THE ENGINE SHED ANNUAL REPORT 2021-22
The Engine Shed 31 Grove Hill Reading RG4 8PN Registered Charity No. 1187504 www.theengineshed.org.uk
The Engine Shed is a special interest group for autistic children, young people and adults which was set up over thirteen years ago and is run by volunteers. The group was set up by parents and carers in response to the lack of welcoming and supportive recreational facilities for our autistic children and the profound isolation that autistic children and their family members were facing as result of this.
We run regular train play sessions in halls, organise days out at railway-themed attractions and also run sibling activities and parent information sessions and training.
We are one of the '10 Best UK Rail Adventures for Children' (Telegraph 2018).
Chair’s Introduction
The last couple of years have been very difficult for autistic children and adults at our Engine Shed groups. The disruption to schooling and education (with children and adults either not attending or attending part-time), the cessation of regular social, recreational and sporting groups and activities and confinement to the house has been enormously challenging. The social isolation, the lack of regular activities and - for some of our members with learning disabilities - the lack of comprehension of what is happening around Covid has created substantial mental health problems in our community.
We worked hard to step up our activities again this year whilst we could - to create opportunities for community and interaction and to start creating positive memories again for the children and adults who attend sessions.
We were delighted to receive a grant from the National Lottery/Ikea in October to run sessions and days out. Our booked trip for 40 people on the Polar Express was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute due to COVID but is rebooked for 2022.
Our fundraising to buy a van to deliver our current sessions and to take the trains on the road continues and we hope that over the next year we will be able to secure our own van. This will enable us to deliver more sessions, including additional groups, and involve our older members in essential volunteering activities with peers.
We are grateful to all our volunteers; as well as the behind the scenes preparation, there is several hours of lifting heavy boards and boxes involved in running our sessions - and many people have been doing this for over a decade! Thank you all very much.
Sarah Snow, Chair
1
1 Train Play Sessions in the Community
Train play sessions in Reading and Chingford this year have continued to provide opportunities for inclusive play and interaction, meeting when possible throughout the last year. Lots of newly diagnosed children and their families are now attending sessions after Covid and we want to ensure that they can benefit from a full range of activities at this early stage of the journey.
Young people at The Engine Shed, Chingford
2 Train-Themed Days Out
We had a lovely time in August at the High Wycombe Model Engineering Club, who once again put on their annual summer fun day for us, complete with BBQ and home-made cakes. We are grateful to the local Freemasons for organising this event, and funding lunch and cake, and the team at HWMEC for their hospitality. This is the seventh year that this event has been put on for us and it was extra special this time as we have had so few opportunities to meet up.
2
The days out provide opportunities for further interaction and bonding. We were delighted to secure funding from sources including the Lottery/Ikea Places Called Home grant programme to support a group trip on the Polar Express. Our booked trip for 40 people on the Polar Express was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute due to COVID but is rebooked for 2022.
3 Screening of The Reason I Jump
We had a sponsored group visit to see the award-winning film The Reason I Jump in Reading in October. Based on the book by Naoki Higashida, this immersive film explores the experiences of non-speaking autistic people around the world. Members of our adult group attended, as well as parents and carers who attend our play sessions.
3 Moving ahead with fundraising for the van
As detailed in the last report, the van which the Reading group has relied on for monthly sessions for over ten years (owned and driven by our long-term volunteer, now in his mid70s) is on its last legs. The van is used to transport our G-gauge trains and the huge track boards (measuring 10 feet x 4 feet). The large trains are a key attraction of many sessions; people do not have these at home and attendees enjoy driving and racing the trains with the dual controls.
We would like to have our own van so that our volunteer can give up his old van which he is only holding onto for us. We also want to meet the demand for additional sessions across the region. We receive lots of enquiries about bringing trains to community events and special schools but require the flexibility of our own van to do this.
The van will enable us to take the train resources into the community and to deliver multiple Engine Shed groups across the region, meeting regularly and bringing autistic children and young people, their parents and carers and older volunteers together.
Linked to the van purchase, we would like to develop a formal volunteer programme for our adult group members as part of this process. This will provide further volunteering, apprentice and possibly employment opportunities for members of the group (many of whom experience severe isolation) - whilst delivering an extensive programme of community train sessions for autistic children and young people across the region.
This creation of community and support will promote local friendship, connection and networks that will have long term benefits for all.
3
Building on the fundraising success of 2020-21, we were grateful to receive positive responses from a number of funders in the reporting year, including from Mobbs Memorial Trust, The Shanly Foundation, the Souter Charitable Trust and The John Sykes Foundation. We very much hope that we will be able to purchase the van within the year.
4 Sustaining Activities
The Engine Shed is committed to accessibility. We have always sought to remove obstacles to individuals and families attending Engine Shed sessions – you do not need to book, you do not pay, refreshments are free. There are now a number of toy train-related activity schemes which are charging £12-£13 for a two-hour session. If you have 3 children like many of our attendees do, this equates to £35+ for two hours of playing with trains in a local hall. This is beyond the reach of many of the people who would benefit from the club’s activities. During a financial crisis it is more important than ever that we keep sessions free of charge. In addition, booking online in advance does not always work well for families who are taking one day at a time depending on the needs of the child or young person. We remain committed to this no-cost / no-fuss model which is part of The Engine Shed’s success.
We fundraise on an ongoing basis to keep the activities free of cost to our attendees. Trustees will be exploring funding opportunities this year, and we will also join the Charity Winter Draw in Reading again, selling raffle tickets to support our work. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to run a marathon, hold a cake sale or organise a fundraising event for The Engine Shed. We can help with publicity, materials and other support required.
Signed
Sarah Snow, Chair of Trustees
4
The Engine Shed Year ended 31st March 2022
| The Engine Shed Year ended 31st March 2022 |
|
|---|---|
| Income Grants received: People's Health Trust Lottery & IKEA Persimmon COVID Response Berks Community Foundation Arnold Clark Foundation Good Exchange Local Connections Fund Awards For All Reading Borough Council Mobbs Memorial Trust Shanly Foundation John Sykes Foundation Souter Charitable Trust Misc donations other income Total income |
2022 Restricted 2022 Unrestricted 2022 Total 2021 comparison 0.00 0.00 2,482 4,332.00 4,332.00 0 0.00 0.00 1,000 0.00 0.00 6,950 0.00 0.00 2,190 750.00 750.00 0 2,000.00 2,000.00 7,093 0.00 0.00 1,800 0.00 0.00 9,750 2,580.00 2,580.00 0 3,000.00 3,000.00 0 2,500.00 2,500.00 0 1,000.00 1,000.00 0 2,000.00 2,000.00 389.96 389.96 1,048 |
| 18,162.00 389.96 18,551.96 32,312 |
Expenditure
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Venue Hire and Office rent Equipment Activity & carer packs Excursions & other activities Volunteer expenses Refreshments Website, promotional mats etc Train and Book resources Parent & carer activities Insurance Fees, misc expenses, running costs other expenditure Total expenditure Total Income less Total Expenditure Opening bank balance Surplus/(loss) from above Closing bank balance |
7,710.55 7,710.55 14,396 764.52 764.52 8,102 182.89 182.89 536 2,355.75 2,355.75 0 665.08 665.08 1,266 343.88 343.88 242 288.00 288.00 75 0.00 0.00 121 319.62 319.62 70 298.56 298.56 299 3,980.80 3,980.80 440 0 |
| 16,909.65 0.00 16,909.65 25,546 |
|
| 1,252.35 389.96 1,642.31 6,766 17,366.00 1,022.48 18,388.48 11,622 1,252.35 389.96 1,642.31 6,766 |
|
| 18,618.35 1,412.44 20,030.79 18,388 |
The Englne Shed Year ended 31st Mah 2022 Bolon¢e Sheet 05 Qt 31st Morch 2022 CurrentAssets Debtors Cosh at Bonk Totol current assets 20,030.79 20,030.79 Current Lit7bilities Creditors Totul Net Assets 20,030.79 Funds 20,030.79 Signed 2z.i.zS Sarah Snow, Chair of Trustees Signed Rod Leith. Treasurer