REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The object of the Friends of Spencer Park is to provide, or assist in the provision of, facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare, with the object of improving the conditions of life of the inhabitants of Coventry, in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion and improvement of Spencer Park Coventry.
The Friends fulfil their objectives by organising a series of very well-supported events throughout the year. They also continue to improve the Park’s facilities, run a tennis club and maintain a lengthy herbaceous border together with a number of other flower-beds. They have now been offered a lease to enable them to renovate and refurbish the Park Pavilion in order to create a new community space in the area.
They promote the value of the Park particularly through the local ECHO community newspaper and on social media.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
When planning its activities for the year, the charity considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
It organised a regular programme of very successful events round the year including the popular annual Fun Dog Show in September and a Santa event in December. Most notable was the Easter Egg Hunt attended by some 284 children and 120 adults.
The hugely popular pop-up Café, run by local volunteers, operates out of the front of the Pavilion every weekend except in the winter months.
1
During the year the Friends worked together with a number of local community organisations including the Good Gym Coventry runners, the Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind, the Albany Crown Bowls Club and local schools. They are particularly grateful for the cooperation received from Coventry City Council.
The major improvement to the park during the year was the complete refurbishment of the four tennis courts funded by the Lawn Tennis Association, of which the Friends are a member, with a contribution also from Coventry City Council.
The now-mature west border and other beds maintained by the Friends continue to be an attractive feature of the park and receive constant positive comment around the year.
PAVILION REFURBISHMENT
In the centre of the park is an elegant but dilapidated Edwardian pavilion. Originally built to provide changing facilities, the Pavilion was closed to the public in 2015 and is deteriorating. A 99-year lease of the building at a peppercorn rent has been negotiated with the City Council, subject to planning permission and sufficient funding being in place to refurbish the building.
The Friends’ aim, following two public surveys, is to create a new community space including a volunteer-run café. Profits from the café will be used to subsidise use of the community meeting space and ensure that the project is self-sustaining. Local support for the plans is high as instanced by an online petition to Save the Pavilion in February 2023, which attracted over 2,500 signatures, and a very well-attended town-hall meeting the following month. A crowd-funding appeal has also been launched.
More than 20 local community groups have expressed a strong interest in using the proposed community space. Letters of support have been provided by the Bishop of Coventry, two local MPs, and the Deputy Lieutenant of Coventry, Pauline Black OBE.
The refurbishment of this historic building is likely to cost some £340,000 and applications are being made to a number of grant-giving bodies. So far the Friends have been awarded £155,000 from the Government’s Community Ownership Fund, a grant which has to be matched before it can be released. The same funder has also promised nearly £30,000 for first-year running costs which has no need for matched funding.
FUTURE PLANS
It is hoped that the work on the building will take place as soon as possible in 2024. When complete, the café will open operated by a paid manager supported by volunteer staff. Bookings for the community space will be managed through an online booking system, with volunteer helpers providing the necessary support for users. A trading subsidiary will be created for when the community café is fully operational.
2
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Charity's gross income for the reporting year ending 31 March 2023 was £24,822.24 with expenditure amounting to £18,128.00. The principal sources of income were sales from the café, tennis club subscriptions and donations from the public. The charity's total funds stand currently at £33,097.91, none of which are restricted. There is one designated fund – the Tennis Club Fund. The trustees have agreed that funds not needed for the dayto-day running of the charity should be held in an interest-bearing account to be used, if necessary, in the restoration of the Pavilion.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The inaugural meeting of the Friends of Spencer Park & Recreation Ground took place on 18 June 2012 in Earlsdon, Coventry. A constitution was formally adopted on 10 September 2012. It was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 16 December 2017. Its only voting members are its trustees who are elected for a term of three years at its annual general meeting.
The trustees meet quarterly and provide the strategic direction for the charity including approval of budgets and mitigation of risk. They exercise their responsibilities largely through the work of two committees - the Management Committee which deals with facilities and events in the Park and the Pavilion Refurbishment Committee.
ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Charity Registration Number: 1176323
Other working names: Friends of Spencer Park Coventry Friends of Spencer Park & Recreation Ground
Principal Address: 80 Broadway, Coventry CV5 6NU Email: friendsofspencerpark@gmail.com Website: www.friendsofspencerpark.org
The charity trustees who manage the charity: Carol Bayliss Danny Bailey (appointed 22 May 2023) Helen Spence Karen Berry Ken Taylor (Chair) Paul Smith (resigned 26 September 2022) Tim Brooke Zilpha Reed
3
DECLARATION The trustees declare that they have approved the trumees. report above. Signed on behalf of th¢ chirty's tru5tep5 oll Idalel
Friends of Spencer Park 8alarKe Shaet As ofM8rch 31. 2023 roTAL FIAed As5ei Ttial H¥wJ Cash ai banka hand 39.217.05 t39211.05 Mno btors DOLiors 00 NET CURRENT ASSET8 Prepoym¥nts and a#ruèd incom NET CURRENT ASSETS ILIA81LITIESI TOTAL A58ETSLESS CURRENT LIABILITIES A¢(XialA And d#leIr Incom TOT*L NET ASSETS IL1AèILITIESI £39211.05 696.63 £39.907. 6.809.77 £Sl¢97.91 chanty lunos Eqthty Eaminus br81(DlIell) Charfty fu 23,938.34 9.159S7 f33.OB7.91
¥¥. 88 1 * 1 8 8