## Rockfield Park Community Centre Trustees Annual Report for Financial Year Ended 31 October 2021 ## **Administrative Details:** Charity Registration No.: 1175374 Address: Cornwallis Way, Monmouth NP25 5DN Names of Trustees at time of approval of this Report: Nicky Jameson, Peter Jefferies, Kingsley Jones, Hannah Lineham, April Wiggins, Steve Miles from March 2021 Post Holders: Treasurer: Nicky Jameson Secretary: Various The following also served as Trustees in this period: Stuart Gray up to May 5[th] 2021. We wish to acknowledge here Mr Gray’s significant contribution to the running of the centre over previous years. He diligently took on a number of roles and administrative duties and helped to ensure the smooth running of the centre for over four years. The current trustees and the wider community are very grateful for his enthusiasm and hard work in ensuring the continued existence and success of the community centre. ## **Structure, Governance and Management:** The Centre is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Background: the first four Trustees were proposed in 2017 by the then-current management of the Company that was running the Monmouthshire County Council’s Rockfield Estate Community Centre after publicity and meetings to review need for succession following their retirement. Those four volunteers set up the Rockfield Park Community Centre as a CIO, with a relevant Constitution, registered on 26 October 2017 and as Trustees took over the management of the Centre on 1 February 2018. The Trustees undertake all the work involved in running and maintaining the Centre: there is no Management Committee or caretaker, although the Trustees pay someone to clean the centre on weekdays. Page 1 of 6 A Business Plan covering the three years following hand over on 1 February 2018 had been prepared and submitted to the Charity Commission as part of the Registration process; many assumptions made in that Plan are still valid and it was updated to cover the five years 2019/2024, though it will need review when the current Covid-19 pandemic fully ends. The Centre has a GDPR Policy in place and has advised those who might be concerned how we handle their data. The Trustees have developed a Policy covering risk management and remedial measures in accordance with CC14, CC26 and CC29. The Centre is available for Hire by groups which may involve children, so the Trustees also have a Safeguarding Policy, one of the trustees has completed PREVENT training. The Trustees have continued to meet on a regular basis despite the Covid-19 pandemic, either in-person at the centre or via Zoom, to review the day-to-day activities of the Centre and its financial stability. Meetings also discussed succession planning to ensure the smooth handing over of roles and responsibilities to new trustees by the end of May 2021. The meetings are conducted in accordance with CC 48 with the Chair being elected on the day. The Centre is a member of GAVO (Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations) and WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action) and has developed relationships with local bodies such as Transition Monmouth and the Community & Partnership Development Team of the Monmouthshire County Council. ## **Objectives and Activities:** The objects of the CIO are: To further or benefit the residents of Rockfield Estate in Monmouth and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents. In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise, the trustees shall have power: To establish or secure the establishment of a community centre and to maintain or manage or co-operate with any statutory authority in the maintenance and management of such a centre for activities promoted by the charity in furtherance of the above objects. Page 2 of 6 The management of the Centre was formally transferred to the Trustees at the previously agreed date of 1 Feb 2018 with a 15 year lease drawn up by Monmouthshire County Council. The aim of the Charity is to run the Centre for the benefit of the local residents by providing a location where, typically, educational and leisure classes, children’s birthday parties, a Church group, Nursery Daycare sessions, English and Welsh Medium play groups, slimming groups. The centre has been used by the Local Authority to facilitate First Aid training and has also been used for one-off photography sessions by a local company. The centre also provides an allotment area for use by the local community and an outdoor Petanque area that is used on a weekly basis by a local club. Although national lockdowns and COVID restrictions hampered the work of the centre during the year, it is pleasing to report that from September 2021 the centre attracted more user groups and these groups provide recreational, Childcare, educational and leisure activities to over 150 children, parents and other residents every week. In recognising the issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and the possibility of a legionella outbreak in the water system after a long close down, the Trustees put in additional preventative measures and required sight of the users’ own risk assessments to ensure that the risk of one group causing infection of others was controlled. ## **Achievements and Performance:** Obviously the Centre continued to be adversely affected by coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions. However, throughout the year the centre was able to remain open for the Cylch Meithrin Childcare sessions, thus enabling 2-4 year olds and their parents to access childcare during times when other facilities (even schools) were closed. Children were also able to access their dance classes when there were no lockdowns and Slimming World continued when they were able to. Many groups did not return to the centre until September 2021 and we were also able to attract new users. By October 2021 the centre was booked out for 42.5 hours every week and also had many one off booking for parties, educational training and other activities. The Trustees continue to ensure appropriate measures to provide a safe environment in accordance with Welsh Government legislation which Community Centres to re-open; with the acceptance by hirers of the need for compliance, that level of usage has been partially restored. We were fortunate in a successful application for a £3,780 grant from Monmouth Town Council in November for the refurbishment of the disabled toilet. This refurbishment was completed in May and has ensured a high Page 3 of 6 quality and comfortable area for use by those with disabilities. This grant also enabled us to provide extra nappy changing facilities babies and toddler groups as well as the childcare group. A further grant from Monmouth Town Council for £2017 was secured in March to develop the outdoor allotment area. This will be used to purchase equipment for use by those using the area, thus enhancing this provision. A small outdoor area behind the building has been developed for the childcare group that meets in the building. This was described as ‘A lovely outdoor environment’ during a Care Inspectorate Wales inspection in July 2021. It enhances the provision at the setting and enables the children to enjoy activities in the fresh air. This area can also be used by the playgroups who meet at the centre. The centre has allowed the childcare setting to have some raised beds in the allotment area. Children from the local community have been able to grow fruit and vegetables as well as flowers with some taking fruit and vegetables home to eat. ## Trustees: Mindful of the informal way in which the first Trustees “inherited” the Centre and set up a Charity to run it from scratch, much more attention was paid to the proper induction and training of the four new trustees and the use of their skills during the latter part of last year. This continued during this year and one extra trustee was given full induction offering to take up the post of Booking Clerk and handover of this role was nearly completed by June 1[st] . After this, the ongoing Trustees reviewed the amount of work that had gone into the induction and handover process and determined that more attention should be paid to spreading the workload to avoid any undue pressure and that any future recruitment and induction should be conducted at a much slower pace and that succession planning should be properly addressed. We have been successful at recruiting volunteers for the allotment area at the rear of the building. However, we would like to recruit more volunteers willing to help with the day-to-day running of the centre which in time may lead to more trustees with greater experience of the centre. ## **Financial Review:** Surplus funds were transferred into a separate Savings Account during 20192020 and £3000 of this was transferred back to the current account during this year in order to cover outgoings whilst there were not many bookings. We have not accumulated sufficient funds to warrant a decision as to how any surplus funds are to be formally treated as reserves and in light of COVID not yet being over, we intend to keep surplus funds for the foreseeable future in Page 4 of 6 case there are further COVID lockdowns or restrictions. Money will also be set aside for the upkeep of the building. ## **Public Benefit Statement:** The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in PB1, PB2 and PB3 in taking over the Centre and running it more efficiently for the benefit of the residents of Rockfield Estate in Monmouth and the neighbourhood. The trustees confirm their belief that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the commission's public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. ## **Plans for future periods:** We have a Business Plan, developed to cover the period 2019 to 2024; it will be reassessed when the Covid-19 pandemic has passed. Report prepared by April Wiggins and approved by the other Trustees Peter Jefferies, Kingsley Jones, Hannah Lineham, Nicky Jameson, Steve Miles in the course of their Meeting of November 22[nd] 2021 Page 5 of 6 ## **Financial Statemen** ## **Rockfield Park Community Centre** |**Rockfeld Park Community Centre**|| |---|---| |Charity number: 1175374|| |Simple statement for Year ending|31 October 2021| |**Income**|£| |Gifts|0.00| |Grants|5,797.00| |Room Hire|5,393.75| |Interest|0.80| |Total|11,191.55| |Transfer from Reserve Acc to Current Acc|3,000| |Reserve Acc Balance|15,001.75| |**Expenditure**|| |Cleaner|3,350.00| |Cleaner’s materials|124.50| |Waste removal|1,069.32| |Grounds maintenance|1,216.50| |Fire alarm, H&S, etc.|370.80| |Keys + Secure Key box|70.45| |Web site maintenance|206.39| |Signs|0.00| |Stationery|0.00| |Insurance|513.13| |Postage|0.00| |Repairs & Projects|4988.35| |Rates|0.00| |Rent|490.00| |Legal|0.00| |Licences|201.15| |Mileage|0.00| |Admin|0.00| |Total|12,600.59| No content on this page IN 2021 Page 6 of 6