## MONTY’S COMMUNITY HUB 59 Montague Avenue, Southampton, SO19 0QB // www.montys.org.uk — Registered Charity No. 1155649 — **ANNUAL REPORT — 2021 —** Page 1 of 7 ## **MONTY’S** // WHO WE ARE **Monty’s Community Hub is a grassroots ‘community development’ charity, based at the heart of our neighbourhood on the edge of Southampton.** Our vision is to enable the personal, social and spiritual growth of local residents; in partnership with the local community; so we can all enjoy abundant life within a flourishing neighbourhood. With the support of our wonderful trustees and part-time staff, our volunteers organise numerous groups and activities that are developed in response to needs and opportunities in our local community. Based in a shop unit within a parade at the heart of our estate, Monty’s started life when statutory funding for the local youth centre was withdrawn in 2013. This loss hit particularly hard locally, as our neighbourhood is an area of significant deprivation; according to the Office for National Statistics we are within the 15% most deprived areas in the UK (including an area in the lowest 7% for health and employment, the lowest 3% for education and income, and the lowest 1% for crime). Located on the edge of the city, our neighbourhood is isolated from adjoining areas, yet has little community provision of its own; there are few play facilities or community spaces, the local church closed down at the turn of the century, and in 2013 our youth centre faced imminent closure following cuts to statutory services. In response to this closure, a group of volunteers from the local church and community felt so strongly about this loss that—with the support of local churches, schools and the city council—they took on responsibility for the centre. We reimagined the old Montague Avenue youth centre as a ‘community hub’ open to people of all ages, and registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2014 under the name ‘Monty’s Community Hub’. These days Monty’s is a thriving hub at the heart of our community – drawing together people of all different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds, and many with complex social and additional educational needs, to seek transformation in our community. Supported by our committed trustees, the day-to-day running of Monty’s is overseen by our small team of part-time staff and our growing team of volunteers from the local community. Monty’s is an inclusive hub open to the whole community; regularly welcoming hundreds of different people into our groups, activities and events. Through it all, we aim to help local residents come together to recognise and respond to their own needs and aspirations, and to take positive action to bring about transformation in our community. **Our Board of Trustees** are committed to the effective management of the charity, including the ongoing maintenance and implementation of Safeguarding, Equality, Health & Safety, Financial and other appropriate policies. Meeting at least quarterly, our board of trustees includes: - Jon Oliver (Chair, acting H&S) • Mark Allen (Treasurer) - • Zoe Hart (Vice Chair & HR) • Leanne Curry (Deputy Treasurer) • Jim Macfarlane (Secretary) • Pete Nailer (Fundraising) • Libby Crandon (Safeguarding) • Cathy Nailer (Fundraising) • Tom Tarling (Governance) • Tammy Oliver (Team Liaison) • Amy Hyde (Data Protection) • Garry Roberts (Parish Liaison) **Our values** are an expression of what we believe, and underpin everything we do. Inspired by Jesus, we are committed to being: COMMUNITY-ROOTED (based in our community, encouraging positive involvement within the community, and contributing to good relationships in all we do); OPEN & INCLUSIVE (actively promoting equality of opportunity, challenging discrimination, and celebrating diversity); COMPASSIONATE & OPEN TO GOD (being open and honest in all our relationships, caring and loving as Jesus did and still does today); GENEROUS & LIFE-AFFIRMING (equipping and enabling people to live fulfilling lives, recognising and developing their own potential). Page 2 of 7 ## **MONTY’S** // WHAT WE DID IN 2021 The trustees are pleased to report that during another unusual year, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to cause such havoc, Monty’s continued to adapt and thrive. Naturally, it was a year of ups and downs – a time of ongoing difficulty for so many in our community, especially in terms of physical and mental health – yet also a year in which so many people came together to support friends, neighbours and others in our community. The year began with another lockdown, so we reverted to a mixture of online groups, safelydistanced activities, and community organising to support the most vulnerable in our neighbourhood. As such, our Community Pantry and Community Library (both based outside the front of the hub) continued to be important sources of support in the community. As lockdowns restrictions eased, together we explored how best to move things forward; not assuming that everything would return to how it had been before. Many of our sessions did in fact restart in much the same format (eg, youth clubs, groups for parents, older people etc)… but others were reimagined (eg, homework club becoming ‘schoolwork support’ to help children readjust to normal schooling)… other sessions developed in new ways (eg, adding a child cycling club alongside our existing stay and play group)… while some brand new sessions were launched (eg, Friday Fry-Up & Finances). One of our top priorities for the year was to bring our community together to respond to financial concerns, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Early in the year we ran a Money Course in partnership with Frontline (our local debt advice service); one of the things most participants shared was a sense of isolation they felt around financial matters, which was eased simply by being able to share them with one another. From this our new Friday Fry-up & Finance group emerged; a monthly group where people enjoy a fried breakfast and then share and support each other with sorting out their bills, benefits, finances, etc. Our Community Lunch and Community Pantry (through which we collect surplus food from local shops and businesses, and redistribute it within our community) both of which operate on a free/pay-as-you-feel basis, continue to offer relief to those struggling to make ends meet. We also learned how to grow some of our own food (utilising our covered yard as a greenhouse to grow a jungle of salad plants), how to cook healthy meals on a budget, and piloted our first ‘repair café’ (helping save money, and the environment, by repairing things rather than throwing them away). Another top priority was to respond to local physical and mental health concerns, which had also been exacerbated by the pandemic. Our Bike Hub team worked hard to improve and increase the range of rides offered – which now includes regular rides for beginners, children and young people, adults, women-only, and families – as well as “trishaw taxi” rides for older people and those with Page 3 of 7 limited mobility, getting people out and about who otherwise would be stuck indoors. Our team also gathered a group of relatively inexperienced cyclists to train for and compete in a 100km cycle ride. We also launched a new weekly pilates group, and continued to organise family walks during the school holidays. These activities and adventures not only help participants to improve their physical health, but also provide opportunities to take care of their mental health and wellbeing too – through reducing isolation, increasing friendships and community connections, finding new ways to get outside and enjoy their neighbourhood. As we find with so many of our groups, simply nurturing spaces for community and connection can be an enormous help to those struggling with mental health. As such, we began to organise more adult social events too, including board game evenings, cooking classes, and _craft_ ernoons. We also partnered with a local counsellor to offer free counselling to members of our community who may not otherwise be able to access such support. Another priority was to enable leadership development within our incredible team of volunteers. We gathered around twenty volunteers who were keen to grow as leaders, and together we co-designed ‘Growing Leaders’, a varied programme of training and workshops to help us grow in the areas identified by our team (eg, communication, conflict management, rest, asking for help, and more). Meanwhile, we also inducted a new cohort of a dozen Young Leaders, who have been equipped, enabled and encouraged to volunteer, participate in social action, develop their leadership skills, and contribute to the life of the community. According to our Young Leaders, their participation in this programme led to increased confidence and self-esteem, less anxiety, improved social and communication skills, better teamwork, and lots of fun and friendship. One of the challenges we faced this year was that so many people seemed to have got out of the habit of going out! So once the lockdowns were ending, many of our groups and sessions took a lot longer than expected to pick up speed. However, this was an incredible time for many of our volunteers who reported that their highlight of the year was seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when they first came back to youth clubs. By the summer holidays we were excited to be able to offer a full summer programme, and to pilot our new “out of comfort zone” adventures for young people. Over the last few years, we’ve recognised that activities outside our estate and outside our comfort-zones are able to have such a positive impact in raising young people’s horizons, and that this in turn encourages them to focus more meaningfully in their future possibilities through education and employment. As such, we began to experiment with all sorts of new activities and adventures – including tree-climbing, kayaking, long-distance bike rides, sea swimming, and camping on a working farm! As ever, when the young people were asked what their highlight of the year was, the camping trip topped the list by a long way. Later in the year, we hosted a number of larger community events throughout the year; this included organising our ‘Dead Good Date with Death’ around Halloween (exploring death and dying with fun and families), and once again drawing over 300 people together for our Christmas Celebration (including our safely-distanced Santa Train and Christmas-Lights Bingo). Page 4 of 7 Meanwhile, as an essential business, **Monty’s Bike Hub** was again able to stay open throughout the lockdowns; helping keyworkers and local families stay on the move by offering affordable bicycles and repairs. The Bike Hub continued to benefit from the increased popularity of cycling; and continued to receive a healthy income from sales and repairs. Due to their incredible hard work, the Bike Hub team also secured repeat contracts to deliver mobile bike doctor sessions and cycle confidence training in the city, and new contracts to offer one-to-one training and alternative curriculum with young people at risk of exclusion from school. We were pleased to be able to focus more consistently on our activities and workshop sessions for our local community – with our weekly adults and youth workshops back up and running as soon as lockdown protocols allowed. However, the real highlight of the year was our increasing focus on bike rides – for all different ages and abilities. We were able to provide free/affordable bikes and equipment, and to nurture a supportive community of cyclists, in order to actively include people who never or rarely cycled beforehand; with many reporting significant improvements to their mental and physical wellbeing as a result. Several participants told us that the family rides in particular were their highlight of the year – not only a fun day out with friends, but also helping them to find new ways to enjoy the city and the surrounding countryside. With so much going on, we were able to increase our staff hours. We also secured funding and planning permission to build a ‘pump track’ in our local park next year, in partnership with the city council, in order to provide local cycling opportunities for local residents. Our new gardening-focussed social enterprise ( **Monty’s Building & Gardening Services** ) continues to grow – responding to local needs, creating new volunteering opportunities, improving wellbeing, fostering community connections, and generating a small income. Although we have several new volunteers, we still have a long waiting list of people in our community who find themselves unable to enjoy their gardens due to being overgrown or cluttered. We have been delighted that participants and customers continue to report incredible improvements to their mental health as a result of simple improvements to their outdoor environment. Page 5 of 7 Meanwhile, many of our faithfocussed activities struggled somewhat during lockdown, as Zoom fatigue took its toll. However, as lockdown eased, all of our groups picked back up – including **Sunday Lunch Church** , and various prayer groups, spiritual practice groups, and youth groups. Our contemplative prayer group was the only session to stay online; as it seems that most people like staying indoors on Sunday evening! We were delighted to organise a Christening and a Celebration of Birth for two of our youngest members this year. We also encouraged several new people to join our leadership team. One of our existing team is an experienced church leader and coach, also began offering leadership coaching and mentoring to a number of this team who wanted to grow as leaders in this particular area. We were delighted to welcome two new trustees this year – the vicar of our local parish, nominated by the PCC, and a retired accountant, who came on board as our new treasurer. Sadly, despite a big publicity campaign, we were unable to find a new Chair of Trustees. We will try again next year, and our current chair has agreed to continue in the role for the time being. We are pleased to report that Monty’s continues to find itself in a healthy financial position, thanks to generated income, local giving, and grant funding. We want to say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us financially this year. This includes Bikeability, the Co-op, Cycling UK, Ford Southampton, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation, Imagine Foundation, The Listeners, Llanbury Consulting, MyJourney, Southampton City Council, Strategic Youth Recovery Fund, Sustrans, the Valentine Charitable Trust, the Veolia Environmental Trust, various other donors, individuals and customers. _Full details of our finances are available in our Annual Accounts._ ## **MONTY’S** // LOOKING AHEAD Naturally, we don’t know what the next year will bring, but we’re confident it will include all sorts of unexpected challenges and exciting opportunities. The last couple of years have enabled us to connect more broadly and more deeply with our community than before – and we’re excited about what next year will bring, as we continue to gather people together to design and deliver our postlockdown strategy. Within this, we hope the coming year will anable us to develop our Out-of-Comfort-Zones, Young Leader, and Growing Leaders programmes, as well as continuing to codesign community responses to issues around financial inequality, physical health, and mental wellbeing. We’re also excited about the ongoing development of our social enterprises – the Bike Hub, our Building & Gardening Service, and a handful of other ideas. We’re optimistic that these ventures will Page 6 of 7 provide exciting opportunities for participants to grow in skills and confidence, while also generating sustainable income for the charity. We’re hoping to raise sufficient funding to increase staff hours further – both in the Bike Hub, and to help coordinate our growing children/youth provision. We’re also hoping to have another big push to see if we can find a new Chair of Trustees next year – to help breathe new life into the Board of Trustees, and to help facilitate our ongoing leadership transition. However, whatever the futures holds, we are confident that Monty’s will be able to respond flexibility and collaboratively. As a locally-rooted community development charity, Monty’s has grown out of a commitment to work alongside members of our community to recognise and respond to local needs and opportunities, and to take positive action to bring about transformation in our community. This is what we do. This is who we are. As such, we are confident that we’re wellpositioned to respond to the emerging needs and opportunities of this new season. This report dated: 7th Sept 2022 ______________________________ ## **Jon Oliver** Chair of Trustees on behalf of the Trustees Page 7 of 7 ## MONTY’S COMMUNITY HUB 59 Montague Avenue, Southampton, SO19 0QB // www.montys.org.uk — Registered Charity No. 1155649 — ## **ANNUAL ACCOUNTS** **— 2021 —** Page 1 of 5 Monty's Community Hub Statement of Financial Activities For the period from 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 Ti*al PrkYs*ar Tcéal lrtt*nè 114682 34,073 152,755 137N84 Tclaley4*tYlttwe nsAosses on iri¥estrnent&sets 111883 114383 87215 irKL¥m IlexpErKknI re5CW￿ LFfLYetransfer 33,573 34372 269 TrdrEfers.' tsn8fÈts fu￿$. in 1kn5 transtss btheen fu￿$. (Art 81,729 160.9371 12,742 133.4741 94,471 194,4711 1435641 IErreEuJisedgainslk65es (¥in8 r8vau8b"M. 88s8ts, d￿rity80￿) us8 Inlurn* 530 12,M2 31372 1269 TL*alfurnb Iwtswftrward 91514 42,159 131673 Tcéalfurnb Carr￿lL￿Ward 119,045 174045 135,6n Fxeserted t LkYesth( (kneral fu 16, 16,￿9 17.fj54 D88un rds fDrall P4ke Fyoiect 3,045 57,709 2,216 3,045 57,709 2,216 1,436 35,521 a749 3.475 43.889 2.484 2.186 3).998 2.829 35,521 1749 Ywlh t￿￿1(￿M￿tI£l Pw18s H￿￿TrUSt Jmp TradL ResepÈs hddon (Wtsit Z3,0 30,(￿0 25,(M)O 174045 25,CKM) 18.629 135,6n TclalfiJTh 119.045 Therg may bg minorthscrepncigs in thg totals rflhe pence aro notbgingshown Page2of5 Monty's ConNnunty Hub Balance Sheet {Surmwryl at 31112r2020 31112r2021 Qwrerta55ets h￿lMents C4shA Bankkn In Har 141.146 71.136 64538 174,045 135,673 UatAIths r#Mrtas8ets1è$8CL*TertlLg￿1t￿s 174,tI15 134673 Tclalassets Arrerrt liatslrfEs 174,045 135673 ￿￿1th5 Tclal ret as%ts 174.045 134673 Lknr8sthc*d.(knl FuTh1s 16.369 17b54 [￿s10na￿-Av￿dS forall tkSignat￿- &"ke F4f4er* L*Signa￿-chLY [￿Sign8￿.s￿d C*signaW-Stsff C*sign8￿.yath tknelown￿l0trry 3A75 43,889 2,484 2,186 3).998 2h29 57,709 2216 1,4 35.521 2.749 rèstrfcted Resthd&1- trFurKJ RestriLtyJ. F￿alth T￿￿t ReslriLknY- PJmpTrdd( 23.03) RestriLtyJ- Re5eThes ￿ld on 18.629 TL*als 174,045 134673 Page3of5 Monty's Communty Hub Analysis of inconw and expendi￿re Selected period: 01 January 2021 to 31 Decomber2021 Total General Deslgnated Re$¢rl¢ted Th1$ year La$t ypar IncoTrNng resources Incoming resourc85 from generated funds IFrrEREST. Bank Inwesl (Wlhtrs. (>ants NStKMM(Tr4-Trknn spa￿￿nal{￿s &¢Yjllè*￿X 10 10 95,221 4,￿7 S8,7 34,073 89,742 6,997 Incoming rosourc85 from generated funds Totals 6,668 58.798 34,073 99,539 96,773 Incoming r8sourc85 from charitable activities 81KE- PAke Rei8il S81 ZJffi57 23,657 CLU￿-￿LI>S & Ewts 29￿25 29,525 17, IUE.lÈrKE Plire Incoming resources from charitable activities Totals 53,182 53,216 40,712 Incoming resources Grand tots15 6,702 111,980 34,073 152,755 137A84 Resources used Charitabl• activitiès 0101-Pfoj8Ct&Ftwamm8S 0111-Staff &Wunteer5 0120-&JildirvJ & Faalfll"es 0125-0￿￿cQSts 0135-&'ke 4,975 183 6,494 65.076 10,079 3.159 29.247 64.916 52254 7,373 3,013 21,657 19 239 2.861 29,247 Charitable a¢tivltl&s Totals 15,591 97.964 500 114,055 86,697 Governance co$¢s 0110-TrGarKJ Gwian Governancè Costs Totals $02 Other re$our¢e$ used 0140-Churth 137 191 16 Other resources used Totsls 13T 191 328 16 Resourcgs used l>and totsls 15.728 98,155 500 114.383 87,215 Page4of5 ## **Treasurer’s Report** Monty’s had another good year in the face of difficult and uncertain times during the second year of the Covid pandemic. Income from grants increased slightly (£100k in 2021 v £97k in 2020) and Bike Hub income earned from retail sales and notably contracts rose to £53k from £41k in 2020. Expenditure also increased from £87k to £114k but remains less than income resulting in a surplus for the year of £38k. Grants and donations continue to contribute the majority of the charity’s income (66%) although note the total of £100k received this year includes a one-off grant of £30k towards the construction of a “pump track” which at year end has yet to be spent. Growth in income has come largely from the Bike Hub; retail sales from the workshop continuing at the higher level achieved in 2020 with contract income of £29k 60% higher than the previous year as funded services return as lockdowns eased. As a consequence of growing activity, staff hours have been increased resulting in higher staff costs, up 25% to £65k, accounting for 57% of the charity’s expenditure. Other costs have increased slightly similarly reflecting the increase in activity. The social enterprise activity of the Bike Hub is generating increased income and is close to covering its costs in the year. Particularly reflecting the increased payroll costs, trustees agreed to increase reserves at year end which now stand at £25k. The charity has assets at the year end (held in cash) of £174k, an increase of £38k from the end of 2020 (£136k) but note the unspent £30k grant mentioned above which may cause this trend to reverse in 2022. ## Accounting Policy: As a young charity, to date Monty’s Community Hub has held its books of account on the cash basis. With effect from 1st January 2022 the trustees agreed to adopt the accruals basis; there will therefore be some anomalies due to timing differences between the accounts for 2021 and 2022 as this change comes into effect. ## Conclusion: It is the opinion of the Treasurer that the financial position of the charity will support its current activities. Report Dated: 10/08/2022 ______________________________ **Mark Allen** Treasurer Page 5 of 5 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF MONTY'5 COMMUNITY HUB I report on the accounts of Mon￿$ Communfty Hub for the year ended 31 December 2021. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examlner The charit¢s trustee5 are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The chariWs trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144121 of the Chorities Act 2011 Ithe 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the commission under Section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act to State whether particular matters have come to my attention Basis of independent examine¢s report My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees Concerning any5uch matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence thatwould be required in an audit and ¢onsequently no opinion is given as to whether the account5 present 'true and fair view, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement. Independent examinerfs statement In connection with my examination, no matter ha5 come to my attention.. 111 which give5 me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met or 12} to which. in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. -[V o.V,i- Mlchael Andrew Humphries 144 South East Road S019 8LS