2024-03-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

To

Period start date Period end date 01 04 2023 31 03 2024

From

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Lower Grange Community Association

Other names charity is known by LGCA

1159081 Charity's principal address Lower Grange Youth & Community Centre Chaffinch Road Bradford Postcode BD8 0RF ~~——~~

Registered charity number (if any) 1159081

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Dates acted if not for whole|Name of person (or body) entitled| |Trustee name|Office (if any)| |year|to|appoint|trustee|(if any)| |1|G Ball|Chair| |2|L Cunningham|Treasurer| |3|F.E. Evans|Secretary| |4|M Bull| |5|C Woodley| |6|Beverley Lister| |7|B Rawlinson| |8|Shantelle Wright|02/12/2023 – 31/03/2024| |9|Kyle Whittiker|02/12/2023 – 31/03/2024| |10| |11| |—|

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Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address ~~==~~ Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) TAR 1

Alex Dilger

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document CIO - Association Registered 05 Nov 2014 (Constitution) (eg. trust deed, constitution)

How the charity is constituted

• Charitable Incorporated Organisation

• (eg. trust, association, company)

Trustee selection methods

• Elected by membership at Annual General meetings.

• (eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

• policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;

• the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;

• relationship with any related parties;

• trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

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To promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Lower Grange and the neighbourhood (hereinafter called "the area of benefit") without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions, by associating together the said inhabitants and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisuretime occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

Establish, or secure the establishment of, a community centre (hereinafter called "the centre") and to maintain and manage the same (whether alone or in co-operation with any local authority or other person or body) in furtherance of these objects.

Classification What • General charitable purposes • Education / training

• Recreation

Who

• Children / young people

• Elderly / old people

• People with disabilities

How

• provides buildings / facilities / open space

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

• policy on grantmaking;

• policy programme related investment;

• contribution made by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

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Section D Achievements and erformance p This year has built significantly on our previous successes, demonstrating Summary of the main substantial growth in both our reach and impact. The Holiday Activities with achievements of the charity Food (HAF) programme has been particularly successful, exceeding targets during the year across all holiday periods, which includes additional non-eligible children who also benefited from our services, showing our commitment to inclusive community support. The first half of 2023-24 showcased our responsive programming. Our expanded Grub in the Hub food bank / pantry initiative strengthened existing partnerships with Morrison's Girlington, Lill Brothers, St James Market traders, and FareShare Yorkshire, while incorporating successful elements from our Covid response by reintroducing family activity packs alongside food provision. This was also supported by both the HSF and UKSPF funding programmes which contributed to meeting the demands of our community, especially when a project like ours can sometimes be the only source of nutritional foods and basic essentials individuals and families receive all week. This food sourcing and distribution engages and supports the most disadvantaged local families who we are able to identify through our trusted networks, and those who have difficulty in accessing wider services due to their vulnerability, isolation and poverty. We've enhanced our youth engagement through innovative programs like the Under-14's sports, music, and arts sessions, and our 'World Foods' cultural exploration evenings regularly attracting a good cohorts per session. These initiatives, delivered in partnership with Bradford Youth Service, have effectively built cross-community relationships, exemplified by the successful integration of Clayton and Lower Grange Youth Groups through shared activities, new experiences and regular outings. Our commitment to inclusive family support has grown through new initiatives including Little Chef's sessions for 8-13 year olds, family cooking combined with multi-sport activities, and expanded SEN family sessions focused on building confidence and understanding. This commitment strengthened further in early 2024 with the launch of our Play, Learn, Grow SEN inclusive family sessions, supported by Bradford Community Play Partnership. The Creative Flare project has evolved, introducing family skate days in partnership with JU:MP and Active Bradford, while maintaining popular Zumba and arts sessions that provide crucial social connections for parents. The summer period brought vibrant, direct community engagement through events like the Allergrange Got Talent show and our Family Fun Day in Lady Hill Park, while the winter season saw successful community celebrations including our Pantomime performance and festive celebrations. We've also strengthened our educational support, both through ESOL+ programming for adults and by supporting the Clayton & Fairweather Green 'Moving Up' Project, helping Year 6 students transition to secondary schools in the local area. The Beck Adventures initiative with the Creative Flare parents group has created new opportunities for health and wellbeing through 'walk and talk' socials in local nature spaces, complementing our existing chronic pain relief exercise sessions and demonstrating our holistic approach to community health and well-being. The outdoor engagement expanded into innovative youth programming, with initiatives like the Pot Gang project during half term holidays, teaching young people about growing plants while incorporating wellbeing and active life style discussions.

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Section D Achievements and erformance p

The expansion and variety of our activities has continued to strengthen our position with partners. Our multi-site holiday provision across Lower Grange Youth & Community Centre, Victoria Park, Lady Hill Park, and partnership work with 5 Alive has expanded our reach to more young people and families than ever before. This collaborative approach enables us to meet both our objectives and our partners' goals while providing trusted access to diverse communities of interest.

Our commitment to community safety and local governance remains strong, with regular Neighbourhood Policing Team contact points and ward surgeries hosted at the centre, providing vital connections between residents and local services. We've also enhanced our accessibility by producing promotional materials in multiple languages with assistance from our ESOL students, demonstrating our commitment to inclusive communication. The quality of our work received external recognition, with our Play Activator being shortlisted as a finalist in the Bradford Community Star Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Earliest Years of Life, along with the Association also being runner up for the voluntary community group of the year. These recognitions reflect our ongoing commitment to excellence in early years provision and community support.

Our commitment to continuous improvement is evidenced by our comprehensive user survey and training needs consultation which was undertaken throughout the year, and has helped shape our future programming and volunteer development opportunities. The successful launch of our One Love Community Cafe has seen increasing demand, particularly for breakfast mornings, leading to the need for additional volunteer recruitment drives. Our weekday calendar has been around 90% capacity year-round, with a good mix of physical activities (keep fit, breakfast AM's, pain relief exercise, football), arts and craft, ESOL (and now ESOL+ which extends learning English to include life skills for non-English speakers) and demographic specific interventions such as our long-standing partnership with Bradford Youth Service, Bradford Community Play Partnership and multiple partnership activities with local schools for young people. We also now include a food offer with the majority of our activities as this serves as both a hook for people to take part in activities and also ensures they stay healthy enough to take part. The success of this work has led to two major funding achievements for 202425: 1. Securing the Resilience and Core Cost Grant to enhance our digital capabilities and impact measurement 2. Winning the Building Bradford Skills Fund grant to deliver comprehensive employability programs These new funding streams will enable us to do the following, in addition to our core provision: - Expand our digital inclusion work - Enhance our impact measurement capabilities - Deliver targeted employment support programs

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Section D Achievements and erformance p

• Provide comprehensive skills training

• Further develop our community coaching and peer-support initiatives Looking ahead to 2024-25, we're well-positioned to build on these successes while expanding our reach and impact through these new funded programs. Our reserves and financial position remain healthy, allowing us to continue exploring innovative funding streams that add value to our core offer. We extend our gratitude to everyone who has contributed to making 2023-24 such a successful year, through their time, effort, energy, and commitment to ensuring our community is served and represented for years to come.

Section E Financial review

In accordance with guidance from the Charity Commission, Lower Grange Brief statement of the charity’s Community Association/Centre has a reserve policy. We aim to retain a reserve, policy on reserves held in cash, to provide for six months operating costs, together with a provision for winding up expenses and redundancy payments. Furthermore, it is our aim to maintain a balance within our current account roughly equivalent to six months operating costs. The amounts involved are kept under review each year.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

N/A

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

• the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);

• how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;

• investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

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~~ee~~ Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)	Signature(s)
Full name(s)	Full name(s)Graham Ball	Lynne
Position (eg Secretary, Chair,	Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair	Treasurer
etc)
Date	17/01/2025

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