Trustee’s Annual Report for Market Drayton Community Enterprise
CIO 1178317
Period covered 06.04.24 – 05.04.25
Market Drayton Community Enterprise (MDCE) is a small charity seeking to promote health and wellbeing whilst improving local connectivity. MDCE has establish excellent networking connections and frequently acts as a connector with the small number of Trustees having excellent insights into local activity, both formally and informally. It has acted as a catalyst for other local groups such as MD climate action and Creative Drayton.
A new project for MDCE has been to establish an electronic notice board to promote local voluntary organisations and charities events and activities. The local Council agreed for MDCE to use there premises to site the screen and planning was granted for the screen. Numerous applications were made during the period but without success. Some monies were made available from MDCE funds.
MDCE trustees were approached by a couple wanting to run a Christmas dinner for lonely people at Christmas. Trustees agreed to support this initiative by putting the couple in touch with local networks to help identify support and those in need, advised on marketing and agreed the proposed ‘Together at Christmas’ would be fully supported by MDCE. All funding would be sourced by the couple who agreed to create their own committee and volunteers but report back to trustees.
The Schools’ Calendar project has continued to involve all he local schools in creating a calendar. The teams supply all equipment, such as paint, brushes and paper. The volunteers work with a particular year group in each school enabling every school to have a cover month for their winning painting. A selection of the paintings are displayed for a week at the local secondary school with presentation taking place then the paintings are displayed for a month at the Festival Drayton. The whole project is funded by the sale of the calendars, donations, gift donations ( materials) and fund raising (tombola’s etc).
MDCE continues to run three festivals each year, two focused on Health & Well-being with the thirds focus on cultural, creativity and leisure. The
festivals have been recognised as the best networking opportunities in the area. The Festivals tend to have about thirty exhibitors and a footfall of about one hundred people to each event. A range of exhibitors are attracted such as local NHS services, police and fire services, local bereavement services, social prescribing , local groups such as the bowling club, ramblers, U3A, Climate Action. The library and community sport. MDCE received a grant from the local council to fund the events but tends not to cover the full cost. About 50% of exhibitors make a £10 donation and with tombola’s and raffles cost for room hire, advertising and insurance is covered.
The canal volunteers continue to maintain the local canal towpath through Market Drayton. The team are supported by the Canal & River Trust and continue to work effectively in their own quiet way.
MDCE currently has six trustees with two taking a back seat and just two trustees leading the three main projects, School Calendar project, the festivals and the social media/website/electronic screen initiatives. Projects tend to self-fund with very little surplus, but the trustees do not undertake big fund-raising events.
Volunteer recruitment remains difficult the greater difficulty is recruit leaders and trustees. The current Trustee group are aged between seventy and ninety five poising a threat to MDCEs continued existence.
Brian Lock
MDCE Tustee
Trustee’s Annual Report for Market Drayton Community Enterprise
CIO 1178317
Period covered 06.04.24 – 05.04.25
Market Drayton Community Enterprise (MDCE) is a small charity seeking to promote health and wellbeing whilst improving local connectivity. MDCE has establish excellent networking connections and frequently acts as a connector with the small number of Trustees having excellent insights into local activity, both formally and informally. It has acted as a catalyst for other local groups such as MD climate action and Creative Drayton.
A new project for MDCE has been to establish an electronic notice board to promote local voluntary organisations and charities events and activities. The local Council agreed for MDCE to use there premises to site the screen and planning was granted for the screen. Numerous applications were made during the period but without success. Some monies were made available from MDCE funds.
MDCE trustees were approached by a couple wanting to run a Christmas dinner for lonely people at Christmas. Trustees agreed to support this initiative by putting the couple in touch with local networks to help identify support and those in need, advised on marketing and agreed the proposed ‘Together at Christmas’ would be fully supported by MDCE. All funding would be sourced by the couple who agreed to create their own committee and volunteers but report back to trustees.
The Schools’ Calendar project has continued to involve all he local schools in creating a calendar. The teams supply all equipment, such as paint, brushes and paper. The volunteers work with a particular year group in each school enabling every school to have a cover month for their winning painting. A selection of the paintings are displayed for a week at the local secondary school with presentation taking place then the paintings are displayed for a month at the Festival Drayton. The whole project is funded by the sale of the calendars, donations, gift donations ( materials) and fund raising (tombola’s etc).
MDCE continues to run three festivals each year, two focused on Health & Well-being with the thirds focus on cultural, creativity and leisure. The
festivals have been recognised as the best networking opportunities in the area. The Festivals tend to have about thirty exhibitors and a footfall of about one hundred people to each event. A range of exhibitors are attracted such as local NHS services, police and fire services, local bereavement services, social prescribing , local groups such as the bowling club, ramblers, U3A, Climate Action. The library and community sport. MDCE received a grant from the local council to fund the events but tends not to cover the full cost. About 50% of exhibitors make a £10 donation and with tombola’s and raffles cost for room hire, advertising and insurance is covered.
The canal volunteers continue to maintain the local canal towpath through Market Drayton. The team are supported by the Canal & River Trust and continue to work effectively in their own quiet way.
MDCE currently has six trustees with two taking a back seat and just two trustees leading the three main projects, School Calendar project, the festivals and the social media/website/electronic screen initiatives. Projects tend to self-fund with very little surplus, but the trustees do not undertake big fund-raising events.
Volunteer recruitment remains difficult the greater difficulty is recruit leaders and trustees. The current Trustee group are aged between seventy and ninety five poising a threat to MDCEs continued existence.
Brian Lock
MDCE Tustee