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2025-08-31-accounts

HE RHONDDA NETBALL FOUNDATION AR1￿ Y #1170778 ITIJNYREFAIL RHONDD tREtIR£HY 'FERNIIALE7 MIOR;E4TIHAN TRusIÈESREPORtAAD. FINANCIAL STAT,EMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2025 @f Otxoo.@o

TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2025

Page No. Contents

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LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Charity Name

THE RHONDDA NETBALL FOUNDATION

Official Charity Working Name RHONDDA NETBALL

UK Charity Registration Number 1170778

Charity Structure

CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION (CIO)

Trustees for the Year Ending 31 August 2025 MR IAN COLES (CHAIR) MRS NICOLA LANCASTER MRS LEE PITT MR IAN SMITH MRS KAREN JAMES MR LUKE DAVIES

Registered Office 236 TYNTYLA ROAD, THE OLD YSTRAD LABOUR CLUB, YSTRAD, RHONDDA CYNON TAF, CF41 7SG

Accountants CURTIS BOWDEN & THOMAS (XEINADIN GROUP LTD) CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS 101 DUNRAVEN STREET, TONYPANDY, RHONDDA CYNON TAF, CF40 1AR

Bank

BARCLAYS BANK PLC, HEAD OFFICE, LEICESTER, LEICESTERSHIRE, LE87 2BB

"...there’s still so much work to be done in the 21st Century to ensure women and girls get equal opportunites, and Rhondda Netball is taking this challenge head on!"

CAROLYN HITT

Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and Head of BBC Radio Wales & BBC Wales Sport

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

While the trustees (see next page) oversee the charity, The Rhondda Netball Foundation is run by its Senior Management Team - pictured above - comprising Founder & Managing Director, Lawrie Davies & Operations Manager, Jody Barnes. Their amazing team of energetic and enthusiastic Community Coaches & Role Models, pictured below, lead the charity’s extensive out-of-schools provision and activities whilst supporting the delivery of Rhondda Netball’s other programmes and provision. In order to keep costs low and maintain a low-risk financial model, every single person who serves Rhondda Netball, other than the Operations Manager, earns the main portion of their income outside of the charity. This structure/model has played a huge part in the success the charity has had since it started in 2016, ensuring off-field costs are kept as low as possible for long-term sustainability purposes.

LAWRIE DAVIES - Founder & Managing Director

Rhondda Netball came out of Lawrie’s heart, and with the initiative being birthed in him, he is very much the heartbeat behind the charitable operation that positively affects so many young girls and women throughout Rhondda/Rhondda Cynon Taf. As a law graduate and a seasoned fundraiser and vision builder in the charitable sector, Lawrie’s experience and skillset prepared him to inspire the team and volunteers to build the Rhondda Netball dream, not least of all through his roles and connections with schools and other local charities and businesses. The son of one of Welsh rugby union’s most successful commercial, marketing and communications professionals, Lawrie also has expertise in several key areas that have been vital to Rhondda Netball’s growth and sustainability.

JODY BARNES - OPERATIONS MANAGER

Jody was key to the start of Rhondda Netball as she accepted Lawrie’s £12,000 first year offer to become the full-time Operations Manager of the charity back in 2016/17 - Rhondda’s first female paid to give a full-time commitment to developing opportunities and provision with a strong girls and women focus. She went through fundraising and management training with Lawrie and successfully established herself as a top-class Operations Manager, having played a leading role in turning the charity into Wales’ largest female sports participation initiative. As the charity’s first female leader, Jody paved the way for the amazing group of female leaders we have today, pictured below.

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IAN COLES chair of Trustees & Treasurer

LEE PITT Trustee

IAN has an MA in Human Geography and has considerable experience in finance from his time with the Principality Building Society. He now works full-time in the utilities sector with Morrison Utility Services and manages the charity’s finances on a weekly basis with the Managing Director & Operations Manager.

KAREN JAMES Trustee

KAREN has been a small business owner in Rhondda for many years, working in the catering and hospitality industry for years, mainly through weddings and events. Karen’s been a great asset to the charity in a more formal capacity since joining the board in 2022.

IAN SMITH Trustee

IAN has over 15 years experience working in schools throughout Rhondda and is without doubt, the best secondary school development officer in Rhondda Cynon Taf when it comes to maximising pupil participation after-school and out-of-school. He also has vast experience in youth events management.

RHONDDA NETBALL ADVISORY BOARD

EMMA LEEKE

Managing Director, Leekes Retail

ROB COLE

Director, Westgate Sports Agency

KEITH GRAINGER

MD WackySox, Former CEO at Newport RFC & Leicester RFC

LEE has 20+ years experience in the Welsh Local Government Association and is currently their Education Standards Adviser and, as a result, is very experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to Welsh politics. Lee also runs her own property business based in Rhondda.

NICOLA LANCASTER Trustee

NICOLA is currently a Sport & Exercise Lecturer at Coleg y Cymoedd. She has vast experience of working with females through netball and sport, both inside & outside of schools, having been Head of PE at Rhondda’s Ysgol Nantgwyn until 2021.

LUKE DAVIES Trustee

LUKE is a qualified City & Regional Planner (MSc) with extensive experience in the land acquisition and construction sector through his roles with Jehu Group, Newport Housing Association and now, Persimmon Homes, as their Strategic Land & Planning Director.

PARTNER SCHOOL NETBALL LEADERS

REBECCA PROBERT

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda PE Dept.

NICOLA ISAAC

Porth County Community School PE Dept.

RYAN MAHARG Ysgol Nantgwyn PE Dept.

LISA TRANTER

Tonyrefail Community School PE Dept

PHIL DAVIES

Founder & Project Director Sporting Marvels, Former Commercial Director at Newport RFC & Cardiff RFC

ALYSON EVANS

Ferndale Community School PE Dept.

CHARLOTTE SLYE

Treorchy Comprehensive School PE Dept

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INTRODUCING RHONDDA NETBALL
Rhondda Netball was established on 1st September 2016 in one of the UK’s most deprived areas, the
Rhondda Valleys, South Wales. The charity was granted charitable status by the Charity Commission
of England & Wales on 15th December 2016.
The charity was founded by Lawrie Davies when he identified that females in Rhondda and the wider
Valleys regions had far fewer opportunities to take part in sport and healthy activities, than males.
He felt that the only way to combat the huge inequality, particularly in respect of attracting support
that had historically always been funnelled towards male opportunities, was to establish a totally
committed charitable operation that could dedicate time and resources to sustain a focused long-
term effort. And, drawing on his experiences as a young sportsman within the Rhondda Schools
Rugby initiative and Cambrian United’s first academy, alongside his many years working with Rhondda
schools through his many years leading Sporting Marvels, that’s exactly what he, Jody, and the first
cohort of Community Coaches & Role Models did!
Gerald & Emma Leeke (pictured below), Chairman and Managing Director respectively of Leekes
Retail, breathed life into the idea in December 2016 when they generously committed £10,000 for
the first year, 2016/17. Then, they followed this up with further support at £10,000+ per year for
several years and have generously continued to support the charity ever since. The rest as they say,
is history! Rhondda Netball grew exponentially and is now one of the UK’s largest female sports
participation initiatives, with an average of over 900 girls and women taking part in its out-of-school
programmes every single week since 2021/22.
The charity successfully created an effective infrastructure that now empowers nearly 30 Community
Coaches & Role Models to give back to their local community. The girls and women that benefit
couldn’t be more grateful - just check out www.rhonddanetball.com for a small glimpse of this! It’s
important to note here though, that while the charity places a strong emphasis on equal opportunities
and has no restrictions on male or female involvement, the initiative was formed with a large focus on
creating equal opportunities and provision for females in a Local Authority that already had excellent
provision and opportunities in place for males. The charity uses netball as the primary activity in its
charitable operation, a sport whose global participation is over 99% female. This makes the activities
of the charity less attractive to males even though there are no restrictions in place.
As Rhondda Netball has endeavoured to provide equal opportunities for females and address the
inequality in the Rhondda/Rhondda Cynon Taf region, it has intentionally created social platforms
to address isolation and loneliness whilst training its Community Coaches & Role Models to raise
aspirations, build self-esteem and increase self-belief and confidence.
Emma Leeke, Managing Director, Leekes Retail Gerald Leeke OBE, Chairman, Leekes Retail
"It’s been a great privilege for us to play "Rhondda Netball is an exciting
our part in the story and to be able to all-community cause that we
positively affect the lives of so many are thrilled to support!”
young girls in the heartlands of the Valleys!”
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RHONDDA NETBALL ella￿6 L4u45 Alwaysl It's not just about the netball with you either..you know the girls so viell that you support them emotionally too. especially Pops and for this we are so gratelull u &i¥J 15.zl

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2025

The Trustees present their annual report and the financial statements for the Year Ending 31 August 2025...

OVERVIEW OF THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW

The year under review was one of the charity’s most successful to date, both in terms of operational and financial performance.

As you’ll see from the average participation graph, below , as well as the “Achievements and Performance” section of this report, Rhondda Netball’s average weekly participation remained staggeringly high throughout 2024/25.

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YEAR UNDER
REVIEW
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The trustees consider these statistics to be amazing and most certainly in line with Rhondda Netball’s long term sustainabilty plan, as the exponential growth of the first few years simply could not continue. They would like to highlight the wonderful job that the Senior Management Team and the Rhondda Netball Community Coaches & Role Models did throughout the year to continue to motivate girls and women throughout Rhondda to take part in healthy physical activities that also actively support the creation of social networks, prevent isolation, and improve participants’ mental/emotional wellbeing.

Much gratitude is also owed to the various trusts and foundations that supported the charity during the year under review. Without this support, the charity simply would not have been able to give opportunities to so many girls and women each week throughout 2024/25.

Rhondda Netball’s awesome Community Coaches & Role Models ensured the charity delivered on its

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commitment to promote gender equality in health & fitness focused activities and sport, through the empowerment of girls and women in the Rhondda Valleys and the wider Rhondda Cynon Taf region throughout the year under review.

The trustees were thrilled that statistical data from September 2016 - August 2023 indicates that there has been an increase of over 25% in female participation in health & fitness focused activities and sport for ages 5-15 across the Rhondda, mainly as a result of Rhondda Netball. That’s over 25% more girls actively engaging in regular healthy activity that builds a sense of belief, tackles social isolation, combats obesity, and empowers females.

The year under review also oversaw a full calendar of Rhondda Netball events including league days, tournaments, competitions, presentation evenings, and a Danceathon fundraiser. These events were the biggest female-focused events in the Rhondda during 2024/25, and they play a huge part in changing the culture and importance of female opportunities in health & fitness focused activities and sport.

The charity also made great strides in personnel sustainability through its Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme. After fundraising, developing people has been the next biggest challenge for the charity, and this programme encouraged several teenagers to become “part of the team” during the year under review, all of whom have great potential.

From a financial perspective, the charity continued to make good progress, with the year under review seeing the charity once again reach a level of income where it could power provision for so many girls and women each week. More information on this is available in the financial review on pages 26 - 29.

The charity’s dedication to fighting for girls and women, and developing opportunities for them, has also created a brilliant sense of camaraderie and team. The trustees hope this community support will grow in the future and eventually lead to further equality in terms of how the local authority provides facilities for team sports. The charity’s tagline is “More Than Sport”, and the trustees are delighted with the way the Senior Management Team and the Community Coaches & Role Models have used netball/sport to impact a community in such a huge way.

However, despite the enormous success of the year under review, the trustees lamented the economic issues facing the UK and much of the world. The cost of living/inflation changes since the pandemic have done their best to undermine the charity’s efforts to become more sustainable, particularly in respect of three consecutive huge National Minimum Living Wage hikes, 2022/23 - 2024/25 (please see the financial review on pages 26 - 29 for further detail on this). The Senior Management Team will continue working hard to maximise efficiencies right across the board, whilst at the same time, restructuring some aspects of the charity’s 5-year plan for long-term sustainability, which originally covered 2022-2027.

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MORETP

. wrnim , IS WHY I GET MY DAUGHT INTO TEAM SPORT. BECAUSE THE BONDS IT CREATES - SH LOVES HER QRHONDDANEfBALLRASCAL OACHES AND BEFORE GOING BED SHE HAS NAMED A TEDD OF HERS LI LISS JONES You LEN ASLEE DNO ING IT 10

DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES

The directors of the charity are its trustees for charity law purposes, and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees.

GOVERNANCE

The Rhondda Netball Foundation is a recognised Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in England & Wales which operates under the rules of its constitution dated 8 December 2016. The trustees oversee the charity while the day to day management of the charity and its functions is carried out by its Senior Management Team. Trustee meetings are held regularly to discuss risks to the charity and to propose strategies to mitigate future risks.

APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES

Apart from the first charity trustees, every appointed trustee must be appointed (for a term of three years) by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as appointed charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of The Rhondda Netball Foundation.

ORGANISATION

The charity had 6 trustees for the period under review, but has the provision to increase or decrease the figure to a maximum of 12 trustees or a minimum of 3 trustees. A charity trustee who has served for three consecutive terms may not be reappointed for a fourth consecutive term but may be reappointed after an interval of at least one year. None of the trustees receive any remuneration.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY

The broad objective of the charity is...

THE PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HEALTHY RECREATION BY THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR PLAYING NETBALL

...whilst the three specific operational objectives within this are:

FIGHTING GENDER INEQUALITY AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN

In a study carried out by Sport Scotland (Barriers to women and girls’ participation in sport and physical activity, Sport Scotland, 2008) barriers to sports participation for women were listed as 3-fold:

PRACTICAL – lack of time, childcare, money, transport, facilities

PERSONAL – negative body image, lack of self-confidence

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL – male-dominated culture, attitudes re sexuality, lack of media representations/role models.

STAGGERING INEQUALITY!! STATISTICS & NUMBERS - MARCH 2022

OUT-OF-SCHOOL SPORTS TEAMS IN RHONDDA... MALE FEMALE NETBALL TEAMS 98 Rugby 6 Rugby 77 96 Football 10 Football ...with every single one 11 Cricket 1 Cricket inside Rhondda Netball

SPORTING FACILITIES IN RHONDDA...

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||||| |---|---|---|---| |PARTICIPANTS & POTENTIAL USABLE FACILITIES...| |MARCH 2017|MARCH 2022| |441|involved out-of-schoolGirls and women|[1468]|involved out-of-schoolGirls and women| |258|Average attendance|952|Average attendance| |on a per week basis|on a per week basis| |Sept 2016 - March 2017|Sept 2021 - March 2022| |11|Indoor netball courts|8|Indoor netball courts| |(maximum... subject to|(maximum... subject to| |availability)|availability)| |0|Indoor netball courts|0|Indoor netball courts| |with weekend availability|with weekend availability| |for block booking|for block booking|

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...AND THAT’S JUST THE START!!

Whilst deprivation affects everyone in Rhondda (29% of Rhondda’s Lower Super Output Areas - LSOAs - fall within the 10% most deprived in Wales), Rhondda Netball identified that females had very few out-of-school opportunities compared to males. Rhondda has an incredible history of male sport - football is huge and of course, so is rugby union. This has massively benefited young males as the size and support of the historic clubs and initiatives in the region has seen resources poured into these sports at an astronomically high level despite very little female participation across both sports. This left females with very little opportunity to compete for resources and support. In fact, of the 60+ sports facilities in Rhondda when Rhondda Netball first started, exactly 0 were primarily used by females to facilitate female sport. Despite the unfairness and proof of gender inequality, changing things is incredibly difficult, but Rhondda Netball has made - and continues to make - a difference, and during the year under review, 5 Rhondda sports facilities were primarily used by females to facilitate female sport. Yes, there’s still a long way to go, but Rhondda Netball is committed to changing things for the better.

The charity places a strong emphasis on equal opportunities and has no restrictions on male or female involvement but naturally, more females take part in Rhondda Netball than males. We’re breaking down these aforementioned barriers and our focused

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“everyday” approach gives us an ongoing voice so that we can fight for equality.

Rhondda Netball is working diligently to create equal opportunities for the girls and women of Rhondda, particularly in the areas of sport and recreation, and we seized the opportunity to create an infrastructure for girls and women which allows them to enjoy all the social, emotional and physical benefits that being involved in health & fitness activities brings to an individual. Becoming Wales’ largest female sports participation initiative in just our second year, with 1,000+ girls and women involved in total each year since 2017/18, it’s obvious we haven’t just found success… we’ve met a NEED!

How we’ve overcome barriers to female participation in our activities in Rhondda:

PRACTICAL – All of Rhondda Netball’s provision is extremely affordable and therefore inclusive. The venues are easily accessible due to their central location within all five of the main communities in Rhondda and are within walking distance for a lot of participants.

PERSONAL – Our Community Coaches & Role Models play a vital role in supporting all participants throughout our programmes, helping them to improve their self-confidence and develop self-esteem. They lead by example and the whole community values them.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL – While sport and recreation in Rhondda has historically been maledominated, Rhondda Netball has broken the stereotype and provided opportunities for girls and women to take part in sport and healthy activities. The growth of Rhondda Netball has also garnered significant media interest at various times over the last few years, with journalists representing BBC, Sky, Wales Online & Dai Sport writing articles that have raised our profile.

As mentioned throughout this trustees’ report, despite our focus being on developing opportunities for girls and women, we are an inclusive charity. However, we only have a tiny amount of male participation in our in-school/after-school activities at a primary school level at the moment. Netball is like female football and rugby in the region, in that after the age of 11 (Year 6), due to the way the male and female body develops, mixed activity ceases due to the physical risks to females beyond this age.

CASE STUDY - BELLA HUTCHINGS

Bella is another fantastic example of Rhondda potential, beginning her journey with Rhondda Netball at just 10 years old.

A dedicated and enthusiastic member of our junior clubs over the years, Bella has developed into a key part of our Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme, establishing herself as a brilliant young leader.

Her potential continues to shine through as she took on greater responsibilities within the charity during 2024/25, inspiring young females in the Upper Rhondda area every single week. Bella’s journey reflects the powerful impact Rhondda Netball has across our community. From participant to role model, we’re excited to see her journey continue and are proud to have her as part of our team - and she’s loved just as much by the girls she supports.

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“Being part of Rhondda Netball has
meant so much to me over the years. I’ve
made friendships that I know will stay
with me for life, but what I value most is
being able to give back and support young
people in our community as a coach. I feel
really lucky to have this opportunity
and I’m looking forward to continuing
to learn, develop, and make a positive
impact.”
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Bella aged 10 > Bella at 16 — now part of our Senior & Youth programme and developing as a coach through our Community Coach & Role Model Programme

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SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH AND IMPROVING EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

It is well known that in the UK mental health problems are more prevalent than ever amongst young people. Each year in Wales there are over 5,000 emergency admissions to hospitals as a result of selfharm, while 300+ people died from suicide - three times the number killed in road accidents! 1 in 4 people have a mental health problem (Office for National Statistics, Psychiatric Morbidity), with 1 in 6 experiencing at least one common mental health problem such as stress, anxiety or depression in any given week (Office for National Statistics, Psychiatric Morbidity).

In Wales, 1 in 5 people felt uncomfortable talking to their friends or family about a mental health diagnosis (Public Attitudes to Mental Illness in Wales, 2019). In addition, the 2016/17 National Survey for Wales found that people living in more deprived areas have lower levels of wellbeing and of those adults that lived in the least deprived areas, only 8% were being treated for a mental health problem compared to 20% of adults in the most deprived areas (Welsh Government National Survey for Wales 2017). Wellbeing scores were also higher for people with healthy lifestyles. On a global scale, depression is one of the leading causes of health problems in the world, experienced by more than 300 million people, while bipolar disorder affects approximately 60 million people worldwide (World Health Organization, 2018).

Whilst the UK and much of the world still awaits accurate post-pandemic data on many of the above fronts, almost all of the post-pandemic studies and research completed so far, indicate that everything associated with Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing has worsened since the pandemic, and the negative impact on young people was catastrophic.

With these facts in mind, Rhondda Netball recognises

the need to play an active role in addressing these issues and where possible, mitigate them by encouraging participants to be socially included, physically active, motivated and engaged.

There are countless studies which have proved beyond doubt that physical activity improves mental health in the following ways:

SLEEPING BETTER – regular physical activity improves sleep and sleeping patterns.

MANAGING STRESS, ANXIETY OR INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS – physical activity releases Cortisol which helps us manage stress levels and gives the brain multiple focus points to discourage it from dwelling on hardships and the effects of challenging circumstances.

IMPROVED SELF-ESTEEM – studies show being more active helps you feel better about yourself as you improve and achieve your goals.

CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE – doing group or team activities reduces social isolation and can make you feel better as you meet like-minded people and make new friends.

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Rhondda Netball has been a key catalyst for change in this area, helping to provide platforms for physical activity to take place and there are now a lot more females feeling that all-important sense of belonging and family that we’ve worked hard to create, with new friendship circles being established and communities brought together.

Our Key Leaders in our Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme play a huge part in ensuring that all girls involved in our programmes are enjoying themselves and are not feeling socially isolated. Understanding their position as role models means they are always available should participants ever need to talk, and as you’ll see in “PLANS FOR THE FUTURE”, we are always endeavouring to better train and equip them for the holistic leadership and influencer roles they play in the lives of our participants. Our professional approach helps us to collate and report the feedback we get so that we can evidence the huge impact we’re having in these areas.

Although we’ve had tremendous success with over 900 girls and women being more physically active each week through our out-ofschool programmes alone during the year under review, we recognise that there is more hard work ahead in the fight against mental health issues, especially in a region as deprived as the Rhondda Valleys.

CASE STUDY - ABBY ASHTON

Abby has been part of our Senior & Youth Programme for a few years now and is a valued member of the Rhondda Netball family. As a senior player, she brings great energy to the court each week, and her commitment to Rhondda Netball is consistently on show.

What makes Abby’s journey even more special is that it’s a full family affair! Her eldest daughter, Lucy, having been involved since Under 9’s, is now part of our Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme, while her youngest is loving her time in Rascals.

It’s so nice to see families like Abby’s getting fully involved in everything Rhondda Netball has to offer. From playing to coaching to building and developing relationshis, it’s what #morethansport and Rhondda Netball is all about!

“Being part of Rhondda Netball has been such a positive experience for me and my girls. I love getting on court each week, but what makes it even more special is seeing both of my daughters enjoying it just as much as I do. The opportunities it gives us all, from playing and learning, to leading now like Lucy, to growing in confidence and making friends, is amazing. It really does feel like one big netball family, and we absolutely love being involved.”

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IMPROVING PHYSICAL WELLNESS AND ENCOURAGING PARTICIPANTS TO LIVE ACTIVE & HEALTHY LIVES

All of Rhondda Netball’s programmes encourage participants to live healthy and active lives. Our Key Leaders are excellent role models who play a vital part in us meeting this objective with so many girls under their leadership and influence. The UK has a well-documented problem in getting females to engage in physical activity. In a survey of children and young people carried out by Sport England, 20% of boys aged 5-16 were active every day, compared to just 14% of girls (Active Lives Children and Young People Survey,

“we are now spending more on obesity related conditions in this country than we are on the police or the fire service” simon stevens, former chief executive, nhs england

Sport England, 2018), and we know that this divide worsened in girls aged 15+. We know studies have also shown that Covid had a further effect on female (and male) participation in sport. But young girls face barriers including low self-esteem and poor self-image that aren’t as detrimental to male participation in sport, with social media now playing a huge part in society. Our committed every-day approach takes an active role in sending the “right messages” to today’s generation of females. We’re showing girls and women that being active and committing to weekly physical activity is important.

Obesity in Wales also remains a huge issue, with 1 in 4 children having a Body Mass Index (BMI) classified as overweight or obese compared to 1 in 5 in England (Child Measurement Programme, Public Health Wales, 2018). There are numerous physical health issues linked to obesity including an increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, some cancers and osteoarthritis, while obesity in children can have a direct impact on their mental wellbeing leading to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Furthermore, over a thousand children in Wales starting school have been classed as ‘severely obese’, with recent figures indicating that 3.3% of all children are severely obese, described as ‘very worrying’ by Public Health Wales. In a study of 4-5 year olds conducted between 2017-2018, Rhondda Cynon Taf had the second highest percentage of all the Welsh Local Authorities (4.3%) of severely obese children (Child Measurement Programme, Public Health Wales, 2019) and if things continue as they are the Welsh Government’s top doctor has warned that the current generation of children could well be the first to live shorter lives than their parents. Deprivation, low exercise rates and the availability of cheap convenience food have all been blamed for the high childhood obesity rates in Wales, and levels of physical activity and sedentariness among children in Wales are some of the poorest in the world.

Statistics show there’s already been an increase of over 25% in female sport participation for ages 5-15 across Rhondda since Rhondda Netball started. That’s over 25% more girls actively engaging in regular healthy activity that builds a sense of belief, tackles social isolation, combats obesity, and empowers females. With Rhondda’s population of 69,500 this is even more impressive, and nothing else in Wales in the last few years could even come close to demonstrating this level of impact and these kinds of statistics on a Local Authority-wide basis.

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PUBLIC BENEFIT

In shaping our objectives for the period and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and are satisfied that the charity meets the public benefit requirements through its activities and programmes.

Highlights from the period demonstrating public benefit include:

A small sample of the incredible feedback we’ve had from the local community during 2024/25, evidencing the benefit of Rhondda Netball, can be viewed below and on the next two pages...

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Loren Davies is with Lyla Davies and Mark Davies. 41m.11 Congratulations to my girl @lylajdavies for being awarded 'Players player, at her netball presentationl l.", From under 9's to under 15's Incredibly proud of all you have achieved over the years, and with a wonderful team and incredible coaches @xlaurenlouise321x @tonypandynetb311club Hayley Louise 4h. 7 years ol netball has come to an end for my beautiful girl, growing up and onto new things. So proud of you my love as always Ah that's so true. The love of the sport started with Treorchy and have grown into a way of life for us as we are here, there and everywhere. Thanks so much Chels, no doubt you'll continue to inspire many more nelballers. Thanks again for eVe￿hIng you've done for my daughter. Lots of love xxx stJceylNIlliAm$iSWit￿ LukeWiiiimB. 3bm" ihey¢a¢knrourghdlcièWIll)am5 * 1harkyouto Taylar IiuoipfvraiWS supporwo and eDcouraoingbET.Sbè 3i¢e4dy Can'iydartlor rLexl 59ason.

MORE.THA

I know you probably have this all time. but your Marni is an ab501ute credit to you. She was wondertul Wlth my Evie in the Rascals Christmas party. She was unsure about meeting the mascot but she held her hand and took her in. Shè's just fantastic with the children Jade. Youve done a great lob of raisin9 a lovely young lady xxx Top coach, Bella. ,l!)'/?c<ii'1 O-"A3""0 My girls family all xxxxx .. Love you

Mor biowd ohonoch chi lerche& legends fachll • sLotRob Rhiannon JenkiJ)S 1541 The Lion Hotel. Netbèii Xmas Party 2024 whata blast weallhèd X.. 8ring on nekr yea mtsth Prosecco but lots of I￿g￿ler. Singing& danciw 11 JJ. Lo￿e my netballfamily ay too L4 002 annah James is witb EVIO James. Uthanillwhes wow,. Under 15's Porth Neiball presentati¢￿ and yourvery last onè before going otf the Senior and Ywtb... You've come from being a nervous 11 ye8r old 10 noyi coaching ages 5- 15 as well as being an ouistandir player and l am so proud ol vou... Go and have the bestnight 111 JcarLPiiearofore¥wr Io&xYiJeiknlt04thc&like JOli.Il¢

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

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YEAR UNDER
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At the end of 2017, Rhondda Netball became Wales’ largest female sports participation initiative, and our in-person programmes and activities steadily grew until we saw a large increase after the “Covid” period, March 2020 - 31st August 2021. The Senior Management Team and the charity’s Community Coaches & Role Models wanted to make sure that Rhondda Netball’s platform in the community continued to grow in sustainable fashion, but it’s been quite difficult for everyone running “overcapacity” since the start of 2021/22. We’ve simply endeavoured to do the best we can with the resources at our disposal.

However, the trustees are delighted to report that even though Rhondda Netball has the associated problems that come with impacting so many people, the charity continued to see an average of just over 900 girls and women taking part in Rhondda Netball’s programmes and activities throughout 2024/25.

Even though average participation only increased slightly, we actually planned for a decrease with the cost-saving measures we put in place, and so our model for sustaining participation continues to surpass expectations. Overall, our robust charitable operation has made great strides throughout 2024/25 towards our long-term sustainability plan in each of the key areas.

Throughout the year, the TWO main achievements were as follows...

FINANCIAL

The charity continued to make positive financial strides, with 2024/25 proving to be a successful year financially speaking despite an increase in lots of costs as a result of inflation/national price increases. With a total income of £183,524 against expenditure of £177,637 for the year under review, the charity was able to fulfil all of its objectives during the year under review. Due to the huge April 2024 & April 2025 increases to the National Minimum Living Wage for all ages, expenditure on our Community Coaches & Role Models had to be controlled during the year under review in similar fashion to 2023/24. But the increase in costs compared to our original operational action plan projections back in 2021/22, was offset with some reduced spend in other areas even though these reductions came at some operational cost. More detailed information on this front is available in the financial review on pages 26 - 29.

GROWTH IN OUR RASCALS AND SENIOR & YOUTH PROGRAMME

The trustees were thrilled to see the Rascals and Senior & Youth Programmes go to new a level during the year under review, 2024/25. The year marked the biggest our Senior & Youth Programme has ever been with nearly 200 women aged 16+ involved each week. Though the Rascals Programme has been bigger in previous years than what it was during the year under review, this was the biggest the programme has been since we added the “block payment package” model and raised the barrier to entry a few years ago when it became clear to us how “weather dependent” attendance was for ages 4-7.

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•

RHONDD TBALL MORETHAN

Whilst the charity ran 5 main programmes…

JUNIOR NETBALL CLUB PROGRAMME

Rhondda Netball has now established five community netball clubs in the five main communities of the Rhondda Valleys; Ferndale, Treorchy, Porth, Tonypandy & Tonyrefail. These clubs allow girls aged 8-15 throughout Rhondda to join and take part in our activities and provision. For the year under review, Tonyrefail facilitated provision only for ages 10-15 with plans afoot to incorporate Under 9’s provision for 2025/26 confirmed.

RASCALS PROGRAMME

After seeing the popularity of our other programmes and responding to a lot of requests from the community, we piloted provision for girls aged 4-7 (known as “Rascals”) at the end of 2017/18, which was a brilliant success. There was a high demand from parents to roll out this provision so these age groups didn’t miss out, and this quickly became one of our most successful programmes reaching over 100+ children each week in three of Rhondda’s five main communities during the year under review.

SENIOR & YOUTH PROGRAMME

The focus of this programme is to provide a “healthy activity-focused” sport and social platform for women to engage in weekly, so that the charity can tackle loneliness and social isolation issues whilst supporting ongoing fitness and exercise opportunities for women who have become less active as they’ve got older. The programme also tailors to “youth” girls (aged 16-21), and this allows Rhondda Netball to continue to impact girls that are too old for the Junior Netball Club Programme. This programme worked with 180+ females aged 16-55 during the year under review, 2024/25.

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AFTER-SCHOOLS/IN-SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

Prior to Covid, Rhondda Netball successfully created a league and competition infrastructure for secondary schools throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf. This programme made a huge difference to female sporting activities at participating schools, allowing us to facilitate and oversee healthy activity and sport for 1,200+ girls (aged 11-18) each academic year. PE departments saw a dramatic change in female pupils’ attitudes towards sport/netball, and our early 2020 House of Sport (Cardiff) competition was a huge moment for this part of our provision. However, since 2021/22, our first operational year after Covid, a lot has changed in terms of secondary school budgets in respect of their PE Departments, and many schools have struggled to fulfil after-school fixtures. During the year under review, the charity still managed to work with all 6 Rhondda secondary schools to facilitate after-school/in-school participation in netball for over 500 girls.

“there’s been a significant change of attitude towards the importance of health and wellbeing in our female pupils since rhondda netball started. it’s clear to see the positive impact rhondda netball has had on so many girls, and there is far more motivation to take part in pe lessons which is wonderful to see. however, there’s no doubt that school sport in general is in the middle of a tough season where school budgets are extremely stretched!”

alyson evans, head of pe, ferndale community school

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COMMUNITY COACH & ROLE MODEL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

This programme is what makes all of Rhondda Netball’s other programmes possible! As a charity, we recognise the importance of developing community leaders and role models to create a big-hearted “giving back” culture, especially as this ties into making sure the initiative is sustainable from a leadership perspective. This programme enables young women to gain prestigous Netball Coaching qualifications, First Aid training, Safeguarding Children & Young People training, leadership and coaching training, and photographic evidence of community-focused work, as well as plenty of experience working in their local community for the benefit of others. Many of Rhondda Netball’s young leaders have also been equipped with Mental Health Awareness Training & Mental Health Pastoral Training.

Developing and keeping female leaders to power the charity to meet its objectives, is a huge challenge in this modern age, which is why so much of our attention is on this programme. Research shows that female initiatives are often at a disadvantage to male initiatives, with life changes such as marriage, work and children often leading women to give up certain commitments more readily. It means there is constant pressure on female provision to replace leaders, helpers and volunteers. Rhondda Netball is trying to stay ahead of this curve whilst equipping and empowering the next generation!

CASE STUDY - SKYE & MACEY JAMES

Skye & Macey James are a brilliant example of the journey so many of our Rhondda girls take. Having first joined us at just 8 years old, the twins have grown up through the programme side by side, building their confidence, skills, and love for the game along the way.

Now key members of our Under 15’s, they’ve recently taken their next exciting step by joining our Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme. Their passion for Rhondda Netball shines through in everything they do, and they’re already showing the qualities of future leaders within Rhondda Netball.

Skye & Macey have always looked up to the coaches around them, and now they’re beginning to become those role models for the next generation. With big ambitions to one day become head coaches, their journey is only just getting started and we couldn’t be prouder to have them as part of our Rhondda Netball family.

“Being a leader at Rhondda Netball has changed everything for me. I never thought I’d have the confidence to lead, but now I love inspiring younger girls each week — it’s helped me grow into a stronger, more confident person.”

“Rhondda Netball means so much to me. I’ve grown up here, and now being able to help the younger girls is really special. It’s made me more confident and proud of who I am — I just love being part of it.”

MACEY JAMES

SKYE JAMES

TWIN SISTERS, SKYE & MACEY JOINED RHONDDA NETBALL WHEN THEY WERE BOTH JUST 8 YEARS OLD, NOW BOTH OF THEM ARE SHINING AS FUTURE LEADERS ON OUR COMMUNITY COACH & ROLE MODEL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME!

Key Leaders for the year: Naomi (Porth) Chelsea (Treorchy), Lauren (Tonypandy), Taylar (Ferndale), Elicia (Tonyrefail), Jody (OM and Senior & Youth), Jess (P/T DC and Senior & Youth) Assistant Leaders for the year: Mali, Eleri, Libby, Lucy, Ebony, Lois, Imogen, Lilia, Skye, Alliyah, Mali, Kaisha, Marnie, Bella, Olivia, Lucy, Ava, Macey, Layla, and Evie

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

The trustees are delighted to report that overall income for the year under review was £183,524, whilst total expenditure for the period was £177,637. This resulted in a surplus of £5,887. Given this was the third successive year that the charity had to grapple almost on a weekly basis with inflation-busting increases on everything , and whilst undertaking a strategic effort to reduce the number of leaders casually employed by the charity, the trustees were thrilled.

Whilst the top line income and expenditure figures for the year under review will appear completely positive at face value with the charity recording a surplus, these figures were achieved with hard work on the income front, and at some operational cost to the charity on the expenditure front, with the

Managing Director once again taking some bold steps to reduce spending in what was already a lean charitable operation relative to the charity’s size, reach and impact. This was mainly as a result of expenditure on our Community Coaches & Role Models ballooning during the previous period, 2023/24, and beause of another large hike to the National Minimum Living Wage for all ages coming into force in April 2024 and then again in April 2025. When the

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charity created its 5-year plan for long-term sustainability covering 2022-2027, in partnership with an external grant-maker, in the middle of 2021/22, costs in this category were projected to be just £62,000. Instead, for 2024/25, they were nearly £15,000 more.

Whilst the Managing Director implemented a whole host of cost-saving efficiencies during 2023/24 (with 2024/25 & 2025/26 very much in mind) to stop the pressure on the charity increasing too much, changes which saw expenditure reduced in almost every area from where they were in 2022/23 and where they were heading, the two most significant changes we made were as follows...

Firstly, we restructured our Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme and changed our leader:participant ratio to reduce costs by requiring slightly fewer leaders at Rhondda Netball activities. We also changed the criteria for identifying potential female leaders of the future, with a higher bar put in place to reduce annual intakes. Though this fundamentally creates slightly less surface area opportunity for aspiring young female leaders than previous years, when it was easier from a financial perspective to “take more risks” when it came to the development of future leaders, we’re confident that we struck a good balance which continued during the year under review. All our Key Leaders agreed that our new approach, even though it’s put a little more pressure on their shoulders, was necessary after so many years of inflation have seen certain costs soar. Though some of them felt we could have potentially brought forward plans to significantly increase participant costs, there was an admission that this would disproportionately affect the most deprived participants and households, and that if we could avoid raising costs further during the year under review, we should endeavour to do this, so that’s what we did.

Our second key adaptation was to slightly reduce our capacity across our three main programmes on a spread-basis across 2023/24 & 2024/25, choosing instead to put a new - and more sustainable - model in place that could be expanded on this basis in the future. All our programmes still averaged over 900 participants each week during the year under review, and we feel this represented an enormous success, certainly when compared to provision of the same type across Wales and the UK, even provision based in and around the country’s most densely populated cities and towns.

We’re delighted to report that our strategic approach really helped us stop expenditure exploding, and during the year under review, our key areas of spending - our Community Coach & Role Model Development and Facilities - where per hour costs were, and continue to be, almost completely outside of our control (via Government policy and school/LA facility charges), saw only a just under £15,000 increase compared with what we projected costs to be for this particular year back in 2021/22. Like the previous year, 2023/24, this could have been so much more without the action taken.

The trustees are thrilled the charity was successful with its strategic approach, and that success was found with participation remaining “out of this world” even if there was a slight reduction in our overall capacity as previously explained. The trustees are also pleased to report that the unavoidable increases in costs across our key areas of spending were manageable and that total income was still above

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total expenditure. Though this wasn’t always without accompanying minor consequences, which the trustees and Senior Management Team accepted would be the case, the charity was able to reduce costs in several more areas of expenditure in a climate where everything went up in price. An example of this is fundraising costs, which were reduced by £2,574 during the year under review. It speaks to the impact the charity has in the community that spending in this area could be reduced without causing too much of a drop-off in terms of income.

During the year under review, the charity received £89,270 in grants, £14,170 in sponsorship, fundraising events, community events income and GASDS eligible contributions, £6,500 from the charity’s Netball Universe Retail Partnership, and £8,450 from the Netball Universe Lotto (£3,450 extra due to the deposit date of some of 2023/24’s

income in this category). This income was key to the success of the year under review, and the Senior Management Team are thrilled income across these categories reached these levels during another year of economic problems in the UK.

Income from participant contributions across our various programmes was another pleasing aspect of the year under review from a financial perspective, as it demonstrates a healthy dynamic whereby girls, women and parents value the provision and opportunities enough to be part of the charity’s sustainability process. However, at £65,134 in total for the year, this was slightly less than the previous year due to facilities being out of use on too many weeks due to frost/ice and rain (leaks). However, this mostly affected our Age 8-15 provision, and our Age 4-7 provision and Age 16+ provision registered their highest levels of income in the charity’s history.

As part of the review of the charity’s performance, the trustees reviewed the level of charitable spend compared with charitable and net trading income. Net trading income is defined as the net income generated by the charity and is the net of trading income generated, less the costs associated with that income. Charitable income represents all other income of the charity and charitable spend represents the funds used by the charity for charitable purposes. Both charitable income and charitable spend are disclosed in the accountant’s notes to the financial statements. The trustees remain satisfied with the ratio of charitable spend to charitable and net trading income but will continue to monitor this in future years as part of assessing performance.

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36% of Rhondda Wards are in theTop 15% Most Deprived Regions of Wales RHONDDA NETBALL Most depnved

MOR

AN Rhondda Netball operates in 58 wards throughout Rhondda. Of these, 21 wards are in thetop 15/0 and 16 wards are in the top 100/0 Most Deprived regions in Wales Leasl de nved la 27.5 % of Rhondda Wards are intheTop 10% Most Deprived Regions of Wales ' -IKV> All ￿search was taken fiDm Welsh Index ofmuttiple Deprivation (WIMD) 2019 29

FUNDRAISING

During the year under review, the charity spent £17,272 on direct fundraising costs, a decrease of £2,574 from the previous year. On the back of these fundraising efforts, the charity received £89,270 in grants, £14,170 in sponsorship, fundraising events, community events, donations and GASDS eligible contributions, £6,500 from the charity’s Netball Universe Retail Partnership, and £8,450 from the Netball Universe Lotto (£3,450 extra due to the deposit date of some of 2023/24’s income in this category).

The trustees believe these successes, in conjunction with the work done by the Senior Management Team and the charity’s key Community Coaches & Role Models to generate further income - mainly participant and programme related - represent a very strong return on investment.

The day to day fundraising processes are overseen and managed by the Managing Director & Operations Manager to ensure that everything functions in line with the overall financial strategy. This has so far been successful and the trustees are hopeful that the next financial period will see continued success.

STAFF REMUNERATION

Staff remuneration is reviewed each year and the Senior Management Team discuss this with the trustees. The Chair of Trustees and Senior Management Team communicate regularly with the charity accountants to ensure that best practice is implemented.

During the year under review:

The Operations Manager support package fell within the £24,000 - £27,999 band. 1 full-time staff member support package fell within the £20,000 - £23,999 band. Community Coaches & Role Models were remunerated on a sessional basis according to the number of hours worked. All other personnel made up the charity’s voluntary force.

INVESTMENT AND RESERVES POLICY

Under its constitution, the charity has power to do anything calculated to further its object(s) or incidental to doing so including the power to deposit or invest funds at the direction of the trustees. The investment powers may also be delegated to a professional investment manager.

The trustees have established the level of reserves (that is those funds that are freely available) that the charity ought to have. The trustees aim for the charity to have reserves that are equal to three to six months of running costs. This target was achieved at the end of the year under review on 31 August 2025 when factoring grants received in advance of 1 September 2025 for the 2025/26 financial year.

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RELATED PARTIES

Office costs for the year, including space, gas, electricity, water, phones, internet, paper, office-based printing and other office materials, were shared with another Rhondda charity, Sporting Marvels, where Lawrie Davies has significant influence and control. This costs sharing arrangement had the effect of saving both charities thousands of pounds during the year under review and both sets of trustees recognised the scale of the benefits for both charities.

Lawrie Davies, via his connections with local schools through other charities and small businesses he is involved with, brought Rhondda Netball into partnership with Rhondda’s six secondary schools; Ferndale Community School, Ysgol Nantgwyn, Treorchy Comprehensive School, Porth County Community School, Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda, and Tonyrefail Community School. This has enabled Rhondda Netball to create hubs for our provision and opportunities for girls and women in the five main communities of the Rhondda Valleys (see Donated Services, below).

DONATED SERVICES

Throughout this year under review, no less than 31 volunteers supported the efforts of the charity across its programmes and events.

All six Rhondda secondary schools supported the charity’s efforts to create an infrastructure to support large-scale participation for females in each community by prioritising Rhondda Netball’s use of their facilities at specific times throughout each week.

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PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Rhondda Netball developed a clear strategic plan up to 31 August 2027 back in 2021/22. This strategy still directs current thinking, and the plan for 2025/26 and future years is to ensure the charity maintains operational and financial sustainability following the considerable growth in participation levels compared to before Covid. The trustees are delighted that all programmes and income streams ended 2024/25 in a strong place. However, with certain costs soaring, particularly the National Living Wage for all ages, the trustees and Senior Management Team recognise that the strategic plan may need to be revised to 2030 following so many years of huge economic changes/shocks since 2021. But until then, for the next financial year, the trustees are fully focused on the following:

REMAIN STABLE DURING A PERIOD OF INSTABILITY IN THE UK

Develop more avenues to increase participation income to combat inflationary pressures and rising prices with the ultimate aim of reducing the amount of external grant support needed for 2025/26 & 2026/27 compared with the year under review.

Take a cautious approach to adding additional provision to provide further opportunities, ensuring that the requisite level of financial support would be forthcoming before committing to anything new over the long term.

RASCALS EXPANSION

Rhondda Netball is aiming to expand the Rascals programme during 2026/27 into 4 areas across the Rhondda (currently 3). This is in the hope that it will make the provision more accessible to those living in the Porth & Tonypandy communities of the Rhondda, increasing participation, and improving the lives of more young children throughout the Valleys.

EDUCATION

Through partnerships with local secondary schools, continue to positively impact Rhondda Netball’s partner schools by providing leagues and competitions. Success on this front provides Rhondda Netball with a strategic advantage in terms of promoting participation in netball outside of school. The relationship between school and extracurricular participation provides huge advantages for both Rhondda Netball and each respective secondary school, but pressures on school budgets have made it challenging for PE teachers to juggle extra school sport.

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TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH

In line with the increasing mental health problems amongst young people across the country, the charity - with the help of some fantastic grant funders - has become far more proactive in addressing these issues, ensuring that all Rhondda Netball participants feel part of a safe and trusted environment in which they can raise concerns they may have with fully trained leaders who become prominent figures in their lives on a weekly basis through Rhondda Netball.

Use Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme financial support to ensure that all of our leaders pass a certified Mental Health for Children & Adolescents qualification in their first three years serving the charity. This will help them develop a greater understanding of how to support mental health challenges and to recognise indicators of stress and mental ill-health in both oneself and others.

MODULE 1 INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH MODULE 2 CHILD PSYCHOLOGY

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING

THIS TRAINING ALLOWS OUR COMMUNITY COACHES & ROLE MODELS TO...

MODULE 3

KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY IN MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICES.

UNDERSTAND HOW ATTACHMENTS FORM AN ESSENTIAL PART OF CHILDHOOD.

GAIN AWARENESS OF FACTORS THAT AFFECT A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT.

BECOME ABLE TO DEAL WITH SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THE YOUNG.

FULLY UNDERSTAND NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS LIKE ADHD AND AUTISM.

LEARN HOW TO TREAT YOUTHS THAT SELF-HARM OR EXHIBIT DEPRESSION.

ACQUIRE AN ALL-INCLUSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT IN THE UK.

ATTAIN A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF UK LAWS AND LEGISLATION FOR MENTAL HEALTHCARE.

ATTACHMENT AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IN CHILDHOOD

MODULE 4

IMPACTS OF SEPARATION AND LOSS ON ATTACHMENT

MODULE 5

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DEVELOPMENT

MODULE 6

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN YOUNG & ADULTS

MODULE 7

OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN YOUNG & ADULTS

MODULE 8

AUTISM, ADHD, AND DYSLEXIA IN YOUNG & ADULTS

MODULE 9

DEALING WITH AUTISM, ADHD, AND DYSLEXIA IN YOUNG & ADULTS

MODULE 10

SELF-HARMING BEHAVIOUR

MODULE 11

MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT AND MEDICINE

MODULE 12

MENTAL HEALTH OVER LIFE SPAN AND SOCIETY IN THE UK

MODULE 13

MENTAL HEALTH RELATED LEGISLATION IN THE UK

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LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

FEMALE ENGAGEMENT

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RISK ASSESSMENT

The trustees are aware of factors both within and outside the charity’s control that are relevant to the achievement of its objectives, including relationships with personnel, key partners and funders, and have a risk management strategy in place which comprises:

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Rhondda Netball relies on income streams affected by the economic climate and Government spending policies. Fluctuations in these spending patterns may adversely affect the level of financial support available to the charity. In consideration of this risk we continue to seek multiple funding sources to ensure the charity is not overly reliant on any one source of income and to minimise the impact of changes to the economic climate. However, the trustees recognise that this is more challenging than ever given the problems caused by Covid and the Government’s response to the pandemic, and of course, inflation and price rises, which has been by far the most challenging financial aspect of the last three years since everything now costs significantly more.

The charity is also very aware that single court venues have long been too small to host many of our activities. To combat this we make sure that there are enough Community Coaches & Role Models in the activities that have a large number of participants. These leaders are well prepared to deal with big group activities and utilise the space effectively. However, the challenges associated with such large numbers each week essentially shorten the length of time our Key Leaders can continue to perform their roles as cycling so many girls on single-court venues often requires up to 8-hour schedules on weekends on top of our mid-week activities. The amount of people attending each activity may also be intimidating to some individuals as they can often be too crowded. The charity continues to monitor and evaluate these capacity issues in light of current infrastructure. The Senior Management Team and Key Community Coaches & Role Models did make - for several years - considerable effort to lobby Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC to be more strategic in its approach to capital investment for female sporting provision, rather than simply continuing to invest millions in 4G’s used almost exclusively for boys and men, and saying females can use them as well if they want. But alas, changing minds on this front has been extremely difficult as the Local Authority has a stated 4G pitch objective dating back to before the start of Rhondda Netball, and our strategy for supporting females would essentially need some of this 4G finance to be redirected. For this and many other reasons, influencing a change of direction is hard!

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4G finance to be redirected. For this and many other reasons, influencing a change of direction is hard!
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Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme: After fundraising, developing sustainability in leadership is the next toughest challenge the charity faces and this is why so much of our attention is on this programme, especially in light of the previously stated facilities challenge and the extra burden this places on our female leaders. As mentioned earlier in this report, research shows that female initiatives are often at a disadvantage to male initiatives, with life changes such as marriage, work and children often leading to women having to give up certain commitments more than males. It means there is constant pressure on female initiatives to replace leaders, helpers and volunteers. We’ve been successful thus far working around this, but the risk that future female leaders won’t be as keen to sacrifice their time is an ongoing concern. Rhondda Netball is trying to stay ahead of this curve by equipping and empowering the next generation with tangible qualifications and skills that support their personal development and their CV’s for future full-time employment or studies.

In an area as deprived as the Rhondda Valleys, keeping costs to a minimum is imperative to the charity’s success. In order to achieve this and create a low-risk financial model, all personnel and sessional staff other than the Operations Manager receive the main portion of their incomes outside of Rhondda Netball. With Rhondda Netball making a strategic effort to become the main extra thing all of its most key people are involved in beyond their day jobs, the charity has been able to remain a top priority to its most important people. The whole approach mitigates against Rhondda Netball losing its best people by supporting their efforts to generate income for themselves and their families. This type of personnel management and development is important to the trustees, as is the creation of a heart and culture that makes Rhondda Netball an ongoing “cause” for its best people.

We have identified that no matter the ability level of participants, there is an ongoing need for outlets to be created that help sustain high levels of participation. This can lead to over-competitiveness and this could cause a problem in that some individuals taking part want to develop and progress in the sport of netball while others are there for the whole person health and wellbeing benefits. Maintaining this balance has been something we’ve been extremely good at since 2016, but in the future there will have to be further strategies and partnerships implemented which separate those who are there for the whole person benefits, from those wishing to take it more seriously, especially when it comes to our 16+ provision.

Child Protection & Safeguarding: Rhondda Netball takes child protection and safeguarding very seriously, and we review and modify our policies annually. The most important aspect of our policy is to ensure that all of our Key Leaders and Assistant Leaders possess an enhanced DBS check (when old enough) and a “Safeguarding Children & Young People Level 2” certificate. This ensures that all of our main deliverers are fully trained to handle the same kind of child protection issues as a qualified teacher. However, generating income to cover the costs of training and qualifications on top of core costs is a challenge, and so it is important that we continue to make applications across all of our priority areas.

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STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial period/year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the movement in funds of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

Make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the charity legislation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention of fraud and other irregularities.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

I D Coles – Chair of Trustees

Approved by the Board on 1 June 2026

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF RHONDDA NETBALL

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Rhondda Netball Foundation ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 August 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Stephen J Smith FCCA

Curtis Bowden & Thomas Limited (Xeinadin Group Limited) Chartered Certified Accountants 101 Dunraven Street Tonypandy CF40 1AR 20 February 2026

40

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEA ~~R ENDING 31 AU~~ GUST 2025

Unrestricted
fund
Notes
£
Incoming resources from
Charitable income
160,264
Resources expended on
Charitable expenditure
2
141,424
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
18,840
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
52,840
Total funds carried forward
71,680		 Restricted
fund
£
23,260
36,269
(13,009)
(9,212)
(22,221)		 31.8.25
Total
funds
£
183,524
177,693
5,831
43,628
49,459		 31.8.24
Total
funds
£
183,769
169,525
14,244
29,384
43,628

41

BALANCE SHEET - 31 AUGUST 2025

Unrestricted
fund
Notes
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
7
166
Current assets
Cash at bank
117,801
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year
8
(46,287)
Net current assets/(liabilities)
71,514
Total assets less current liabilities
71,680
NET ASSETS
71,680
Funds
10
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Total funds		 Restricted
fund
£
-
310
-
310
310
310		 31.8.25
Total
funds
£
166
118,111
(46,287)
71,824
71,990
71,990
71,680
310
71,990		 31.8.24
Total
funds
£
222
103,665
(60,259)
43,406
43,628
43,628
52,840
(9,212)
43,628

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 August 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 12 March 2026 and were signed on its behalf by:

I Coles - Chair of Trustees

42

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YE ~~AR ENDING 31 A~~ UGUST 2025

1. Accounting policies

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Computer equipment - 25% on cost

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

43

2. Charitable expenditure

Direct Costs for Age 4-7, Age 8-15, Age 16+ and After School Provision
Direct Fundraising Costs
Facilities, Community Coach & Role Model Development Programme
Office Rent, Utilities, Phone, Broadband, Insurance & Maintenance
Marketing, Design, Print, Postage & Stationery
Events
External Participation Fees
Kit, Merchandise & Activity Equipment
Computer Equipment, Software & Website
Sundries
Accountancy, Financial & Business Support
Total resources expended		 31.8.25
31.8.24
£
£
34,020
33,752
17,272
19,846
76,492
74,374
15,897
15,434
5,404
13,229
3,170
3,992
4,138
180
3,843
3,635
12,442
-
3,777
2,561
269
3,435
177,637
169,525		 31.8.25
31.8.24
£
£
34,020
33,752
17,272
19,846
76,492
74,374
15,897
15,434
5,404
13,229
3,170
3,992
4,138
180
3,843
3,635
12,442
-
3,777
2,561
269
3,435
177,637
169,525
177,637

Total resources expended

3. Net income/(expenditure)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):

31.8.25 31.8.24
£ £
Depreciation - owned assets 56 74

4. Trustees' remuneration and benefits

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 August 2025 nor for the year ended 31 August 2024.

Trustees' expenses

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 August 2025 nor for the year ended 31 August 2024.

5. Staff costs

The net movement in funds is stated after charging £65,803 in respect of key management, fundraising and other part time personnel.

6. Comparatives for the statement of financial activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total
fund fund funds
£ £ £
Incoming resources from
Charitable income 143,309 40,460 183,769
Resources expended on
Charitable expenditure 123,614 45,911 169,525

44

6. Comparatives for the statement of financial activities - continued

Unrestricted Restricted Total
fund fund funds
£ £ £
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 33,145 (3,761) 29,384
Total funds carried forward 52,840 (9,212) 43,628
7. Tangible fixed assets
Computer
equipment
£
Cost
At 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025 1,249
Depreciation
At 1 September 2024 1,027
Charge for year 56
At 31 August 2025 1,083
Net book value
At 31 August 2025 166
At 31 August 2024 222
8. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
31.8.25 31.8.24
£ £
Other loans (see note 9) 10,486 12,804
Accrued expenses 1,349 1,217
Deferred income 34,452 46,238
46,287 60,259

----- Start of picture text -----
45
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9. Loans

An analysis of the maturity of loans is given below:

Amounts falling due within one year on demand:
Covid Bounce Back Loan repayable over a period of 10 years
10.
Movement in funds
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Restricted Fund
TOTAL FUNDS
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Restricted Fund
TOTAL FUNDS		 At 1.9.24
£
52,840
(9,212)
43,628
Incoming
resources
£
160,264
23,260
183,524		 31.8.25
31.8.24
£
£
10,486
12,804
10,486
12,804
Net
movement
At
in funds
31.8.25
£
£
18,840
71,680
(13,009)
(22,221)
5,831
49,459
Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(141,424)
18,840
(36,269)
(13,009)
(177,693)
5,831

4644

Comparatives for movement in funds

At 1.9.23
£
Unrestricted funds
General fund
33,145
Restricted funds
Restricted Fund
(3,761)
TOTAL FUNDS
29,384
Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
Incoming
resources
£
Unrestricted funds
General fund
143,309
Restricted funds
Restricted Fund
40,460
TOTAL FUNDS
183,769
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:
At 1.9.23
£
Unrestricted funds
General fund
33,145
Restricted funds
Restricted Fund
(3,761)
TOTAL FUNDS
29,384		 Net
movement
At
in funds
31.8.24
£
£
19,695
52,840
(5,451)
(9,212)
14,244
43,628
Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(123,614)
19,695
(45,911)
(5,451)
(169,525)
14,244
Net
movement
At
in funds
31.8.25
£
£
38,535
71,680
4,071
310
42,606
71,990

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Restricted Fund
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
resources
£
303,573
63,720
367,293		 Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(265,038)
38,535
(59,649)
(18,460)
(324,687)
42,606

11. Related party disclosures

There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 August 2025.

47

INCOME BREAKDOWN AND OVERVIEW FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
YEAR ENDING
31 AUG 25
----- End of picture text -----

YEAR ENDING 31 AUG 25 AGE 4-7 PROVISION PARTICIPANT CONTRIBUTIONS £5,808 AGE 8-15 PROVISION PARTICIPANT CONTRIBUTIONS £42,163 AGE 16+ PROVISION PARTICIPANT CONTRIBUTIONS £17,163 CATEGORY A GRANTS (UP TO £4,999) £2,500 CATEGORY B GRANTS (£5,000-£14,999) £15,000 CATEGORY C GRANTS (£15,000+) £71,770 SPONSORSHIP, FUNDRAISING EVENTS, COMMUNITY EVENTS & £14,170 GIFT AID (GASDS ELIGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS) NETBALL UNIVERSE LOTTO £8,450** NETBALL UNIVERSE RETAIL PARTNERSHIP £6,500 £183,524**

*Unfortunately, there were several weather cancelletions during the year under review due to frost/ ice and rain (leaks), and participation income in this category was on course to surpass £47,000 until several of our clubs fell several weeks below the original 2024/25 plan upon the completion of the year.

**Higher than normal each year but only because £3,450 from 2023/24 was deposited in September 2024 instead of August 2024, the previous accounting period, as originally scheduled.

***Another great year for our retail partnership meant the charity was able to receive £6,500 in retail profit to support the ongoing work Rhondda Netball does throughout Rhondda. However, this financial target was more difficult to achieve during the year under review than in the previous accounting period where income in this category was actually £7,500. This is simply due to manufacturing and shipping costs skyrocketing at the end of 2022/23 with further increases across 2023/24 and the year under review. Moving forward, we may have to raise prices significantly in order to generate the same level of profit from our retail partnership, but this is something we’re always reluctant to do as a charity, since inflation and price rises always disproportionately affect low income households the most. The Senior Management Team will be working hard with our Key Leaders on this front so we can continue to see at least the same level of success moving forward with this income stream.

48

EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN AND OVERVIEW FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2025

YEAR ENDING 31 AUG 25

COMMUNITY COACH & ROLE MODEL DEVELOPMENT £76,492*
PROGRAMME AND FACILITIES
DIRECT AGE 4-7 PROVISION COSTS £5,160
DIRECT AGE 8-15 PROVISION COSTS £16,770
DIRECT AGE 16+ PROVISION COSTS £10,320
DIRECT AFTER-SCHOOLS PROVISION COSTS £1,770
EVENTS £13,229
ACTIVITY EQUIPMENT & KIT £3,992
MARKETING, DESIGN, PRINT, POSTAGE & STATIONERY £5,404
COMPUTER/TECH EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE & WEBSITE £4,138
DIRECT FUNDRAISING COSTS £17,272
OFFICE RENT, UTILITIES, PHONE, BROADBAND, £15,897
INSURANCE & MAINTENANCE
ACCOUNTANCY, FINANCIAL & BUSINESS SUPPORT £3,843
EXTERNAL PARTICIPATION FEES £3,170
SUNDRIES £180
£177,637

*When the charity created its 5-year plan for long-term sustainability covering 2022-2027, in partnership with an external grant-maker, in the middle of 2021/22, costs in this category were projected to be just £62,000 for the year under review. Instead, they were nearly £15,000 more. This was almost entirely because of changes to the National Living Wage for all ages over the last few years, which has led to the charity having to adapt significantly away from the original strategic plan, with many costs/outputs being slashed as a result. More information on this is available inside our financial review on pages 26 - 29.

49

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