## **Chairman`s Report** I have now completed my first year as chairman of the Bishopsteignton HLG. Much continues to be achieved and there is a sense of optimism and purpose in the range of activities and services for which we have a measure of responsibility. As I write this report, I am conscious of the many people who have enabled my period as chairman to have been so straightforward and pleasant. As some of you will know, I have been involved with the HLG since its inception in 2009, though in those distant times it was referred to as the surgery group and had a more restricted remit. My predecessor, Eddy Stephenson, has guided us during the last decade when the group has developed and become the inclusive and expanding umbrella organisation that it is today. Eddy has earned the respect of the whole community for his sound advice and wise counsel. His leadership style demonstrates the enviable combination of relaxed good humour and a firm grip on the direction and vision of the group: purpose, practicality and probity you might say, and always with a ready smile and the ability to persuade. He remains a key figure within the group and kindly agreed to continue as vice-chairman of the committee during 2023-24. I should also like to thank our secretary, Ann Meyrick, whose efficient and timely reports have ensured that meetings run smoothly and effectively and to Nicola Cooper for taking over and coping with the demands of HLG treasurer so seamlessly and with such commitment. But I must also thank the many other members of the committee, as well as the group’s trustees, for their separate and collective contributions during the year. The trust’s efforts and achievements have been acknowledged by the ‘Giving is Great’ which provided the following updated commentary during the last year: - This charity has been very successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size. - There have been no income shortfalls in recent years. - A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the local Government. - The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender and dynamic in terms of composition. Aristotle is thought to have coined the phrase, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and this certainly describes the way the Healthy Living Group has been enriched by its component parts. It adds coherence and a sense of shared purpose to the ways in which they operate and contribute to the group. Carewatch and the monthly Memory Cafe continue as integral and autonomous sections within the HLG. Their purpose is to assist people suffering varying degrees of isolation or who find it hard to communicate or make choices. We are very indebted to those who organise and help run their activities that contribute so effectively to the sense of purpose that people feel and who benefit from participating in their activities. An important adjunct to this is the organisation of Singing for Memory organised by Lis and Finella and this group has enjoyed some spectacular recent successes, including the recent _Christmas Memories_ trip. Again, I should, on behalf of the trust, like to express our continued thanks to Eddy, and increasingly also to John and Sue Stevenson, for their work in maintaining defibrillators throughout the village This began with a single defibrillator sited at the Village Hall to the growing number across the community. The number of installations is exceptional for a village of this size. The above comments are from a very limited – or at least, short – perspective and there is much more that will be contained and elaborated upon in other reports, but the developments outlined in Eddy’s report to the 2023 AGM have been taken forward as the trust and community have finally (we hope!) emerged from the imposition of the straitjacket of Covid. I should like to refer to one area that has been of particular interest and that is the often invisible issue of social isolation. This was particularly an issue during the Covid years when people often felt deprived of company and support. During 2023, the process of rebuilding individual and group networks within the village, and many of us will know of approaches made and individuals who have felt the warmth and cheer of increased human contact, yet this remains what is perhaps the most difficult issue to resolve. We need to remember that the issue of local detachment is not limited to a single age group and that there are complex causes that can leave people feeling marginalised. Those involved with transporting members of the community to and from hospitals can unwittingly play a part in this social healing process, though occasionally more specific intervention is required. There is a fine line between being obtrusive and providing friendship and support. I should like to close my report by thanking all those unnamed supporters and volunteers whose unsung contributions have helped to make the organisation so effective and empathetic. Those who attend our quarterly committee meetings or who are regularly engaged with the work of the trust and those groups within its aegis are already aware of the debt of thanks that they are owed. But I also wish to draw attention to those whose contribution may be quieter and less obvious but whose efforts are integral to the effectiveness of the group. I have been honoured to chair the group during the past year and look forward to the many ways that we may be able to serve the community in 2024. Income and Expendlture Account for the year ended November 2023 2023 2022 Income Out Denations 7258.82 2996.00 Expenditure Methodlst church Stationery etc Fees Defib rnèintenance Pavilions Teignmouth showtickets for SFM Surplus of incorne over expenditure -126.00 144.(M] 242.00 1243. -260.19 -339.60 -190,76 420.50 2313.00 0.00 3942. -946.fM) -1337.05 5921.77 Balanee sheet as at30 November 1022 Assets C65h at bank 8366.23 2444.46 Represented by Bi5hop5teignton Healthy Living Group CIO No. 1175894 General Fund Balance blfwd a5 at 1st December 2022 Surplus of Income on expendutsjre foryear 2444,46 5921.77 8366.23 Approved ned.. Chairman Signed.. Treasurer Reporttoihe Tfustees of B15hopselgnton Heahhy Ll¥lng Group CIO In accordance with your instruttions I hae audited the above income and expenditure for the period frorn 1st December ZOZ2 to 30th November 2023 together with the balance sheet as at 30rh Noverrber 2022 frotn the books and vouchers presented to me. I heafbv cerrify the above financial 5tatementsto be ID accordance therewith. Si8ned Dare