Trustees Annual Report East Pines Park 2022 – 2023
Introduction
2022 – 2023 was a year of consolidation and continued growth for the Park, with a continuation of existing activities including the Football coaching, Gardening and support of new partnerships with the Library.
The theme of health and happiness was something that we promoted heavily with non park users to encourage them to use the Park & the Library and benefit from all the good things that it offers, resulting in more Park and Library users.
It was our 9[th] year of running sports activities with an addition free evening of cricket and athletics coaching and we had our highest number of participants yet with over 150 children benefiting from the programme.
Whilst this years finances look like we have made a large loss, this is because of the cost of the roundabout installation fell in to this financial year and was covered from the grant from the last financial year.
It’s been a great year for the Park and we are now in the position to start entering competitions, funding raising for new art and playground projects and I’m delighted to confirm we have finally recovered from the consequences of the pandemic.
Paul Galley Chair of the Friends Group 19/12/20
Summary of activity
Our activities for the year focussed on five key areas: Communication & Partnerships, Gardens and Volunteer Recruitment, Sports, Consultations and the future.
Communication & Partnerships
Communication was a big part of our strategy for the year, with an emphasis to reach out to the wider community who don’t use the Park and Library and encourage them to try what is on or be part of forming something isn’t and residents would like to see.
We subsequently received a small grant from the National Lottery to fund a leaflet that went out to 3000 homes promoting the Park and Libary which was a huge success, with the library cafe being extremely busy for a few weeks after the launch and a new games club being established. Park users also went up and this was proven with record numbers of participants in our free sports coaching.
The communication plan also saw the creation of a new facebook page, to mirror the work of the established group page and 2 new gardener members were recruited as a result.
Part of the communication plan was to establish positive partnership relationships with the Library and Enveco the company that maintain the play equipment and grass areas. These positive
relationships will in the long term allow everyone to benefit from coordinated planning and delivery exercises.
Gardens and New volunteers
The team recruited two new gardening volunteers and out put continued to address the huge amount of weeds that were generated during the pandemic. With much success the gardens were weeded and the Park finally looked at it’s best. With efforts starting to turn towards new planting schemes.
Sports
Following a grant from Sport England who continue to back the Park, we invested in our 9[th] year of free football coaching on Friday nights, and Walking Football for Adults, but also added Cricket coaching and athletics coaching on Thursday nights. These additional sports were designed to link in to local cricket clubs and junior park run at the nearby Anchorsholme Park. With all the coaching being carried out again by Active Blackpool.
We were delighted to say the coaching was a huge success with record numbers of teenagers positively engaged as well as younger children. As this is our 9[th] year, we now have teenagers who have grown up with the programme from the ages of 7 to 16 and we have started to provide job references for a number of teenagers that have come through the 9 year programme.
A number of younger children are now playing football in local clubs that were introduced to the sports through our Parks sport programme. It is something we are very proud of.
Consultation and the future
After finally getting the Park in to a great position after the damage caused by the pandemic, the Friends Group is mindful that it must invest in to the future of the Park.
We are there for currently working on a consultation which will will allow us to identify which new play areas we should invest in, as well as what other areas of the Park Park and non Park users would like to see developed.
We will also be looking at investment in solar lighting and ways to continue to recruit new volunteers and grow our income.
Other projects will be to continue to invest in our Sports programmes, our Gardens and our partnerships with the Library and Enveco as well as Blackpool Council and surrounding neighbours as well as enter competitions like the Royal Horticultural Society awards.
Our final area of investment will be in our hard working litter pickers who pick up litter in the surrounding areas as well as the Park. We are keen to invest in them with new equipment and awards as community champions.
Friends of East Pines Park Accounts 02 November 2022 to 02[nd] November 2023
Starting Balance 02 November 2022: £19532.61
| Date | Payer / Payee | Description | Payment Method |
Income | Expense | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2022 | Blackpool Council |
Sports Programme |
Cheque | 1100 | 19532.61 | |
| Nov 2022 | Blackpool Council |
Sports Programme |
Cheque | 468.35 | 19064.26 | |
| Nov 2022 | Blackpool Council |
Roundabout | Cheque | 11043.62 | 8020.64 | |
| Nov 2022 | Amazon | Donation | Bank Giro | 8.68 | 8029.32 | |
| Dec 2022 | M Backhouse | Glasdon donation for volunteer Party |
Cheque | 50 | 7979.32 | |
| Dec 2022 | M Backhouse | Plants for Gardens |
Cheque | 15.96 | 7963.36 | |
| Dec 2022 | M Backhouse | Christmas event for volunteers (paid for by Glasdons) |
Cheque | 88 | 7875.36 | |
| Dec 2022 | Paul Galley | Plants for Park | Cheque | 26.99 | 7848.37 | |
| Feb 2023 | Community Foundation |
Leaflets and Wellington Boots |
Bank Giro | 641 | 8489.37 | |
| Feb 2023 | Lottery Foundation |
Summer Sports | Bank Giro | 2300 | 10789.37 | |
| Mar 2023 | P Smith | Donation | Cheque | 94.97 | 10884.34 | |
| Mar 2023 | Glasdons | Donation | Cheque | 500 | 11384.34 | |
| Apr 2023 | Member of public |
Donation | Bank Giro | 7.62 | 11391.96 | |
| May 2023 | Member of public |
Donation | Bank Giro | 21.04 | 11413 | |
| June 2023 | M Backhouse | Plants for Cafe Garden |
Cheque | 24.31 | 11388.69 | |
| June 2023 | M Backhouse | Padlocks | Cheque | 26.59 | 11362.10 | |
| June 2023 | P Galley | Park Leaflets | Cheque | 607.34 | 10754.76 | |
| June 2023 | P Galley | Leaflet Deliverer costs |
Cheque | 324.02 | 10430.74 | |
| June 2023 | P Galley | Paint for Football Pitch |
Cheque | 79.98 | 10.350.76 | |
| Oct 2023 | Paypal | Donation | Bank Giro | 185 | 10535.76 | |
| Oct 2023 | M Backhouse | Bird Seed | Cheque | 20 | 10515.76 | |
| Nov 2023 | 10515.76 |
Starting Balance Nov 2022: £19532.61 Balance by 1[st] Nov2023: £10515.76