2021-03-31-accounts

Charity R•giBtiation N￿ 1150422 Company R•glgtration No. 07623914 (England and Wal￿} ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY coNTE￿rS Pag• Chairman's $tstement Trustees report 2-11 Statement of trustets rosw)sllylib'es 12 Ind8pendent auditorfs report 13-16 Statement of fi￿n￿al actsvitie8 17 Balance sheet 18-19 statement of cash Ilows 20 Notes to the finandal 8tatements 21-39

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT FOR ThIE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Chalrf• Report No one woula expect much lo happen in a year ￿en the county w88 in ltsckdrwn and the Our PLqce ￿Sty Forge centre was consistenuy dosed to the publ￿. Bul ACE isn constrained by nomal experaathins. The pace of change ac¢eltrated in 2021k21. anil rvs aryuably tyjr most successful year so tsr. The start of the pandemic saw an astonishing transfonnat¥)ft of work priorities for staff and volunteers as they readjusted to home vKtrking and meeting community needs in new ways. Our charfty Was recognised as a ¢ritiGal front-lne resource. and extra grants were attrathd for food and fuel Foverty and heath propcts. It was a tough time for everyone. b￿ACE proved its worth. Meanthhik a £31M.tXIO refurbishmènt programm8 for tha Dusty was under way. transformkng 118 run- down fa¢lKtles Into brfghl commuth spa¢e$, tralnlng rooms and groun&flotsr Offi￿3. That was lust the start of a revo￿lon In ACE'S prewice In the area. Work on the Hidden Hilwort Her6tagè Centre started in Caerau, ¢r8aling opportun￿e$ for today's residents * links wth their anrient cell￿ p05t. In Signrficant step foThvard in November 2020, ACE bjughl a house next door to the Dusty. At 8 stroke we took a new role as a sc¢ially responsible landlord housing a local farrily, an Inve8trrnt of our reserves to safegua the firture, and a permanent physical $take in our communrty, In the 8Utumn of 2020 our c(Ffoynder and DITeLtor, John Hallett, announced he was kaving us in April. Thi5 new8 could have stopped us in our tracks. Yet we ￿pre abk to explore the dangerou$ transition to new 18ad8rship calmty and systsmati¢alty, including tha challenging idea that senior develorAnent managers Dave Horton and Michdle Powel might tske over joindy as cTrdirectors. Inilial misgivings proved unfounded, #NI Dave and Mi¢helle slipped $eamles$ty Into these new roles ithout the usual months of disruptlon of a new appointment at the top. They arenl the same as John. But they are brilliant Su￿$S0T5. Other game￿hangIng oppoinlments in 2020-21 included Helen Bull in the new and much-r)eedeil post of Volunteer Development Officer. and volunteer Dave King as truytee and Treasurer. He imm¢dlalety Set about a radic81 overhaul of our finan¢ial nN)nitorlng and reporting 8yStems to bring them Into Ilne vlth tsur rising bl￿ets and highly compl8x fijndlng arrang8m8nts. Too mueh good news? The year ended wth the devastating blow of the death, * the #ge of just 42, of ACE Health Development Officer and Pantry Manager Caroline Barr, who was l￿delY Seen 88 the heart and Soul of ACE'S Community volunteering. Th• pain of her loss vr4s, and sts'll is, palpable, and She ha$ been remmbered al ACE'S tenth anniversary telebratkjn in Juty 2021. in ar￿tIrk produced by volunteeys, ￿ even In the namir of Ou8ty'8'Café Barf. Grants and iNlation3 to tender for new projects h¥ve continued to rom in. including nthy ideas for sorial care. and a planned.￿brary of Thlngs. equlpment lending initiative. Full 8U8talnablllty Is not on the cards forACE and there VAII Probabty be rocky years ahead. Bul the 2021-22 finandal year- our tenth - Started ACE In Its moyt comfortable tJvance fundiny position lo date. We rectsgni$e that COVID 1$ I￿t going avAy, however the leamlng over Ihi8 year has pul us in very good stead to continue to deliver our $•rMce$ to our community in the coming year. Not bad fortimès Wh￿ nothin9 is 8xpa¢tèd to happen. Mvl Withordon Chairman

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT {INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 The Irustees presenttheir report and ffinanci81 statements for the year ended 31 FAarch 2021. Thg financial statement$ have been prepared in accordance with the accountkng policies set out in note 1 to the finanThal statements and comply wth the charbty's goyeming document, the Companies Act 2006 and 'Accounling and Repo￿ng by Charities.. Statement of Rgcomm•nded Practi¢e apF4icable to charitles preparin9 their accounts in accordn¢e with th• Financial Repjrtlng Stsndard applicable in thè UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 (effective 1 January 2019)" Objg¢ti¥•s and athlll•• ACE-Aion in Caerau and Ety is a community organisation l¢eated in West Ca￿rf1. We hove over 1000 lo¢al members, many ol whom are active ￿ntribUtOrS to local communty develcpment and regeneralion efforts. We are very proud that many of our staff team live in Ety and Caerau and many proie¢ts and activthes are run Nwth or by voluntsers. We manage COMM￿ty buildings and delwer a ranye of ¢ommunty based actNitses that help paopl•, many of which you vJill read about in th13 annu81 reporL Our ￿$10n Is to create vibranL •qual and resilient communiiies for all, V•there peo￿ ffind fuffilmenl bn themsefve$, each other, and th¥ place where they INe. ￿ do this by all or any of the folowir@ weans lthe8e are our charrtable obiectivesl.. 1. the relief of povety In ways ay may be thought fit,. 2. the relief of unemployment in such ways a5 may be thought fft. including asd8tsnce to find emF4oyment'. 3. Ihe advancement of ethJ¢allon, tralnlng or rgtraining, parti¢ularfy among unemployed peopk, and provi(thng unemFloyed people with V4Drk experience., 4. Ihe provision of financial asslstsnce, led)ni¢al awstance. or bu81nes8 8dw¢e ￿ c{￿UMancY in OTII to prowde trainlng and employment opportunTbes lor unemptyed people in ¢ases of finanaal or other aritable need through help: in seth'ng up their ovm busine￿, 6. the Creation of training and empbyment opportunths by the provisitsn of workspace, building$ ￿dIOT land for use on favourable leTms- 7. the maintenance, improvemènt or provision of public amenities.. 8. the prowsion or assistance In the provion of recreational faclitiès for the public at lar9È andl orthose who, by reasons of their yOLrth, age, infirmity or di6abL•ment, poverty or $ts¢ial and 8¢onomic rjrcumstances. have need of $u¢h facililie$', 9. the prowsion of public health fa¢ilitit$ and childcarè., 10. such olher means may from time to time bè detemilned 8ubjeGt lo the prior ccfisenl of the Charity Commi88loners for England and ￿les. ACE will work ￿th conMn(tniti'es trj athleve laslfjng posltlve change for an equal and sust Cardrff by.. Mobilising local people behlnd a shargd vision Copprodu¢ing $¢Nices and activrlies that make use of assets and meet need¥ Driving poSit￿e soclal Change, making our communttles falrer and more induswe Securing in¢om8 and maximising communty assets for sustainabilty and ¢ommunty resilience Working closely wth private, publi¢ and third sector OT9anisat￿s to secure Ihe benefits of Iheir r•sources for our ¢otYMnunitie$

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 ACE nurture and develop IrKal assets arKI opportunilies to meat na8ds through the frJllNing types of projects, actlvllies and 8ervlces'. commun￿ Support.. Crlsl$ $upport and flnandal ¢apabilty. Training and support for the unemployed Health & Wellbeing work including merftal health 8UPPOrt ond training Work wth Children, Young People and Families Communty led activty Heritage, Arts and Culture projects Social entsrprise and local econornic devekjpmgnt commun￿ and cwde Infiuendng 8nd campalgnlng During 202￿21 v have adapted a number of our projo¢t8. and have deveknped new ones. to respond lo the Covi&19 crisis, the associated lo¢kdown, and th8 ¢on$equent impa¢is on our ¢omrThJnrty. The$¢ indudo.. Temporarity moving the Communty Panty shop to a home delivery model Providing emergenoy fwd bags Establishing our communty suppcrt activities as a phone based serwce Reuurting and developing new vobJnteer¥ to re¥pond to the crisis Co1￿CtIng and delwering prest￿ptiOnS for vuln8rabl8 communty members Prowdlng moral support lo locaf carèrs A Phone Frfend servoce for sodally isosated nehbour8 Dgvelopment of dlgltal Incluslon work The strategies employed for ￿ntIN￿ are.. Building the caparity to delivw and devetop.. ACE has athieved an impressive traGk rocord for effective Proje￿ d8lN8ry and innovation. It i¥ also gncouraging to see a slgnffieanl increase in ACE'$ capacty and abllity lo delrver work. and to See the planned shlft from Communities First Continually bdng raalisod. We I￿11 continue to capitallse on th8s8 strength$ lo create an ambitious programme to d8vekJp the charity. rt3 ictivrties. and our capacity for effedwg delivgry. Prowding semces direth". ACE ha8 developed a strong range of 8eNce8 based on identified needs support the communities it serves. Future work wll build on these aclivities. and we Ylll monltor Ind evalu¥te progr0s8 to furthw develop projects whi¢h addrests key needs. Continuing to diversfy income $tream$'. The majority of income realised by ACE is through grants and ontracts. however work is ongoirw lo irnprove the level of fvnd r8i¥ing and income pneration to 8UPWrt core and project costs. ACE TrainirKJ despite COWD is still an activè ènterprise, at the latter and of 2020 ACE purchased its first propoty and bocame a sociglty rgsponsible landlord and a new 8rea of ffinandal support came in the form of a Donalion from a prlvate donor greatty supportir@ the cora costs of the organisalon. ACE will contlnue to acuvaty broaden ils incc4ne streams by pursuing Opports￿rtIeS for SO¢fdl enterprfses. ￿ntractIng and rental ineome, as well a$ direct grant funding. Strategies to ensure conlinuty.. ACE made fill use of available Government COVlD response grants to repurpose ACE projects. actiwties and services to meet the need$ presented by COVID ￿thIn our communities. The Govemff*nl Job Retention S¢heme waB fulfy utithsed enabliThJ us lo rataln all core funded staff. Due to our abilty to maintsin funding Ihere were adverse impacts on ynsion contrfbuuons. Ad¢JOonally. as costs fell we were able lo Increase our reserve srtuation. Bulldings ond spac8'. ACE has succassfijlly dave10￿d new uses for redundant ￿MMUnity tryjildings. Each building is an anchor for the delivery of plann8d prop¢ts and each have distinct functions for different demographics in the communty. ACE wll ¢108ely moniior the Gurrgnt use of Its buildings and will plan to optimi$e their fulure depioymonl for income generation and sustainabilty. Planning careffijlty and prudenty.. As it has grown ACE ha5 made great progress In undert•klng Increasingly complex fmanc4al planning. We Mnts'nue to plan Careful￿ an annual ¢osted bLvJget and considered operational plan¥. These wll aim to allt)w room lo Invest and develop wh￿st prudently dèllverlng on Sel obJectlves and advlknes.

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORn FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Buildin9 partner8hips". Partnershlp building and working ￿lIabor￿￿OIY is one of our moyt important a¢hievem&nts. ACE wll continue. wrthin the scope ￿ its resources. lo deliver partnerships %Mth olher likeminded organlsatlons. Utili￿n9 othets. capacity and Gonlributing to their Services.. Post-communities First d)anges in publi¢ pollcies on poverty, employment and heamh have altered the relationship bets￿n ACE and its former Cl￿nt base. ACE ha$ to establish itself as significant ¢ontributor alongsidè parlner and competitor organisalion$ which deliver servlces that ACE no longer has the capadty for. There is a parbcular focus on employabilty. enabllng ACE buikJing5 to be a hub for service F￿vIderS lo engage participants and d$liv8r I￿1r progTamme3 from. This is essential for Ety and Caerau re$￿entS who are 8eeknng employment and the continued $u¢ce$s ofACE's sodal buslnesse$. Maintainin9 ¢)ur gotra name.. The organisation has developed a strongty po$i¢ive repLrtation a¢ro$s the cty and is valued in communities, the third se¢tor and th8 local auihorty. ACE will work to protect it# gwd name by devoting appropriate resources to quality control and pwctive public Telations. Mobillsing ACE'S repulation and influence= Our 6ucce99ful track record and high reputatlon ACE the potential to have a positive impact olsevtherg. ACE will work to maintain ris relatKJnships. fluence policies in the voluntary and public sectors, and advocate for the communiknes li serves at respective ￿Ve1$. The strategie$ employed for growth.. Creatlng opportunliles to develop n8w wovk.. ACE VAII contlnue to create incomwenerating initiallves to address the lontem threat pose¢J by the Inovitable funding gap. ACE wll continue to devote resources and effort to exparKfing promising enterpri5e5 such as ACE Tralnlng and ACE Hou8ing and to creating finw¢i8lly viaNe new enteTprlse and community project8. Expanding the area of 0￿ration.. ACE'$ origin5, hiytory and goals are rooted deèpty in the Efy and Caerau area of Cardny. But our experience and our effective delfvery of anli-poverty programme5 here has attracted interest in our seN¢es els&￿ere. Whlle retsining it5 primary commilment to improving the quality of lrfe of Ety and Caerav residents. ACE wll seek $èM¢e delivery and contracting opportUnit￿S in other areas of Cardrff and beyond wilh the aim of generatwu Income and building long-tem Suslainabilty. Expanding volunteerfng.. ACE has comprehen%vely demon$trat•d the many personal and ¢onnunity beneffts of voluntary work. ACE has undertaken a new programme of work, empbying a Volunteer Development Off￿￿r to tske a lead and. wthin its cere values of community asset development and coproductlon, to Octively pr￿Ote volunleei?ng and altract, train and support volunteers to yndértake wcik v￿thin ACE arKI in the wider ¢ommunty. Acquiring and devdopiThJ new buildlng9: Developing property assets is a v*dety used M￿hanIsM for Improwng the sustsinabilty of community initralives. ACE wll s•ek out fresh opportunities on an ongoing basis for acquiring and developing land and new and exlslng bulldings. It wll also continue trj explore desirable new proiects and potential partnerÈhips ￿ere relevant. This could indude joint venturès ￿th the public sector ICCC or the Health Board), housing in￿￿tives. and further community asset transfers. A r￿¥ focus on monitoring and eva1uallon.' ACE has redefined how it monriors and evaluates Its Work. and has developed a new manageable approach whith can be aPpl￿d 118xibly to the ran9e of its a¢tivitie¥.

ACE.ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED}(INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARGH 2021 ACE Board of Trustees.. Membership of the ACE Board is infiuenced by the consciou$ ngod to preserve a balance betsveen local representstion and the $ki118 neede<l for the goveman¢e of 8 dynamic tharrty. Bul the value of Trustees spedallst knoYAedge Is Ilkely to grow as the Charity's work and finance5 bewne nKJre complex. ACE wll malntaln its pc41cy requlrlng that al least half of its trustee$ ShO￿d live or worf( In Ety and Caerau. But thanging prhwiti'es and chalenga$ wll be kept conllnuously under rgvlew 80 that the board 18 prep¥ed to attract and appoint new board memberj y￿h relevant expeitise when they are needeil. Crltsrfa to measuve success It is crud81 that l gather inlomiation Ihal tell$ us whether Of not our Theory of Change. Strategic Flan and day-twlay aclivibes are eff¥¢tbve in meeting our aims and tstr4e¢bve$ and fulfilling ￿￿on. In 201&19 V? took the opportunty to design a new approach Ihal puts organisational leaming at its hearL Wo wanted everyone Involved ir ACE - staff, vc4unteerg, IriJ8leeg. members, partlclpants and partners- lo be refiecting i)n our eXpor￿n￿$ logother. lo be identifying vthat works (and what doesn'lll aNJ to be gethng better al vknat Ilthiht we got off to a witive $tsrt in implementing this, the approoth has been held back due to COVID. 2021-22 will $80 us [￿stablISh lh8 folkh￿r￿j •pproa¢he8 lo put people's experiences at the heart of our learning.. Online surveys, promoted through S￿la1 media. These vill seek basic irrfomiation from a larwJe and dNer8e gTCUP of people regardirvj their experiences of engagement wth ACE. Did they fed welcom• and Valued? What changed for them as a resultr Wll they cow b8c4(7 Some of you may have responded to one of Ihese alrea￿. If not, we'd encourage you to do sol . The ￿lleG￿ of 'Mo8t Significant Change. 8torleB. A handfijl of personal stories of change will be colle¢ted by tralned story collectors. These Vlill explore, in detail and in Iheir own words. vthal h8S ¢hanged for pwle os a resutt of their invdvement wth ACE.. Th980 $kne$ wil be dis¢u$$ed amDngst panels of partlclpants. staff, volunteers and partners, allowng a collaborative approach lo leaming and to understanding the significance of each story for how ACE works and how we cwld work bèttèr. You wll see some early exarnple5 of these transforMat￿nal stories in Ihe pages of thi$ report. . Project specffic interview5 and surveys. These ill collect demographic 1nf0mia￿0n and feedback related lo specific prole¢lg. They I￿11 be parbculady usthl in meeting Ihe mnitoring arKI evalu*￿n requi￿rnents of projactlunders and will be designed spacifically to m••t these no•d$. The collaboratbve Igaming from Ihew approaches VAI be ysed to revSew and update the Theory of Change and Strategic plan and lo make ¢hangè5 to our practv where nece$sary. We are looking fotward lo becoming an or9anisation with learning and develoFthent at hs heart. The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by Charity Commission in d￿ldIng vknat a¢tfvtttes tho charlty Should undertake.

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Rgspryw to COVID and th• Impact of G￿rnM•nI Control m•¥ur•• Lrfe al Dusty Forge changed 5ignificanlly vhn COVID hit in e8ty 2020. Our closed. activity vra$ drawn to a mlnimum with only key Services slth as the Pantry, Phone Friends and Youth Fotxl Cooking at home projects b8ing delivered and intemittenlly across tha year ACE Training providirwj health and safety courses to those seeking employment. The New Year wa3 not filled wbth joy we were stll in lockdown., the Dusty Forge still dosed for Several menths to tome. However, there wa$ light at the end of the tunrÉll Lo¢kd¢)wn restri¢tion$ eased at the end of Aptll and outdoor activitie5 were able to re$tsrt, Grow Card gardening group and Caer Hidden Hillfort volunteer sessons being the first lo resume. In May we Y￿re able to open the doors of the Dusty Forge and welcome back Breakin9 the Mould Art Group and the Dusty Community Shop, projects dearty missed by partiopants, volunteers and stsff. By June somethin9 ex¢iting vrds beglnning to happen, thore was renewed interest from voluntaar led social and wellbeing 5LlPPOrt groups Knit and Natter and Retreat, they ￿ere keen to resume thdr much ml8sed aclivty, exc4ting￿ new group Jlie's Crochet Group was Set up. There was a renewed vigour the ¢ommunity. people were starting to mobilise, deady ready to slep oulshle, wanting to be a part of Something more than lrfe had previous allowed. As the rth)nths progrèssad tho Dusty Forge was In(Tea￿ngIy becoming that welkktved hub and place of activty that y￿ all knew it to be. ACE'S risk assessments for the building and activities meant that we were able to PLrt in place a series of safety I￿asUre$ to keep people safe and mlnSmLze thelr eyposure to COVID. Grou￿. communty members, volunteers and staff all took a lead in impl8m8nting this, Gornpleting forms upon foms on we8k foliowng all 3Bfety measure8 8et in place", withoLrt them we would not have been able lo keep the Dusty a COVID safe 8pa¢e. Whilst COVIO has been exceptionally hard to live vith there havg been many positives ￿ have leamt Jng the way. the most Impactlul forACE is how ￿ have not only been able to diversify the activities. projects and seMce8 we dehver but olso the way vthich we operato daily. Achlo¥•m•nts and p•rfomianco ACE wa8 delighted lo win lh¢ ¢ategory of Thriving Charfty 8nd to be Shortlisted for Outstanding Charity of the Year in the WCVA Welsh Charity Awards November 2019. Sin¢e then. the org8ni88tp)n has gone from Strength to strength. de$pTie the signrfi¢ant ehall8nges posed during the year 202fy21. IneTrthably, experience$ during 202(￿21 have been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemk, ￿1¢h exacerbated many of the challenges already experienced in our community whilst $imultan8ously makiThJ ACE'5 Iradilional approaches to rLJprodudion and asset based convnunity development extremely difficult or impo$$ible. Neverthetes5. the team responded quic￿Y and creatwèty and staff and volunteers devektped and deliVe￿d a range of cnjcial services, activities and projects to 8UPPDrt l)cal peopb.

ACE.ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT {CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Durlng the Covld ¢rl$i$ and lockdown ACE has.. Provided 1.083 food Pa￿1$ to fwnilies through our Panty coledons and delvery service. Provided phone based support to 440 people struggling ￿ a range of thallenges related to the crisls. Provided Mental Heatth support to 196 P￿pIe. . sup￿led 6 cooking pack8 each to 50 young people, tolalling 300 famity meals. . Provided 27 people vAth w8akly'Phone Frlend, calls. Provided 109 people wlth prescription deliverie$. Supplled 45 people with Back Hom• Boxe8 after a I￿spital stay. . Worked vAtr) partnèrs Grow Cardiff to get people in Ely and Caerau 9fDwng fruR and veg in their b8ck gard8n$. Engaged 30 wpil$ from Cardifl W05t Community HvJh School In CAER Heritage Project Ictfjv￿eS. . Supported around 100 people lo dlg more than 35 bg¢k garden ar¢haeologlcal te8t plis explorr¥J our local histryy through CAER'$ Big Dig Folowing a su￿81U1 fvnding applkatlon to the Wel8￿ Government's CommLmity Fa￿11b'e8 programme. w? have been able to redevdop the Dusty Forge community centre, ensuring It is frt for purpose for years to com?. Developments indude.. Improved diSab￿d #c￿$S, a larger re¢epti¢)nl¢afélcommunity li￿ng room area, new tollets. a new arts workshop. a new meetingltraining room. increased storage space and a new h&ing system. have also Installed shelter&J ¢)utdoor meeling gpace8 to faulAate outdoor gatherings vA)en required by Cov7d restridions. January of 2021 also Saw us begin the development of the old Caerau Gospel Hall into a new Communty Heritage Centre and heritage themed playground fijnded by the NatKinal Lottery Heritage Fund, Waks and West Housing Association, Cardrff Coundl and the Moondance Foundation a$ part of the CAER Hldden Hilwort Heritage projeGt. eypect this worf( to be completed In Sèptember 2021. Financial rnviow ACE'8 future is increthbty excitlng. V•t are a communty led charty vthich has a plan. purFrt)se, and a fantastic group of voluntfjfjrs, trustee$ and staff. Over our ￿$t 9 year3 of operatlon ACE has add•d approx £9m to I local economy across Cardiff WesL A proporfion of this income was a re8utt of the Wdsh Government Community'es Firsl programme. Poyt commUn￿e$ First 2018-21 £3.310,765 ha$ been generated through social enterprise activrties, grant appli¢alions and fvndralslng. ACE Is a cha￿ty standing in its own dght, rking with Tesidents to yee meaningfvl changè across communrtles - fhis is a huge achievemgnt thlch ontinue5 to address an unfair 'stigma' attached to Ely and Caerau, something residents of Ely and Caerau n be real￿ proud of. We havé conlinu•d to build on a fimi foundaticn of Strong financial policy ind effective ffinandal management through 2020-21. Income in 202th21 was spread across 37 projects, delivering in Ely and Caerau and other communities in Cardrff. ACE has been successful in ftjllowng its strategK plan oblethe to diversify income streams. During 2020-21 ACE received £1.342,043 In¢om8 from num8V)us lunders. ACE has also 8ell- generated £39,637 via $ocial enterprise such as rental, eonsult4ncy V+rrk and training. Whil$t we have $een an increase in overall income the actual $elf-generalod Income is slgnfflcanlly knver than previous years, a dlrect Impact of COVID and the ctosure of the Dusty Forge and ACE Training for a large proportion of 2020-21. Th8 shortlall wa$ made up by our SU￿$¥ in securing funding from our grant Ma￿ng partners. for Id) are extrèmèly gralefvl. ACE ha$ abo continued lo run the ¢ommunity building (Dusty Forge> albeit a very different capacty during 2020-21, worknng ¥Mtrt the many restrictions faced as g result of COVID. Despite these restri¢tKJns and a need to dNersify our approach we were able to provlde 8ome conMbLrfOon lo dellvery, in particular to Our Local Panty, and when reslrictions 8llo¥Ed ACE ¢ontlnued lo make activrties accessible. In nonngl tlmes renial income provides a source of rellable income vthich enab￿S turlher inve$tsnent in the facility and the development of Increased ujmmunity ovner$hip.

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 ACE'S financial perfomwnce and position going forward is heaw but Still ￿lIant on key areas of funding. Future wk is likaly to contra¢t th• ¢harity'$ short term actmties but an increasing resthve and diversffication of fuTrJing and enterprt5e activitie¥ wll en8ure the charity'81¢)nger temi operation. ACE Invesleil £137.500 of resèrves to wrchase a house. an assel that will protect ACE in th8 long term. This investment creates an enterprise stream that can contribute lo ACE'$ management Costs. vthich are nol usually prowded for in Ihe fvnding that ACE is able to secure. as well as resources to feed back into ￿MmUnIty aciivity and 8eryice8. Moreover, the inve3tment moons a property has been renovated and brought back into use and provides a foreveT home to a local family. One that has a conscAenlious and Socially responsible lanthord and IS SUPPt)rted Ihrough ACE'S Communty Support offerkng, wor￿ng 8lon9side the famdy lo ensure they safr. and feel protected In thelr new home. Transa¢tlons and Flnancil PNltlon The Statement of Finan¢ial Aelivities shovn a net unrestrict&J surp￿ for the year of £86,575 and our unrestricted ￿ServeS Stand at £344,033. TangM• FIX￿ A$$•ts for by th• ¢h•iity Detail$ ol movements In fixed a88ets are set out in note 11 to the financ4al ststemènts. Inv•stmonl Pollcy and A•thm¥ Tho trust808 have considered the most approprlate policy for investing funds and have found that placing nbjnles on depot wih Ihe Co-operattve Bank is the mgst appropriate course of action to allow the nec8s$ary degree and Ilexibility. R￿r￿•S pollcy and gdng conwn ACE has historically operated under a basic reseryos policy vthiGh refiecls >6 months of operaling C￿ts. This has tsken into account the exlont of tha cla5sificalion of ACE'S athrttes, Ilabilitses, or how events Such as Covid-19 can impa¢t WO￿ A review of our rtseNe$ was undertaken In 2020-21, Ihe reserves that we have now 8el aside provide financial stability and the means for tr development of our principal activfiies for a period of 18 months. Reserv•s are ¢alGulated trj 8UPWt ampbyer Irabililies. leg8V¢ontraet contingency. overheads. a core 'shell' staff team lo take operatKJns foThYard for 18 monlhs to include tho conkn.nued operation of the Dusty Forge and development capacity to provide continued investment in the organi$alion. The Trustees have detennlned that the free reserves by the organisation ought to ￿ sufficient to cover at least 18 mMths of the ￿Te operation, an amount of aT￿nd £225,075. AddIt￿nallY we wsh to maintain £95,007 a¥ a dasignated re$eNe for Dusty Forge redevelopment. Free reseNèg therefore stsnd at £82,642. pla￿ for lh9 futw• Looking f￿ard, through careful planning, creallve thIn￿ng and communty based delfvery we will ￿lId on this success. ACE ￿11 enable oommunity action Ihrough Ihe direct provbsion of Setvic￿. the development of community assets and S￿lad enterprise. We wll access funding to support our work, and will wrrk %sith peopl8, communty groups, organisalions and businesses. directing our regources in a sustainatle and effective manner. ¥lwGlur•p gov•m•n¢• and m•nag•m•nt Gov•mlng Docum•nt ACE-Acti'on In Caerau and Ely 18 a company Ilmiled by guarantee govemed by Ils Memorandum and Artides of AssocIat￿n dated 8 April 2011. It is rogistered as a charity thè Charity Commission. Anyone over the age of 18 become a memb•r of the Comwy. Appolntsnont of trust••8 All directors of the ￿MpanY are also tnths of the charty and there are r￿ other trustees. The Tru8tee8 have the powgr io appoint additional INslee$, a$11 considers fil to do 80.

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT {CONTINUED){INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Dire¢torsftrustee$ are elected from Ihe membership at an annual general meeting. Eath year one third of the board of directors (those being Ihe longest in office since theif last election} Stand down but are eligible for re- electKJn 7hithout further nomlnatlon. The Memorandum and Arucles of Ass¢xiab'on make allowances for an eleGted staff representatfve lo ￿t as a full member of the b)ard. Election takes place d￿n9 the month foll0v￿fig the AGM. Tnmtsg inductlon and tralnlng All dire¢lorsltwslees receive a Cornprehensfft induction session and an induction pack ¥￿th essential tnfomatlon. In add￿, they are offered nTr)nthty one-ttrone catch up meetings vAth the ACE D•velopm￿t Manager. <yntstlon The board ol trustees. thlch can have up lo 12 membern. administers the charlty. The board normalty meets mpnthly and therg are Sub￿0mmIttee$ coverlng dovebpmgnl and fuThJing, HR, finance and audit, whlch nomially meet monthly. The ACE Director Is apwnted by the trustees to manage the day-ttrday operations of the charity. To facdlt effe¢tive 0￿rat￿1n5, the Director ha$ delegated authority, within tenns of delegatKJn approved by the 1rustees, for operational mattws induding finance. employment and communlly related ¥¢tMty. Rfjlat￿ parts and ¢OwOPgratlon wlth oth•r txganlsallo None of our trustees receive remuneration or other benefft from their work with the ¢hty. Any COnnect￿n be￿en a tru$lee or 8enioT manager of the charity, contractor, must be dl8dos8d to the full board of truste& in the Same way as any other contractual relationship a related party. In the current year such r•lated party transaetions ￿•re reprf(ed. Pay policy for staff The directors consider the board of directors, are Ihe TrusV$ trustees, and the senior management team comprise the key management pernonnel of the charity in charge of direcling and controlling. running and operating the charty on a day to day basis. All directors give of their time freely and no dlrector received remuneral￿n in the year. Dgtsil$ of diro¢lors' expenses and rglal8d paty transactlons a￿ disckJ$ed in note 9 and 20 to the a¢counts. The pay of the Staff is aFyai8¢d annualty arKI normally increa8ed in accordar￿e vilh average eamlngs. In vi8w of the nature of the charity, the dir¢¢lors benchmark again$t pay levels in other third wtor organl8atlon$ of a Slmllar s￿e run on a voluntary basis. The remuneration benthmath is the mid-point of the range paid for $lmilar roks adjusted for a welghling of up to 30% for any addibon¥l respJnsiblittes. If recruitment has proven difficult in Ihe recent past a market addibon is atso paid with the pay Ma￿muM no greater than the highest benchmarked salary for a comparable mlè. Rlsk manag•rn• The tW8t•es have a rf8k m8nagement strategy conwr18e8: an annual revlew of the principal risks and vncertainlies that the thanty face$" the establishment of pdi¢ie8, 8y8tem8 and pro¢¢dur•s to mitsgate those risks identified in the annual ￿view. and the implementation of w￿dUr•S deslgned to mSnlmiM or manage any potenttal Impact on the charity should those risks malerialise. This y￿rk has identified that llnand81 sustalnablllty Is th• rn8￿r fkn8ndal risk for the charity. A key element In the management of finanaal risk is a regular re￿eW of available liquid fijnds lo setue debts as they fall due. regular ￿alSON the bank, and 3¢b"ve management of trade debtors and creditors balances to ensure suificient working capital by the ch￿. Attention has also Wn focused i)n noTr&finarrial risks arising from fire. IT ￿urity, maset volatllbty. health and safety of staff and volunteers, lood hygiene. These risks are managed by ensurin9 accreditation Is up lo dale, having robust poli¢ie$ and procedures in place, and regLdar awareness trainlng k 8taff working in these operational areas.

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)(INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 R¢fergnGg and adminislratlvo d•tall• Ctynpany number: 07623914 Charty number. 1150422 R•gigt8r•d office: Our Place.. Dusty Forge 460 Co￿ridge Road West Cardrff CF5 SBZ M Dixey M Hulland D Ffjng-Ap￿Intsd 16 September 2020 C Lannen- Appointed 17 September 2020 H Mccarthy J O'Keefe ITr8asurer} A O'Regan J Roach O Scott L Smith- Appointed 28 April 2020 M Wtherden {Chairl D Vtyatt Saerntsry: D Horton Key managom#nl ￿r$0￿￿•1. J H811ett- CEO to April 2021 D Horton- CEO from Aprfl 2021 M Powell- CEO from April 2021 Audltor: Azets Audll Servus TyDe Llme Tree Court Cardiff Gat• Buwness Park C8ffliff CF23 8AB Bankèrs: The cmperaU￿ Bank Cardiff 16-17 High Sl Card CF10 1AX Solicitorn: JMD Law Limfled 26-28 James Street Cardrff Bay Cardiff CF10 SEX 10-

ACE.ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED){INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Auditor In accordance wth the company'5 article5. a resolution prOpo￿ng that￿ets Audit Servk88 ￿ reappointed as auditor of the company will te pul al 8 Gener81 Meeting. WltheTthn . Truste• Dated.. 24:11:21 11

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Thè trustees, are also the directors of ACE-Action in Caerau and &y for the purpose of ¢ompany law, are rospon$ibie for preparing thé TNsts8s Report and the financial statements In accordance wlh applicatde law and United King(Jom Accounllng Standards (Unlted Kingdom Generally Accepted Accountin9 Practice). Ccrfnpany Law roqulre$ the trustees to prepare finanaal $1*8ments for eath finantyal year ￿lch glve a true and fair view of thg State of affairs of the charity and of the Incoming resources and appffic8tlon of re8ource$, induding the IrKome and expenditure, of the charitsble company for that year. In preparing these financial $ts1gmènls, the trustees are required to.. - select suitable accounlirKJ pdlcles then apply them ronsislenlty,. -observe the metlbJd5 and princip￿9 in the Chariti'es SORP.. - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent", - stat8 ￿ether appli¢able UK Accountlng Stsndards have been followed. subject to any material departures dlsd08ed and explained in the financlal 8talements', and - prepare the ￿n￿ClaI slatementy on the going tr)n¢em basis unless rt 18 Inappropriate to pr88ume th8l the charity vill eonlinue In CFeration. The trustees are responsible for keeping ad8quate accounting records that disclose wlth reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them ID ensure that Ihe financl818tatements compty wth the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assels of the charity #nd hence for tskn.ng Teasonable Bteps lor the prevention and detection Of fraud and other iryularilie¥. The trustees are responwble for the maintenance an(F Integrty of the tharity and finandal Infomiation induded on the charty's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom goveming the preparation and dissemina1ion of financial ststements may differ from legislation in olherjuri$dictitin$. -12-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY Oplnlon Wo have audited th¥ ffinanaal statemenls of ACE-Action in Caerau and Efy {the 'charity'l for Ihe year ended 31 March 2021 ¥thich comprise the 5tatemerrt of ffinancial activ￿•$, 1h8 baian¢e sheet, the statement of cash flov and the note8 to the financial statements. kncludlng a summary of slgnlfleant accounting poliryes. The financL91 roporting framework that has been appNgd In thgir preparat￿n 1$ applcable law and United Kingdom AccountknJ Standards, including Flnanual Reportong Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standamf applicable in the UK and Republ￿ of Ireland Iunited Kingdom Generally Accepted P£counting Practice}. In our opinion. the financial statements: give a true and fair ￿eW of the state of the chadtable companys affairs a$ at 31 March 2021 and of it8 incoming rex)urc¢s WKI appb'cabon of rgsources, forthe year then ended,. have been properfy prepared kn accordance United lQngdom GenEral￿ kcepted Awounung Practi￿. and have been prepared in •e¢ord4ncÈ with the reqUIre￿￿nIS of the Ccwnwi•s Act 20￿. Ba$ls for oplnloTr We cOnd￿ted our audit in accordance with Intemafjonal SIan(ja￿s on AudRlng {UKI IIW IUKI) and opplicable law. Our respon￿bIlIt￿S under those standards are further descrfb8d In the Audws responwbilities for the audit of the financlal statements secuon of our report. We are inde￿ndent of Ihe charity in accordan￿ Yrilh the ethical requirements that are relevant lo audit of the financial ststements in th• UK, induding the FRC'S Ethical Standard, and we h¥ve fvhllla<l our othgr ethlcal re8ponsibfiities in accordance with these requlrements. beligve that th8 audit evidenca wa have obtsin8d is $uffi¢i8nt and approprrate to provkle a basis for cwr ¢)pinion. Concluslons rnlatlng to golng cOn￿M In audf(ing the financial stslements, V•t have concluded that the trustees use of the going wncem basis of 8ccounOng In the preparation of the financial slatementslg approprfate. Based on the work we have parforn￿, we have not identified any material un¢ert8inties relating to events or conditions that. indiwdualty or collectivdy, may cast Signfficant doubt on the charity'$ ability lo conlnue as a golng concem for a period of at least months from l)en the finan¢ial statements are authorls8d for Issuo. Our responsibilities and the responsibllrtles of the trustees with reypect to going concem are d￿r￿ed in tr relevant $￿tiOnS of this report. Othér Inforniatlon The other infomalon ¢omprl$es Ihe InfOrMa￿on In￿l￿ed in the annual rewt other than thg finandal slalemgnts and our auditorfs report Ihereon. The trustees are responsible for the other infomwtion contained vKthin the annual report. Our opinion on the financial gtatements doe5 not cover Ihe ¢)ther Irrfom)afjon and we do not exp￿$8 any form of a$$urance ￿nClusion thereon. Our responsibility is to lead the other infornation aThJ, doing so, consider ￿ether the other infomiation is materially incon5iStent wtth th8 financlal statements or our kn￿￿edge obtained in the Colwse of the audiL or otherwse appears to be matertally misstated. If we identfy such malerfal Inconsistencwa or apparent mateAal mlsstatsments, we arg required lo deternine whether thi¥ gfves rise to a materfd mlsststement In the financlal slalements tt*mselves. If. based on the wotk we have perforn￿d, condLTrde that there is a material misstat8m•nt of this other inf0mlat￿n, we are required to r8port that fact We have nothing to report in this regard. 13-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY Matt•rs on whlch * r• r•qulrod to r•port by oxcoption We have nothing to report in respect of th8 followin9 matters In relalion to vknich the Chaiibe¥ {A¢¢ounts and Reports) Regulation$ 2008 require us to report to yw rf, in our opinion.. the inf0mia￿On gfven in Ihe financial siatemenl$ is inconsistent in any material resped with the trustees repNI: or suffident accwnling records have not been kept.. or the flnarrial Statement5 are not in agreemgnt vAth the accounting re¢ords; or we have not received all the information and explanations we require lor our audtt. RosponslbNttl•$ of tr￿te As explained more fulty in the statement of tru$lees re$pon$ibililie$, Iha trustees. vtho are al$0 tr dire¢tors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation ofthe financial statements and for being Satisf￿ that they g￿e a true and fair view. and for 8uch Inlemal Control as the trustees delemiine Is necessary to enable the preparation of financrdl Statements that are free from m4terrdl mi$$tstsmenl, ￿thether due to fraud or error. In preparing the finanual $ts18ments, the trustees are responsible for assesslng the charity's ability to ￿ntinue as a going concem, dlsdosing, 8s applicable, mattèrs relalod to going con¢em and uslng the going concern basi8 of accounting unless the tnsstee$ eithèr intend to liq￿date the charitable company or lo cea8e operations, or have no rgallsuc aliomative but to dts so. Auditol r••ponslbiliti• for the audll of the flnancl•l statements We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charit￿3 Act 2011 and report in ¥Kordance with theA¢l and relevant regulalfions made or having effect thereunder. Our obAedlve8 are to obtain reasonable a88uran¢e about N%fiether the finarriol $￿te￿EntS as i vthole we Iree from material migstatement, vA)thr due to fraud or emr, and lo issue an auditor'8 rewrt that indudes our opbnlon. Reasonable as$urance is a high level of 888uranGe but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance ISA5 {UKI will a￿vayS deto¢1 a material misststemenl when it exists. ￿'S$tateMentS can ari8e from fraud or error ar• ¢onsid8red material rf. individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to infiuence the economic decisions of users taken on basi8 oft￿Se financial statements. A further de8¢rfptp)n of our re$pon$ibilibe5 is available on the Financial Reporting Council's Web￿te at.. Ws".11 .fr¢.org.uklauditorsresponsibilib"e$. Thi$ de$¢ription fombs part of our auditorf¥ report. -14-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY Extant to Mthlch tha audlt W88 ¢on•ld8Yed ¢apble ot dete¢t6ng Irr•gularltle8. Includbng fraud Irregularrties, including fraud, are instances of norFcompllan¢& wlh laws and regulation& We design pro¢edures in line wlth our resp)nsibilities. OLrfined above and on the Financial Reporting Council's theb81te, to dètect mateiial misstatements in respect of irregulaiilies, induding fraud. We obtain and update our un(Jerstanding of the entity, it8 aCtivibe3. its control environment. and likely fubjre developments, induding in relthn to the legal and regulatory framework appk'cable and how the enlty 1$ complying that frameth. Based on thi5 understanding, Identify and assess the ri$ks of material misstatement of the financral statements, Vh￿er due to fraud or error, deslgn and perfom audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evid8nce that is suffiaent and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinK)n. This includes conwderation of rlsk of acts by the enlty that tre contrary to aFpIic8ble Im and regulations. includiry fraud. In response to the rttsk of Irregulantie$ and noTrcoffplian¢e v*th taws and regulatiom. induding fraud, designed procedures which Included.. Enquiry of management and those charged with govem8nce around 8CtU818nd potenual Iltsgatien and daims as well as o¢lual, $u$pe¢ted and alleged fraud.. Reviewng minule$ of meelings of those tharged wlh govornanc8,' A98essing the extent of compliance the laws and regulations considered lo ha￿ a direct material effect on the ffinandal Statements or the operations ol the entsty through enqulry and inspection. Rewewng financial Statement disclosure8 and ts$ting to supporting d￿￿mentatiOn to aSSO68 compliance vAth applicabl8 laws and rggulation$,' Pefftiming audit work over the risk gf manageftxnl b￿$ and override of controls, Including te8tlNJ Of loumal entrfes and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluating the business rationale of signrficant transaclions ouiside the normal Gourse of business and revithving accounting e8timatss for indlcators of potential bkg8. Because of the inherent limitation$ of an audit, there is a risk that we bvill not dated al lry•gularities. induding those leading to a material misslalement in the finandal stslements or nowompllanee vhih regulation. This risk tncreases the more that com￿lance with a law or r8gulaJon is ramovod from the events and tran￿¢tiO reflected In the fmandal statements, as we ￿11 be less likely to become aware of instances of non compliance. The risk of rbot detecting a material misstatement resulbng from fraud 1$ higher than for on8 resulting fmm error, ag fraud may involve collusion. forgery, intention81 omissions, misrepresentations. or thè o¥•rride of intomal control. Use of (wr r•port This report Os made solely to the charlty'g trustees, 88 a body, in aecordance with part 4 of the Chariti05 (Accounts and Rgportsl Regulatlon$ 2008. Our audlt work has been undertaken 80 that we might state to the tharity's twstees those matters we are required to stste to them in an auditors, report and for other purpose. To the ftjllest extent pemitted ty law. we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone olher than the char and tho charifv's Intstees as a bodv. for our audit w)rk. for Ihig remrt, or forthe opinions we have forn%d. Azots Audlt S•r¥l¢•s Chartered A￿oUntsnts Statutory Audlttx Ty Derw Lime Tree Court Cardiff Gale Buwne88 Park Cardrff United lQngdom CF23 BAB 15-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY INDEPENDENT AUDrroR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY Azets Audit Servi¢e$ 1$ dlglbie for appointment as a￿JItOr of the Charity by wrtue of its ellgtillty for appoirthent as auditor of a oompany under of 8ecdon 1212 of the CLJmpanies Act 2006.

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 unrnStrlct￿ RMtrl¢t•d fund• 2021 Total Unrestricted Restricted fvnth fund8 2020 2020 Totsl 2021 1021 2020 Donations and legaaes Charrtable actNlties Other Iradlng aclO¥Alles Inveslments 179 33.083 33,262 56,830 1.211.816 1268,646 32,044 7,227 39,271 9.634 9.634 4.091 1,053.466 1,057.557 98.777 16,$80 115,357 1,464 Total In¢omg 89,917 1,262,126 1,342,043 113,968 1.070.046 1,184.012 Ch8rrt8ble 8Ctwrtie8 3,342 1.016.899 1.020.241 113.880 734,215 848,095 Ngt Incomlng resourc•s b•forn transfvrs 86,575 235,227 321,802 86 335,831 335,917 Grogs transfers tetween fvnds (7.192) 7,192 15 1151 N•t Incoma for th• y•arl Not mo¥•m•nl In fund• 79,383 242.419 321,802 101 335,816 335,917 Fund balanoe¥ al 1 April 2020 264,650 616,464 881.114 264,549 280,648 545.197 Fund b•l•n¢es at 31 Mar¢h 2021 3M,033 858,883 1202,916 264,650 616,464 881.114 The statement of finanryal aclivilies indudes all gains and losses recognised In the year. All Ir￿Qme and expendrture dethie from ¢ontlnulng activitie$. The 5ts1ement of financial actNities also Gomplies with the requirements for on income and exp8ThJlture sccount under the CompaniesAct 2006. -17-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY BALANCE SHEET AS AT31 MARCH 2021 2021 2020 Fu8d assots Tangible a55ets Inveslment propeities Investments 11 12 13 490.840 144,441 10 134,421 10 635.291 134.431 Curront assots Debtors Cash at bank and In hand 14 122.112 538,485 153,860 597.517 660,597 761,377 Credltor¥: amounts falllng *4thln 0119 y•ar 15 (92,9721 (4.694) Net Qu￿ent aBsets 567,625 746.683 Totsl a8Mts1•8s curr•nt liabiliil•• 1,202,916 881.114 Incixhtr funds Restricted fund$ 17 858,883 616.464 Desiqnated fttnds G￿ra1 unre8tricted fund3 18 261,381 82,652 104,795 159,855 344,033 264.650 1.202.916 881.114 18-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY BALANCE SHEET (CONTINUED ASAT31 MARCH 2021 The company 1$ gntillgd lo the exomption from the audit requirement conlainod in secuon 477 of Ihe Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2021. amhough an audtl hag been carrfed out under section 144 of the CharftiesAct 2011. The dlrectors acknowledge their re8pon8ib11it￿8 for conylylng wlth the requirements of the Compan188 Act 2006 ith f8sped to 4￿nting re￿Id$ and th• preparntion offinancial stat*monts. The menknrs have not required the ￿MpanY to obtaln an I￿11t of its finandal stat8mgnls under the requirements ofthe Companies Act 20C6, for the year in qugstion in a¢Gordance sectlon 476. These flnanclal 8tatsments have ￿en prepared In accordance ￿th thè P￿￿910n$ applicable to Mmpanies subject lo tho small compani•s ragime. 24.11.21 The financial stsl8mfjnts approved by th• Trust•8s on ......................... With•rdon . Trust•• Comyny Reglltrntion No. 07623914 19-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 2021 2020 C•sh flov•S from 0￿r•In9 actlvitl Cash generated from operations 456,449 199.962 I￿•$11ng activit1•$ Purchase oftsngible fixed assets Purchase of inve$lThnt property Investrnenl income T8c8lved (371,9041 1144,441} (134.7941 1,464 N•t ush usèd In Inv•stlng a¢￿¥10•# (515,4811 {133,330} Net ￿•h usod In financing acOvlll•8 Net IdecTeat•)Ilncreas• In ¢a8h and cash •quIval￿ts 159.0321 66,632 Ca¥h and ¢a8h equivalents at beginnlng of year 597,517 530.885 Cuh •nd cash equlv•l•nts at •nd of y•ai 538,485 597,517 -20-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMEKrs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 hlARCH 2021 Accounting Wi¢i•s Charlty Intorn￿lIOn ACE-Action in Caerau and is # priv*te company lirnrted by gu8ranlee incorporatsd in England and Wale8. The reg19tered office is clo (￿r Place - Dusty Forge, 460 Covrtirfdge Road Wès( Ely. Card5ff. CF5 5BZ, United Kingdom. 1.1 Accountlng ¢onv•nllon The financial statements have been prepared in accordance ￿1th the charity's goveming documnt, the Companles Act 2006 and "Attountlr& and Reportlng by Charllles.. Statement of Recommended PraGti¢e applicable to ¢haritses preparing tt￿1r acwunts in a￿ordance the Finantyal Reporting Stsndard

ppltcatle in the UK and Republic of Irel*nd IFRS 1021 {effective 1 January 20191". Thg Chgrity 18 a Publ

Benefit Entity as deffined by FRS 102. The ffinancial statements are prepared in sterling. which is the fv￿tional currew of Ihe cha￿. Monelary amounts in these finanaal statements are rounded lo the neare8t £. The finarrAal statemerts have been prepared undtr the historical ￿$t convenlion. Thg principal accountiThJ PolK￿ a<bpted are 8et QLrt below. 12 Golng conc•m At the tim8 of approving Ihe )Inancial state￿nts. the trustees havo a rea$onat4e oxpe¢tation that the d)8rity ha8 adequate re80urce8 to Con￿nUe in operalonal ex18tence for the foreseèable future. Thu$ the trustees Continue to adopt the golng concem ba￿S of accountlng in preparing the financial statements. 1.3 Ch•ritsbl• ￿ndS Un￿Strided fund$ are available for use at Ihe di$uelion of the trustee$ in furthernnce of th￿r charitable Obledp￿s. D8slgnated fvnds Gomprise funds have been set a￿de at the thscretbn of the Iruslees for specllk purposes. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out In the notes to the financial ststemenls. Restsithd are subject to $pe¢ifi¢ ¢onditrons by donors 8$ to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of Ihe restri￿ed funds are set out in the notes to the financial statemerrts. 1.4 Incomlng rnsources Income18 re¢ogni8ed wthen the charlty Is legally enlMd lo11 after any performance condition¥ hove been mrt the amounts can be mgasurod r•lial. and it 18 Probable Ihat inco￿￿ ill be rKeived. Cash donations a￿ recc4Jnised on receipL Other dc+nations are re￿gnIsed once the charlty has been notified of the donation. unle55 [￿lorManCe conditions require deferral of the amount. IrKome tax recOVera￿e In relation to donations receive(l under Grft Aid or dee(Is of covenant is rectsjnised at the time oflh8 donatson. Income from grnnts. wheth•r capital gran1$ or reven￿ grants, is r•¢ognised when thg (arty ha$ entillement to the fvnds, any perf¢Jrmanee ctsndltions atL*hed to the grants have been mel, it is probatAe that ￿ income wll be recewed and the amount can be measured reliably and is not defeThed. Cap gfants are reloosed lo thg SOFA in Ihe year of re¢eipt. Fixed assets rglating to caphal grants are Ca￿lSed. and depreciation charged is offset against the grant income. in a restricted fund. 21

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ICONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Ac¢ountSng pollcl•s (COntm￿d? R•ntsl and training income is invoiced and 1$ recognised in the perfod to vthl¢h the 8ervice was promded. The value of any voluntary help r&eived is Mt In¢￿11¢d In the ￿ounts but is des¢ribed in lh• truste•s' annual report. Income earne<l from intere8t is inchjdefj In the accounts vknen receipt 1$ probabl• and the amount re¢eivable can be m?asu(ed fellably. 1A Resourc￿ expended Eypendrture is racogniyed once there is a legal or con¥trudbve Ob￿gatIOn to make a payment to a thlrd party, il is probable that setdemnt will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliabty. Expendrture on tharitable activities includes all costs relating to the furtherance of the tharity's otiectives 48 $tOted in ￿ Irustses report and their a850ciated support ¢o$ts. Irrectsverable VAT Is Charyeil as a against the activity forwthich lh8 8xp8nthture was incurred. Support costs have been allocated betsveen govemance costs and other 8upporL Govemance costs comprfse all costs involving putrAic accountaI￿lty of tho chartty and ts compliance wth regulab'on and good practice. Support co$ts in¢fude central functions and have been allocated to aclivity cost Categorles on a ba818 consistent with the u8e of re8ource8. 1.6 T•nglbl• fi￿d ass•ts Tangibh fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subs8quendy measured at cost or valuation, net ol depraaation and any impalment losses. Oepreciath'on is re¢ognlud so as to writg off the cost or valuation of ass•ts le88 their reyidual values over their us•ful li￿3 on the followin9 ba$e#.' Property impmvemenls IT equipment hth)tor vehides 5% per annum on ￿¥t 10% p8r annum on cost 20% per annum on Cost The gain or loss arising on the dlsposal of an asset is delermlned a8 the dlfference bethen the 3* proceed8 and the canylng value of the assel, and is re¢ognised in net Incomellexpenditure) for the year. 1.7 Investm•th prop•rti -22-

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Accounllng pollclos (Contlnuodl 1.8 FIX￿ $s•t investrnonts Fixed asset imiestments are initially measured * cost and subsequently mfra5ured at Cost le88 any accumulated impairment losses. The investments are 888e$8ed for impairment al each reportin9 dale and ary impaimenl losses or revergals of impairment losses are recognised immediataly In net incomel lexpenditurel for the year. The investment property is currenvy valued al cost withln the accounts due to the trustees bein9 of the rplnlon that the purchase value Is r￿t moterlalty dlfferenl lo bts tslr value at the year end. A subsidiary 13 an entity controlled by tho charkty. Control 1$ the power to gov•m the financi￿ and opgratiryJ )Ildes of the 80 as to obtaln beneffts from it8 activities. 1.9 Cash and cash ¢rydvalents Cash and cash equlvalents Indude ¢a$h In hand, deposhs held at ¢ll wilh banks, other short-tsrm Ilquld investrnents with original maturrties of three months or less, ¥nd bank overdrafis. Bank overdrafts ar• shown y￿1n borrowngs in current liabilrtie& 1.10 Financial Intstruments The charity has e￿¢ted to appty the proviyions of Seclion 11 'Ba￿C Financaal Instruments, and Se¢bon 12 '(Xher Finanaal Instruments Issues, of FRS 102 to all of Its flnandal knstruments. Financial instruments are recognised in the charilys balance sheet vhen the Chadty bectsr￿ party to th8 contractual pmislons of the Instrument. Financial assets and liabilrbes are oflset, wilh thet net amounts presfjnted in the financial 8tatements, lthen there is a leg￿ty enforceable nght to 8et off the recognised amounts and there i¥ an intention to setue on ba$1$ orlo reallse the asset and $etUe the liabilty simullaneously. Basie finaneialaM•ts Basic financial assets. vthich include debtors al￿ cash and bank balances, are inthally measured at tr8nsafAion price induding Iran$a¢tion costs and are subsequently carrled at amortrsed cost using the effecb've interest melthl unless the arrangement constilLrtes a finanryng tran$acbon, where the transaction 1$ measured al the present value of the future re¢eipts discounted at a market rate of interesL FlnancS assets dassffied as receivable within one year ore not omorti8eil. Derocognftlon of fln•n¢lalassots Financial a$$els are dere¢ognised only YA)en the contracual rights to the cash fkws from Ihe asset expi or are Settled, or *hthen Ihe charity transfers the financial asset and substantoally dl the risks and rwards of 05￿￿r9hlP to another entty, or rf some signrficant risks and rewards of ovmership are retained but corrtr of the asset has Iransferred lo another party that Is a￿e to sell the asset in its en1irety to an Lmr•lated thi party -23-

ACE￿CTIoN IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMEKrs d in vknich the estimate Is revised where the revision affècts only that period. or in the perood of the ￿￿$lOn and fijturé p8rted8 vthefe the revision aflects b)th cu￿8n1 and future -24-

ACEACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 DonoOon• and l•ga¢l•• Unr•strlct•d R•strkt•d funds f￿dI Total Unrestricted fvnds 2021 2021 2021 2020 Donations and grfis 179 33,083 33,262 9.634 -25-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AIARCH 2021 Charflable actlvltles 2021 2020 Grants Sundry income 1,260.526 8.120 1,055.219 2,338 1,268,648 1,057.557 Anatysis by fund Unrestricted fuTrls Restrfcted funds 56,830 1,211.816 4,091 1,053.486 1,268,646 1,057,557 Gran¢¥ Arts Councl 0f￿leS Cardrff Council Cardny Unlverslty- Caor Herriage Charrbès Ald FoLmdation Children In Need card￿ and the Vale Wellbemig University of South Waie$- Caer Hwitag• Care & Repair The National Lottery Heritsge Fund Citizens Adwce NEA Cosy Cymru Cowop Dusty Shed Neighbourty Community Fund National Lottery Communty Fund Westem Power Fcod Sense 20,250 55,000 33.525 28.965 12.500 12,474 31,074 330,890 5,000 8,375 137,063 11.000 500 2.300 8,268 376.390 9,000 96.228 13,000 144 6.777 400 161,198 3,495 37.400 5,648 140.685 6.990 5,000 800 4,036 2.000 3,508 15,3S5 328 1.000 7,543 C3SC Charfes Trust CSE Invest Lo¢al TNSI Stewardshlp Tesco Bags of Lrfè The Eneryy Sa¥lng Vlridor HMRC Coronwrus Job Retention S￿￿M Macmlllan Mind 00ndan￿ Foundation Morrisons Pet Supplies Soil Assooation 16,378 168,630 47.835 81.279 19,$94 19,852 22,658 5,500 117 1,000

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMEKrs (coKriNUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Charitabl• aclivili (ContIn￿dI Waterfoo Foundalon WCVA Iwsh Govemm¢nt- Conynunity Faulities ProgrJmm 49,900 37,935 250,000 1,260126 1,055,219 oth•r tradlng actlvlll88 Unrn•trlct•d Re8trictsd funds fimdl Total Unrestricted Restrcted fund¥ funds Totsl 2021 2021 2021 2020 2020 2020 Rental In￿M0 Tralnlng and consullancy incan 20,142 20.142 32,044 7,227 39,271 78,635 16,580 95.215 Otstrading activ￿'t$ 32,044 7,227 39271 98,777 16,580 115,357 Investments Unfpstrict•d Unrnstrthd funds fiJnd$ 2021 2020 Interest recefvable 864 -27-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IcoKfiNUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Ch4rftabh •¢tlvlti•s 2021 2020 Stsff ¢o$ts Bad debt Donations Heat. 11ght & insurance IT costs & telephone Ma￿eting, sundry & training Printing, postsge & ststionery Project cost Rent. rates & reloca￿On costs Repairs & renewal8 Equipment hire & room hlre Travd & 8ubsistsnce 680,409 389 4,826 7.659 12,963 506.311 1.200 11,334 5,887 4,204 1,710 180,656 1,560 B,481 250 3.119 2,483 210.358 546 4,937 383 3,316 928,249 724,712 Share of 8UPPOrt cog1s18ee note 8) Share of governanee ctsstslsee note 8) 88,993 4,999 118,689 4.694 1.020,241 848,095 Anatysis by fund Unrestrictad funds Rèstn"cted funds 3.342 1,016,899 113.880 734,215 1.020.241 848.095 -28-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Support C￿1* Support Gov•manc• Go•ts 2021 Support Gov8man cost8 costs 2020 Staff ￿tI Depreciation Cleaning Bank Gharge¥ and bad debts Management d)arge8 Prlnting. postage & $talJonery Motor costs Repairs & renewals Travel & sub¥i$len 42,014 15,485 8.488 42,014 1 S,485 8.488 73.506 373 8,566 73,506 373 8,566 122 4,113 122 4.113 99 9.249 99 9.249 1,434 7.701 7.052 1,434 7,701 7.052 1.925 2.085 17.882 5.004 1,925 2,065 17,882 5.004 Audit fge$ A¢countancy 4,399 600 4,399 600 4,094 600 4,094 600 86.993 4.999 91.992 118,689 4,694 123,383 Anatysed bets CharitatrA8 acbwti¥$ 86,993 4,999 91,992 118,689 4.694 123,383 Trusi• No trustees r￿e1ved remunerati¢)n or receNed any other benefrts from an employmant wth the charity during the ￿Jrrent or prior year. No trusta¢8 were relmburwl for expgn8e8 durfng the Current ¢r prfor year. 10 Employ• The average monthty numb&r of empbyees during tho y8arwas: 2021 HUm￿r 2020 Number 36 31 EmployM￿t costs 2021 2020 8 and Salaries Social security costs Other pen510n costs 856,572 45,170 20,681 523,815 39,252 16.750 722,423 579,817 29-

ACE4CTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ICONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AIARCH 2021 10 Employw¥ (Contlnwd) K•y management pornon￿l The key mana9ement personnel of the Charity are as detailed in the trustees report. Tr total employee beneffts {induding gross salary, employerfs natitsn￿ insurance. employers pension witributions and beneffts in kn'ThJ) of the key management pefsonnel of the charfty £122,952 {2020.' £78.808). There were no employees annual rernuneralion £60,000 ci mor8. 11 Tanglble fl￿d a¥¥ots Prop•rty ITgqulpm•thM•Wr￿h￿I•s Pfo¥em•nts Totsl Co¥t Al 1 Awl 2U20 Addrtions 134,794 348,404 3,630 9.594 23.500 148.018 371,904 At 31 March 2021 483.198 3,630 33,094 519,922 D•prn¢latlon and IMpalrn￿nt At 1 April 2020 Depreciation charyd in the year 373 13.918 3.630 9,594 1,567 13,597 15,485 At 31 March 2021 14,291 3,630 11.161 29.082 Carrylng amount At 31 March 2021 468.907 21.933 490,840 At 31 March 2020 134,421 134.421 12 Invostment pr¢p•rty 2021 Falr val At 1 April 2020 Additions through extemal acqui8ilion 144,441 Al 31 March 2021 144,441 Inveytrnent propety comprises a residèntlal propety purchased In October 2020 by the charity for rental appreciation. The fair value of thè Investment propety has been arrived at on the basis of the price paid for the property when purcha$ed. The trustees are of the opinion that thore is no malarial drflerence befvmgn thè cost price arKI the fair value prke at the year end. Contslned In the above are amounts totalling £nil12020.. Ènil) in relallon to land. -30-

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 13 Fix•d assot invutm•nts oth•r InV￿tment• Co¥t or valuatlon At 1 Aprfl 2020 & 31 M8rd12021 10 Carylng amount At 31 March 2021 10 At 31 March 2020 10 2021 2020 Othttr investments comprise.. Investments In SLtb3ldlarfes 21 10 10 14 D•btOfS 2021 2020 Amounts falllng due wlthln one year. Trade debtors other debtors Prepayments #nd ac¢rued incom? 76.655 42,973 2,484 60,428 93,432 122,112 153,860 15 Cr￿ltOrs.. amounts falllng du• thln or* y•ar 2021 2020 Trade credltors Amounts owed to subsidiary undertakn'ngs Accruals and deferred income 88,049 io 4.913 10 92,972 -31-

ACEthCTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ICONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 16 R•llrnm•nt ￿nOffit schvm Dèfinod contrlbudon $chgm•s The charfty operates a defined contribution pèn$KJn scheme for all qualfylng employees. The assets of the scheme ale held separately from those of the charity in #n in¢Jep8ndènlly administered lund. The charge to profft or loss in respo￿ of defined contribution schemes wa$ £20,681 12020.. £16.750). There were no amunts outstanding during the current or piior year.

Ir) I rs ¢3J ts V) Lb Iri Its ri Di 0> ui Iri Cq p Ltj coo> co ¢0 ¢0 o rfj (N￿ C* r 17>00p 8a% l Ln OPNIOO ￿￿4•> oo Invo <￿￿0<()LL

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 18 De8lgnat•d funds Movement in funds Incvm5nB Balanr•at r•sourt•$ 1 Awll 2020 balan¢• at 1 Apdl 2019 T￿¥f¢r$ Balanu a¢ 31 March 2021 Running tosts Dusty Forge Redevelopment Fixed asset fund Inve6tm8nt property 9,788 95,007 9,788 95,007 (9.788) 95,007 21,933 144,441 21,933 144,441 104,795 104,795 156,586 261,381 Runnlng co•ts: Comprlse those funds whld) ACE may at its discretion sel aside funds for speafic purposes whKh would otherwise form part of the general reserves of the organisation. The funds are set asitle funds for the use, rursning costs. activtties and events . This fund was transferred to general ffee re6erves in the year. Du8ty Forge RedovelopmenL" Comprise those funds set aslde for future redevelopment work at th8 Dusty Forge building. Flxod a888t fund.. relates to the nel v81ue of the charlty'$ unrestricted flxed assets. Inv•stm•nt prop•rty: relates to the value of the property held for investment lo generate unrostricted rental income for the charity. -37-

of 7¥ r 41 ¥ l i }jls

ACE-ACTION IN CAERAU AND ELY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ICONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 20 R•lthd p•rty tran8a¢tlons There were no disclosatrAe re181ed paty trdnsadons durlng the year I2020- none). 21 Sthldl*ri•8 The charity holds the entire issued shared cap￿al of 1 ordlnary share of £10 in ACE Communty Enterprises Llmtied, a company Incorporated in England and Wales. The company was Incorporated on 07 February 2014 and remains dormanl, Company Number 08881835. registered officE, Dusty Forge. Covknridge Road thst, Cardiff. CF5 581 Name of und•rtaklng Rogl¥t•r•d Naturo of bu¥lnos9 lass of % Held sharns hold Dlrect Indir•¢t ACE Communty Enterprises LinNtetl England and Dormant les Ordinary 100.00 22 Charg The Natlonal Herllage Memorial Fund have a regislration of oharge over the 18a8ehokl of Caerau Evangelical Church, Church Road, Caerau. CardTII. CF5 5LQ. 23 Cash pnOrat￿ from op•ratlon 2021 2020 Surplus for the year 321,802 335,917 Adjustments for.. Investment Income recognlsed In statement of fin8ncial 8Ct6vhle8 Depre¢ialon and Impalrment of tanglble fixed asget8 1864) 15.485 {1,464) 373 Movements V•vthing ¢gpital: DetteasellirKreasel in debtors Increase in creditors 31,748 86,278 1134,864) Cash g8n•r•t•d from •p•ratlon8 456.449 199,962 24 Anal￿1• of chanys In not fund¥ The charity had no debt during the year. -39-

ace Action in Caerau & Ely Gweithredu yng Nghaerau a Threlái

Action in Caerau & Ely

Annual Report 2020 - 2021 om

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“Our Ambitions For Our Community Through Our Own Efforts.”

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Contents

• p4 1. Message from the Chair

p16 8. ACE Projects

8.1 ACE Youth

• p6 2. About ACE

• Our vision and values

• p7 3. 10 years of ACE

• p9 4. Saying goodbye to John Hallett, ACE’s first Director

• p10 5. In memory of Caroline

• p11 ACE stories:

• My ACE Journey - Sheree Madea

p12 6. Community Support

• 6.1 ACE Advice & Support

• 6.2 Working Well

• 6.3 Your Local Pantry Dusty Forge

8.2 CAER Heritage Hidden Hillfort

8.3 ACE Training

• 8.4 Volunteering

• 8.5 Summer of Smiles

8.6 ACE Arts

p20 ACE stories:

• Being part of the community - Mike’s Story

p21 9. Partner projects

9.1 Dusty Shed

• 9.2 Repair Cafe

• 9.3 Benthyg - Library of Things

p22 10. ACE’s Covid response

p23 11. ACE Giving

• 6.4 ACE Community Shop

p24 12. Staff/Trustees list

p14 7. Health and wellbeing

• 7.1 Mental Health Support

• 7.2 Yourspace Wellbeing Support

p26 13. Finance stats

• 7.3 ACE Phone Friends

• 7.4 ACE Compassionate Communities

p27 14. Thanks to Funders and Partners

p16 ACE stories:

Learning with CAER - Doug

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1. Message from the Chair

No one would expect much to happen in a year when the country was in lockdown and the Our Place Dusty Forge centre was consistently closed to the public. But ACE isn’t constrained by normal expectations. The pace of change accelerated in 202021, and it’s arguably our most successful year so far.

The start of the pandemic saw an astonishing transformation of work priorities for staff and volunteers as they readjusted to home working and meeting community needs in new ways. Our charity was recognised as a critical front-line resource, and extra grants were secured for food and fuel poverty and health projects. It was a tough time for everyone, but ACE proved its worth.

Meanwhile a £300,000 refurbishment programme for the Dusty Forge was under way, transforming its dowdy run-down facilities into bright community spaces, training rooms and ground-floor offices.

That was just the start of a revolution in ACE’s presence in the area. Work on the Hidden Hillfort Heritage Centre started in Caerau, creating opportunities for today’s residents and links with their ancient Celtic past. The Centre with its neighbouring play area was opened by First Minister Mark Drakeford this September. In a significant step forward in November 2020, ACE bought a house next door to the Dusty. At a stroke we took a new role as a socially responsible landlord housing a local family, an investment of our reserves to safeguard the future, and a

permanent physical stake in our community.

In the autumn of 2020 our co-founder and Director John Hallett announced he would be leaving us in April. This news could have stopped us in our tracks. Yet we were able to explore the transition to new leadership calmly and systematically, including the challenging idea that senior development managers Dave Horton and Michelle Powell might take over jointly as CoDirectors. Dave and Michelle slipped seamlessly into these new roles without the usual months of disruption of a new appointment at the top. They aren’t the same as John. But they are brilliant successors.

Other game-changing appointments in 2020-21 included Helen Bull in the

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new and much-needed post of Volunteer Development Officer, and volunteer Dave King as trustee and Treasurer. He immediately set about a radical overhaul of our financial monitoring and reporting systems to bring them into line with our rising budgets and highly complex funding arrangements.

Sadly, the financial year ended with the devastating blow of the death at the age of just 42 of Caroline Barr, ACE Health Development Officer and Pantry Manager, who was widely seen as the heart and soul of ACE’s community volunteering. The pain of her loss was, and still is, palpable. She has been remembered at ACE’s tenth anniversary celebration in July 2021, in artwork created with staff and volunteers by Artist Nic

Parsons, and in the naming of Dusty’s new ‘Café Barr’.

The 2021-22 financial year started with ACE in its most comfortable advance funding position to date. Full sustainability is not on the cards and there will probably be rocky years ahead. But grants and project opportunities are still rolling in, including new ideas for social care, and a planned “Library of Things” equipment lending initiative in partnership with Benthyg Cymru.

The team has since then pulled off a remarkable achievement with the post-lockdown ‘Summer of Smiles’ activities for local young people and their families. Its success is a sound basis for future development of our youth services. ACE is even preparing to take a ground-

breaking new role in the new GRACE project, helping local men under the supervision of the Probation Service to build supportive links in their neighbourhoods and to make their own contributions to community life.

We’ve achieved so much together despite the disruptions of a global pandemic. We are very aware of the significant challenges facing our community over the coming winter and beyond. We will do everything we can to ensure that all of our brilliant community’s resources are mobilised to support people through these times.

Mel Witherden, ACE Chair, September 2021.

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2. About ACE - our vision and values

Our Vision:

To create ‘vibrant, equal and resilient communities for all, where people find fulfilment in themselves, each other, and the place where they live’.

We work with communities to achieve lasting positive change for an equal and just Cardiff by:

• Mobilising local people behind a shared vision

• Co-producing projects and services that make use of assets and meet needs

• Driving positive social change, making our communities fairer and more inclusive

• Securing income and maximising community assets for sustainability and community resilience

• Working closely with private, public and third sector organisations to secure the benefits of their resources for our communities

Our Theory of Change:

Need:

We tackle poverty, disadvantage and related complex needs on all fronts using a fully integrated approach.

Solutions:

Co-produced initiatives build confidence, skills, capacity and resilience, improving mental health and promoting supportive social networks.

Outcomes:

Local people report a range of outcomes including improved wellbeing, securing employment, completing training, stronger social networks and greater aspirations.

Impact:

Local people who have developed confidence, skills and energy contribute these to collective approaches to community development

If you would like to find out more about our strategic plan for 2021-2023 please email daveh@ aceplace.org

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At ACE
we believe:
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• Local people know their community best.

• • Everyone has something unique to contribute.

• Everyone’s contribution should be valued equally.

• Poverty should not be accepted as a fact of life.

• Social injustice should be challenged and changed.

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3.
10 years of ACE!
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In July 2021 we celebrated ACE’s 10th birthday. What a journey it’s been! From humble beginnings in a small office in Glyn Derw, through the challenges and opportunities of the Communities First programme, to the hustle and bustle of the Dusty Forge and our brand new Community Heritage Centre. Join us for a look back over 10 colourful years!

A potted history of ACE

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2001
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The Welsh Government’s Communities First programme is launched, aimed at tackling poverty in the most disadvantaged communities in Wales. It gets off to a slow start in Ely and Caerau but by 2006 there are 4 community workers led by Project Coordinator Iona Gordon. Early efforts are focused on building relationships and discussing local needs and ambitions.

Ely Garden Villagers are supported to run their annual bonfire night displays. Conversations begin - How can we sustain this work into the future whilst putting it more firmly into local people’s hands? The idea of a community based organisation begins to take root.

ACE’s first board of trustees meet at the old Ely Housing Office to sign the organisation’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. The organisation is registered as a Company Ltd by Guarantee and ACE – Action in Caerau and Ely is born!

2006 - 2010

A number of new projects are set up with support from the Communities First team. The Mill Park project begins running activities for children and young people and ends up regenerating the park and play area. The brilliant Unity group is established at Church Road. The

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April 2013

ACE takes on the running of Communities First in Ely, Caerau, Fairwater and Pentrebane. In practice this means CF staff hand in their notice with Cardiff Council and are re-employed by ACE. A bold move that provides ACE with its first employees and plenty of energy and enthusiasm.

March 2014

ACE employs a Development Manager, the first member of staff outside of the Communities First programme. They are tasked with building the organisation and diversifying its income so it can survive once CF finishes.

September 2016

An initial application is made to the Heritage Lottery Fund proposing an exciting new community regeneration project building on ACE’s work with Cardiff University on the CAER Heritage Project. Plans include a community heritage centre and heritage themed playground.

March 2018

The Communities First programme is closed down after 17 years. ACE stands alone! By this time, major projects such as CAER Heritage, Working Well and work with health services are bringing in resources from other sources. ACE Training, the organisation’s first social enterprise, is providing earned income to support the organisation. By this stage there are 22 members of staff and 32 volunteers.

March 2021

June 2014

ACE staff move into offices at the brand new Ely and Caerau Community Hub. The venue quickly becomes home to a range of CF/ACE projects including a community garden, community ambassador meetings and the installation of the famous concrete sheep!

February 2015

The Dusty Forge Youth and Community Centre is earmarked for closure by Cardiff Council. ACE decides to make a home there. Soon after, the Dusty Shed (Cardiff’s first Men’s Shed) is launched in the old bookies. A community garden begins to take shape, courtesy of Billy Mainprize. Parts of the building are brought back into use for a range of community-led activities and Our Place Dusty Forge gradually becomes a thriving community centre.

ACE bids a fond and grateful farewell to our first Director, John Hallett.

September 2021

The CAER Hidden Hillfort Heritage Centre and playground are opened on Church Road and ACE has a beautiful new base from which to develop further action with local people. The organisation has 34 staff and over 70 volunteers, two buildings and a community wildlife garden, and works with over 6000 people every year.

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4. Saying goodbye to John

At the end of March, John Hallett stepped down as Director of ACE. Following a careful and thorough transition process, the ACE board appointed Michelle Powell and Dave Horton as Co-Directors. John, Michelle and Dave have worked together since the very beginning of ACE, shaping it through their vision and hard work into the thriving charity it is today.

It has been hard to say goodbye to our friend and founding Director, John. We’re so grateful for all of the hard work, heart and soul that he poured into ACE and into the community in Ely and Caerau. After 18 years living in Ely, John and his wife Sophie have moved to West Wales to start a new chapter with more adventures to come. We wish them all the best.

In July 2021, under Covid restrictions, we held an outdoor party for staff and volunteers in the car park of the Dusty Forge to celebrate ACE’s 10th anniversary and give John a good send off. There were emotional speeches and an incredible 10th birthday cake made by Thereze McCarthy. John was presented with a book of farewell messages, a present and a gift of ceramic mugs made by ACE Artist Nic Parsons in our arts workshop.

It was the first time that many of ACE’s staff and volunteers had seen each other in person since the beginning of the pandemic. It was also a bittersweet occasion as we had recently suffered the loss of our dear friend and colleague Caroline Barr. Staff and volunteers came together to share our memories of Caroline, making clay moulds and pressing items into the clay that reminded us of Caroline. Nic Parsons then used these moulds to create the collaborative artwork to commemorate Caroline that is now on display in the main reception area of the Dusty Forge.

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5. In memory of Caroline

In March everyone involved with ACE was utterly devastated at the loss of our beautiful friend and colleague, Caroline Barr. Caroline started with ACE as a volunteer several years ago, joining in with litter picks and other activities. She was a wonderful and inspiring presence from the beginning and, when she later applied for a job with us, we were delighted to welcome her to the staff team. She took up a place right at the heart of the ‘ACE family’ where her kindness and hospitality meant she was ideally suited to leading our food projects, including establishing our very successful Community Pantry. She dedicated endless hours, days, weeks, months and years of her time to helping people in our community and made a lasting difference to so many lives. She leaves a hole in ACE that will never be filled and we have been finding ways to keep her ‘with us’ as we move forward.

Our ACE Arts Coordinator, Nicola Parsons, helped colleagues, volunteers and friends to create a piece of collaborative art in Caroline’s memory which is on permanent display at Dusty Forge. ACE volunteers have also launched Café Barr, a twice weekly café serving healthy, tasty food on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It’s already becoming a focus of social life at the Dusty Forge. We’d love to see you there!

The following poem was written using quotes from Caroline’s memorial book by her dear friend and colleague, Nerys Sheehan:

Caroline, our friend, our colleague, our angel above, We will miss your humour, your kindness, your love. Your warmth and determination to make the world a better place, Your lovely qualities made you perfect for your role here in ACE. You were the definition of selfless,

So many memories, too many to share. The many ways you showed how you care.

A bowl of soup, a reassuring hug, A cup of coffee in your favourite mug.

Your legacy will continue forever more,

We will welcome those in need through the door, With a smile, some soup and pick them up off the floor, With kindness, humility and no judgement at all.

We will smile, share stories, laugh and cry, All the while looking for signs you are by. Time stood still on the awful day,

Together as a family we will never be the same.

Your footprints of kindness pave the way, For us all to want to be the brightness in someone’s day. We watched you grow and bloom into a beautiful flower, Be proud of everything you did, and rest in eternal power.

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ACE Stories

My ACE journey - Sheree Madea

I originally came to ACE about five years ago for support for my mental health and wellbeing and joined the art group. That helped me through a very bad breakdown. From there I got to meet Caroline and Catherine in the pantry team as well as Caroline’s youngest daughter Elizabeth. They were always welcoming and let me know about community events, and they guided me and supported me not just mentally but helping me financially as well.

Then fast forward to recently just before lockdown, my life situation had started to improve a lot. I heard through one of the ACE team members that they were looking for more volunteers in the pantry . I wasn’t actually aware that you could volunteer your time, because I would have done it sooner. I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to thank the whole of the ACE team, everybody who had helped me along my journey from when I went through my struggles to the present time.

I was really struggling in lockdown with not being able to see family and friends, so all round it was a way of me giving back and me keeping my own mental health and wellbeing going . It was a way to say thank you for giving me that helping hand and possibly helping others in that same way. I started off being supported and now I’m on the other side of things, helping others and volunteering my time. Ever since then I haven’t looked back, I’ve loved it.

I didn’t know where to start or what I could do and nobody passed judgement, everybody was welcoming. Literally every member of staff, I’ve got to say, somewhere along the lines I’ve had that relationship and kinda been guided on and I feel like a lot of people have felt like that as well. And that’s why they feel like it’s second nature to give back, they just feel so thankful and they don’t know how to outlet that gratefulness. You want to do something good for someone

else, you want to help, and continue on that bowling ball of kindness. It sounds cliché but it’s true!

Helping people makes me feel amazing! You feel so humble and so grateful. It’s been so nice meeting new people and building new friendships. It’s been kind of therapeutic in a way, we all offload and share our problems with each other, we help and support each other. It’s been really good at building my skills as well, because in this small amount of time, I’ve developed my communication skills, I’ve done first aid, I’ve done a food hygiene course, I’ve done a nutritional course, it’s helped my family home life as well. I’ve been learning about food poverty and how to tackle it and you know teach others those skills that you are learning as well, it’s just been absolutely great in that sense.

It helps me to build up my experience for future job roles because I’ve been doing something with my time, I’ve been learning. I always worked from a young age and then when I had children that was kind of absent from my life so it’s been good to build up that part of me that used to be .

It’s fascinating to see how the whole ACE team works as well, from people who come in and want to volunteer to the funding and how that’s done. So if I didn’t have those significant steps from being supported to then coming on the volunteer team to building up my skill set and getting involved in other things as well… every part of the journey has been significant because it’s got me to where I am today . And it’s grown me as a person, definitely in the last few months since lockdown.

I definitely want to continue to be a part of the pantry. I would like to grow my skill set, I feel like this is my forté, this is something I would like to do for a career as well as a volunteer based role because I love it. I love being involved, I love being active within the community and I love just being part of something that’s unique and it’s different to any other job role or

anything out there , it doesn’t feel like a job, it feels natural to do something like that. So for me personally I see myself hopefully training and coming further in the next few years, as my daughter goes into full time education and I have that extra time.

When I joined pantry, I was quite overwhelmed and quite honoured to be a part of Caroline’s team. And that’s genuine, because she showed passion for what she did. She wasn’t just sitting down with dreams and ideas, she was trying to make that happen . And it kind of inspired me to think I would like to do something like that myself. When she passed, it was devastating to the whole team, but it did hit me because this person I began to grow with, she’s now all of a sudden gone. Her daughter too was so welcoming to my children, she had adopted her mum’s ways and that kindness and caringness is embedded inside her.

In recent days, Caroline has been my motivation to keep going because she helped me and others so much, that should be lived on . It inspired me and it made me determined that this woman’s dream needs to be carried on, her legacy needs to grow, because she had so much left to do and that deserves to be spoken and heard. So I suppose this is my way of giving back to her as well, more than anything.

It’s been a difficult few months since Caroline’s passing, but I have to commemorate Stacie for taking on the job at hand. She’s taken the pantry on such a journey that I think Caroline would be proud of, I really do. It’s not an easy position to be put in, and Caroline was a friend of hers. Helen has been brilliant too, she handled the transition in a lovely way, so professionally and with such care. Now Stacie has taken that torch and she’s carrying us all through and she’s doing really well. It’s a privilege to be part of it.

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6. Community Support

6.1 Community Support

ACE delivers tailored energy advice and support to those facing financial hardship. We work with GP surgeries, schools and others to ensure that those most at risk are identified and able to access support. Our advice helps people to claim benefits and challenge benefit decisions, reduce energy costs, replace broken appliances and clear debt.

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£249,158.64
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ACE generated £249,158.64 back into the community through income maximisation, fuel savings, warm home discount applications and access to grants.

During the lockdowns we switched to telephone appointments, delivered food and checked on the welfare of people isolating at home. Having this presence in the community enabled people to express concerns for neighbours. We were able to generate £249,158.64 back into the community through income maximisation, fuel savings, warm home discount applications and access to grants.

In 2020-21 we supported 2857 vulnerable households. Emma received supermarket vouchers when her income fell due to furlough. She said: “I think this grant is a fantastic help for families who are struggling at these times, it helped me immensely when I was down to my last couple of pounds knowing I could feed my children with the help of this grant”.

6.2 Working Well – Weekenders Project

“It made us sit down as a family at least once a week to enjoy a game and have fun conversations, we really enjoyed trying new board games”. - Michelle

The Weekenders Project is funded by the National Lottery Helping Working Families Programme. During lockdown we conducted research with families and found that 83% of households had worsened mental health. Children were fed up with screens and parents were juggling working from home with home schooling, feeling guilty they weren’t able to spend quality time together.

We designed a 6 week programme of activities to help families feel more connected, learn, give back and be active. Conversation starters and emotional literacy activities helped to develop family wellbeing. After lockdown, we also began a monthly Saturday stay and play session, accessible to those who work in the week.

Families reported that they enjoyed having a set time to do something new and spend quality time together. They felt more connected as a family and had lots of fun too. Two parents of the original group enjoyed the experience so much that they have now taken a lead on developing the project and will be taking this forward.

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6.3 - Your Local Pantry Dusty Forge

Our community food shop membership scheme reduces food shopping bills through providing access to good quality surplus food. Our partners include Food Cardiff, Church Action on Poverty, and Fareshare Cymru. Cardiff and Vale Nutrition and Dietetic Service provide training and support to Pantry volunteers to encourage members to try new ingredients and make healthier food choices.

By March 2020 our pantry had 200 members, with over 100 accessing the shop on a weekly basis. Even with limiting Covid restrictions in place we still have over 60 families each week accessing the shop with members saving an average of £15 for each shop, giving an estimated total saving of £30,000 on food costs.

Our trained team of 8 volunteers run the pantry while supporting members to learn cooking skills, make social connections and access other activities. Early in the pandemic members could not attend the Pantry, so we quickly switched to food deliveries. Up to 50 deliveries of vital food packages went out each week to our most vulnerable members.

200 members save an average of £15 £15 for each shop at the Pantry

6.4 - Dusty Community Shop

The Dusty Community Shop is run by a team of dedicated volunteers, providing clothing and household items on a ‘pay what you can’ basis since 2016. “We get people coming in off the streets, cold and hungry, so we help them out and give them some clothes and a cup of tea or coffee. We make everyone feel welcome.” - Stella, Volunteer.

Covid-19 restrictions forced the shop to stay closed for most of 2020. After careful planning, the shop reopened in May 2021. We continue to prioritise the safety of our community members, volunteers and pantry members. We are so grateful for the patience, hard work and dedication of our volunteers in the shop.

The Community Shop serves around 100 people a week. We are now open again with Covidsafe arrangements in place on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Many families have bought second-hand school uniforms from the shop. A highlight was our halloween costumes sale which raised £345 for ACE. Donations are welcome, either cash or good quality items.

“I feel like I’m making a real impact, helping people that need it most.” - Tracy, Volunteer

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7. Health and wellbeing

7.1 Mental Health Support

“I do not know how I would have coped if I had not had the support of the service.” - Patient .

The 1:1 Guided Self-Help and Social Prescribing Service (formally known as ‘Tier 0’) provides Psychological Interventions in two ways. The 1:1 Guided Self-Help sessions involve working with patients through a range of workbooks on different topics from anxiety and depression to procrastination and perfectionism. The Psychoeducational courses ‘Stress Control’ and ‘ACTion for Living’ were paused throughout 2020-21 due to COVID-19.

The response from existing and new patients has been positive, with 991 patients engaging in the 1:1 Guided Self-Help sessions alone in 2020-21, evidencing the need for the service. Positive outcomes reported by participants were improvements in: managing their mental health, physical health & self care, social networks, identity & self esteem, and trust & hope for the future.

In response to COVID-19 ACE introduced new measures to support service delivery through a new way of working. As 1:1 appointments were no longer possible in GP surgeries, telephone and video call appointments were implemented. Appointment times were also increased from 30 to 60 minutes to allow for more support to patients during the pandemic.

7.2 ‘Yourspace’ Wellbeing support

‘Yourspace’ provides 1:1 support to help people connect to local groups, activities and services in order to improve wellbeing and works with the community to develop wellbeing activities. The service was commissioned by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board as part of the Cardiff South West Primary Care Cluster’s transformation project to enhance support for local patients.

The Covid pandemic increased the need for wellbeing support while removing opportunities for people to come together. We worked with the Cluster’s Integrated Care Hub to reach out to patients identified as vulnerable. We developed and adapted activities in response to changing restrictions, providing a mix of online groups, outdoor activities and resources for use at home.

From April-Sept 2020 we called 127 people to offer wellbeing support, making over 1000 calls and helping with food, prescription collection, digital inclusion and access to key services. Over the whole year 232 people received 1:1 support, 41 accessed a group/activity and 141 received resources to help them stay active and feel connected at home.

“It’s been invaluable, it’s been a lifeblood. Knowing that you are going to call has kept me going knowing there is something in the diary. Without those things I would feel much more alone.”

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7.3 ACE Phone Friends

Initially piloted with in the Compassionate Communities project, Phone Friends connects people with a volunteer from their local community for a friendly, weekly telephone chat for 15 to 30 minutes. We match people who have shared interests and hobbies. Often people find out about all sorts of things they have in common as they get to know one another.

In the first lockdown there was an urgent need to replace the lost informal, day-to-day contact that people previously enjoyed at the Dusty Forge. At the same time, many of our volunteers were having to shield for health reasons and were feeling frustrated at being unable to volunteer with food and prescription deliveries. Phone Friends filled the gap.

Initially Phone Friends supported 27 people, working with ‘Yourspace’ and health service partners to identify those most in need. With support from the Coronavirus Mental Health Support Fund Wales, we partnered with Cardiff People First to include people with a learning disability as participants and volunteers, reaching 37 additional people between Nov ’20 and March ’21.

“As someone who has been helped and given new hope by the ACE Phone Friend Project, formed by caring people with a listening ear who understand the confusion, loss and loneliness that so many of us are experiencing during the dark days of this pandemic, I know we all matter and no one should feel forgotten or unimportant. Communicating with each other because we care is vital. Whether a listening ear is needed or the opportunity to become a volunteer, as I want to, this is possible. Phone Friends can help us be positive and look forward to better times ahead.” - Elaine.

7.4 ACE Compassionate Communities

ACE Compassionate Communities is funded and supported by Macmillan Cancer Care and works with the communities of South West Cardiff to enhance support and compassion for people experiencing isolation, loneliness or disconnection from the community due to illness, caring responsibilities, approaching end of life and/or bereavement.

Networks of support of family, friends and neighbours are vital to those experiencing care-giving, ill health, death and bereavement. Covid has affected people’s support networks and their confidence in accessing them. ACE Compassionate Communities hopes to increase the support people receive from their local community and offer bespoke support to those who need it, when they need it most.

Our new bereavement peer support groups, ‘Grief Space’, have proved to be a very meaningful source of support. 40 people benefitted from artist-led ‘Creative Grief Space’ sessions. We delivered wellbeing boxes with Kindness Cards made by local children to 42 people. We collected prescriptions for 78 people. And through our Phone Friends pilot, 27 people received a weekly phone call during lockdown.

“At Grief Space, I really feel that by sharing our bereavements, both recent ones and older, we all realise that whatever emotion we experience, in whatever order we experience them in, we’re all normal.” - Helen.

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8. ACE Projects

ACE Youth work provides a safe and accessible space for young people. We listen to young people and their families and community and develop provisions that empower them. Adapting quickly to ever-changing Covid restrictions, we have delivered online cooking and wellbeing sessions, as well as street based and outdoor youth clubs, engaging with 550 young people in 2020-21.

ACE Youth workers have observed the impact of Covid-19 on young people’s confidence and social skills: young people are bored, anxious and lack confidence in large groups. Our regular weekly street based sessions and partnership working have helped to resolve increasing tensions and anti-social behaviour. Our youth garden sessions have proved beneficial in improving confidence for six young people.

Our youth cooking course was a success throughout lockdown. We delivered over 55 food parcels and recipes fortnightly to young people in Caerau and Pentrebane, who prepared food and shared pictures on our Facebook page. We aim to continue our food related work in our upcoming open access youth club.

“We have enjoyed attending the weekly ace youth meetings at the dusty, it has helped us with the confidence to try new things. We thoroughly enjoyed the summer activities too and are looking forward to youth club.” - Local young person.

ACE Stories

I have been volunteering on and off for about 15 years, which started off with a community garden at Redhouse farm. My wife, daughter and I had been involved in a bad accident and I hadn’t really done anything for a couple of years. I wasn’t injured but it was so close, and had we been hit another inch or two to the left it could have been a lot worse. I was having a lot of bad dreams and generally I didn’t want to go out.

I became involved in CAER after I’d been up to the hog roast they’d had up at the site, and once I had been to the work sessions a few times, I just had a bit more interest. The main change for me through getting involved in CAER has been getting the University course. They run a scheme called Pathways to a Degree which is a collection of part time

Learning with CAER - Doug Smith

out of it, you could get qualified people or train people up to look after the woods. That’s a long term thing that’s been floating around in my mind.

modules which allow you to gain sixty credits for the course next year. I doubt that I would have got to this point on my own.

I spent most of my time at school sat at the back messing about, and barely passed my CSE’s. Later on, with the bouts of unemployment I had, they were offering courses like forklift courses and other stuff. I did college for 6 months, car mechanics and so between work and unemployment that got me started and I haven’t stopped ever since. My daughter started college and the day that she signed on, I went and signed on for Environmental Management. I did that for 2 years as a HND. It was mostly outside, we did all sorts, fencing and lots of other things. I like working with people generally, and perhaps I’ll just keep on in that direction.

CAER has already made a difference just helping people recognise the Hillfort is here. I suppose a lot of people, apart from coming up here to walk their dogs, didn’t really realise what was here. I think once this place has been done up and been in the papers and on TV, hopefully it will be another asset for the community. I don’t think it will make a difference to everyone but the people that care about it, it will. It’ll give them something to do, something to be proud of. There’s 5000 years of history here so you know, if the theories are all correct and this is where it all started off, communities grew outwards from here.

I’m a full-time carer for my wife. She has good days and bad days, and all this all gets me out of the house to be honest. It’s a nice place to come up and work, it’s a good atmosphere and basically we’re a community. That sounds a bit cheesy, but I stood with the rest of our group at the opening of the heritage centre, and it made it all worth it.

I’d done the environmental course which is why I like to get out into the woods and hopefully get them tidied up and sorted out. I like the woodland more than anything, I am interested in the history and I did the writers course. Over the next few years, I’d like to see the woods developed as an asset and then eventually you could get one or two jobs

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8.2 CAER Heritage Hidden Hillfort

The last 18 months has been challenging for all of us, stuck in our homes and unable to meet up with friends, relatives and all the community and volunteering groups that mean so much to us. The Hidden Hillfort Project is no exception.

We’re now in our second year of a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to create a Community Heritage Centre at Caerau Hillfort along with accessible heritage trails, interpretation, learning and creative opportunities. During the last year we’ve had to find new ways of doing things and making sure local people are still at the heart of everything. In 2020-21 over 600 people participated or visited project activities, from online zoom workshops and virtual ‘Ask an Archaeologist’ sessions with local schools, to getting their hands dirty with the CAER Big Dig where almost 200 local people did ‘mini-digs’ in their gardens to help discover the history of their local community.

Outside of lockdowns our regular volunteering group ‘Love Our Hillfort’ meets weekly on a Friday to litter pick, create pathways and clear vegetation around the Hillfort. Their work has really made a difference – recently installed footfall counters at the site have shown us that over 18,000 people visited the Hillfort in 2020-21, almost double that of the previous year. The CAER Team have been fantastic, particularly Sulafa, Charlotte and Nic who have made sure everything has kept running and even developed a Heritage Food Parcel project to help local families during these difficult times.

In January 2021 renovation work by Willis Construction started on the old Gospel Hall on Church Road to turn it into a new Community Heritage Centre. Alongside that development has been the installation of a new children’s playpark in the parkland next to the centre funded by Wales and West Housing Association and Cardiff Council. Both were codesigned by local people and were opened in September by First Minister Mark Drakeford and MP for Cardiff West Kevin Brennan. There’s lots more work to do over the coming 12 months. We’ve welcomed a new member to the team, Rosie, and we’d love more people to get involved – if you’re interested please contact the CAER team at [e-mail]

Curiosity Club

During the lockdown we adapted to online delivery and created a new website with learning resources for young people and we hosted digital youth sessions. The young people helped to create an online Iron Age experience which we hosted at the Cardiff Science festival in February 2021.

Since then, Curiosity have engaged with around 200 young people. We have run one off events such as the Summer of Smiles fun day and the CAER heritage centre opening, alongside the summer holiday enrichment programme and our usual youth club sessions.

Curiosity Club have been working to set up a Cardiff wide STEM network to share resources, knowledge and explore STEM opportunities outside of the team’s expertise. It will also provide opportunities to young people in their individual area of interest that might not otherwise be possible.

Find out more about Curiosity club here https://www. curiosityclub.uk/

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8.3 ACE Training

ACE Training is our locally based training enterprise. We offer courses in Health and Safety, Emergency First Aid at Work, Manual Handling and Asbestos Awareness. Our courses are accessed by people who are currently seeking employment and local businesses whose staff need training or refresher courses.

There are 8,400 people in Cardiff who are unemployed (not incl. long-term sick), 4.3% of the population. Across the city 5.1% of the population have no qualifications (Nomis 202021). The construction industry continued to operate throughout the pandemic. There were opportunities for employment, but no means of delivering training for those who needed qualifications to work on a construction site.

“Fi was really helpful and with a bit more revising I passed when I sat the test 3rd time lucky! The Dusty Forge is a friendly place with ‘five star’ staff who go out of their way to help. Really pleased and hopefully starting work soon.” - Dennis Price (Level 1 Health & Safety in Construction Environment)

By July 2020, training centres could re-open and we carefully adapted to a new way of working safely throughout Covid. We provided training to 155 learners, in partnership with 10 employment support organisations (all course places fully funded) and 3 businesses. 61% of learners achieved a qualification that will enable them to gain employment.

8.4 Volunteering

Volunteers are the life-blood of ACE. Without volunteers, many of our projects would not be able to run, and lives in Ely & Caerau would suffer. Throughout an incredibly difficult 18 months, 75 volunteers have supported and helped deliver projects for our local communities and have done it with passion and pride.

Covid’s impact resulted in people being thrust into isolation, losing jobs and struggling financially. Others were too anxious to leave their homes or needed to isolate for health reasons. As such, projects adapted and volunteers stepped up wherever they could to make life better for those in their communities.

Many projects had to close temporarily, yet volunteers were able to continue running the Pantry, to ensure people could feed their families, delivered food and prescriptions to those who were unable to get out, and phoned those isolated and lonely to ensure people stayed connected. Our volunteers have been simply amazing!

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8.5 Summer of Smiles

“Being able to attend the Go-Kart trip was a highlight of my summer. I really enjoyed the racing and pizza and wouldn’t have been able to attend if it wasn’t for free. Thanks to Dannielle, Esther and Taylor for making it a great day.”

During the summer of 2021 Cardiff Council planned and funded a programme of activities for young people, children and families called ‘Summer of Smiles’. Participants enjoyed a huge range of activities that were provided right across the city.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on everyone in very many ways. For young people and children, it has meant extended periods away from school and significant disruption to their social lives, often leading to increased anxiety, stress and depression. By the summer there was an urgent need for positive, fun, sociable activities to raise spirits.

Through Summer of Smiles ACE were able to bring smiles to 1132 children, parents, carers and young people in Ely and Caerau. Activities included: Go Karting, Pop-up music and sports sessions, a CAER time travelling fun day, gorge walking, day trips, T-shirt design and printing, watch making, dance workshops, and an ACE Youth celebration at Dusty Forge.

“Being able to attend the Go-Kart trip was a highlight of my summer. I really enjoyed the racing and pizza and wouldn’t have been able to attend if it wasn’t for free. Thanks to Dannielle, – Esther and Taylor for making it a great day.” Summer of Smiles participant.

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8.6 ACE Arts

ACE Arts creates opportunities to explore the arts for people who face barriers to engaging with art (due to income, mental health, disability, etc.). Art group members develop their own creative practice through free weekly workshops. Our professional artists support every participant to create work in a range of art forms, develop their skills and improve their wellbeing.

ACE Stories

I moved to Cardiff two years ago. I had a lot going on, was worried about a family member’s health and was getting quite anxious so the GP referred me to Mags (ACE Primary Mental Health Worker). Mags was lovely and so kind. When she contacted me about helping with Phone Friends and I had recently been talking to my friend about volunteering, it felt like it fell in my lap really. Sometimes things just come your way.

Mags has been so nice to me. I think when you’ve been dealing with mental health problems you become a bit more aware, some people who haven’t ever had problems like that don’t realise what it’s like. It’s not a nice place to be, and I don’t always have great days, but it’s nice to try to perhaps give a little back to people with similar difficulties and concerns.

I wanted to do volunteering, particularly being a bit stuck inside for a while, I thought it would be great to do something. I thought if I had been feeling anxious and worried there must

“I love doing the art, everything - I love all the teachers and new friends. I feel relaxed when I’m here and I feel supported.” - Amanda.

Art activities were paused for months at a time due to Covid-19, but we adapted to meet together in small, safe groups as soon as restrictions allowed, with 26 people engaging in creative sessions across 6 workshops a week, funded by Arts Council Wales. 35 people accessed art workshops between April 2020 and July 2021.

Participants developed skills and confidence and made beautiful ceramic, textile and print-based art work which was displayed in Wales Millennium Centre’s ‘Your Voice’ Exhibition throughout August 2021. Participants report feeling more confident, creative and happy. Linda told us: ‘I feel more confident since coming here, it helps with my depression.’

Mike’s Story - Being part of the community

be so many other people who are feeling anxious and worried and it was a good opportunity to help out. Giving is quite rewarding as well. I’m retired and look after my mum; it’s been important for me to have that sense of purpose as well.

you don’t feel like it, you’ve had a bad day, and you’ve got to push yourself into a friendlier place, to think of others and be more compassionate. Quite a few times I’ve done a call, thinking I wasn’t exactly going to enjoy that one, and afterwards it’s like oh, that went well, it was actually quite rewarding. You think, get over yourself a bit.

I’ve been involved in Phone Friends for six months now. You get a reliable person calling you each week, who will just listen without prejudice, doesn’t judge, and helps you stay positive. I call two people every week and I’ve learned a lot about building a rapport and earning trust. Some people have had hard experiences of being let down so it’s about letting them have confidence in you. A really core one is about learning to listen. How often do we really listen to what people are saying and not just end up talking about ourselves? It’s almost like a new skill that I’m still trying to develop.

It’s also been about opening doors. I didn’t know about this place, being new to the area, so meeting all these lovely people... it’s a nice community down here. It’s really reassuring to know that this place is here. I think a big change for me has been around identity, being part of the community. I’m beginning to feel more grounded, developing friendships and getting to know people from the area. So hopefully that continues. I thought I was a very independent person but I think we all need some human contact at times. I’d love to get more involved, as things change over the years, you’ve got so many great projects going on. I love getting down here and getting involved.

I think Phone Friends has stretched me in a way, the responsibility of committing to a regular call. Quite often

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9. Partners and other projects

9.1 Dusty Shed

The Dusty Shed is an independent charity, administered by its members, that augments the work of the Dusty Forge by supporting lonely and socially isolated people in Caerau and Ely. It does this by providing a physically and emotionally safe place where members can engage in woodworking and craft activities, or simply swap stories over a cup of tea. The members also provide voluntary ‘odd job’ support to the Forge.

During the pandemic the Shed closed, but maintained contact with its members through a WhatsApp group, and took the opportunity to develop a covered breakout area where more socially oriented activities can occur. Since it reopened in May 2021, Shed membership has doubled, due mainly to the utilisation of this new facility.

“I felt welcome as soon as I got chatting to some of the guys in the workshop and I thought this is a decent safe place and I would like to be involved!” - Dusty Shed member.

Dusty Shed members support each other emotionally, by the sharing of life skills, and in the physical activities they undertake, by the sharing of knowledge. Many members have commented that since attending the Shed they have a renewed feeling of self-worth.

9.2 Repair Café

Our repair cafe team at the Dusty Forge celebrated our second anniversary in October – two years of great challenges during the pandemic and growing popularity! The Dusty provides a welcoming venue for monthly pop-up repair cafe events run by our enthusiastic and skilled team of volunteer fixers. Our free service complements several other projects encouraging sustainability at the Dusty, including the community pantry, community kitchen and the new Library of Things with Benthyg.

Our customers mainly bring broken household items for repair so that we can keep our everyday lives going. But people visit our repair cafe from wider Cardiff and beyond, for example bringing bikes, family heirlooms and elderly teddy bears to be mended. Our new volunteer Gareth offers expert 1-2-1 advice on making the best use of digital equipment such as phones, tablets, and laptops.

“It’s great to meet up with loads of new people… from all walks of life but with the same need… to help them by repairing their item and preventing it just being thrown out with the rubbish and into landfill. I’d encourage everyone to consider what they would enjoy doing in their spare time and how they can help out within the community.” - Nigel (Volunteer), a.k.a. ‘Mr. Fix it.’ 71 .

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9.3 Benthyg - Library of Things

ACE has teamed up with Benthyg Cymru to open a Library of things based at the Dusty Forge. The idea is to share our resources within our community, so that everyone can borrow whatever they need cheaply and easily. It creates a culture of resilience and environmental sustainability that brings communities together to share items, knowledge and skills.

Items available to borrow include gardening and DIY tools, camping equipment and much more, all available to borrow for less than you’d expect to pay second hand, and with the opportunity to pay in time instead of cash. Dale Ovenstone, ACE Estates manager and Benthyg Development Officer, is looking after the Library of things.

10. ACE’s Covid response

Life at the Dusty Forge changed significantly when COVID hit in early 2020. Our doors closed, activity was drawn to a minimum with only key services such as the Pantry, Phone Friends and Youth Food Cooking at home projects being delivered. Intermittently across the year, ACE Training provided health and safety courses to those seeking employment.

both dearly missed by participants, volunteers and staff. By June something exciting was beginning to happen, there was renewed interest from volunteer led social and wellbeing support groups Knit and Natter and Retreat, who were keen to resume their much missed activity, and excitingly a new group, Allie’s Crochet, was set up. There was a renewed vigour in the community, people were starting to mobilise, clearly ready to step outside, wanting to be a part of something more than life had previously allowed. As the months progressed the Dusty Forge was increasingly becoming that well-loved hub and place of activity that we all knew it to be.

The New Year was not filled with joy, we were still in lockdown; the Dusty Forge still closed for several months to come. However, there was light at the end of the tunnel! Lockdown restrictions eased at the end of April and outdoor activities were able to restart, Grow Cardiff gardening group and Love Our Hillfort volunteer sessions being the first to resume.

ACE’s risk assessments for the building and activities meant that we were able to put in place a series of safety measures to keep people safe and minimize the risk of exposure to COVID. Groups, community members, volunteers and staff all

In May we were able to open the doors of the Dusty Forge and welcome back the ACE Arts Group and the Dusty Community Shop,

“Just sign up, become a member and borrow useful items for a small fee. Why buy when you can borrow? People can donate useful items they don’t need and items can be delivered and collected. Want to get involved? Volunteering offers the opportunity to broaden your horizons, meet new people and share knowledge & skills with our community.” - Dale.

took a lead in implementing this, completing forms upon forms week on week following all safety measures set in place; without them we would not have been able to keep the Dusty a COVID safe space. Whilst COVID has been exceptionally hard to live with there have been many positives we have learnt along the way. The most impactful for ACE is how we have not only been able to diversify the activities, projects and services we deliver but also the way in which we operate daily.

Michelle Powell, Co-Director

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11. ACE Giving

ACE Giving is the new quick and easy way to make a donation to ACE through our local giving page. Could you commit to a small monthly contribution to ACE? Everything raised goes towards continuing and developing ACE’s essential work, and every bit counts! It’s easy to sign up here on our Local Giving page: https://localgiving.org/charity/ace-action-in-caerau-ely/

We have been blown away by the generosity of supporters in the financial year April 2020 - March 2021. We raised £3624 in our ACE Coronavirus response appeal, which enabled us to respond rapidly as the pandemic erupted and direct help to the people who needed it most. In October 2020 our staff and volunteers walked and ran a combined 100 miles for ACE and raised £1820. Our Director, John Hallett, also ran 100 miles by himself in 6 days! In December, our first Winter Fuel Crisis Appeal raised £806 to fund emergency boiler repairs for people left unable to heat their homes in winter.

In March 2022, 5 ACE staff members plan to run the Cardiff Half Marathon, which has been postponed several times. In October 2021 they ran and walked 10 miles each to celebrate ACE’s 10th birthday and kick start their training and they raised £119 to support our Phone Friends project.

Our current Winter Warmth Appeal started with a brilliant idea from one of our pantry volunteers, to offer people in need a ‘stay warm at

home’ box. Filled with blankets, slippers, hot water bottles and thoughtful treats, the boxes will support wellbeing over the cold winter months and help people know that someone cares for them. If you would like to donate, please visit https://localgiving.org/appeal/ winterwarmthappeal/.

We are so grateful to everyone who supports ACE, and especially to our small but faithful crew who donate every month through direct debit. We hope to have 10 regular supporters by the end of 2022. Could you commit to a small monthly contribution to ACE? Every pound raised helps to continue and develop our essential work. It’s easy to sign up here on our Local Giving page: https://localgiving.org/charity/ ace-action-in-caerau-ely/

ACE raised £3,624 in our ACE Coronavirus response appeal

Thank you for all your support! It makes a real difference to the lives of real people in our community.

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12. ACE Trustees

Mel Witherden (Chair) is a retired third sector/charity consultant. Dave King (Treasurer) is a qualified accountant and experienced treasurer Marian Dixey lives in Fairwater. She is an active volunteer and has worked for the NHS for over 30 years.

Martin Hulland is the head teacher of Cardiff West Community High School.

Helen McCarthy lives

in Ely and is a lead volunteer on the CAER Heritage Project.

Dr Dave Wyatt is reader in Early Medieval History and Director of Civic Mission at Cardiff University. He is co-director of the CAER Hidden Hillfort Project. Chris Lannen is a qualified Financial Advisor Leyton Smith lives in Caerau. He is an active volunteer on ACE community health projects.

Jean O’Keefe lives in Caerau. She is an active local volunteer. Anne O’Regan lives in Caerau. She is an active local volunteer. Oonagh Scott grew up in Ely. She is a successful business woman. James Roach lives in Ely. He is an active volunteer and contributes finance skills.

ACE Volunteers

THANK YOU to all of our volunteers, without whom our work would not be possible!

Adam Mules Christine Broke Alice Clarke Christine Howell Alex Withey Dale Gooding Amanda Ward Dale Ovenstone Andrew Williams Way Dave King Anne-Louise Pring Dave Wyatt Anne O’Regan Deanne lannen Arthur Brown Diane Katy Bea Roberts Doug Smith Bridget Rendle Doug Stowell Candy Moss Elaine Harris Carlin Underhill Elizabeth Lewis (Liz) Caroline Holroyd Emily Andrews Catherine Oakley Fiona Robinson Charlotte McIntosh Frankie Curtis Chris Lannen Hayely Sterio Christina Dunn Helen Green

Helen Hanrahan Leyton Smith Penny Smith Helen McCarthy Lisa Twine Pete Herbert-James Issy Gooch Lynne Beresford Rob Jones Jacqie Young Margaret James Rosemary Freeman James Roach Mari Dunphy Sally Owens Jamie Hayes Marian Dixey Sarah Evans Janice Refalo Mark Hughes Sarah North Jay Sheppard Martin Hulland Sarah Whitfield Jean O’Keefe Mel Witherden Scott Morgan Jeff Clarke Michaela Ward Sheree Richards Julie Chancellor Michael Hack Sian Davies Karl Hayes Mike Kelly Stacey Bedford Katie Riggs Natasha Hayes Stella Attard Kelly Thomas Oonagh Scott Tania Clarke Kerry Pace Pat Stowell Terry Samuel Kyle Bebb Paulino Rodrigues Tracy Olsen Lauren Ford

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ACE Staff

Amber Williams

Primary Mental Health Worker Becci Booker Community Artist Becki Miller

Senior Development Officer – Working Well / Primary Mental Health Worker / Mental Health Development Worker

Becky Matyus

ACE Arts Sustainability and Accessibility Officer

Carly Whelpley Mental Health Coordinator

Caroline Barr

Community Health Development Officer / Youth Support Worker

Charlotte McCarthy

Caer Development Officer / Curiosity Development Officer / Mental Health Development Worker

Christina Evans

Wellbeing Connector

Dale Ovenstone Estates Officer / Benthyg Development Officer

Danielle Afferion Youth Support Worker

Dave Horton Co-Director

Donna Hurley Working Well Development Officer Esther Yeboah-Afari Senior Youth Development Officer Fiona McCormick Training Support Officer

George Keane

Dusty Shed / Communications Marketing Officer /Web Developer Hasan Roap Finance Officer

Hazel Cryer

Health and Wellbeing Coordinator Helen Bull Volunteer Development Officer

James Thomas

Primary Mental Health Worker / Wellbeing Connector

Janine Campbell

Community Health Development Worker / Food Project Officer Julie Evans Senior Administrator

Kate Miller Primary Mental Health Worker

Kimberley Jones Macmillan Development Officer

Lynette Hartman Wellbeing Connector

Mags Lyons Senior Wellbeing Officer Michelle Powell Co-Director

Nerys Sheehan

Senior development Officer - Community Support / Working Well

Nicola Parsons Community Arts Coordinator

Poppy Hodgkinson Curiosity Development Officer Rachel Hart Wellbeing Connector

Rosie Freeman

Hidden Hillfort Curator

Sabrina Driscoll

Primary Mental Health Worker

Sam Froud-Powell

Community Support Coordinator Sarah Griffiths

Together for Trowbrige and St Mellons - Community Development Officer

Sharon McGrath

ACE Receptionist

Stacie Leek

Primary Mental Health Worker / Pantry Food Project Officer Taela Mae-Davies Macmillan Development Officer

Vaida Barzdiate

Community Health Development Officer / Diana Garden Development Officer

We would like to thank the staff who have moved on to pastures new for their hard work and dedication to ACE.

Aled Williams Billy Mainprize Denise Rahman Imogen Higgins John Hallett Kathryn Hobbs Sheila Littleboy Sophie Randall Sulafa Abushal Taylor Jeffries

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13. Finance Report

ACE received a total income of 1,342,043 in the 2020-21 financial year. This is an increase of £158,031 from the previous year. Of this, ACE spent £1,020,241 with £321,802 being carried forward as restricted project income. The income was made up of service delivery contract income (28%), generated income (6%) and project grant income (66%).

made full use of available COVID response grants to repurpose ACE projects, activities and services to meet the needs presented by COVID within our communities and to assist with the shortfall of income generated from loss of training delivery and room hire.

streams and acquire and develop new property. ACE invested a proportion of its reserves to purchase a house, an asset that will protect ACE reserves. This investment creates an enterprise stream that can contribute to ACE’s management costs, which are not usually provided for in the funding that ACE is able to secure, as well as resources to feed back into community activity and services. Moreover, the investment means a property has been renovated and brought back into use and provides a forever home to a local family. One that has a conscientious and socially responsible landlord and is supported through ACE’s Community Support offering, working alongside the family to ensure they are safe, and feel protected in their new home.

Over our last 9 years of operation ACE has added approx. £9m to the local economy across Cardiff West. A proportion of this income was a result of the Welsh Government Communities First programme. Post Communities First the period of 2018-2021 £3,310,765 million has been generated through social enterprise activities, grant applications and fundraising.

Some of our biggest funders for the year included NHS Cardiff and Vale (Tier 0 Mental Health service and Yourspace Wellbeing service - £376,930) and The National Lottery Community Fund (Working Well - £161,198).

The Income received in 2020-21 was spread across 37 projects. The year 2020-21 has been different to any other we have experienced as we all responded to a changing climate due to the impact of COVID-19. ACE

The year 2020-21 has been another successful year where ACE has been implementing its strategic plan objectives to diversify income

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14. Our Funders and Partners

ACE Funders

James Edward Harris Trust

ACE Partners

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ace Action in Caerau & Ely Gweithredu yng Nghaerau a Threlái

Our Place: Dusty Forge 460 Cowbridge Rd West , Ely Cardiff CF5 5BZ, Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail] Website: www.aceplace.org Facebook: ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely Twitter: @elycaerau

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