# **Soho First Community Development Trust** 

# **Trustee’s Annual Report for the period 1st April 2020 - to 31st March 2021** 

**Charity name:** Soho First Community Development Trust 

**Other names charity is known by:** Soho First, Soho First CDT 

**Charity Number:** 1173499 

## **Principle address:** 

Handsworth Baptist Church Centre 38A Victoria Road Handsworth Birmingham B21 0SA 

## **Trustees** 

Andrew Simons (Chair) Rhona Rouse (Treasurer) Robert John Higginson (Minutes secretary) Rev John Mall Shaheed Pervaiz 

We thank the Trustees for their continued commitment and contribution to the work of Soho First. 

We would also like to thank Monique McKen JP and Thomas Cantwell, both former Trustees, for their continued support and Chris Milton for taking the lead on Soho First’s environment work. Thanks also to Pat Whyte from Birmingham City Council’s Neighbourhood Development Support Unit for attending meetings as an Observer and keeping us up to date on Council matters and Carlene McKenzie in her role as coordinator for Ladywood Neighbourhood  Network  Scheme  and  project  worker  for  Soho  and Jewellery Quarter Ward. 

## **Structure, governance, and management** 

## **Governing document** 

Charitable Incorporated Organisation – Association Registered 20 June 2017 

## **Trustee selection** 

The Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting. 

The  AGM  was  held  in-person  at  Soho  Community  Hall,  Chapel  Street, Birmingham B21 0PA on Thursday 29[th] July 2021. 

Page **1** of **6** 



The objects of the charity are: 

1. To develop the capacity and skills of the members of the socially and economically disadvantaged community of Soho Ward, Birmingham, in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society. 

2. The promotion for the public benefit of urban regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation (and Birmingham’s Soho Ward) by all or any of the following means: 

   - a) the relief of poverty in such ways as may be thought fit; 

   - b) the relief of unemployment in such ways as may be thought fit, including assistance to find employment; 

   - c) the advancement of education, training, or retraining, particularly among unemployed people, and providing unemployed people with work experience; 

   - d) the provision of financial assistance,  technical  assistance, or business  advice  or  consultancy  in  order  to  provide  training  and employment  opportunities  for  unemployed  people  in  cases  of financial or other charitable need through help: 

      - (i) in setting up their own business, or 

      - (ii) to existing businesses; 

   - (e)the  creation  of  training  and  employment  opportunities  by  the provision of workspace, buildings and/or land for use on favourable terms; 

   - (f) the provision of housing for those who are in conditions of need and the improvement of housing in the public sector or in charitable ownership provided that such power shall not extend to relieving any local authorities or other bodies of a statutory duty to provide or improve housing; 

   - (g)the maintenance, improvement, or provision of public amenities; 

   - (h)the  preservation  of  buildings  or  sites  of  historic  or  architectural importance; 

   - (i) the provision or assistance in the provision of recreational facilities for the public at large and/ or those who, by reasons of their youth, age,  infirmity  or  disablement,  poverty,  or  social  and  economic circumstances, have need for such facilities; 

   - (j) the protection or conservation of the environment; 

   - (k)the provision of public health facilities and childcare; 

   - (l) the promotion of public safety and prevention of crime; and 

   - (m) such other means as may from time to time be determined subject  to  the  prior  consent  of  the  Charity  Commissioners  for England and Wales. 

Page **2** of **6** 



## **The Trust’s mission statement is:** 

“Connecting  the  gifts,  aspirations,  capacities  and  skills  of  people  in Birmingham’s Soho and Jewellery Quarter Ward so that we are better able to identify local needs and priorities and act in response to them. Soho First aspires to work alongside residents and partners to make a difference to local priorities - social, economic and environmental - to create a place that is even better for all to live and work in.” 

## **Summary of main activities undertaken** 

This report covers the financial year from 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021.  It  has  been  a  challenging  time  for  everyone  with  successive lockdowns due to the Coronavirus and brief periods when the restrictions have been relaxed. It has been difficult for people to meet in person and many meetings have had to go online. 

## **Neighbourhood Network Scheme** 

Soho First has continued to be a partner in the Neighbourhood Network Scheme  (NNS), together with Birmingham Settlement, Karis Neighbour Scheme, and Nechells Pod. 

The purpose of NNS is to ensure that as many citizens over 50 as possible can access community-based support to promote well-being and a better quality of life. NNS aims to do this through the coordination of communitybased prevention and early intervention. 

Throughout the year we have attended regular partners’ meetings and the wider  steering  group  meetings  which  includes  representatives  from statutory and third sector organisations as well as the adult social work team. 

Carlene McKenzie is both overall project coordinator for Ladywood NNS and  project  support  worker  for  Soho  and  Jewellery  Quarter  Ward  and together with the project support workers for Ladywood, Nechells and Aston  has  been  tireless  in  providing  support  to  the  many  community assets  that  have  continued  to  operate  during  the  pandemic.  Many community assets have had to amend the way they deliver activities – moving from face-to-face to online where possible – while others have delivered additional support such as distributing food and other essential items and providing telephone befriending to isolated older residents. 

The current contract for Ladywood NNS is due to finish in March 2020 and Birmingham City Council will be releasing the new contracts for tender in August 2021. Soho First will continue to be a full partner till March 2022 but may continue in a different role after that date. 

## **Thriving Soho** 

Page **3** of **6** 



We were in the process of planning another event to take the Community Economic Development Plan for Soho and JQ Ward a stage further when the first Covid-19 lockdown started. We continued to plan in the hope of running an event in summer 2020 at Nishkam Centre but the idea of a public  event  in  person  proved  impossible.  However,  meetings  of  the Thriving Soho working group have continued via Zoom and progress made towards holding an event once conditions allow. We are planning both an in-person event and a Zoom event as back-up just in case restrictions are re-introduced.  Many  thanks  to  Barry  Toon,  Alison  Thompson,  Debbie Kerslake,  Nettes  Derbyshire  and  Carlene  McKenzie  for  their  continued involvement in the group. 

## **Environment** 

Chris Milton has working with us on developing the environment strand of Soho  First’s  work.  Chris  has  been  organising  clean-ups  in  the  Winson Green area bringing together various partner organisations and residents. **Website** 

We commissioned Lee Thorpe, Steamroom Media, to create a new website for Soho First using WordPress. It has been designed in such a way as to enable trustees to manage the website ourselves. We continue to add stories  and  events  to  the  Facebook  page  and  Thomas  Cantwell  who stepped down as a Trustee in 2019 has continued to add relevant material to the Facebook page to help keep it current. Lee has also linked the Ladywood NNS and Soho First Facebook pages to the Soho First website. 

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report. 

Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees 

Signature: 


Full name: Andrew Simons Position: Chair Date:  29[th] July 2021 

Page **4** of **6** 



## **Soho First Community Development Trust Financial Statement 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021** 

|**Income**<br>**Expenditure**<br>Ofce costs, communications, travel expenses, and<br>insurance<br>Thriving Soho<br>Bank charges<br>**Total expenditure**<br>Balance from previous year<br>Total income<br>**Total expenditure**<br>**Balance as of 31st March 2021**|**0.00**<br>579.99<br>304.80<br>72.00<br>_______<br>**956.79**<br>8,147.28<br>0.00<br>_______<br>**8,147.28**<br>**956.79**<br>**7,190.49**|
|---|---|



Page **5** of **6** 



Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees 

Signature 


Full name: Andrew Simons Position: Chair 

Date: 29[th] July 2021 

Page **6** of **6**