GILLINGHAM YOUTH FOUNDATION Chairman’s Report for 2022/23
This last year has seen good progress for Gillingham Youth Foundation with income from hirers surpassing the previous financial year’s all-time high in the sixth-year history of the Foundation. New hirers have come on board and more enquiries are coming forward. The continued regular hire of the garage workshop, the music centre (Platform 1) and the storage workshop has ensured a steady income. Likewise, the hiring out of the two upstairs rooms for storage and meetings. I am pleased to say that nearly every part of the youth centre building is now bringing in an income.
Once again, the Foundation has been successful in attracting local sponsorship and in-kind donations (no labour cost) for repairs to the centre buildings. Our thanks to Home Heroes for fitting new LED lights to the storage workshop at cost. The Trustees have continued to make improvements to the buildings during the year, including tints fitted to the windows of the sports hall to block excessive sunlight and provide a degree of safeguarding for vulnerable users, at the request of hirers. Leaky roof problems and the necessary replacement of drainpipe and repairs to the manhole cover in the car park, just a few of the maintenance issues addressed during the year. My sincere thanks to Alan Waistell, fellow trustee in his Health & Safety role, for all his attention to this detail, keeping our costs down and the buildings safe and up to standard for our hirers.
Utility costs have remained high and to help keep costs down in the long run, the trustees agreed to replace the remaining old lighting with intelligent LED lighting. This has really made a physical and financial difference to the running of the building, being bright for our hirers and not having to worry about turning lights off! Again, I thank Alan Waistell for securing the Foundation the best possible utility prices through his contacts. Customer hire fees were not raised during the financial year.
So, what is new, what is next? We will continue to increase our regular hirers through promotion of the centre and to consider further cost-effective ways to make the buildings more sustainable for the future. Alternative options for hall hire have sadly closed in the town, so we are seeing an increase in enquiries and hope to be able to accommodate most of them.
I would like to thank all our regular groups and individuals who continue to hire the premises and we are really pleased to be able to continue to accommodate you going forward.
I would also like to mention and minute our thanks to Eric, our Caretaker, and wife Angela, for their conscientious duty to the youth centre, their attention to detail and doing their best to help our hirers at all times. It has become a full-time job for them both!
Finally, I would like to minute our thanks to our Trustees who put in more hours a week than your average job requires. I thank Belinda and Alan for all that they have done over the last year to keep this community’s dream a reality and for the support of new trustee, Aaran, who joined us in June 2023, who immediately got stuck in as a buildings trustee. It has been a pleasure to work as part of this committee and look forward to the coming year with excitement and optimism.
David Walsh, Chair of Trustees, Gillingham Youth Foundation
20[th] March, 2024
GILLINGHAM YOUTH FOUNDATION
INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT
ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiners
The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is our 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 Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
to state whether particular matters have come to our attention.
Basis of Independent examiners statement
Our examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a 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 the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently we do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
Independent examiners statement
In connection with our examination, no matter has come to our attention.
(1) which gives us reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements;
(2) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act, and
(3) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the
accounting requirements of the Act have not been met; or
(4) to which, in our opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Faith Butler, on behalf of
C R Taylor & Co Little St. Audrey’s, South Street, Wincanton, Somerset. BA9 9DL
26" February 2024