HEADINGTON ACTION
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 2024
HA’s remit is to benefit those who live, work and study in Headington by working with inhabitants, together with voluntary, commercial and other organisations and local authorities to promote the area, increase civic pride, undertake community projects and environmental improvements. We implemented this remit through an action plan agreed by our membership and through meetings of our members every other month, with Executive meetings in intervening months. The following headings are taken from our 2024 plan.
Governance and management
We have reached a point at which long standing trustees and members of the management team are stepping down. There is thus some risk to the continuity of HA, certainly a risk to our effectiveness. We set up a small working group to explore the issue and propose solutions, including our relationship with other Headington organisations with which there may be overlap of activities. The working group was set up in the summer of 2024 with a remit to provide a report in early 2025.
Communications
We continued as an umbrella body for organisations and groups in Headington. This entailed the usual routine of committee meetings for members, circulation of matters of interest, supporting councillors and other bodies as appropriate and realistic. We continued to maintain the website as a useful resource and communicated through social media and other means.
Market
We supported the market. It is well liked; it supports the vitality of Headington; it is our main source of operational funds. Profitability is down somewhat due to slightly reduced stall numbers but there is no viability concern.
Connected Communities project
The objectives of the Connected Communities project are to reduce loneliness and social isolation and increase neighbourliness. We continued to develop two main strands.
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We maintained and improved the Community Activity Directory (CAD). We developed the website to make data maintenance easier and transfer of data to print more efficient and less error prone.
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We extended the list of Street Contacts. The list is now about as complete as it will get so we decided to change focus to promoting the list and supporting existing Street Contact s.
Headington Festival
As announced in late 2023, HA took a break from the annual Festival in 2024. However, we were determined this break would not exceed one year and successfully started a project team for Festival 2025.
Festive lights and Christmas event
The annual winter lights display and Christmas tree celebrations were held as usual. Attendance at the lights-on event continues to increase.
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Grants
We awarded two grants:
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£440 to the Friends of Headington Hill Park for railings to replace a gate between the park and Marston Road.
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£500 to MyVision Oxfordshire for venue hire for a Headington Social Group for local visually impaired people.
Environmental activities
We support local community initiatives through small scale grants, talks and communications. This year we:
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Collated residents’ views about the City Council’s use of weedkiller on our pavements and gutters.
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Arranged the annual summer flower baskets in Headington centre.
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Provided a forum for a university researcher to present results from an investigation into community participation in green space planning.
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Arranged for a talk on pollution monitoring.
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Followed up concerns about lack of biodiversity gains in a large scale development.
Planning and transport
This is largely the domain of our sister organisation, the Headington Neighbourhood Forum (HNF). We supported HNF with communications to our members and provided small scale financial support, eg room bookings.
We continued our role of soliciting, reviewing and advertising Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) applications.
HA continued the policy of only exceptionally taking a collective view of planning and transport applications/policies but encouraging our members to contribute.
Conclusion
In summary, 2024 was a productive year for Headington Action. We are well organised and financially sound. Looking ahead there are two main challenges; long term finances and, as stated in last year’s annual report, we must work to extend our capacity by recruiting new active members and finding a permanent Chair.
During the past year we have had good support from our members, including several local City and County councillors. Oxford Brookes University is a keen supporter of HA and provided facilities for our meetings.
HA Trustees and Exec committee March 2025
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Note
HEADINGTON ACTION (CHARITY NUMBER: 1170517) ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
| Community Directory Councillors - planters Community Directory Councillors - planters RECEIPTS Festival Market Grants HeadingtonNeighbourhoodForum(HNF) Christmas/WinterLights FlowerbasketsProjects CoopBank Interest Street Champion HeadingtonCentreImprovement Chequerepaid by HSBC TOTAL RECEIPTS ExcludingSpecificReserves (Note 2) PAYMENTS Festival Market Grants HNF Christmas/WinterLights Flower baskets Projects Expenses Admin Insurance StreelChampion Headington Centre Improvement Cheque issuedlaterrepaid by HSBC TOTAL PAYMENTS Excluding Specific Reserves(Note 2) NET RECEIPTS/ (PAYMENTS) IN THE YR |
£ £ 12,103 6,540 4693 7,981 9,543 3 450 1847 2,200 6,966 796 221 131 155 2 2550 5,835 2 47,900 2 2000 2,000 2 18,645 11761 28,250 92,545 7211 22,415 42,645 £ £ 45 14,086 9,134 220 993 2,191 940 782 281 110 227 5429 4,650 9,841 1,123 609 319 464 1071 887 720 1282 1,211 1,177 2132 2,303 2,213 2 3422 3,380 2 9,761 41,354 2 1132 1,790 2 18,645 16563 39,490 87,871 9877 22,256 44,304 -4802 -11,240 4,674 YEAR 01/01/24 to 31/12/24 YEAR 01/01/23 to 31/12/23 YEAR 01/01/22 to31/12/22 £ £ |
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| Community Directory Councillors funds Market Cash ExcludingSpecificReserves (Note 2) Summary byActivity,2024 Festival Market Grants HNF Christmas/WinterLights Flowerbaskets Projects Expenses Admin Insurance CoopBankInterest StreetChampion HeadingtonCentreImprovement Totals Excluding Specific Reserves(Note 2) MONETARY ASSETS Co-opDepositAccount HSBC BankCurrent Account TOTAL ASSETS ExcludingSpecificReserves(Note 2) ASSET CHANGE Excluding Specific Reserves(Note 2) |
-2666 -3,056 -1,659 Receipts Outgoings Difference 45 -45 4693 220 4,473 3 450 940 -490 281 -281 1847 5,429 -3,582 0 0 609 -609 1,071 -1,071 1,282 -1,282 221 221 2,132 -2,132 2 2550 3,422 -872 2 0 2 2000 1,132 868 2 11761 16563 -4,802 -2,666 31/12/24 45291 44926 9104 8,883 8,752 6741 11,763 23,133 0 0 0 15845 20,646 31,885 13,709 13,211 25,552 -4,801 -11,239 4,673 -2666 -3,055 -1,659 |
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Notes to accounts
Note 1: Accounts prepared on a receipts and payments basis Note 2: Specific reserves
| Note 2: Specific reserves Community Directory - Lottery grant £5,835 received 2023 Councillors funds py StreetChampions HeadingtonCentreImprovement |
£ £ £ 1910 4,042 6,345 1583 2,455 0 0 6,545 1806 938 2,728 Balance held 31/12/24 Balance held at 31/12/23 Balance held at 31/12/22 |
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| 5299 7,435 15,618 |