2021-11-30-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 1st Dec 2020 To 30th Nov 2021

~~ee~~ Section A Reference and administration details Charity name Longbarn Residents’ Association ~~PO~~ Other names charity is known by LRA ~~PO~~ Registered charity number (if any) ~~Po~~ 1170309

Charity's principal address	Charity's principal address 1stfloor, Padgate Library
	Insall Road
	Warrington, Cheshire
	Postcode	WA2 0HD

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
1 Geoff Orange	Chairman
2 Bob McLaughlan	Vice Chairman
3 Paul Adams	Secretary
4 Rosa Dale
5 Chris Merritt
6 David Pearson
Lynn Colter- Howard
8 John Hill
9 Howard Klein

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address Member of town’s help Mr Bryan Dargie Warrington Voluntary Action, The Gateway, Sankey and advice group Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1SR ~~es ee~~ Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

N/A ~~|~~

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document Constitution, adopted 20th October 2016 (amended (i) 9 June 2018; (eg. trust deed, constitution) amended (ii) 12 March 2019)

How the charity is constituted Association consists of all residents of Longbarn in north east (eg. trust, association, Warrington ~ approximately 2,500 eligible members.

company)

Trustee selection methods

Trustees are appointed from among the residents of Longbarn.

(eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

LRA is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). Our 9 Charity Trustees are the members of the CIO, & delegate the day to day running of the Association to our Management Committee; supported by 7 sub-committees which exist to deal with specific elements of our business (eg, communications).

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

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

We have Terms of Reference & Governing Principles for each of the • the charity’s organisational 3 tiers of our governance structure which serve, inter alia, as useful structure and any wider training aids, as part of an induction pack, as new Trustees, network with which the Management Committee or sub-committee members join us. charity works; • relationship with any related All Trustees, Management Committee & sub-committee members parties; give their time voluntarily & receive no remuneration nor other • trustees’ consideration of reward. major risks and the system and procedures to manage them. There is a Safeguarding Policy in place, & a Communications Strategy serves to maximise & maintain open, 2-way dialogue with our residents.

Public Liability Insurance is current in the amount of £10 million. LRA is a member of the National Organisation of Residents’ Associations which provides helpful advice. LRA works enthusiastically in partnership with a range of local civic, business & educational stakeholders & sponsors, including Poulton with Fearnhead Parish Council, Warrington Borough Council, Padgate Village Club, Mukti’s Mini Supermarket, Wind in the Willows children’s nursery, Kassia Academy, Station House Pub & Dining, Elm Tree Financial Services, Greencore Foods, Cheshire Community Foundation, Co-Op Community Fund, Lottery Community Fund, Muir Group Housing Ltd, Warrington Housing Association, TORUS Housing Association, Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service, Cheshire Police, Arriva Rail North, & The Land Trust. We have established a liaison with our newly elected MP Charlotte Nichols; & have a great relationship with Warrington Voluntary

Action which provides us with outstanding advice, guidance & training services.

Section C Objectives and activities

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

(a) To promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Longbarn (Warrington) & the surrounding area not catered for by an adjoining residents’ association, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, nationality, age, disability, race, or political, religious or other opinions, by associating together our community & the statutory authorities, voluntary & other organisations in a common effort to promote good health & wellbeing, advance education & to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation & leisure- time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for our people; (b) to promote such other charitable purposes (charitable under English law) in the area of benefit as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

When planning our activities for the year we have kept in mind The Charity Commission’s Guidance on Public Benefit at our Trustee meetings. Our focus is our people ~ our residents ~ with a programme of events & activities that provides benefit for the whole community. And we have developed our logo & our strapline in that vein ~ We welcome all people regardless of background, faith, gender or personal circumstances & we passionately believe that our state of openness enriches everyone through the sharing of the life experiences of our membership, & our wonderful team of volunteers.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

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

• policy on grant-making;

• policy programme related investment;

• We empathise fiercely with the people we serve. We care intensely about the work that our volunteers do. Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our Association & without them, we would not be able to deliver the wide range of diverse events & activities to our members contained in our portfolio, nor achieve the success we have enjoyed in running them.

• contribution made by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

For 2/3s of the year our public face, that is, the range pf activities we provide for our residents, was in hibernation occasioned by the prevailing COVID restrictions. But that’s not to say we sat idly by & in the background:

• We nominated one of our Management Committee colleagues to serve as Warrington Voluntary Action Community Champion who, working alongside Warrington Disability Partnership, was able to stay up to date with the latest advice about Covid-19, vaccinations & testing with feedback to our community in turn

• Mindful we have residents who are housebound or who find it difficult to leave the house, we continued to deliver food hampers to 50 households (with foodstuffs kindly donated by Greencore, a leading manufacturer of convenience foods with a factory based in our neighbourhood). Big shout out to our small but perfectly formed band of volunteers who delivered the hampers, by the way ~ Dave Pearson, Geoff Orange, Bob McLaughlan & Paul Adams

• Our volunteers continued to litter pick around our community, as & when, including kiddies organised by our local nursery (Wind in the Willows)

• Our team of volunteers have maintained the 23 planters dotted around our community (including one nurtured by the kiddies at our Wind in the Willows Nursery), weeding & stocking & watering the plants

• We have lots of grassed open space across Longbarn. Our team of volunteers have kept them mown, & our litter pickers have kept them tidy, throughout the year

• Successfully bid to our Parish Council for funding to provide for 4 new litter bins (2 on the open highway, 2 in Longbarn Park)

• Successfully negotiated with Warrington Borough Council (WBC) to have a new bus shelter erected in Longbarn in Spring 2022

Section D Achievements and performance

• Successfully negotiated with WBC to have the land on which our community bowling green sits qualified as an Asset of Community Value

• Successfully negotiated a reduction in our annual LRA office rent at Padgate Library (given our constrained use of the office on account Covid restrictions limiting our business).

• Struck up a partnership with TORUS Homes concerning their new development ~ Harper’s Green (a retirement development, with 97 apartments) ~ both to engage with our new residents & facilitate the sharing of their communal areas for community-wide activities, later

• Struck up a partnership with Kassia Academy (a local school which replaced the former New Horizons School) both to draw the new school into our community & facilitate the sharing of their facilities for community-wide activities

• Recognised the contribution to our community provided by Raj Asani, the proprietor of a local convenience store in Longbarn. Throughout the pandemic, since it started in March 2020, Raj regularly contributed goods to LRA food hampers, & made significant donations to our local hospitals, Heathercroft Nursing Home, & Fearnhead Foodbank, to name but a few. We celebrated his contribution with an article in The Warrington Guardian (& shared on our website & social media), in which our LRA Secretary, Paul Adams, commented, “It’s great to see how tough times bring out great examples of community spirit & shared responsibility for society. Thank you, Raj.”

• In recognition of Remembrance Day we bought a load of super-large plastic poppies, erected them on lampposts along Harper’s Road (the main thoroughfare through Longbarn (along with roadside metal Tommies)), & invited residents & local businesses to sponsor them. The sponsorship raised £710 ~ an incredible show of generosity & community spirit ~ which we donated to The Royal British Legion. A credit to all concerned.

• • Successfully negotiated a License to Operate with Land Trust, so that our volunteers who mow the grass on our open spaces may do so with impunity

• • We have a team of trained & certificated First Aiders dotted around the community, & a defibrillator located at the local village shop in the heart of our community

• We have maintained open, 2-way communications with our residents throughout the year with a combination of our 6-weekly Newsletter (distributed by volunteers to every house on the estate), our website, & on social media (we have our own Facebook, Twitter & Instagram accounts), enabling LRA to keep our people up to date with news, fun & free competitions & what’s on; & ask The Big Questions, too.

Section D Achievements and performance

• Sponsored a local resident’s initiative, Longbarn Against Dog Fouling (LADF). Really intended as an incentive to dog walkers to clean up & take away their pet’s mess whilst out walking, if they don’t, the initiative encourages onlookers to provide evidence (by messaging a dedicated Facebook page, hosted by the resident) of dog walkers who allow their pets to foul our open spaces & walk away without cleaning up the mess. Already receiving 600 Facebook followers, LRA will submit any subsequent evidence of this disgusting habit, collected by LADF, to WBC seeking prosecution of the perpetrators. And in the meantime we mounted a PR exercise on our website & social media, & invested in stickers, affixed to lampposts around a community …..

As the Government opened Freedom Day on 19 July 2021, we discussed the prospects for re-introducing our conventional events ~ Afternoon Tea, seated exercise class, coach trips, quizzes & Footloose in Longbarn at our Management Committee meeting held 5 August 2021. After a full & sensitive exchange of views (with the safety & wellbeing of our residents paramount in our thinking), & discussed with our residents at our open forum meeting held 19 August 2021 (to be sure our people were happy for us to switch on the green light), we agreed to crack on with re-introducing our range of activities, assuring all concerned that we’d take all necessary Covid precautions in line with Government guidelines, & review our approach on a regular basis.

Safeguarded & supervised by our marvellous team of volunteers, we went on to deliver a range of events & activities which helped us meet our major driver for the community. That is, we believe that social participation creates mutual trust among individuals, which forms the basis for shared responsibility for our community & society at large.

Our brand is, ‘Working together for our Community.’ We believe that community strengthens conversation & wellbeing. And in ‘normal’ times our programme of wellbeing & social inclusion, built upon local consultation & knowledge, seeks to get more families out of their homes, together (& help those who may feel isolated & on their own) & involved in the following community-wide activities ~

Section D Achievements and performance

• Recommenced our 6-weekly open forum Residents’ Meetings on 19 August

• Reinstated our fortnightly Afternoon Teas on 27 August. The 2-hour sessions provide our senior citizens with the opportunity to meet & chat, with gaming activities & refreshments & most importantly, get out of the house.

• Laid on a coach trip to Buxton & Bakewell on 19 September

• Reinstated our fortnightly seated exercise classes on 15 October. The 1-hour sessions are led by Danny Wright, a local resident & exarmy fitness instructor who guides folk through a routine of gentle exercises to help participants who've lost a step or two in their later years, or who are battling the effects of chronic pain or disability due to injury or a health condition. The exercise programme can improve strength, cardiovascular health, mobility & balance, all from the comfort of a chair

• Held a Race Night on 22 October

• Reinstated our weekly Footloose in Longbarn dance classes on 2 November. Alert to the many health benefits associated with regular exercise & maintaining a good level of general fitness & mindfulness, under the heading of ‘Exercise is Fun,’ we’ve set up our own local dance studio. No experience is necessary. Age is no barrier. We invite residents to come alone or bring a friend, & just be prepared to have some fun, gain some exercise & learn a new skill into the bargain. It’s an opportunity to take part and learn different dance styles ~ which could include Rock ‘n Roll, Jitterbug, Charleston, Swing, Ballroom, Jive, line dancing, Salsa, Latin American, Tango (varying each session) ~ indeed any type of dance which appeals to our residents, led by a professional dance instructor

• • Laid on a hugely successful Fireworks Extravaganza on the local school playing field on 5 November. Widely acknowledged by our residents as the best fireworks show in town, our 23-minute display, supported with stalls & food & drink & attractions, the event attracted record numbers

• • Held a Quiz Night on 19 November

• • Welcomed the Festive Season with our ‘Christmas Lights switch,’ on with carols, at Padgate Village Club on 3 December

• • Laid on a coach trip to York Christmas Market on 5 December

• • Provided an Adults Christmas Party at Padgate Village Club on 12 December, &

• • Provided a Children’s Christmas Party at Padgate Village Club on 19 December

Section E Financial review

We have 2 accounts with Barclays Bank: a current account which Brief statement of the we maintain to the tune of £2K to provide for petty cash. And a charity’s policy on reserves ‘Restricted Funds’ account in which the monies are earmarked for specific activity or outlay (eg, Community Fun Day, Fireworks Extravaganza). Our policy on reserves is simply that we have none. Our Treasurer is a qualified accountant; works for a local accountancy firm; & does an exceptionally good job for us (Thanks, Nicola ). And with our Management Committee & Trustees, we plan activity & spend within our means. Details of any funds Not applicable materially in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include None 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

Formed in August 2012, & operating as a charitable incorporated organisation since 20 October 2016, Longbarn Residents’ Association has been safeguarding our community infrastructure & providing leisure opportunities to our residents for 9 years. In 2021 our contribution to our residents’ morale, health & wellbeing was so important. With Covid continuing to affect all our lives profoundly, we’ve provided opportunities to enjoy some free & subsidised entertainment, have a laugh, & raise loads of money for charity into the bargain.

Hoping to maintain a strong sense of community & social connectivity at a time when Lockdown was on, then off, then on again, we did some forward planning to find workable opportunities for some of our most popular offers, so that we were ready to go as soon as restrictions were finally lifted; & maintained direct engagement with our community by maximising our website & social media to make it all happen.

We’re a powerful coalition of residents & volunteers & local service providers, & we’re immensely proud that our Association has pulled together, determined to support our residents through the upheaval of Lockdown.

~~a~~ Section G Declaration

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

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

----- Start of picture text -----
Signature
Full name Paul Adams
Position
Secretary & Trustee
pT
Date
25 February 2022
PO
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LONGBARN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE PERIOD 1ST DECEMBER 2020 TO 30TH NOVEMBER 2021

INCOME Grants Ticket sales Donations - Raj Shop - Amazon Smile - Other donations - Poppy appeal - Gift Aid Advertising income Seated Exercise Income Other (raffles, events, afternoon tea etc.) TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE Rent Room hire Event costs Landscape & gardening Fallowfield Play Area Office supplies and printing Health and safety Website Exercise instructor Footloose instructor Station mural etc. COVID Support Costs Equipment repairs Grants & Donations RBL - Poppy Appeal Accountancy fees (donated) Insurance Sundry expenses TOTAL EXPENDITURE SURPLUS/DEFICIT Opening bank balance Current account Reserve account Closing bank balance Current account Reserve account

1 DEC 20 to 31 AUG 21 Sep-21 Oct-21 Nov-21 Total 1,475.75 1,296.81 2,772.56 0.00 216.00 363.00 207.00 786.00 213.60 14.00 45.00 272.60 46.95 46.95 0.00 100.00 300.00 400.00 0.00 450.00 100.00 550.00 0.00 0.00 45.00 15.00 15.00 75.00 0.00 45.00 42.00 87.00 34.00 111.00 266.00 2,992.85 3,403.85 1,815.30 356.00 1,239.00 4,983.66 8,393.96 200.00 200.00 0.00 0.00 50.89 515.36 1,513.03 1,150.69 3,229.97 307.02 23.00 449.18 779.20 141.00 141.00 496.28 66.70 145.18 708.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 75.00 75.00 0.00 60.00 60.00 120.00 0.00 135.00 135.00 0.00 0.00 88.03 88.03 0.00 15.99 336.12 352.11 275.00 40.00 315.00 0.00 550.00 550.00 0.00 300.00 300.00 302.51 302.51 235.35 38.99 510.78 20.00 805.12 2,096.08 637.04 2,106.81 3,261.17 8,101.10 -280.78 -281.04 -867.81 1,722.49 292.86 3,258.50 33,957.33 37,215.83 2,431.25 35,077.44 37,508.69