Denholme Community Centre : Annual Review 2022-23
Overview of the Year
This year has seen the community centre slowly but surely return to what has become normal operations following the Covid pandemic. Most of our regular groups and activities have been resumed but with numbers somewhat depleted in some cases. Other groups, however, have thrived. For example, our Lunch Group has nearly doubled in numbers during 2023.
The community centre provides accommodation for a community-run library which continues to offer a valued service to families in our village. We also have a thriving Book Club meeting monthly, and a writers’ group meeting weekly. The writers’ group has recently published collections of poetry and prose which are for sale on Amazon.
Along with the rest of the nation we were delighted to celebrate the Jubilee, offering local families an opportunity to come together and enjoy free entertainment. Events such as this help to promote community cohesion and cement the community centre’s place at the heart of village life.
Despite reduced income through loss of room hire revenue, the centre continues to offer a high level of service and opportunity to local people. The centre plays a crucial role in reducing loneliness and enhancing social contact between residents.
Community Involvement and Communication
The majority of activities which take place within the community centre are community led and use the resources of local volunteers. We pride ourselves on our communication with, and support for, these volunteers and, where possible, we act promptly on the feedback that they give us.
Over the last year, we have further strengthened the links we have with other groups in the village. We have provided facilities, free of charge, to the Neighbourhood Watch group, who operate a contact point where people can report police and council issues, and to the local church, who host a weekly coffee morning providing low-level secular support and befriending to some of the most vulnerable members of the community who may be reluctant to participate in a more structured activity. We have also worked with the Children’s Gala committee, and we used the 2022 Gala as an opportunity to ask individual members of the community what they wanted to see in the community centre.
We have also developed links with local businesses; the Coop, the pharmacy and the post office as well as the local restaurant who provide the meals for our Lunch Club.
Our dedicated Facebook page, as well as our contributions to other local social media channels, mean that we can keep the local community informed of our activities. We welcome comments, suggestions and feedback through these channels. For older people
who may be less comfortable using the internet, we have a computer drop-in session to assist them to get online safely. And for those who prefer more traditional methods, we have leaflets, noticeboards and an open door where they can come and share their thoughts with us.
Making A Difference
Denholme has one of the highest proportions of elderly residents within the whole of the Bradford MDC area and thus a large number of our activities and groups are designed to support older people. Two of our best-attended groups, the Lunch Club and the Elders Network, offer what can be a rare opportunity to meet and socialise with others. In response to requests from users we have sought to open during bank holidays to help people feel less isolated from their peers.
Opening as a “Warm Space” as part of the government backed scheme also enabled us to reach out to isolated individuals and families. We worked with the church in the village to ensure that the provision we were both offering did not overlap. Offering free hot drinks and snacks, wifi and charging facilities meant that users could make the most of our space and keep their own heating costs down.
Although our services to the elderly are vital, we have also tried to make sure that we are reaching other age groups and so have started an additional couple of groups in the evenings, a more suitable time for working people or those with daytime childcare responsibilities. Our Zumba class and our Book Club have both proved very popular and have attracted users to the Centre who may not previously have participated.
The Challenges
In common with all our users and other public sector providers, the centre has been massively affected by rising running costs, in particular the cost of heating and lighting. Our energy bills have soared by over £20,000 per year and we have needed to take decisive action to address this. The financial challenges are further exacerbated as we have an old building and therefore maintenance costs are high.
Our response has been:
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a) To minimise fuel costs by effectively controlling consumption and switching to a cheaper provider.
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b) Trustees closely monitor our financial situation on a month-by-month basis and make necessary adjustments in a timely manner.
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c) We have raised our room hire charges to remain in line with other local facilities, whilst being mindful of the vulnerabilities of many of our users.
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d) We are actively exploring potential sources of external funding to help meet one-off repairs costs.
Conclusion and Future Plans
Financial Controls:
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a) We will better control costs by appointing a qualified financial manager to lead our budgeting and financial forecasting.
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b) We will boost income by increasing the range of activities on offer at the centre. Weekly events will be introduced to open the centre at weekends, including Farmers’ Markets, car boot sales, seasonal events, e.g. wreath-making and other specialist markets.
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c) We will improve the attractiveness of our centre as a venue for hire as well as enhancing our own events by applying for an alcohol licence.
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d) We will recruit new trustees to join our team, who bring specific skills in fundraising and events management.
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e) One of our main priorities is to identify funding for a new boiler, without which the Centre will struggle to operate in the long term.
Residents have given us suggestions of the sorts of new activities they would welcome in the Centre. These include film nights, yoga/Pilates classes, art and singing groups. Over the next year, we aim to explore how these can be provided at an affordable cost – to us and to the participants.
We aim to conduct a biennial survey to ensure that we keep up to date with what residents want. We also want to conduct a communications audit to ensure that we are reaching all residents. As part of this, we will be starting a Centre Users Group to formalise the feedback from our users and particularly our volunteers.
Our financial situation remains precarious, but we are confident that the measures we have already put in place and our plans for the coming year will enable us to successfully navigate our way through the crisis. Times are hard, but the community centre is needed now as never before, and we are determined to ensure the centre remains viable and sustainable for future generations. We cannot insulate ourselves from the impacts of external cost increases, but we can react appropriately and in a timely manner to maintain a solid foundation for the future.
DMI Community Centre – Year End Accounts 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2023
| 2022/2023 Total Income 2022/2023 Commercial rents Community Rents Casual Rents Grants and Support Big Lotery £10,850 Coop Pot £0 Wind Farm £0 Bradford Council £1,250 Business/DTC Grant £0 Other £0 Miscellaneous Total Income 2021/2022 Total Expenditure Professional Fees and Licences Building Insurance £1,564 Registraton/membership fees Consultancy Staf Costs (funded primarily from Lotery Grant) Building Expenses Utlites -£3,502 Cleaning £6,446 Other Services £4,005 Consumables £180 |
£12,195 £11,762 £212 £12,100 £21,550 £1,070 £0 £0 £15,760 £0 £2,929 £39,198 £1,564 £1,877 £11,970 £28,934 £1,823 £4,228 £2,785 £116 |
2021/2022 £8,155 £8,805 £60 £38,380 £8,616 £64,016 £1,877 £12,296 £69,811 |
2021/2022 £8,155 £8,805 £60 £38,380 £8,616 £64,016 £1,877 £12,296 £69,811 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,877 £12,296 £69,811 |
| Maintenance Security Electric Gas Water Internet Donatons Total Expenditure Proft/Loss in the year Opening Balance Total Income Total Expenditure Closing Balance |
£6,900 £54,320 £960 £1,491 £6,353 £2,053 £6,268 £2,160 £937 £446 £389 £389 £0 £42,468 -£3,270 DMI COMMUNITY CENTRE- BALANCE SHEET 1ST APRIL 2022 TO 31ST MARCH 2023 2022/2023 £35,660 £39,198 -£42,468 £32,390 |
£505 £84,489 -£20,473 2021/2022 £56,133 £64,016 -£84,489 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| £35,660 |
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