2022-11-30-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report					for theperiod
From	Period start date			To	Period end date
	Day 1st	Month Dec	Year 2021		Day 30th	Month Nov	Year 2022

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Longbarn Residents’ Association

Other names charity is known by LRA Registered charity number (if any) 1170309 Charity's principal address 1[st] floor, Padgate Library Insall Road Warrington, Cheshire Postcode WA2 0HD

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
	Geoff Orange	Chairman
	Bob McLaughlan	Vice Chairman
	Paul Adams	Secretary
	Rosa Dale
	Chris Merritt
	David Pearson
	Lynn Colter- Howard
	John Hill		1.12.2021-13.9.2022
	Nicola Taylor	Treasurer	19.9.2022-30.11.2022	Board of Trustees
	Howard Klein

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
Member of town’s help and advice group	Mr Bryan Dargie	Warrington Voluntary Action, The Gateway, Sankey Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1SR

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; amended (ii) 12 March 2019) (eg. trust deed, constitution)

How the charity is constituted Association consists of all residents of Longbarn in north east (eg. trust, association, Warrington ~ approximately 2,600 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)

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.

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.

• We have Terms of Reference & Governing Principles for each of the 2 tiers of our governance structure which serve, inter alia, as useful training aids, as part of an induction pack, as new Trustees or Management Committee members join us.

• All Trustees & Management Committee members give their time voluntarily & receive no remuneration nor other reward.

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 an established liaison with our 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

(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 Summary of the objects of promote good health & wellbeing, advance education & to provide the charity set out in its facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation & leisure- governing document 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. Summary of the main When planning our activities for the year we have kept in mind The activities undertaken for Charity Commission’s Guidance on Public Benefit at our Trustee the public benefit in meetings. relation to these objects (include within this section Our focus is our people ~ our residents ~ with a programme of the statutory declaration that trustees have had events & activities that provides benefit for the whole community. And we have developed our logo & our strapline in that vein ~ regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

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 We empathise fiercely with the people we serve. We care intensely further statements, where about the work that our volunteers do. Our volunteers are the relevant, about: lifeblood of our Association & without them, we would not be able to • deliver the wide range of diverse events & activities to our members policy on grant-making; contained in our portfolio, nor achieve the success we have enjoyed • policy programme related in running them.

• policy programme related investment;

• contribution made by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

Determined to maintain a strong sense of community & social connectivity Summary of the at a time when Lockdown was on, then off, then on again during 2020/21, main achievements we did some forward planning to find workable opportunities for some of of the charity during our most popular offers, so that we were ready to go as soon as restrictions the year were finally lifted; & we maintained direct engagement with our community with our 6-weekly Newsletter (delivered free through every letterbox in Longbarn by our marvellous team of volunteers) & residents’ meetings, & by maximising our website & social media to make it all happen.

Safeguarded & supervised by our amazing team of volunteers, we delivered a host 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 our programme of wellbeing & social inclusion, built upon local consultation & knowledge, successfully got more families out of their homes, together (& helped those who may feel isolated & on their own) & involved in the following community-wide activities.

• Tho Lockdown was lifted, & 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.

Section D Achievements and performance

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

• Held our 6-weekly open forum Residents’ Meetings.

• Held our fortnightly Afternoon Tea events. The 2-hour sessions provide our senior citizens with the opportunity to meet & chat, enjoy gaming activities (bingo, raffles & “Play Your Cards Right’) & refreshments & most importantly, get out of the house.

• Held our fortnightly seated exercise classes.. The 1-hour sessions are led by Danny Wright, a local resident & ex-army 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 our weekly ‘Footloose in Longbarn’ 1-hour dance classes. 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 have 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.

• Provided weekly bingo sessions at Harper’s Green.

• Celebrated our 10[th] anniversary with an article in the Warrington Guardian, & planting a flowering cherry tree in honour of our founders, Wendy & Geoff Orange.

• • Held quarterly Quiz Nights throughout the year at Padgate Village Club.

• In an incredible show of generosity, one of our locals kindly donated £2,000 to LRA, to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (& because we’re a registered charity, we claimed Gift Aid on the donation from HMRC, taking the total to £2,500), as the resident said, " To go towards a bloomin’ good Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration. " We shared the donation around Longbarn for residents to enjoy street parties during the extended Jubilee weekend (2-5 June) , & we invited residents to come forward as Platinum Volunteers, to organise the street parties & to whom we could allocate their shares of the donation. And we were absolutely chuffed that residents came forward.

Section D Achievements and performance

Well, what a fantastic result! With LRA dipping into our kitty to provide flags along the length of Harper’s Road, & to provide bunting & other materials for our volunteers to use at their street parties (& Greencore, a local food production company, donating foodstuffs ), we marked the beginning of the Jubilee celebrations by setting off fireworks at 10pm on the Thursday evening. Tho that’s all at the margins …..

The essence of our idea to hold street parties, our ambition, was to bring members of our community closer together, finally putting behind us a dreadful COVID-related couple of years which have been so difficult for so many of our people. And of course, have a, “ bloomin’ good Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration. " The feedback we received says, “Another thing that came from it, is how helpful everyone was & everyone just pitching in with BBQ and gazebos, cooking & preparing. It truly was spectacular!” And, “We could not have asked for a better day (even with the rain!). I know that LRA did everything it could to make it the best it could be for everyone with the food donation deliveries & trying to source gazebos when the weather was letting us down. The flags along Harper's Road were very impressive & set us apart from other areas in Warrington. I think everyone in Longbarn would agree that not many across Warrington celebrated it quite like Longbarn did! All of the roads looked festive & lots of houses really celebrated in style. We had lots of help, lots of thanks, lots of fun meeting neighbours we had previously never seen before.”

• Laid on a coach trip to Llandudno on 7 August.

• Supported our Parish Council Community Fun Day on 4 September, with LRA stalls advertising our wares as well as offering a variety of food & drink & raffle prizes.

• Laid on a hugely successful Fireworks Extravaganza on the local school playing field on 4 November. Widely acknowledged by our residents as the best fireworks show in town, our 30-minute display, supported with stalls & food & drink & attractions, the event attracted record numbers.

• 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 £1,420 ~ an incredible show of generosity & community spirit ~ which we donated to The Royal British Legion. A credit to all concerned.

• Welcomed the Festive Season by planting & decorating, with fairy lights, Christmas trees along Harper’s Road (the main thoroughfare through our community).

• Provided a Children’s Christmas Party at Padgate Village Club on 4 December, including entertainment courtesy of Kevin The Clown; goodie bags; selection boxes; & of course Father Christmas who gave each of our children top of the range toys.

• Provided an Adults Christmas Party at Padgate Village Club on 9 December, including entertainment courtesy of a female vocalist & Christmas fayre.

AND BEHIND THE SCENES, WE ~

• Successfully bid to Cheshire Community Foundation to enable us to continue our programme of Afternoon Teas, Seated Exercise Classes, our ‘Footloose in Longbarn’ dance classes, & a new investment in LRA Bowling Club …..

• When Anwyl Construction completed the build of Harper’s Green, a new retirement/sheltered housing complex in Longbarn, they laid new turf on the adjoining bowling green, built a new storage unit free gratis, & handed back the facility to Longbarn Bowling Club. LRA realised its long-term future by successfully having it secured as an Asset of Community Value with Warrington Borough Council. Sadly, the bowling green fell into disrepair, so LRA took over the facility, heralding our newly-formed LRA Jubilee Bowling Club. With initial funding secured from Cheshire Community Foundation we are in the process of bringing the amenity back to life, with ambitious plans to encourage initiatives & partnerships with our people, local voluntary organisations & statutory authorities to increase community participation, young & old; provide a safe & friendly environment for members of the community to learn new skills; & encourage participation to assist with & promote the wellbeing of our people.

• Successfully negotiated a continued reduction in our annual LRA office rent at Padgate Library (kindly funded by our Parish Council).

• Successfully renegotiated our 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, & 3 defibrillators located at the local village shop in the heart of our community, at Padgate Station & at Harper’s Green.

• 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 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 10 years. And it has done so with outstanding leadership provided by our Management Committee & Board of Trustees. So sad then to reflect that we lost 2 of our treasured colleagues, Richard Robinson on 22 April, & John Hill on 13 September. God bless them both.

In 2022 our contribution to our residents’ morale, health & wellbeing was better than ever. We’ve looked after our environment & highways & byways (in which we take great pride, by the way). We’ve provided opportunities to enjoy some free & subsidised entertainment, have a laugh, & raise loads of money for charity into the bargain.

We’re a powerful coalition of residents & volunteers & local service providers, & we’re immensely proud that our Association continues to pull together, determined to support our residents to the best of our ability.

Section G Declaration

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

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature Full name Paul Adams Position Secretary & Trustee Date 15 March 2023

LONGBARN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

SUMMARY INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT TO 30TH NOVEMBER 2022	SUMMARY INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT TO 30TH NOVEMBER 2022
	£
INCOME	21,693.49
EXPENSES	24,524.92
SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR PERIOD	-2,831.43
FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD	37,508.69
FUNDS TO CARRY FORWARD	34,677.26
Represented by:
Bank - current account	2,770.11
Bank - reserve account	31,907.15
	34,677.26