East Pines Park – Annual Report
November 2024 – October 2025
Overview
The period November 2024 to October 2025 has been another busy and productive year for East Pines Park. During the year, a range of projects, improvements and community initiatives have been delivered to enhance the Park, improve its sustainability and ensure it remains a safe, welcoming and enjoyable space for local residents and visitors.
The Trustees are proud of the progress made during the year and would like to record their thanks to our dedicated volunteers, local residents, community partners, Blackpool Council and other supporters. Their continued involvement is fundamental to the success of East Pines Park and to our ability to maintain and improve this important community asset.
Key Improvements and Investment
Park Maintenance and Environmental Improvements
During the year, we reviewed and restructured aspects of how the Park is maintained, with a greater emphasis on sustainable approaches.
This has included increasing the use of cut grass as a natural mulch in appropriate areas rather than relying on woodchip. This provides a more environmentally sustainable approach, reduces the need to bring additional materials into the Park and allows green waste generated within the Park to be reused beneficially.
New Solar Lighting
A significant improvement during the year was the installation of two new solar-powered streetlights within the Park. The cost of this project was met through grant funding provided through Blackpool Council.
The new lighting improves accessibility and security, particularly during the darker winter months, and enables residents to feel more confident using routes through the Park during the evening.
The use of solar technology also supports our aim of making improvements that are environmentally sustainable while keeping future running costs as low as possible.
Investment in Christmas Lighting Infrastructure
New permanent electrical power boxes have also been installed to support the Park's Christmas lighting. This capital work was funded through grant support provided through Blackpool Council.
The investment provides permanent infrastructure that will help reduce the cost and complexity of providing Christmas lighting in future years.
The Christmas lights have become an important part of the Park's community programme, helping to create a welcoming and positive environment during the darker winter months and providing a focal point for community activity.
The Trustees are grateful for the grant funding that enabled both the solar lighting and Christmas electrical infrastructure projects to be delivered.
Polytunnel and Library Garden
Following changes within the volunteer team, an opportunity arose to bring the Park's polytunnel back into productive use as a growing space.
Plants and flowers are now being grown within the Park, with particular emphasis on responding to feedback from residents who would like to see more flowers and planting.
One of our priorities is the Library Garden, where we aim to create an attractive, peaceful and welcoming garden that residents can enjoy. The polytunnel will support this by allowing more plants to be grown locally for use throughout the Park.
Community Activities and Summer Sports
Supporting activities for children and young people remains an important part of the work undertaken at East Pines Park.
During the year, funding was secured from Sport England to support the summer sports programme. The Group also invested in sports coaching delivered through Blackpool Council.
These activities help ensure that the Park is actively used for positive recreation and provide opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity within their local community.
Investment was also made in a new lawn mower for the football pitch, helping us maintain the area and support its continued use for sporting activities.
Financial Review
During the financial year, the following income and expenditure was recorded in connection with the operation, maintenance and activities of East Pines Park.
Income
March 2025 – Glasdon Donation
£500.00
A donation of £500 was received from Glasdon to support the work and activities of East Pines Park.
March 2025 – Illuminations Donation
£50.00
A donation of £50 was received towards the Park's illuminations fund.
April 2025 – Sport England Grant
£2,200.00
Grant funding of £2,200 was received from Sport England towards the delivery of the summer sports programme.
Total Income
£2,750.00
Expenditure
November–December 2024 – Miscellaneous Park Expenditure and Volunteer Reimbursements
£518.93
Payments and reimbursements relating to various Park costs and activities, including materials, supplies, maintenance items and other miscellaneous expenditure.
March 2025 – Miscellaneous Items and Garden Signage
£6.28
Volunteer reimbursement relating to miscellaneous items, including garden signage.
March 2025 – Blackpool Council Sports Coaching
£3,000.00
Payment to Blackpool Council towards the provision of sports coaching and activities within East Pines Park.
March 2025 – Park Maintenance and Memorial Items
£184.01
Volunteer reimbursement relating to miscellaneous Park expenditure, including lawn mower fuel and a bench plaque.
March 2025 – New Lawn Mower for Football Pitch
£799.00
Volunteer reimbursement for the purchase of a new lawn mower to support the maintenance of the football pitch and surrounding areas.
October 2025 – Blackpool Council Sports Coaching Sessions
£1,800.00
Payment to Blackpool Council for the delivery of Active Blackpool summer sports coaching sessions within East Pines Park.
Total Expenditure
£6,308.22
Financial Position for the Year
Total Income: £2,750.00
Total Expenditure: £6,308.22
Net Expenditure: £3,558.22
The Trustees consider the expenditure during the year to have supported the charitable purposes of the Group by maintaining and improving East Pines Park and providing recreational, sporting and community activities for local residents.
The solar streetlights and permanent electrical infrastructure for the Christmas lights were funded through grants provided through Blackpool Council and therefore did not require these capital costs to be met from the Group's general funds.
The Trustees recognise that expenditure during the year exceeded income received during the same period. Increasing income and developing a more sustainable funding base will therefore be a priority during the coming year.
Financial Controls – Volunteer Reimbursements
The Friends of East Pines Park does not operate or permit the use of a charity bank debit card. This forms part of the Group's approach to financial control and oversight.
Where it is necessary for a volunteer to purchase an item on behalf of the Charity, this must be undertaken with the prior permission of the Board of Trustees.
The volunteer may pay for the approved item using their own debit card and subsequently reclaim the exact cost from the Friends of East Pines Park once the item has been received and an appropriate receipt or other supporting evidence has been provided.
This procedure is intended to ensure that expenditure is authorised and supported by appropriate records while avoiding unrestricted access to the Group's bank funds through the use of payment cards.
Challenges
The principal ongoing challenge for East Pines Park continues to be the recruitment and retention of volunteers.
Our relatively small but highly committed volunteer team makes an invaluable contribution to the Park. Volunteers support maintenance, planting, community activities and the development and delivery of improvement projects.
As the Park continues to develop, there is an increasing need to attract additional volunteers to help maintain the standards that have been achieved and enable further projects and activities to be delivered.
The Trustees recognise the importance of ensuring volunteering remains accessible, rewarding and enjoyable. We will therefore continue to explore new ways of encouraging people from across the local community to become involved, whether regularly or by supporting individual projects and events.
A further challenge is ensuring that the Group generates sufficient ongoing income to support its activities and ambitions. While grant funding has enabled important improvements and activities to be delivered, developing sustainable sources of income will be increasingly important in allowing us to maintain and expand our work.
Looking Ahead
East Pines Park continues to be a much-loved community space and the Trustees remain committed to its long-term improvement and sustainability.
Our focus for the coming year will be to build upon the investment already made, continue improving the Park's facilities and environment, increase opportunities for community involvement and encourage more people to volunteer.
A major priority will be increasing the Group's income. We are now working on a fundraising strategy to identify new sources of income and funding. This will include exploring grant opportunities, community fundraising, donations, partnerships and other appropriate sources of financial support.
Increasing our income will help us expand our work within East Pines Park and the wider local community, while providing a stronger and more sustainable financial foundation for future projects and activities.
We will continue to work with Blackpool Council, Sport England, local organisations, businesses and other partners to identify opportunities for investment and grant funding.
We want East Pines Park to remain an inclusive, safe and welcoming place where people of all ages can come together, enjoy sport and recreation, experience nature and take part in community activities.
The achievements of the past year demonstrate what can be accomplished through the combined efforts of volunteers, residents, partners and supporters. We look forward to building on this progress during the coming year and continuing to improve East Pines Park for the benefit of the whole community.