2023-11-30-accounts

	Trustees' Annual Report	Trustees' Annual Report	Trustees' Annual Report	Trustees' Annual Report	Trustees' Annual Report	for theperiod	for theperiod	for theperiod
	From	Period start date			To	Period end date
		Day 1st	Month Dec	Year 2022		Day 30th	Month Nov	Year 2023
Section A		Reference and administration details

Charity name Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) Charity's principal address	Longbarn Residents’ Association	Longbarn Residents’ Association
	LRA
	1170309
	The Woodlands Centre, Kassia Academy
	Fallowfield Grove
	Warrington, Cheshire
	Postcode	WA2 0QQ

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 (6) 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	Chair
	Bob McLaughlan	Vice Chair
	Nicola Taylor	Treasurer
	Paul Adams	Secretary
	Rosa Dale
	Chris Merritt		1.12.2022-19.3.2023
	Katy Wallace		13.6.2023-30.11.2023	Board of Trustees
	David Pearson
	Lynn Colter- Howard
	Howard Klein

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address	Type of adviser Name Address	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 Warrington ~ approximately 2,600 eligible members. (eg. trust, association, company) Trustee selection methods Trustees are appointed from among the residents of Longbarn. (eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

Youmay chooseto 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, Northern Rail, & 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

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. “Working together for our Community” LO N G BA R N RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION Registered Charity No. 1170309

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 post-COVID, at a time when there was still, understandably, a wariness main achievements amongst our people about getting involved in group activities, we carefully of the charity during & sensitively reintroduced our full programme of activities, maintaining the year 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. In turn,

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. • 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 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.

Section D Achievements and performance

• 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 Leanne Parr, who is from an entertainment background having trained at The Italia Conti School in London, then travelled the world as a professional dancer before getting all her exercise qualifications. She has worked in the fitness industry for over 10 years & as well as pitching the exercises to help regain fitness at participants’ own pace, Leanne ensures that the atmosphere in the room is upbeat & positive. Our programme helps 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, to 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 Tina Thomas, a professional dance instructor.

• • Provided weekly bingo sessions at Harper’s Green.

• • Held Quiz Nights at Padgate Village Club.

• • Held our annual sunflower competition.

• • Held our annual scarecrow competition, themed this year to correspond to The King’s Coronation.

• • Signed up to supporting & promoting Warrington Community Lottery, a weekly lottery that provides the opportunity for participants to win cash & other prizes; plus 50% of subscriptions are allocated to LRA; plus 10% of subscriptions are allocated to other good causes on Warrington.

• • Held our Longbarn Community Fun Day on 16 July, featuring a variety of events & activities for all the family, including a fun fair, Spiderman & Elsa from ‘Frozen’ turning out in cosplay, face painting, games, crafts, cakes & sweets stalls, tombolas & BBQ. All famously supported by Birchwood Fire Station who brought a fire engine along for the kiddies to explore, & our local air cadets & scouts groups.

Section D Achievements and performance

• Celebrated 150[th] year anniversary of Padgate Station on 1 September, with a commemorative plaque unveiled by Simon Abbott (Northern Rail) after which we adjourned to Padgate Village Club for buffet refreshments, & entertainment courtesy of our very own LRA ukulele band, The D’Ukes of Longbarn.

• Supported our Parish Council Community Fun Day on 2 September, with LRA stalls advertising our wares as well as offering a variety of food & drink & raffle prizes.

• 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 £1,310 ~ an incredible show of generosity & community spirit ~ which we donated to The Royal British Legion. A credit to all concerned.

• Supported & promoted Longbarn Coffee Mornings held each Monday at Calvary Chapel, & launched by 2 of our local ladies with the simple but marvellous intentions of providing somewhere to go to be able to get out of the house, like, just have a change of scenery, in a local, friendly place where they may relax, have a bit of a chat, meet Longbarn folk they didn’t know, & have a laugh.

• 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 17 December, including entertainment courtesy of Dazzle The Clown; goodie bags; selection boxes; & of course Father Christmas who gave each of our children top of the range toys.

• 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, & 4 defibrillators located at the local village shop in the heart of our community, at Padgate Village Club, Padgate Station, & Harper’s Green sheltered housing complex.

• 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 3 accounts with Barclays Bank: an LRA current account Brief statement of the which we maintain to the tune of £2K to provide for petty cash; an charity’s policy on reserves LRA Bowling Club account; & a ‘Restricted Funds’ account in which the monies are earmarked for specific activity or outlay (eg, Community Fun Day). 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 11 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 1 of our treasured colleagues, Chris Merritt, who passed away on 19 March. God bless him.

Delighted in turn to welcome Katy Wallace to our Board of Trustees.

In 2023 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 16 July 2024

LONGBARN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

SUMMARY INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT TO 30TH NOVEMBER 2023

INCOME EXPENSES SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR PERIOD FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD FUNDS TO CARRY FORWARD Represented by: Bank - current account Bank - reserve account Memo: Bowling Club Accounts Summary (Nov'23) Income - Donations Expenditure Bank Balance	£ 14,054.22 20,091.63 -6,037.41 34,677.26 28,639.85 3,695.10 24,944.75 28,639.85 8,160.00 3,028.88 5,131.12