participants completing a 'Discover in a Day’ Arts Awards. This funding significantly enhanced our core town centre arts programme, emphasizing access and inclusion, and adding immense value to our community's cultural landscape.

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The Barkingside Community Flags project has been seen by an estimated 5,600+ library users throughout its exhibition at Fullwell Cross Library and Redbridge Central Library. The eight hand painted silk flags were co-created in partnership with Barkingside Art Club, Mossford Green Primary School, Redbridge Alternative Provision, Barkingside 21, Holy Trinty Church, volunteers and community members over 11 sessions with 82 participants.

A highlight of this project was taking Barkingside Art Club’s Creative Ambassadors, a group of young emerging artists aged 11-18 years old, to Kinetika’s design studio and workshop in Thurrock to hand paint the flags in their final stages. It was a great opportunity for these young people to work in a professional setting, and they were lucky to get a tour of the Royal Opera House workshops. Feedback from young people and tutors was overwhelmingly positive and they were grateful for the opportunity.

Feedback from participants and visitors to the project:

‘Thank you for allowing me to be part of this project. It is wonderful to see my ideas come to life. This project has given me a sense of pride to be part of the Barkingside Community. Well done to all the team at Redbridge Outdoor Arts’ – L, Barkingside Resident.

‘I have enjoyed this project A LOT!’ by N, Barkingside Art Club – Creative Ambassador

‘Great flags exhibition! Fantastic artwork! Good luck!’ – Cllr Martin Sachs, Barkingside Ward

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The Holocaust Memorial, Armed Forces Day and Remembrance Day events were organised and delivered on behalf of the Council from an infrastructure and event management perspective by the Parks Events Team, but also wider input from culture teams including Redbridge Music Service and Redbridge Drama Centre. The involvement of our students is with the utmost respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The music is provided by Redbridge Music School Brass Band, Symphonic Band and Fanfare Team with RDC providing vocal support which, in turn, encourages observers of the event to participate in singing hymns or the National Anthem and provides our students with a formal professional performance development opportunity.

In addition, the Parks Events Team successfully hosted multiple funfairs in Valentines Park, Fairlop Waters and Barley Lane Recreation Ground. Wanstead Festival engaged with over 100 community groups and businesses who participated in the annual festival, which is attended by in excess of 5,000 visitors. Large festivals such as Garage Nation and Festival of Cricket were hosted again in our parks and open spaces.

Redbridge Libraries continue to offer spaces where groups are able to meet, discuss and participate in open access community activities, in addition to hireable spaces. The range of interests is varied and the groups that meet in our branches include Conversation Clubs, Family History Club, BSL Practice Group, Reading Groups, Creative Writing Groups, Embroidery Group and Knit & Natter craft Groups.

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There has been a renaissance of the Early Years Music programme delivered by the Music Service in respect of an uptake in numbers. With an adjustment of payment plans in line with the different charging models being offered by outside competitors, the uptake has been much stronger across the last year. This early interaction is vital in building a long-term relationship with music, but also an opportunity for young families to build support networks outside of immediate families. Libraries host a range of first access music sessions which, in turn, support the more intensive and longer-term engagement delivered by the Music Service.

An absolute highlight at the end of the year saw our return to the Royal Albert Hall for the 25th Redbridge Music and Choral Festival, marking the milestone anniversary since the inception of the event in 1976, with the sellout performance also celebrating the 60th anniversary since the formation of the London Borough of Redbridge. This gala showcase is produced by Vision’s Redbridge Creates Theatre Company, working across many of the charity’s services and borough schools. Over 2,000 children and young people took part in the live performance of song, music and performing arts, including the Redbridge Youth Symphony Orchestra. Not many music services are able to deliver a performance of this scale or level of musicianship, with few having a full symphony orchestra.

The event has evolved greatly over the years to take into account the changing demographic of the borough, while still making the concert relevant to those who have a long association of attending. One common thread that many residents who have grown up in the borough have in common is that they have participated in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall over the years, and now many have children or even grandchildren now taking part as a performer.

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The festival is one of the key linchpins in our ongoing relationship with schools and residents in the borough where they are very invested as supporters of the event, having never forgotten their own experience of stepping onto that iconic world-famous stage. The festival is free at the point of delivery for all of the schools in the borough, making it equitable for all students to take part and, for the second festival in a row, there was an allocation of tickets for pupils who qualify for Free School Meals to enable their families to attend the performance, where cost may have otherwise been a barrier. Moments for inspiration such as these should not be denied for any of our young people and families; to perform or attend a concert at one of the world most prestigious venues.

The genres of music performed included Dhol drumming as part of the opening to the concert, a specially commissioned music piece written by Vision’s Music Development Manager, which featured as part of one of the recent Children’s BBC Proms with steel pans, massed djembe drummers and the grand finale of KMT and RMS alumni singers who have gone on to perform with careers in West End shows and on the international stage.

The theme of the show was expertly brought to life by Redbridge Drama Centre’s Creative Director, with a narrative showing our pupils that they could also aspire to be the “Stars of Tomorrow”, with videos from inspirational celebrities such as Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell, which were kindly recorded for the event. The story followed a team of explorers who had to solve the clues to lead them to understand how the borough of Redbridge was formed, and the history behind the borough motto ‘In Unity Progress’. By working together, we achieve more.

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The festival also recognised the advent of disco at the celebrity filled Ilford Palais, the Ilford Mammoth, Keith Flint of The Prodigy and Kathy Kirby of Eurovision Song Contest fame and one of the most successful female singers of the sixties. A nod was also given to Dame Maggie Smith amongst many others; the golden thread of the Festival was that all of these inspirational stars came from Redbridge. We also celebrated 50 years of the Kenneth More Theatre, where the musical The Rocky Horror Show originated, and the passing of one of the UK’s foremost pantomime performers, Nigel Ellacott, whose brother Vivyan was the KMT General Manager for many years and is a Freeman of the Borough. Nigel’s work as writer, performer and costume designer is still very much present at the KMT today.

The culmination of the evening was a medley of songs from Les Miserables, the landmark record-breaking musical that has inspired so many performers and which celebrates its own 40th anniversary performance in 2025.

We are grateful to the many funders who supported the event, including the Royal Albert Hall granting one of their few charitable rate lettings to us, along with the former staff and students who returned to help bring together this awe-inspiring event. It was perceived to be the best Festival yet; which raises the bar for the 26thFestival in 2027, with work already in the planning stages for this.

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Following a period of closure, Redbridge Museum reopened to the public in August 2024 and received its official opening in October. This ambitious redevelopment of the permanent exhibition space, funded by over £200,000 of external funding through various sources and donors over the last few years, was based around an extensive community engagement programme which informed the development of the new displays.

The small Museum team worked over five years to create high quality, engaging and accessible exhibits, generating overwhelmingly positive reviews from a diverse range of visitors which closely matches the demographic of the borough, supporting greater awareness, cohesion and understanding of our diverse community today.

These include families, older visitors, ESOL classes and others including the London Appreciation Society, and the Hidden Treasures website which highlighted the Museum & Heritage Centre’s archives about the local Jewish community.

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Since opening, the Museum has welcomed over 9,000 visitors. Out of 149 evaluation questionnaires completed by visitors in the period after reopening, 136 rated the Museum as ‘Excellent’, equating to 91% of visitors, with 100% respondents rating it ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’.

The overwhelmingly positive range of visitor comments include:

“Magnificent – best local museum I’ve seen.”

“This is an outstanding local museum, both fascinating in content and very well provided. I wish my borough had something half as good!”

“Excellent, very interactive. Very good for kids. Delighted to see the new museum – well worth the wait.”

“The redevelopment and refurbishment of Redbridge Museum is so much better. The whole layout is easier to browse along and the displays are beautifully arranged and clearly marked and labelled. There is something here for everyone.”

In the neighbouring Redbridge Heritage Centre there has been a steady number of inperson visits and virtual enquiries, in particular for sensitive family history enquiries about relations who were patients at Claybury or Goodmayes Mental Hospitals, for which the Heritage Centre holds the main national archives. Other enquiries have come from housing developers or researchers undertaking planning or house history enquiries; a solicitor investigating historic asbestos injuries; residents checking electoral registers; and those researching local newspapers or online resources.

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Redbridge Drama Centre and the Kenneth More Theatre provide an ever-increasing diverse and varied theatre programme for all ages and areas of the community. A progressive theatre programme, with impressive sales for the first half of the year across both venues resulted in the highest footfall for theatre at the Drama Centre since before the Covid pandemic.

The Kenneth More Theatre and Redbridge Drama Centre are operated jointly, with the smaller Drama Centre offering classes, workshop and a seedbed for developing new work. In turn, the larger KMT can host more established work by both professional companies and our local community theatre groups, which are the lifeblood of local theatre venues. Work developed at the Drama Centre may also see growth and exposure to a larger audience in its sister venue.

Vision has continued to invest in both theatres’ facilities, to provide state of the art infrastructure for performances, positive audience experiences and the development of the theatre programme.

Prior to closure, the visitors to the KMT for 24/25 were on track to significantly exceed previous years’ audience numbers. The numbers recorded for the first quarter doubled compared to the previous year; the planned extended pantomime run would have seen the KMT easily exceed visitor numbers of over 40,000 in the year. The Theatre enjoyed audience satisfaction levels of over 95%, with 95% of respondents also saying they were ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to recommend the Kenneth More Theatre to a friend or colleague.

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The good news for the Drama Centre is that with the addition of an unexpected Christmas show and the busiest programme for the Centre since pre-Covid times, the audience numbers for the Centre increased from 2,821 in 2023/24 to 9,847 in 2024/25. This is a huge increase and bodes well for the continued development of the Drama Centre Theatre programme, although the Centre is very much at capacity at present. A proportion of this can be attributed to the increasing strong relationships between the Centre and the local community theatre groups, three of which are now permanent residents, rehearsing and performing at the Drama Centre as well the KMT.

Our own Redbridge Creates productions are also programmed across both venues. Prior to Vision’s management of the KMT, there was little collaboration between the two venues, therefore with the closure of the KMT it has been refreshing to see a cohort of the KMT audience members travelling over to support productions at the Drama Centre. This means that our regular audience reach has grown further locally and we have been developing and adapting our theatre programme accordingly.

Neither theatre venue could operate without the large team of theatre volunteers, who support the substantial front of house operations at both venues, along with the Friends of RDC & KMT.

The continuous work between the theatre team, Redbridge Forum, Age UK, Links, Woodbine and ELHAP ensured that the strong relations with minority groups within the community continued to be served. Working collaboratively with the Colours of Redbridge consortium, led by Vision, meant we were able to work to the mutual objective of providing accessible cultural and theatre participation opportunities to the more isolated and excluded members of the community.

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The summer of 2024 culminated in another highly successful production by our in-house Theatre Company – ‘Redbridge Creates’ – working across our Music and Theatre teams with our presentation of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at the Kenneth More Theatre, with five sold out shows over the last weekend of June. There was a full orchestra, larger than West End standards. The overall result was spectacular with one of the audience members saying it was “As good as, if not better than the West End!”, and wowed by the quality of the musicians and actors. This performance is an opportunity to inspire children and young people by live music and performing arts in the borough, which may otherwise be beyond reach.

The autumn time was a challenging period for the leisure and culture teams, due to the discovery of RAAC at both South Woodford Library & Gym and the Kenneth More Theatre. Colleagues across the organisation worked at pace to repurpose spaces and reconfigure usage of Redbridge Drama Centre to incorporate the gym, a new changing area, a fitness studio and pop-up library space. This transformation and move was completed within two months of the closure, retaining most of our leisure membership base and providing alternative facilities for residents in the South Woodford area.

At the same time, the identification of RAAC at the Kenneth More Theatre provided further challenges to the Theatre Team on top of the changes taking place at RDC. The Theatre programme had to be postponed, cancelled or relocated with immediate effect and the 2024 pantomime which was just starting final rehearsals was also cancelled. This was obviously a huge disappointment, particularly following the Theatre’s recovery from the pandemic, alongside full 2024 and 2025 performance calendars.

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To maintain a strong Christmas programming period across the borough, The Theatre Team was challenged at short notice to produce several projects to take place in the borough for the festive period, which proved to be extremely successful but limited by available venues, infrastructure and capacity.

There were four different Christmas theatre productions delivered by Vision in the borough. These supported the high streets during this crucial trading period, bringing animation and vibrancy to the town centres. This was combined with a wider Christmas cultural programme. The programme included:

A Christmas truck with a cast of three actors, a technician and compere went out on the road for 10 days with the outdoor arts team to all the festive light switch-ons around the borough and at the Valentines Mansion Victorian Christmas Fair.

The cast of the light switch on team then transferred to deliver the show as part of the grotto experience at the Drama Centre. The Centre was transformed into a winter wonderland with Santa’s post room, a Christmas show, then into Santa’s workshop for Arts and Crafts and a visit to the man himself where each child received a valued gift and photo opportunity.

There was a touring production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ which delivered a one hour adaptation of Charles Dicken’s classic to schools and nurseries around the borough in their school hall. There were also four sold out shows in the foyer at the KMT and four sold out shows in the Drama Centre.

In the absence of the pantomime season at the KMT, a Christmas adaptation of ‘The Snow Queen’ took up residence in the Drama Centre and was performed for over five weeks to schools and to the general public. Each performance culminated in a photo opportunity with a real sleigh and Christmas wonderland, complete with snow machines. It was incredibly well received and became a great talking point for families and schools around the borough.

At the time of writing the annual review, it is unknown when either facility will be back in operation.

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More widely, Vision has worked with local organisations and SEN schools to deliver physical activities such as boccia and curling for NELFT (mental health/older people), Redbridge Carers, Link Place, Little Heath School and Glade Primary school.

Vision proactively seeks external funding and partnership opportunities to enhance the funding and outcomes set out in the Funding and Management Agreement. The Colours of Redbridge (formerly Creative Redbridge) Consortium is a key example of this, where Vision successfully bid to the Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme (CPP), which is part of ACE’s Investment Programme.

CPP is focused on areas of low community engagement in arts and culture and was initially a four-year programme of community-led arts and culture in Redbridge, where local people decide what arts and culture programming happens in their area.

This work, combined with Vision’s wider library, culture and arts programme, delivers an exciting programme of cultural events, animating public spaces across Redbridge throughout the year.

Through the programming of high quality, innovative UK and international outdoor arts we aim to attract, engage and inspire local people, creating new and diverse audiences in Redbridge. Creating free, accessible and welcoming experiences for everyone encourages a sense of civic pride through the shared experience of arts and culture.

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During 2024/25...

85,000 audience members

Took part in the Colours of Redbridge programme. The independent evaluation report into the Consortium’s work outlined how the programme is making a tangible difference in Redbridge, making people happier, healthier and more connected.

40% of public facing events and activities

Have been focused on improving health and wellbeing (43 out of 108). In total, at least 4,270 people have attended these events..

98% of event attendees

Reported feeling ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ after attending an event. Looking specifically at the events that had a health and wellbeing focus, we found that most respondents felt better after the event (96%), be it mentally (39%), physically (13%), or both (52%).

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In February 2025, the Colours of Redbridge team met with ex TV presenter Angela Rippon, CBE, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP and BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing’s Kai Widdrington as part of the national Let’s Dance campaign, to show how dance has the power to transform lives.

The Colours of Redbridge Dance for Fitness programme has been instrumental in improving fitness and wellbeing, overseen by expert instructors from internationally acclaimed dance company Rambert.

Community Producers involved in the project have highlighted the impact that Colours of Redbridge has had on their wellbeing. They mentioned that it has given them a purpose which led to a new outlook on life:

“I didn't have any purpose in my life before, before, Colours [of Redbridge]...I've even felt not-worthy before...you know, when you go through depression, so Colours of Redbridge has, kind of, put a different perspective in my life. Like, I really enjoy what they're doing, and I'm passionate about what they're doing, and I really want to see them succeed” – Community Producer

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Turning to Parks & Leisure, Valentines Park tennis courts won the Park Venue of the year award for the Central and East Region which was presented to Vision at the Nottingham Tennis Open which was a fantastic achievement. In 2024/25, we saw a 25% increase in court hours booked. We have also invested in a new fence for the tennis courts at South Park.

Our Megamix programme across Leisure and Culture won the London Sports Award 2025 for "Supporting Young Londoners." This is a huge achievement highlighting the impact the range of activities has had for the children in Redbridge. In 2024/25, more than 15,000 young people participated, with 69 at Easter and 120 in the Summer having registered disabilities. The programme's impact was felt by a diverse group, with 84% of participants from global majority backgrounds.

To support participation in cricket across the borough, the Last Man Stands Cricket programme has continued to grow and now has five leagues and a cup competition at Hainault Recreation Ground, Barkingside Recreation Ground, Goodmayes Park and Seven Kings Park. There were 39 teams that played 374 games last year. The winter indoor league at Loxford Leisure Centre also continued with 21 teams totalling over 158 games.

Youth participation in sport remains a key objective and in 2024/25 over 220 young people took part in 28 sports at the London Youth Games. Redbridge finished 7th including 21 Gold, 24 silver and 22 bronze individual medals, with over 220 young people taking part in 28 sports.

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Our Wellbeing Walk programme continues to grow, with 1,817 unique participants and 5,841 attending 331 walks led by our 16 qualified walk leader volunteers. We also have our weekly inclusion walks for people recovering from strokes and other mobility impairments such as MS, cancer and for people living with dementia, mental health illness and disabilities. This year we had a total of 566 attendances who attended 47 walks. There are also a number of self-guided heritage walks which have been curated by Redbridge Museum and Heritage Centre, which take in a number of historic assets and areas of interest, combining physical activity with learning about the borough history.

In partnership with Age UK, we deliver activities in the community like Keep Fit and Yoga, delivering Chair-based exercise and Tai-Chi sessions at two care homes. In total we have delivered 238 sessions, with a total of 2,933 attendances with 1,093 unique participants taking part. Age UK opted to hold their annual AGM at the Kenneth More Theatre which was attended by over 50 members, who then enjoyed an afternoon tea and a sing-along, with a regular fortnightly club held at the KMT throughout the year with live performance and reminiscence.

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Vision's child weight management program ‘Active Stars’ helped 29 families improve their lifestyles. Among participants, 84% maintained or reduced their BMI, 91.2% increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and 90.3% reduced intake of high-fat, highsalt, and high-sugar foods. Additionally, 95.7% increased physical activity, and 81.6% reduced sedentary time.

In partnership with Redbridge Institute, we hosted over 1,100 bookings across 40 group exercise sessions, including Pilates, Zumba, Bollywood dance fitness, and yoga as part of our ‘Active Body, healthy Mind’ programme. The project reached 345 unique participants, with 82% from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The Exercise on Referral (EoR) scheme and Tier 2 weight management pathways received 1,885 referrals from local health professionals, including GPs, physiotherapists, and the cardiac rehabilitation team. The EoR team also developed a Tier 2 weight management programme in collaboration with the Learning Disability Team, creating a more inclusive pathway for patients with learning disabilities. Additionally, Sport England’s QUEST, a recommended improvement tool, awarded the Exercise on Referral programme an ‘excellent’ rating.

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During the year we began a multi-phased refurbishment and redecoration programme at Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre, prior to the identification of RAAC on site and the associated closure. The early phases included the refurbishment of the changing areas, including the replacement of the cubicles, fixture and fittings throughout. Later phases included further redecoration of the changing rooms, reception, spa, studios and gym areas.

The final phase moving into the new financial year was to improve the main foyer staircase, the installation of a customer coffee point and café style seating in the gallery, along with the upgrading of gym equipment.

At the time of writing this report, the council is proposing to replace the roof with reopening likely to be in over a year’s time. However, prior to this, sport and leisure facilities had a strong year, with increasing participation and income levels. Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre and Mayfield Leisure Centre were both Quest assessed in year, receiving a score of Very Good. Mayfield scored Excellent for swimming lessons and Exercise and referral. Fullwell Cross scored Excellent for Duty Management of operations

Following on from the RAAC discovery, it has been possible to partially reopen the ground floor studios and spa, operating at a much-reduced capacity and service. Much like the earlier closure of South Woodford Library and Gym and the Kenneth More Theatre, colleagues across the organisation worked at pace to identify alternatives to mitigate the impact of the closure, seeking alternative capacity and premises for group exercise classes across other nearby facilities and reorganising swimming pool timetables and staffing across other leisure centres to provide additional swimming lesson capacity.

We continued to see take up of Leisure membership to provide free leisure facility use for Looked After Children, which expanded to included Ukrainian refugees under 16 years old and for Council Care Leavers up to the age of 21.

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To build stronger and more sustainable communities

In 2024/25, parks retained all of their nine Green Flags, and Valentines Park and Hainault Forest were voted in the People’s Choice Top 10 parks in the country.

In partnership with the Council, we have secured funding from UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to do further works to the accessible pathways at Ilford War Memorial, install a new ball court fence at Loxford Park and install raised planters in various parks.

Alongside partners, we have introduced recycling initiatives across parks, including cardboard recycling at Valentines and Goodmayes Parks and educational programmes for compost workshops at Seven Kings and Goodmayes Parks.

Vision, in partnership with our Friends of Parks, have organised and delivered over 25 action days in our parks and open spaces engaging local communities, schools and groups.

In addition, Vision has led a successful partnership with Community Payback, with lots of initiatives and programmes being run in Valentines Park, Seven Kings Park, Goodmayes Park, Loxford Park and Allotments to enhance and improve these spaces. Over 15,000 hours have been contributed from our Community Payback partnership in maintaining and improving parks, in addition to our regular volunteering programme.

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With investment from the England Cricket Board, we have made significant improvements with our grass pitches. We have had state of the art hybrid pitches installed at Seven Kings Park and Goodmayes Park to go alongside pitches at Valentines Park, Clayhall Park and Hainault Recreation Ground. We have also co-ordinated highlevel training with volunteers from cricket clubs on maintenance of pitches delivered in partnership with the Head Groundsman of Essex Cricket Club, so we can hand over electric rollers and mowers to cricket clubs to use on their sites.

Over 900 allotment plots are now let annually and at the same time we have developed significant partnerships with charities, community groups and schools on allotments across the Borough and delivered a programme of volunteering workdays and training events. A new water supply with dipping tanks was installed at Wanstead Park Road Allotments in partnership with Cadent Gas.

The Nature Conservation Team has successfully managed a range of projects that includes working with Redbridge Council, The Environment Agency and Ebsford Environmental on a Natural Flood Management scheme in Claybury woods. Water vole and eel surveys and outflow safaris were carried out with ZSL, Thames 21 and Thames Water. The planting of the Ancient Orchard at Claybury has been extended and we have sown over 6,000m2 of Wildflower meadows / Aquatic margins and woodland glades across the borough’s Parks and Open Spaces. 641 children and young people took part in an outdoor classroom session in the year to look at nature and ecology in their local area.

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Hainault Forest in its first full year of trading exceeded income expectations, and the customer feedback for all aspects, including the farm, visitor attractions and bistro, has also been fantastic. We welcomed a new Head of Food & Beverage to the company and his work has already paid dividends at Fairlop Waters, Owls Indoor Play and Hainault Forest. In addition to, and following the departure of the Greek restaurant at Fairlop, new kitchen and development plans are taking shape for a much-enhanced future offer on site there. The café spaces at Hainault Forest and Fairlop Waters have both seen investment in soft furnishings and additional capacity. A review of suppliers, a refresh on menu offerings and a focus on quality has led to positive feedback and notable revenue growth of £50,0000 in 2024/25 compared to the previous year.

It was disappointing at the end of the summer that we experienced severe blue algae at Fairlop Waters which meant the Lake had to be closed for a number of weeks. However, following subsequent research, we have now installed an ultrasonic water purification system that should ensure such a closure won’t be necessary again. Fairlop hosts a number of aquatic events over the summer, such as the London Youth Games canoeing and kayaking events, along with a series of dragon boat racing, so being able to keep the lake open safely is a priority.

Positively, Fairlop Outdoor Activity Centre achieved Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) accreditation for 2025/2026 and 2026/2027, demonstrating health and safety procedures at site are robust and showcase best practice

Following a tender process, angling operations at Fairlop Waters were contracted to an external operator, managed by Vision. We expect this to lead to an improved dedicated offer and service across both lakes there.

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Vision has developed a Sustainability Strategy so it can play its part and ensuring a sustainable future for our world and everyone. We want to have a positive impact on the Borough and its residents and our ambition is to reach net zero by 2050.

We also use our position within our local communities and with our local suppliers to tackle raising awareness of climate change. We are committed to the following actions:

Review our policies and working practices to ensure that environmental sustainability is central to our decision making.
Make a concerted effort to reduce energy use and reduce our carbon footprint, by introducing energy saving measures and encouraging behaviour change.
Reduce our use of resources such as water, paper, plastic, food and equipment, and encourage reuse and recycling.
Support biodiversity and wildlife through increased monitoring and stewardship.
Ensure our facilities and services are accessible for everyone.

Vision has saved over 10,000 tonnes of CO2e (CO2 equivalent/greenhouse gasses) by sourcing our electric from renewable sources.

You can hear more about our work on sustainability in a film on our website at www.visionrcl.org.uk. Our work showcased in this film has been held up as a best practice example for others in the sector.

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Key actions so far include:

Further promotion of the cycle repair shop at Redbridge Cycling Centre, encouraging residents to get their bikes out and turn to a greener form of transport.
We have established a regular series of repair cafes in libraries, to help extend the lifespan of equipment that may otherwise go into landfill.
Working in partnership, we have planted over 20,000 trees in the borough since 2021.
We have adopted the Green Libraries code and Theatre Green Book principles across these sectors.
We helped secure over £7m of funding to deliver the restoration of Hainault Forest.
Removed all single use plastic cups from our cafes at Hainault Forest and Fairlop Waters for compostable alternatives.

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Vision works to support employment as one of the major employers within the borough and provides a range of work, apprenticeship and volunteering opportunities to help upskill and support residents.

During the year, Vision recorded 17,700 of formal volunteering hours provided across services. In reality this number is considerably higher in support of the charity’s work. Volunteering enables upskilling, skills sharing and social opportunities. It can also be an opportunity for people to give something back to their local community, or even provide a route into paid employment. We offer a broad and diverse range of volunteering and work experience opportunities across art, leisure, parks and corporate services. We are also supported by a spectrum of Friends Groups across parks, libraries and culture, who also provide a significant amount of volunteer time, fundraising and support.

More widely, much of our work and delivery is focused on helping people to make the most of their lives through formal and informal learning opportunities, ranging from supporting reading and literacy levels, music and theatre training and teaching, to green skills and knowledge sharing.

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Following a social media campaign launched last year, the profile of the Music Service has reached a much wider audience than previously achieved, to participate in music learning opportunities or as audience members.

Summer 2024 again saw a successful campaign of out of school activities run as part of Megamix which included an activity titled Music Plus. These were interactive music sessions for children with special needs. These sessions were set up to encourage an appreciation of music and proved very popular. SEND provision is an area we are looking to expand on further having bought in additional training for our staff to enhance learning in our partner schools.

2024/25 also saw the relaunch of our Adult Choir. The pandemic brought around inevitable challenges where some activities were simply not possible to run remotely. With expansion and recruitment of staff based around need, we have relaunched our Community Choir under the new title of Redbridge Adult Choir. Beyond learning and refining a skill, it is well documented that singing is beneficial for reducing stress, boosts mood and enhances social connections. This included a 50% discount on membership fees for Vision and Council staff and an invitation to take part in the Christmas Concert at Redbridge Town Hall.

Wider music engagement events included a collaboration between Musicians in Residence at the John Savage Centre, Redbridge Brass and the Redbridge Music School Brass Band. Live performances of the soundtrack to Wallace and Gromit, with a screening of the film running simultaneously, staged at the Sir James Hawkey Hall during summer 2024 were a resounding success. Using these opportunities with wider appeal prove to be great recruitment tools but also provide performance opportunities for our students and alumni.

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Through the targeted social media campaign, people who have previously been unaware of the music offer available through Vision attended the screening which in turn has helped with uptake in our Early Years Programme run through wider Vision venues in Hainault and Wanstead, in addition to the music school itself. Future plans include another collaboration with a live screening of the Snowman at Sir James Hawkey Hall. These opportunities also allow us to explain the various routes into music learning, and the support available to enable this.

Music pupils are offered a variety of learning and performance opportunities with a range of partners, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama, performing at prestigious venues and occasions across the city and country. Closer to home, the Music Service uses Sir James Hawkey Hall, Redbridge Town Hall and the Kenneth More Theatre as home bases for performances, which they would otherwise not have room for within the John Savage Centre. We are grateful to the Friends of Music who support the Music Service’s activities and performances throughout the year, with their team of volunteers in attendance, and who fundraise to support music opportunities for young people in Redbridge.

During the year, the Music Service delivered teaching across Redbridge Schools, providing music tuition to approximately 1,755 young people. Over 11,000 children took part in at least half a term of music learning through whole class tuition in schools, which aims to inspire children to take up music learning longer term. 650 children regularly took part in out of school music learning at the John Savage Centre to develop their music skills and ability. 90 hours of music based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was provided to Redbridge schools.

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With over 600 members attending Redbridge Drama Centre classes on a weekly basis, which further increases during the school holidays with workshops and Megamix, we have a close interaction with the community that we are based in. There were over 66,000 attendances to theatre classes and workshops across both theatre venues in the year.

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Vision is a pioneer library service for the use of digital tech and training. Redbridge Central Library was one of the first libraries to incorporate a digital maker space – ‘Lab Central’. Since then we’ve opened a second at Fullwell Cross Library – ‘Lab FX’ – during the recent refurbishment, with outreach to other branch libraries throughout the year.

Library labs have been working throughout the year creating participation and learning sessions to improve and develop skills in STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths for young people. They delivered regular sessions and projects through an ongoing programme. There are also skills labs aimed at an adult audience.

For children the library labs have hosted weekly Coder Dojo and Stop Motion Animation, run sessions in coding, repairing, science experimenting and virtual reality experiences and many more, taking place throughout the week, weekend and during school holidays. Tech Ilford was a one-day tech festival delivered in June with 1,271 people coming through the door.

For adults and family learning, Lab Central has delivered Tech Exploration clubs, Maths skills based courses, Assistive Technology information stands and fortnightly Repair Cafes and Energy Cafes, delivering a programme for Adults and Older People in partnership with local volunteers and organisations such as Transition Town Ilford, One Place East and Redbridge Institute to name a few.

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Feedback from participants taking part in the library labs:

“Amazing Lab Central Activities The activities and workshops offered by Lab central at Redbridge Central library are fantastic and real eye opener to the world of technology! Attending some of the lab central thought provoking events, has inspired my daughter (aversive to computing, robotics etc) become more involved in learning and exploring these and related fields! More exclusive lab central events with specific objective of inspiring the love of technology in women will be a big welcome!“

"Super fun. The facilitator was very kind and she made the experience fun. I learnt a lot and I really enjoyed it."

"I had a lot of fun. I also learned a lot."

"We loved the activity and using crafts and material to build creatively! Very enjoyable for parents and children!"

"Cool, I learnt how to do a few stuff."

"Very good. Very nice. Learned how to edit."

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The Libraries Service obviously has a significant emphasis on books, literacy and reading. However, library usage has historically been in decline nationally, although Redbridge has bucked that trend and has some of the highest levels of usage in London. There is a comprehensive range of books and other materials to borrow, along with a broad and diverse activity programme delivered by Vision and partners. Libraries in Redbridge are vibrant cultural destinations, often giving an introductory experience into the wider world of arts and culture.

The Culture and Library Development Team has been working throughout the year to deliver initiatives and engagement sessions that support literacy and learning, improving reading, writing and communication skills. Reaching all ages from newborns to older people, through baby rhyme times, school visits, in-person and online regular meet ups, celebratory events, and initiatives. The Early Years Librarian attended training and went on to deliver Triple P workshops for local parents, a scheme providing help and support to families seeking guidance on key stages and challenges of child development.

Working in partnership with the Wanstead Fringe, the Wanstead Book Festival ran throughout September at Wanstead Library cementing the libraries role as a cultural hub. The line-up included appearances from Comedian Paul Sinha, local author Iain Sinclair, historian Otto English, and author Daisy Goodwin. The Children’s library hosted a family day as part of the festival with children’s writer Tola Okogwu.

For children and families, we have delivered visits from award winning authors, theatre shows, the revival of Book Swap, special storytelling, and creative writing, as well as outreach into the community through Children’s Centres, Home Office hotels and local festivals and events, advocating the importance of libraries for children’s skills development.

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Running campaigns such as National Storytelling Week, World Book Day, the Redbridge Fabula Festival and our Fabula Reading Challenge which ran from 6th July to 14th September, with 1,124 children and young people taking part in reading over the summer as part of the wider Megamix programme.

For adults, the team has delivered or supported regular book clubs, comedy nights, exhibitions, reading groups, poetry sessions and author talks, working in partnership with local groups, the voluntary and community sector, and taking part in World Book Night and leading on celebratory events such as Women’s History Month, Black History Month, LGBT History Month and South Asian Heritage Month.

The Culture and Library Team also delivered the Redbridge Outdoor Arts (ROA) placemaking and community engagement projects, offering participation and learning opportunities. Local school children took part in art activism and interactive storytelling sessions about environmental responsibility, sessions exploring and celebrating their identity and place, while learning visual art skills and techniques.

Working in partnership with Barkingside Arts Club, we supported a group of 16 Creative Ambassadors – young people aged 11-18 years old. These emerging artists were given the opportunity to design and develop their own project - The Outdoor Inclusive Arts Hub. They delivered sixteen sessions to 205 participants where they created an array of stunning artworks to compliment the Black History Month, South Asian Heritage Month and Big Draw events.

Eliyah Qureshi, Barkingside Art Club reported the following:

“It was a great opportunity for us to come together as one team, the impact on them to make decisions has meant their confidence has grown and they feel a much stronger connection to Redbridge Outdoor Arts”.

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The ‘Discover in a Day’ Arts Award was offered at four ROA events, where we had a designated area for families to spend time completing their specially designed ROA Arts Award logs, which starts them on an artistic and creative journey to explore the arts around them.

Participants could take part in an arts and craft activity that shared the themes of each outdoor arts show, with puppet making, train designs, fruit collage and ballet costume designs. The activities attracted 144 participants, with 18 completed logs returned and accreditation awards issues.

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The Culture & Library Development Team led a programme across Vision to celebrate Redbridge communities, through the delivery of South Asian Heritage Month, Black History Month, Islamic Arts & Heritage Festival, LGBT+ History Month and Women’s History Month throughout libraries and cultural venues. They worked in partnership with voluntary and community sector organisations, groups and volunteers, with other Vision services supporting and facilitating community-led events, activities and exhibitions, and showcasing local performers and arts organisations. Highlights included the most successful South Asian Heritage Month since it started, and the impressive partnership and programme delivered with the Black British Ballet for Black History Month. The South Asian programme included art, dance, STEAM activities, costume, literature, outdoor arts and craft activities from across the region.

With the addition of £5,000 National Lottery Heritage Funding, we raised ambitions for this year's Black History Month celebration, attracting over 5,000 attendees directly participating in over 71 sessions across all 11 of our libraries. The Black British Ballet project made up a significant part of our programme and really allowed us to make the month bigger than ever before, aligning with the Libraries Connected Universal Offers, in particular the Culture and Creativity offer.

The Team fostered an inclusive, diverse and equitable environment for audiences, staff, artists, partners and volunteers through the delivery of the Redbridge Outdoor Arts diversity programme, community engagement and the Access to Culture Initiative. Through programming Global Majority led work and engagement activities, they attracted diverse audiences that reflected local communities and feedback demonstrated that people felt more connected to their communities through these experiences. With continued development and delivery of access opportunities such as familiarisation sessions, assisted visits and safe spaces they attracted SEND children and their families. Feedback from these families showed they felt welcome, safe and part of the community.

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Feedback from audience members that felt reflected/represented said this about Redbridge Outdoor Arts:

South Asian Heritage Month

Wonderfully depicted Asian Culture and train’

‘It was a good community time. Rajistan vibes’

‘I think this show is awesome experience to show Indian tradition and what the importance of tea in their life’

Black History Month

Amazing! Depicted the story of the Windrush generation very well’

‘I felt immersed, like I was able to learn something new and it captured something Redbridge never focuses on’

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For Spectrum Studio access sessions, we received feedback from 17 children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. When asked how well we did in relation to accessibility eight scored excellent and five scored good. When asked if the participants felt welcome, safe and engaged we scored 100% with YES. Further feedback included:

‘It’s my first visit to this place & really amazed how the staff helped me explained everything looking forward to often visits’

‘Very engaging specially for kids’ — Parent of SEND children aged 8, 11 & 12

‘Everything seems to be perfect, my kids really enjoyed it’

Further feedback from the arts inclusion programme included:

‘Very helpful for disabled access’

‘SEN friendly, staff empathy which is very important for me’

‘Disabled friendly’

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In addition to the formal education programme, the Museum & Heritage Centre has played a key role in supporting the wider Vision and Council cultural learning agendas, including:

Women’s History Month (March 2025): Museum produced ‘Wonder Women’, a special exhibition exploring the lives of local women over the past 100 years. As part of a girls’ empowerment day for Year 8 pupils delivered in Libraries, staff delivered local history education sessions linked to both the exhibition and the main Museum.

Redbridge Schools’ Choral Festival (March 2025): Museum was the location for filmed interviews with local pupils produced as the backdrop film for the Redbridge Schools’ Choral Festival. Museum staff led local history education sessions to inform the interviewees’ knowledge, which was directly into the development of the Festival and included in the performance on the night.

Colours of Redbridge Winston Way underpass mural (November 2024): Museum staff delivered local history sessions for participants and fact-checked content of artwork which was refined as a result.

Tech Ilford (June 2024): staff ran a drop-in session to make a Victorian zoetrope used to play moving images before the invention of film.

Redbridge Heritage Centre volunteer programme remains strong with a diverse range of nine volunteers contributing 772 hours of collections management duties (slightly more than last year), ensuring more of the assets are made accessible to staff and the public.

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Following a review of the structure of swimming provision in partnership with Swim England, there has been in an increase in the number of swimming instructors employed by Vision. Having the increase in swimming instructors led to the review of pool programmes across all three pools that subsequently led to increase lesson participation.

As a result, another 40 lessons a week could be provided by the end of the year, providing over 300 swimmers the opportunity to participate in swimming. There was an associated upturn in the level of associated income.

Overall, swimming lessons increased by 17% from 38,024 in 2023/24 to 44,574 2024/25, which was a significant achievement.

LBR Swim Club membership also saw growth to 186 members by March 2025, an increase of 146 swimmers since Vision took over the managing of the club in 2021. LBR Swim Club is delivered in partnership with the volunteer swim club committee and coaches.

However, as we write this annual review, we now face the challenge of closure at Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre following the discovery of RAAC in the pool hall roof. The full implications and remedial actions are not known at this stage, but as an agile organisation we will adapt and flex in order to mitigate the impact on our members and community.

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To improve the skills of our communities through participation and learning.

During 2024-25, the Museum had a 63% increase in educational engagements when compared to the previous year, following the opening of the redeveloped Museum, and also a increase in demand and enquiries for education sessions. This equates to 4,193 total engagements (compared to 2,683 in 2023-24). The vast majority were local school pupils taught by the Museum Education Officer in formal local history education sessions. Topics taught included Ice Age to Iron Age, Romans, local area history, Second World War, toys, and migration to Redbridge. The Museum also manages education sessions at Valentines Mansion, as part of the heritage, education and culture programme delivered there.

Further good news is highlighted in teachers’ evaluation of Museum education sessions. During the 2024/25, 76% of teachers rated their pupils’ interest and enjoyment as ‘excellent’, compared to 61% in the previous academic year, when only virtual or outreach education sessions were taught. This substantial improvement is clear evidence of the value that teachers place on the physical hands-on experience of a Museum visit and the unique learning environment it offers. This, accompanied by the expertise of the Museum Education Officer, is something very different from a classroom-based experience. In total, 92% of teachers’ expectations were met and typical comments by teachers since full reopening during the 2024-25 academic year include:

“Fantastic session! Keep up the good work. Museum looks fantastic as well.”

“Really great experience. Very inclusive to support SEND children.”

“It was brilliant, thank you for being so inclusive!”

“Very well led, friendly staff, well organised, very easy as a teacher to organise.”

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Mildmay Nursery creates a friendly and inclusive space for families. We work with local services to offer extra support and build strong community links. We also teach children about caring for the environment through outdoor learning e.g. growing plants. The Nursery supports children’s understanding of the world by celebrating different cultures; we have introduced and celebrate Black History Month, Eid, Diwali, Christmas and Easter. The children enjoy visits to the library and museum to introduce the area that they live in. This is particularly important as many of our families have not lived in the borough for long.

Mildmay Nursery continued to support children’s health and well-being through daily physical play and learning activities. The varied and inclusive programme supported children aged 2-4 to build their confidence and social skills. The nursery team worked closely with the families to support each child’s development. Nine families whose children have SEND are supported by the team.

Both parents and children really enjoyed the visits, with some parents saying they will return independently to take older siblings. We have also held celebratory parties to share food and activities from different cultures. This has helped parents to make new friendships and a wider social network. We help children grow in confidence, build social skills, and feel included. We also work closely with families to support each child’s development.

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To focus our resources on delivering our purpose cost effectively

During the year, Vision began the transition to rebrand and refocus as a wellbeing organisation, under the ‘Vision is Evolving’ change programme. The works enables us to join up and promote the charity’s vision ‘to provide places where people and our communities can thrive’ as a critical mission statement as a driver for all of the work we deliver. Six key pillars will line the work across the whole Trust’s activities:

Movement Connection Mindful Creativity Learning

Following the appointment of a Head of Food and Beverage, a considering focus was placed on developing the food and beverage (F&B) offer across our principal F&B. A review of suppliers, a refresh on menu offerings and a focus on quality has led to positive feedback and notable revenue growth of £50,000 in 2024/25 on the previous year.

We are constantly sweating our assets across the company, using facilities and equipment in a flexible way to deliver our business and outcomes, for example using our community facilities to deliver commercial aspects of the charity’s operations such as group exercise and paid for classes. This increases our capacity, maximises income, keeps overheads low and offers a greater range of choice to customers.

Within the theatre buildings, we take particular care of equipment and facilities, reviewing the current stock of theatre equipment and replacing or repairing with more cost-effective results, also reducing our impact on the environment. We reuse and repurpose as many materials, sets, props and costumes as possible This ensures that we minimise cost, but also supports the goals of our sustainability strategy, all in line with the national Green Theatre Book initiative. We are also signed up to the Green Library agenda; libraries as lenders of books and other materials typify the reuse/recycle principle.

As previously mentioned, Vision targeted a contribution of £100,000 to reserves in 2024/25, which was achieved. This was deemed necessary by Trustees to increase the reserves which had been reduced during the covid pandemic and subsequent recovery. Although Vision was able to access the various government covid support schemes, additional support funding was not requested of the local authority, which meant that our reserves dropped below the recommended level. At year end our general fund reserve now sits at £367,000.

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Looking forwards, we face a significant challenge due to the Government’s increase in employer national insurance contributions and the contribution threshold. While we are confident that we have a strategy to be able to fund this, it has inevitably created pressures and comes at a time where the Charity had reached a positive financial footing, following the pandemic and recovery period, the increase in utility costs and inflation.

We have developed a sophisticated customer feedback tool, which is now live across leisure facilities and theatres. Following a pilot in libraries and parks & open spaces, the survey tool is also being rolled out to these facilities. The data helps us to build a dataset of life customer opinions, feedback, motivators, service outcomes and satisfaction levels of service users, building on an initial GovMetric platform to an inhouse solution.

Vision’s teams are experienced in fundraising through external grants and sponsorship, to attract significant external investment into the borough’s leisure, arts and culture sector. In 2024/25, Vision successfully attracted over £1.4m of external investment into Redbridge, which brings the total since 2020/21 to £8m awarded directly to Vision, plus the additional Redbridge Public Health funding, another one of the commissions outside of the LBR Management Fee and the funding applied for on behalf of the Council.

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