2024-12-31-accounts - Walkley Community Centre

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Registered Charity Number: 1136976 Company number: 07268567

Walkley Community Centre

ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 December 2024

Walkley Community Centre Contents

	Page
Legal and administratve informaton	1
Directors' annual report	2 - 4
Independent examiner's report	5
Statement of fnancial actvites	6
Balance sheet	7
Notes to the accounts	8 - 12

Walkley Community Centre Legal and administrative information

Trustees

Richard Allan Natalie Allistone Caroline Leyland Philip Eardley Jane Wratten Judith Warrender Neale Gibson

Appointed 2 January 2025 Appointed 2 January 2025 Appointed 26 March 2025 Removed on 26 January 2024

Registered office

7a, Fir Street, Sheffield S6 3TG

Company Number 07268567

Charity number 1136976

Accountants

Seven Hills Accountants Limited 57 Burton Street Sheffield S6 2HH

Walkley Community Centre Directors' annual report For the year ended 31 December 2024

The trustees are pleased to present their annual directors’ report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Articles of Association, and the charities Statement of Recommended Practice (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland; FRS 102) issued in Octo - ber 2019.

Structure, governance and management

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 28 May 2010 and registered as a charity on 20 July 2010 . Funds were transferred from the previous unincorporated charity on 16 December 2011. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Overall management of the charity is the responsibility of the trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the constitution.

Richard Allan is also a member of Cabaret Boom Boom who use the centre for their cabaret events on a commercial basis.

Charitable Aims and objectives

The objects of the Charity are:

To promote and advance the availability of education and in the interests of social welfare to provide facilities for recreation and leisure time occupation in order to improve the quality of life and for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Walkley area as delineated on the plan annexed hereto (hereinafter referred to as the area of benefit) without distinction of sex or of political, religious or other opinions by associating with the local authorities, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort.
To establish or secure the establishment of a community centre and to maintain and manage or to co-operate with any local statutory or other authority in the maintenance and management of such a centre for the activities promoted by the charity and its constituent bodies in furtherance of the above objects or any of them.

Walkley Community Centre is an historic building which was given to the people of Walkley as a venue for social, leisure and education facilities. It has an interesting history, and today provides a home for many and various activities enjoyed by the people of Walkley and beyond. It is run by volunteers.

Our main activity is the provision of space for recreational, educational and leisure activities which improve the quality of life for the benefit of local residents. We do this by attracting a mixture of not for profit groups and com - mercial organisations to hire the centre on a regular basis, increasing opportunities in Walkley to socialise, learn new skills and improve local residents health by participating in physical and mental activities.

The centre hosts regular groups and activities, has rooms for hire and a snooker hall.

Whilst planning their activities the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

Walkley Community Centre Directors' annual report - continued For the year ended 31 December 2024

Activities and Achievements

The community centre has been very vibrant and active during the year.

The regular hirers numbered 28 providing activities to the public including stained glass workshops, exercise classes, yoga workshops, tai chi, martial arts, children’s music workshops, baby massage, morris dancing, adult ballet, baby and toddler groups, lindy hop, line dancing, history talks, and the ever popular Cabaret Boom Boom.

The regular hirers’ activities catered for in excess of 360 participants during the year and the following quotes from the hirers and their participants give a feel for how much the centre is appreciated and cared for:

“the community ethos of WCC is so clear in how it’s run and managed, and I feel grateful to have access to such a wonderful venue for my classes.”

“People are charmed by the Walkley Community Centre, which has been at the heart of the Walkley community since Edwardian times and now combines historic interest with modern facilities - ideal for our local history group.”

“I believe the use of WCC has encouraged folks to get together, not just in engaging in new activities, but socially as well -use it or lose it, community spirit is priceless but costs nothing.”

“We are a small group of dancers who have known each other a long time and we all look forward to dance night at Fir Street.”

“This is the highlight of my week.”

“Some of the parents who bring their children here now used to come as children.”

“It’s a great centre for the community”

“We love coming together on Monday evenings and dance. We have been going for over 10 years and many of us have formed friendships over the years. Exercising and having fun at the same time is what brings us together. We love the room and the facilities work great for us.”

“Being part of a special interest group that meets regularly gives many of us a regular commitment to taking time away from our family and work responsibilities to focus on something we enjoy.”

“The centre gives us a safe and welcoming space to run our language school.”

“A memorable night out with friends.”

“A friendly non-judgemental space that allows us to come together and support one another.”

“Happy place.”

“The community centre hosts a variety of groups, including minority communities and non-English speaking communities like us, which is great. It is managed by a hardworking group of trustees and volunteers, who serve as role models to our children.”

In addition to regular hirers, we have hosted 39 children’s parties, 9 adult parties, 2 community CPR workshops, 6 NCT ante natal courses, 3 chef’s counters, 2 relaxation through hypnosis sessions, the Mouse Club annual show, a Christian volunteering session, a paediatric first aid training session, a creative writing workshop, an art class, an Argentine tango social evening, an Eid celebration, a klezmer concert, a ceilidh, an evening of folk music and a Walkley Festival event.

The community centre supports other charities and community groups in the area with the policy of making the centre available at nil or reduced rent for at least 4 events during the year.

The community centre has the fabulous facility of a 4 table snooker hall. The tables are hired to individuals and there are various regular league events also held in the snooker hall. Snooker membership was approaching 100 in 2024 and the membership and table hire provides a valuable source of income to the centre.

Future Plans

We are trying to encourage more volunteer involvement with the centre and have had some success in appointing 3 new trustees in 2025. New volunteers are most welcome and please get in touch for more information or with offers of volunteering.

Plans are in place to bring the ‘caretakers house’ back into use, improve accessibility for all, increase the facilities upstairs, and expand the parking provision at the centre. We are looking for funding towards these plans and any voluntary financial help will be greatly appreciated.

Walkley Community Centre Directors' annual report - continued For the year ended 31 December 2024

Funds and reserves policy

The directors reviewed the reserves policy and determined that the minimum level of free reserves should be £25,000. This is required to allow us cover running costs and emergency repairs. The charity’s free reserves (general funds excluding fixed assets) as of 31 December 2024 were £xxx (2023: £51,511).

The trustees have also set aside £60,000 in designated funds towards the planned buildings renovations project. The trustees are currently involved in discussions on how to take this project forward and plan to commence the works in 2026.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The charity trustees (who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a Trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The report and accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions in the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Company law requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
State whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements.

Small company provisions:

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors declare that they have approved the directors' annual report above on 3 September2025.

Signed on behalf of the directors:

Richard Allan_____ Trustee

Independent examiner’s report to the directors of Walkley Community Centre (‘the Company’)

I report to the charity directors on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2024.