Friends of Cotteridge Park is a registered charity in England and Wales 1181644.
Intro(Juction The trustees are pleased to present their Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 Image.. Couch to sk graduates INTRODUCTION
2023 - Back to Normal 2023 was definitely the year where we felt that covid was behind us. ANGUAGE CAFE From the Art Group to Zumba all the park activities were welcomed back by the community. With the support provided by our funders we have been delighted by our increased ability to respond to the needs of our community. We have been able to offer activities to promote mental and physical wellbeing and to create a space where everyone is welcome and no one needs to feel lonely. For example we were able to extend the Italian beginners, group into a "Language Café" This provided opportunities for refugees, expats and keen learners to meet up weekly, share language skills and support people far from home. 2023 - BACK TO NORMAL
Image: Todd, our new Shed Manager in his CoCoMAD finery
Image: SwingFit on a chilly Winter Saturday
Image: Meg at the Crafternoon
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10 CoCoMAD 2023 CoCoMAD 2023 saw more than 6,000 local residents coming to the park for a most amazing party. There was wonderful live music from local performers, great food, forest adventures, Circusmash performances & workshops and a whole field of scientists creating experiments for everyone to try. New for CoCoMAD 2023 was the CoCoCorner- a space that came from the project- Make Space for Girls. Co-created by the Cotteridge Park Youth Group and Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces. Focussing on supporting young women and girls to make the park their space. CoCoMAD Photo from OPUS
Image: Cotteridge Park Youth Club’s Lego Printing Workshop
13 Financial Review equivalent to a minimum of 3 months running/delivery costs for park activities and general running costs. Financial review Income and expenditure for 2023 was in line with budgets. Unrestricted cash funds at the end of 2023 stand at £74K which trustees consider to be in line with the above intent. A further £17k is held in restricted funds for projects to continue in 2024. We were successful in obtaining grants which enabled FOCP to continue to provide activities for free for the benefit of the local community. The accounting software introduced last year has helped make budgetary management more efficient. The trustees are aware that as the charity continues to grow that more support is required to ensure good record keeping a reporting. There is always a continued need to focus on grants and donations to fund activities that will benefit the local community. We expect The Shed will continue to generate income to help support activities in the park but some of the income will need to be set aside for repairs and maintenance for the building. Reserves and reserves policy Trustees consider that in the current uncertain climate, and in particular the continued reductions in funding for parks and 'softer' social activities, that excluding costs associated with the annual CoCoMAD festival, the charity should aim to hold an unrestricted reserve This year's budget has been drawn up to enable trustees to monitor spend against our plans. This takes into account additional financial responsibilities in running a building such as cleaning and catering supplies, electricity, repairs, and maintenance. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2023