2021-12-31-accounts

Spennymoor Youth and Community Association Annual Report 2021

Looking back over the last 12 months and over the project with the people, partners and volunteers who have been part of our centre.

1) Activities and the people who have benefited from the project

In addition to our regular/established project users, we have been able to support 1,293 people new to the project and our centre this past year.

• 611 children up to the age of 10 years;

• 181 young people aged 11 to 17 years;

• 267 adults

• 22 adults aged 50 years and over

• 104 people through intergenerational and family activities

• 100 residents taking part in community celebrations

• 8 new residents regularly volunteering as part of our community activities

Over the last 12 months we have been able to benefit residents through the activities listed below:

below:
Target group	Activity	Individual beneficiaries	Activity
Children 0-10	Kalma Baby	10 babies, 20 toddlers and parents/grandparents	Fortnightly Baby, toddler and junior yoga (6 weeks to 12 years). Physical and mental development, confidence building, relaxation and mindfulness. Social interaction and improved wellbeing for parents and grandparents.
	Hartbeeps	30 babies, 30 children and parents/grandparents	Weekly multi-sensory parent and child teaching through music classes for pre-school and nursery age children; new-born, baby and toddler sessions.
	Little Movers	12 babies, 10 children and parents/grandparents	Twice weekly parent and child fun, healthy activity dance to improve confidence, self-esteem, movement skills, growth and development for babies and toddlers.
	Mini Moors football	25 children and parents/grandparents	Weekly Sunday football skill sessions for 2-6years with

			Spennymoor Youth FC. Promoting social skills and fundamental movement development.
	Baby Ballers	14 children	Weekly Friday football skill sessions for 3-4 years with MD Physical Education & Coaching.
	Mini Dribblers	14 children	Weekly Friday football skill sessions for 5-7years.
	Groundwork Easter and Summer Holiday Clubs	60 children	Fun and Food school holiday activities providing funded free lunch time meals and trips.
	Juniors	20 children	Weekly term time youth session for children aged 8- 10 years offering peer-led arts, crafts, play and food. Improving confidence and social skills alongside youth worker mentoring and support.
	Inters	20 children	Traditional centre-based youth sessions. Weekly for children aged 10-12 years, designed to boost confidence and self-esteem withyouth worker support.
	Learning Together	8 young people	Weekly learning catch up sessions at Tudhoe and Spennymoor delivered by tutors with youth worker support. For children aged 5- 11 years with a focus on learning skills, maths, English and wellbeing.
	Steelpan sessions	26 young people	Weekly lunch club sessions for North Park Primary students and home ed students designed to build confidence and teamwork through music and learning.
	Meditation	20 young people	Weekly session with North Park Primary students promoting mindfulness and wellbeing.
	Stay and Play	21 pre-school babies and toddlers and 22 parents	Open play session with toys and soft play in partnership

			with volunteers from Kingdom Culture Church.
	Sensory Room	15 babies and 15 mams	Spennymoor Youth and Community Centre private hire sensory room for individuals and small group activity with equipment funded bySpennymoor AAP.
	Birthday Parties	360 children and 170 parents	Private hire of both centres to families for affordable birthday packages.
Young People 11-17	Monday Night Youth Sessions	16 young people	Traditional after school youth sessions for children aged 11 years plus. Offering peer-led activities including crafts, games and outreach football. Sessions are designed to promote confidence and improved social skills for improved relationships and wellbeing.
	Chillax	14 children	Public Health funded mental wellbeing group for young people aged 11 years plus offering youth work team mentoring, support and social activities including arts and crafts with Daisy Arts and peer-led food and games.
	Duke of Edinburgh Award and Spenny Reflections	6 young people and 4 adults	Accredited Duke of Edinburgh Award programme for young people aged 13 years plus. Group members took part in our Heritage Lottery funded Spenny Reflections project duringtheyear.
	Making Links	150 young people	Funded by Spennymoor AAP our two outreach youth workers engage and support kids who don’t access our youth services on the streets and in communityspaces.
	Volunteering and work experience	8 young people	We created a work experience placement and have received help with youth sessions from seven of ouryoung people.

Adults	Adult Learning (ESOL)	8 adults	English learning classes with Durham Learn for refugees.
	Slimming World	50 adults	Weekly sessions from both centres supporting group members to eat healthily, lose weight and live more active lifestyles. Sessions provide social contact, motivation and confidence buildingsupport.
	Manhealth	13 adults	Weekly sessions for men with lived mental health experience, building confidence to talk openly about mental health and ways to manage and improve wellbeing.
	Survive and Thrive	12 adults	A support group for residents with lived mental health experience delivered by local authority recovery workers with weekly sessions offering 1:1 mentoring, counselling and group activities to tackle social isolation, improve confidence and mental wellbeing. The group has 12 regular attendees with ten members aged 50yearsplus.
	Growing Together Community Allotment	6 adults	A volunteer-led community garden for Spennymoor and Tudhoe allowing residents to grow together. Sponsored by GAS Foundation, produce grown is used by residents and directed towards local people in need and our food projects.
	Women Supporting Women	5 adults	A weekly volunteer-led support group for women who have survived domestic abuse. Support is given to the group’s organiser by The Cornforth Partnership.
	The Bread and Butter Thing Project and	220	Twice weekly access to food surplus. 100 customers servedper week with food

	Thursday Food Freebies		packed and distributed by our Centre Friends via The Bread and Butter Thing project and Fareshare.
	You’re not alone, pick up the phone	311 adults and families	Volunteer support helpline for residents living in the Spennymoor area affected by COVID restrictions including emergency parcels delivered to help people stay safe and stay at home during lockdown and isolation.
Over 50s	The Monday Club	16 adults and 4 volunteers	A social club for older residents to meet weekly and enjoy food, conversation and agame of bingo
	Breakfast Buddies	8 men	A breakfast club for men, a first activity for our Eating Together project which aims to bring together older residents through food and company to reconnect people with their communities.
	Look Out Trips	21 residents	Using our community vehicle to take groups of older residents on local trips including to the seaside and market towns.
	Dance and exercise	16	Working with Dance North East and NHS Social Prescribers we have hosted weekly exercise sessions for older residents and those with health problems where gentle or informal exercise in a community setting is helping residents improve health and wellbeing.
Intergenerational and family activities	Carve a pumpkin	57 families	Carve a pumpkin craft sessions for families and children attending youth sessions. Households also took part in the online Spennymoor Area Pumpkin Trail and Christmas Lantern Trail.
	Doorstep Santa visits and Relaxed Santa	34 children and parents	In place of traditional Christmas activities during lockdown, the Centres undertook doorstepSanta

			visits to children and older residents living in Spennymoor and Tudhoe.
	Christmas disco and parties	24 children and parents	School holiday disco and parties for families and children with games and food as part of our regular fun and food funded activities.
	Relax Families	16 children and parents/carers	Sessions for families and their children with additional needs designed to help in managing big feelings, emotions and with learning skills.
Community events and celebrations	Mince Pies and Music, The Big Jubilee Picnic	200 residents (Adults and families)	Christmas and Jubilee community events organised byour team of volunteers.

• 2) How we have involved people, partners and volunteers in developing and delivering our activities

The response to COVID involved a new group of volunteers in the project. These were a mix of working and retired residents who wanted to make a difference during the pandemic. During that time we were able to use those volunteers to deliver emergency food and toiletries to families and residents who were isolating and we delivered hot meals to isolated older residents thanks to additional funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

We are delighted that over the last 12 months as we have emerged from COVID restrictions, the volunteers who joined us during that time have stayed with us and become involved in other project activities aimed at getting the people we’ve helped back out into the community and into the centres as beneficiaries.

Over the last year we have partnered with charities, The Bread and Butter Thing and Fareshare, to give residents access to affordable food surplus. The Bread and Butter Thing provides residents with three big bags of shopping every week packed by our volunteers and is one of the charities biggest hubs with over 200 members. Our Fareshare Thursdays is also volunteer run and allows residents to fill a bag with food in return for a small donation.

The opportunity remains to support our new and committed volunteers to become a bigger part of running the project, in establishing more volunteer run activities and events (steadily happening now) and to go on and become members of bigger, more involved management committees and trustees.

The relaxed style and enabling approach of The Communities Together project encourages volunteer involvement and ownership, but the next phase of the project will give us the resources and capacity to make this happen over the next three years.

3) Working with the people we planned to

In addition to our National Lottery Fund grant, we were able to secure £73,488 in grant funding for projects and activities. At the same time as starting to broaden and increase revenues through venue hire, paid activities, services and projects.

In particular, venue hire to ABL Health, Positive Journeys and Durham Learn is generating an annual income which we are able to invest back into the project.

Improved facilities including bouncy castles, soft play, a refurbished kitchen meeting food business registration requirements and a community vehicle is allowing us to deliver projects able to generate income and benefit more residents.

And our youth work team and centre staff enables us to offer services out in the community and to other community venues and partners allowing us to generate other income to help sustain and invest in the project and venues.

A successful application to the National Lottery Community Fund this year secured a grant of £191,434 which will allow us to sustain and develop the project over the next 3 years which we are describing as Communities Together Stepping UP.

Partnership working has been key to the project’s rapid growth and success. Without the partners listed below we would not have been able to reach the groups of residents we wanted to benefit at the start of the project. We’ve used their capacity and skills wherever possible to bring new activities into the centre. This approach has also made it much easier to fund new projects and activities at the same time as improving our facilities.

Organisation	Activity/project	Funding secured
Durham County Council/DofE Fun and Food	School holiday activity tackling holiday hunger for children and young people.	£3,479
Spennymoor Area Action Partnership Covid Recovery	Funding for Admin Worker, new outdoor facilities, community transport (trips and Eating Together transport).	£24,312
ASDA Foundation	To pay for wall mounted baby change stations for both centres.	£774
ASDA Green Token Giving	To support centre youth sessions.	£500
Livin	School HolidayActivities Fund 2022.	£2,100
Co-op Community Fund	Tudhoe Community Centre Youth Sessions.	£2,386
Public Health	Chillax CREE and CREE plus supporting our weekly young person’s mental wellbeing group.	£4,000
SYACA	The CommunityTakeawayincomegenerated.	£9,664
Barratt Homes	Donation towards sustaining our weekly youth sessions.	£500
Kingdom Culture Church	Donation towards project activities.	£500

Spennymoor Area Action Partnership Jubilee Fund	Funding for Jubilee community celebrations which included a Jubilee Quiz and Music Night, a Big Jubilee Picnic and commemorative badges for children andyoung people.	£2,275
DCA Community Buildings Support Fund	Cleaning materials for SYACA and Tudhoe and contribution towards a storage container for Tudhoe	£1,500
PCP Happiness Hub	Funding to develop our Survive and Thrive wellbeing social group for people with lived experience of mental health problems and to deliver weeklyexercise sessions inpartnership.	£4,000
DCC Support and Recovery	Survive and Thrive group funding.	£1,000
Government Contain Outbreak Management Fund	Covid 19 Community Buildings Recovery Support Grant.	£6,000
Government/DCC Covidgrant funding	Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant.	£5,334
Spennymoor AAP	Capital grant for hall lighting and sensory room equipment	£4,664
DCC Civic Pride	It’s Your Neighbourhood grant for outdoor space plants and compost.	£500
	Totalgrant funding secured inyear 3:	£73,488

4) Engaging with diverse groups of people

Having seen rapid growth in the number of new people using the centre, over the last twelve months we are seeing people become regular project users, accessing several activities and services and finding a place for themselves as we are able to deliver more of a wrap around offer.

In addition to more of the wider community using our centre for the normal activities you would expect to find; parties, youth sessions, baby and toddler classes, Slimming World we have learned that there is a need for activities and support for people who are marginalised and excluded financially, socially or face other barriers to involvement.

The funding and activities we have developed during COVID and over the last 12 months and the cost of living crisis are helping us to meet this need. Access to affordable food, mental and wellbeing support, exercise for people with long term health problems, support for families with additional needs, learning and basic skills for residents with no qualifications, disabilities and refugees.

Angela is a grandma who has fostered her grandson. Angela and Jack have attended our Regular Relax Families sessions delivered by tutors Sam and Gemma, which helps families learn how to deal with emotions, big feelings or challenging behaviour. Angela told us that she in now using the techniques she learned to support Jack and it is really helping the family.

Alan has attended Breakfast Buddies and recently gone on one of the Look Out trips to Barnard Castle. Having lost his wife earlier this year, Alan told us that despite finding it very difficult to socialise again, the trip really helped and he enjoyed a day with company he wouldn’t have had otherwise.

5) Building improvements

The most recent improvements to our venues have included party, disco and mood lighting in the hall at the centre which has added to the package available to families hiring for children’s parties and other activities such as Little Movers, Hartbeeps and Boogie Bounce fitness sessions as well as our own community events and activities.

We also secured grant funding to create a baby sensory room which is generating another source of income and has created another social space in the centre.

New wall mounted baby change stations have been funded by ASDA to improve our family facilities.

To increase the sustainability of the centre, we want to install solar panels. Quotes and discussions with funders are underway.

With funding from Spennymoor Area Action Partnership, we have created a new courtyard space at the centre. The space includes picnic benches, seating and planters with bike racks to be added. The courtyard provides a safe space for group activities and will provide an outdoor area for our Eating Together activities.

6) Promoting the centre

We have developed some strong partnerships and have established a regular programme of activities and events.

Term time youth sessions, holiday hunger activities, outreach youth work, parent baby and toddler sessions, wellbeing groups (social and exercise), learning for children and adults, access to free and affordable food, meals and community transport and trips.

This year our Jubilee celebrations became one of the biggest community events for Spennymoor with other events including an afternoon tea and Mince Pies and Music proving popular. Our ability now to bring people together reflects the success of the work carried out.

#Growing Together

Investment in our Community Allotment in partnership with Great Annual Savings has seen a polytunnel and tool store added to the greenhouse and potting shed.

Getting the volunteers we need to manage and maintain the allotment is still a challenge but over the last 12 months we have better aligned the aims of the project to growing produce which is going directly to residents in need through our access to food activities, in particular The Bread and Butter Thing Mondays and Fareshare Thursdays.

#Eating Together

In March, The Community Takeaway covid support project came to an end having delivered 4,416 hot meals to mainly older isolated residents. Post COVID restrictions, we have worked to reconnect these older residents with their communities and involve them in both centres.

The Monday Club at Spennymoor, Breakfast Buddies and Look Out trips have helped us maintain links with the people we identified through The Community Takeaway project.

Over the next twelve months we will develop a weekly lunch club and community café session for older residents. Recruitment of an Eating Together Cook and Communities Together Stepping UP Project Worker will give us the capacity to deliver more food focused projects for all ages, as well as being able to cater for partner activities and community events/activities.

Holiday hunger activities for children have become an established part of our programme at both centres. Regular grant funding from the Department of Education’s Fun and Food fund has allowed us to provide free access to lunch time or tea-time food during school holidays. In addition to our own holiday activities, working with Groundwork has seen additional holiday hunger activities making us a large hub for holiday hunger work.

Where funding allows, we also try to include food as part of our term time youth sessions. Food as a way to bring people together and as one of the challenges for low-income families will be a priority.

Addressing the cost of living crisis has been another priority over the last 12 months. Opening up the centre to allow people access to warmth, food, advice and support will be another priority. Funding applications have been made to create 7-day centres where our spaces and facilities are open to the whole community to help and support where we can.

#Learning Together

In the last year, Durham Learn has returned to teaching from our Spennymoor centre. English classes for refugees occupy our training rooms 9 hours per week as part of a 12-month contract. With refugee children attending the primary school next door, it has been an opportunity for us to support these families and involve them in the project.

We have also hosted week-long security training courses, first aid and domestic abuse training. Our improved facilities means that we are better equipped to support adult learning and is something we plan to grow in the next phase of the project.

Our Learning Together activities for children has built up a dedicated group of learners at weekends including some home educated children. The partnership with Relax Kids and Learning a New Way CIC will see activities sustained from the centres but delivered and funded directly by those two organisations going forward.

#Feeling Better Together

Having identified a need for support which helps isolated and marginalised including struggling families with additional needs, we have made wellbeing activities a priority.

The project has taken on hosting the weekly Survive and Thrive group offering residents with lived experience of mental health problems a social space and support.

Chillax, Relax Kids and Relax Families offers children and young people more structured youth activity with additional support, meditation and yoga to address individual needs such as anxiety and autism.

And as part of all other activities we are now considering how we can include people with additional needs, helping overcome barrier to involvement. Quiet Santa, smaller events, additional staff/youth workers, transport and diet are all now factors in making sure we respond to the additional needs of the people we are working with and that we want to be part of the project.

7) The difference the centre is making

The centre has achieved three important outcomes to date:

• It has engaged 4,276 residents and involved 48 volunteers. Most importantly supporting increasing numbers of regular project users and most of the volunteers users to stay involved and participate in more than one thing.

• It has developed partnership working with local providers who have been able to benefit local people with the help of the project and our venues.

• It has secured additional grant funding which has been invested in residents, our venue and the communities we serve.

The feedback we have received from project users and the positive differences big and small that the project has made for individuals involved is what we are most proud of. The project allowed

us to be there in response to COVID and harness the determination of residents to help each other.

Over the last year the increase in activities, footfall and business has been rapid. It demonstrates how well the project has positioned the partnership to meet the needs of the community. We have moved from COVID to helping people through the cost of living while continuing to offer venues where people come together and meet their needs as individuals or a community.

We are near full capacity and we have now developed a clear plan for the next phase of our project which will increase our staff capacity and give a focus on helping struggling families, reconnecting isolated older residents, improving mental and physical wellbeing and acting as a learning gateway.

Illustrating the difference the project is making, here are a selection of comments:

“I found out about this from my sister who volunteered in Covid.

She meets people on their doorsteps. One man said:

You are the first person I have met since you delivered my last meal.”

Volunteer

“It’s a massive help to me…

I can come here ,

and the cost is great for what you get.”

The Bread and Butter Thing member

“We live in sheltered accommodation, but it is so good to get out ” Monday Club participant

“ They work exceedingly well with other partners , …

which is good news for the community as the cost of living crisis starts to take effect.” Spennymoor Area Action Partnership

“This organisation really listens to my ideas,

and I feel I can contribute to helping the organisation grow.”

Volunteer

“Three years ago I did not know it existed”

Fun and Food Programme

Having this investment from the Lottery

has made a significant difference ”

Trustee

“ We would never have believed how well this would have worked.”

Trustee

Management Committee

Barbara Graham – Chairperson Neil Foster – Secretary Wayne Gibson – Treasurer

Committee Members: Dianna Charlton Jim Graham

Staff: Community Development Worker Michael Fishwick (National Lottery Community Fund) Children and Young People’s Workers – Spennymoor Chris Milner Claire Peat David Stow, Sandra McDonnel

Caretaker Val Richardson

Community Take Away Staff (National Lottery / Government Funding) Pat Lawton – Cook Katya Edwards – Assistant Cook Stephen Cutler – Driver David Sparks – Driver

Special thanks must go to all the VOLUNTEERS who have supported the association over the past 12 months. Well done everyone.

SPENNYMOOR YOUTH & COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT - YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

RECEIPTS PayPal Donation Rental Income Canteen Youth Club Resources Chillax Sessions CDCF Food Products/Hall Project/Covid 19 Comm Takeaway Reaching Community AAP Learning/Making Links Sundry Income Pool Table Income Non Profit Income Uncategorized Income Grants Living Holiday Act Excess of Payments - over Receipts

2021 2020 PAYMENTS 2021 2020 7840 Cleaning 16666 7571 Gas & Electric 5445 4965 Water 687 732 Building Insurance 1058 702 12045 4328 Insurance Telephone 1273 344 4221 Office/General Admin Expenses 222 4000 3000 Sundry Expenses 1312 492 Accountancy Charges 354 354 T V License 155 155 Repairs and Renewals 1502 16885 88033 Canteen Purchases 1680 46254 60488 Bank Charges 116 54 Affiliation Fees 282 26666 43977 AAP Learning Together /AAP Covid 28335 6296 Funding 400 Computers/ICT 2104 6935 Youth Club Activities 7666 11448 4856 Grants Expenses 430 56725 31591 Photocopier Expenses 644 604 Chillax Expenses 262 488 500 480 35728 Wages Expenses 93175 64441 Advertising 154 2500 D of E Expenses 489 608 Reaching Communities 11098 34213 PayPal Fees 20 Petty Cash DBS Checks CDCF Hall/Covid 19 Food Packs 1080 17055 Covid 19 Take Away 10919 45182 Uncategorized Expenses 2143 3449 Spennymoor Reflections 3168 Excess of Receipts - over 22839__ Payments ____74184 188394 284562 188394 284562 ====== ====== ===== =====

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SPENNYMOOR YOUTH & COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION SUMMARY

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2021 2020 2021 2020 Balance as at 01.01.21 164199 90015 Balance as at 31.12.21 Less Excess of Payments Unity Trust Bank 140933 161359 over receipts for the Year 22839 - Debtors 22949 11158 Creditor (22822) (8618) Plus Excess of Receipts Over payments for the Year 74184 Cash in Hand 300 300 __ _ ___ 141360 164199 141360 164199 ===== ===== ===== ======

Approved by

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We have compiled these unaudited accounts from the books and records of Spennymoor Youth & Community Association and from information given to us. We have not performed an audit therefore we do not express any opinion on the financial information.

Smith + Co 45-47 Cheapside Chartered Accountants Spennymoor DL16 6QF 9th March 2022

Looking back over the last 12 months in photos