Get Up and Go Gloucester Annual Report 2023/2024
Chairman's Report to the Trustees
Welcome to our annual report for 2023/24. As Chairman and Trustee, I have the responsibility for the organisation’s strategic direction, day to day operations, financial management, governance processes and overall performance. I receive able support by Neil Chatten and Andrew Burford as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
As we approach our tenth anniversary, there is much to celebrate; three outdoor gyms established in and around the city centre and deprived wards; Football, Cricket, Athletics, Golf, Badminton tournaments successfully held; Athletics, Tennis, Rowing, Cycle training/coaching well arranged; walking group, cycle rides joyfully participated in etc. We have successfully brought together people from different ethnicities, ages and genders through the medium of sport and physical activity. We have succeeded in our aim of contributing to improve community health and wellbeing. We have worked in effectively in collaboration with other local charity/community groups, community volunteers and local sports venues. Thus, we can be satisfied with our achievements over the past ten years.
Subsequently, having proved our resilience in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, we have struggled in the post-pandemic period. Although, we developed a robust recovery plan, we have been
unable to sustain meeting our recovery objectives e.g. delivering events online or virtually, developing new funding streams. We had considered an alternative business model i.e. instead of a reliance on external grant funding, as we have historically done, we considered. working to commission. However, we were unable to develop new and different relationships with commissioners, which we knew would be challenging. Furthermore, we could not identify the appropriate individuals to join us trustees and volunteers.
As regards new projects, we had previously planned a road safety project in the Barton and Tredworth ward of Gloucester i.e. distributing helmets, lights and locks to cyclists on a low income. Some of the funds needed to deliver this project were raised, but unfortunately another funding application was unsuccessful, and we were not notified of this decision in a timely fashion. This unfortunately led to a delay in the project, which was put back to this financial year, but we unable to revisit this project and complete it.
The charity’s finances are stable, if somewhat low, at just under £1000; however, we have no overheads to meet. We are well aware of the need to increase our reserve funds, which would insulate us against any unexpected financial “shocks”. Even if we had pursued the commissioning route, we would not have fully abandoned external grant funding and would have continued to apply for such funding on a case by case basis.
The governance arrangements of the charity are robust with policies in place for harassment and bullying, complaints, confidentiality, equality and diversity, financial management and control, health and safety, lone working, safeguarding adults, social media, trustee conduct, volunteers and whistle blowing. However, these have not been reviewed and updated for some considerable time to reflect current national legislation.
The work and personal commitments of the trustees have significantly increased. Thus, we have not been able to devote as much time to the charity as we could have otherwise. All the trustees have singular skills and attributes that they bring to the organisation i.e. community development, contract management, health and safety management etc. However, we will do our best to try to proactively recruit the right people, both as trustees and volunteers. It is felt that a change in leadership or new trustee joining could give a new drive to the charity moving forward.
I would like to give personal assurance to our service users, partners, funders and the wider community that we are disbanding. However, we will have to do a detailed, thorough and extensive consultation with the community before deciding whether to continue with our work to effectively “mothball” the charity until we can increase our capacity to deliver services.
Feroz Goga Chairman Get Up and Go Gloucester
– Get Up and Go Gloucester Accounts 2023/24
| Balance – 1/4/2023 Accumulated fund at 1/4/2023 Excess of income over expenditure Accumulated Fund at 31/3/2024 Represented by: Current Assets Bank Current Account at 31/3/2024 Cash in hand |
885.36 885.36 0.00 |
|---|---|
| 885.36 | |
| 885.36 0.00 |
|
| 885.36 |
I agree these figures reflect correctly the bank statements. F. Goga
11/16/24
| Opening Balance at 1/4/23 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash in bank | 885.36 |
| Total | 885.36 |
| Income | |
| Grants | 0.00 |
| Total Income | 0.00 |
| Expenditure | |
| Project Costs | |
| Total | 0.00 |
| Total Expenditure | 0.00 |
| Excess of Income Over Expenditure | 0.00 |
| Closing Balance at 31/3/24 | 885.36 |