girls ALIVE Trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2022
Contents
Page 2 Charity and Trustee details Structure, governance and management Objectives and activities Financial review of reserves Page 3 Public benefit statement Page 4 Achievements and performance Page 5 The girls ALIVE year – some highlights Page 12 Evolving our direction Page 13 Activity beneficiaries Page 14 Volunteers Page 15 In summary
Charity and Trustee details
Charity name - girls ALIVE Charity registration number - 1189672 Principal office address – c/o a4c Unit 18 & 19 Dean House Farm, Church Lane, Newdigate, Surrey, RH5 5DL Charity Trustees
Gill Venables - Chair Esther Guy - Treasurer Philippa Curphey - Trustee
Structure, governance and management
Governing document - girls ALIVE Constitution
Objectives and activities
Charity purpose - For the public benefit, to advance the health of women in England in particular, but not exclusively, by providing them with opportunities to be physically active.
Charities main activities- girls ALIVE gives women the opportunity to become active by providing volunteer-led activity groups which are allfemale, non-competitive and affordable. girls ALIVE is non-discipline specific and currently has running, road cycling, mountain biking, pool swimming, open water swimming and hiking groups. We offer regular activities and one-off events. Some participants decide they want to expand their involvement and give something back by becoming volunteers. They are provided with support, guidance and training (as appropriate) to help them grow into their role.
Financial review of reserves
As a young charity having faced a challenging and uncertain start, we have not yet been in a position to build reserves.
2
Public benefit statement
The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s objectives and activities, and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the objectives and activities that have been set. In so doing, the trustees have complied with the duty in section 4 of the 2006 Act to have due regard to guidance on public benefit, published by the commission.
girls ALIVE’s aim is, for the public benefit, to advance the health of women in England in particular, but not exclusively, by providing them with opportunities to be physically active. Our public benefit is apparent in the improved health, mental health and wellbeing of the women who are directly involved in our activities and also as a ripple effect, benefitting children, families, friends and whole communities.
3
Achievements and performance
A challenging start
Recovering and adapting as we all emerge from the depths of the pandemic has raised significant challenges for girls ALIVE, as a small, new charity. Lockdowns provided opportunities for our charity to meet the mental health, exercise and social needs of our members by providing a programme of remote sessions to keep them active and engaged.
As the world changes again to a ‘new normal’, women have a range of IRL options available to them and many have a strong desire to reengage in-person. Some have been overwhelmed by the return to previous possibilities and expectations, combined with the demands of 24/7 access to work and the pressures this can bring. Others are juggling family responsibilities or the effects of long-Covid or other health concerns.
How can girls ALIVE continue to meet the needs, bringing our wonderful community to more women, with this backdrop of evolving work and life patterns and ever-increasing time and money pressures for women? How can we provide for the girls ALIVE membership of 200+ women and ensure that we reach diverse cross-sections of the wider
community? How much geographical expansion is appropriate in the current conditions? These questions have prompted a lot of research and soul-searching for the trustees.
4
The girls ALIVE year – some highlights
In April 2021 girls ALIVE was still operating under strict social distancing rules. There continued to be demand for some remote sessions such as Strength and Conditioning Low Impact Zooms. Some girls ALIVE runners took on challenges such as a 10K running training programme, meeting remotely to support each other and planning routes to briefly converge at a shared finish line. gA cyclists enjoyed looking for and posing amongst the bluebells as they toured the lanes. Glorious hikes took members up Box Hill and further afield.
May 2021 saw gA activities continue to move back to ‘in-person’, with regularly reviewed Covid procedures adopted by all disciplines, in line with government guidelines. Road cyclists took part in an undulating sportive starting at Alice Holt wood and the pink and yellow Channel Relay swimming teams continued their training in earnest.
5
In June 2021, rain stopped play for several activities, although rain never stops our hiking groups! A team of intrepid road cyclists also headed to East Sussex to take part in a sportive through the stunning countryside, led by Davina McCall. Newer and more experienced riders find that this is a great event to support those attempting their first sportive.
In July 2021, girls ALIVE members on two wheels took part in the Women’s Festival of Cycling, with a celebration of rides across disciplines. The summer weather encouraged volunteers to put on a wide range of activities, from gentle strolls to cycling hill practise sessions. Cross–country riders used the Downs link path to cycle to the coast, meeting girls ALIVE road cyclists for chips on Brighton beach! A first aid training session was very well-attended, investing in our wonderful volunteers. Hikes included a further afield tour of a beautiful Sussex estate. Runners represented gA in the Dorking 10s race and incredibly, the pink Channel Relay Team completed their epic crossing in 15 hours!
6
August 2021 was the quietest month of the year, as always, as routines alter for holidays. Opportunities were taken for some easy crosscountry rides as well as a scattering of the usual rides and runs. Wednesday night hikers stop for nothing, offering welcome continuity for some. The girls ALIVE yellow Channel Relay Team smashed their challenge in an incredible 12 hours and 13 minutes.
September 2021 brought more achievements as part of a 10 week coached and supported couch to 5k course. Runners, riders and hikers also took advantage of some lovely weekend weather as well as the last of the lighter evenings, to slot in some extra activities. girls ALIVE hosted a wonderful girls ALIVE get TOGETHER in a field belonging to a member. Lively chatter, a fire pit with marshmallows, challenge-planning conversations, dancing and friendship in the beautiful outdoors made this a night to remember!
7
In October 2021, 12 members headed off on a 26.2 mile hike through the beautiful Surrey hills, to earn themselves a medal in the Virtual 2021 London Marathon. This month also saw the usual range of activities with special opportunities for different groups of cyclists. Offroaders enjoyed a trip to the YT mill near Guildford, for a guided ride and a chance to try out different bikes. Road cyclists took part in the Ride Reigate sportive and enjoyed an informal meet up at Goodwood motor circuit, where they had fun practising skills and speed in a traffic-free environment. Seasoned cross-country riders took on a challenge taking them from
Arundel to Dorking with over 1000m
of ascent. Breaststroke to front crawl coached swim sessions also took place throughout the month and swimmers met at a local lake for open water sessions. Interest in the girls ALIVE channel relay was high, with a well-attended information evening.
In November 2021, girls ALIVE road cyclists were treated to a girls ALIVE pizza, prosecco and bike maintenance evening hosted at a local bike shop, empowering members to have confidence in the face of mechanicals. A coffee morning social was also organised to allow members from different disciplines to have a chance to socialise. Saturday rides and hikes combined with weekday activities and a trial West Sussex road ride catered for a
range of women. Mountain Bikers joined roadies in their now traditional ‘Pudsey ride’ to mark Children in Need by riding up Box Hill via trails or the zig zag, as appropriate.
8
December 2021 was a time for festive rides and social gatherings with members wearing tinsel, bells or even full Santa costumes for meet ups! Sport England funded a coached swim session in collaboration with girls ALIVE and Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum for a female-only swim, in an exciting development. Our festive Jingle Jog was a real family success with children and adults running a 5K route to receive a gA medal presented by Father Christmas. It was the turn of the mountain bikers to benefit from the girls ALIVE pizza, prosecco and bike maintenance evening. Eleanor Lestrange and Phil Curphey, girls ALIVE’s founders, were recipients of the Prime Minister’s ‘Points of Light’ Award for their incredible dedication to our charity.
9
January 2022 saw a successful New Members’ Week, signing up trial members at a coffee morning attended by lots of girls ALIVE volunteers to welcome new faces. Gravel rides, MTB and hiking activities were as regular as ever through the month. Road cycling groups opted to hike instead of cycling in the ice. Wednesday night hikers opted for slightly flatter or shorter route some nights, due to extreme cold, but nothing stops them going out for their weekly exercise and social! Swimming coaching numbers were strong, with lots of resolutions to be fulfilled for the New Year.
February 2022 brought more swim coaching sessions for intermediate/advanced swimmers and those transitioning from breaststroke to front crawl, while mountain bikers enjoyed glorious muddy trails. Wednesday evening hikers armed with head torches benefitted from the full ‘snow’ moon in the middle of the month and road cyclists made use of indoor trainers when conditions were too icy to hit the lanes. Other riders grabbed their gravel bikes and headed out for a long Saturday off-road adventure taking in Reigate, Polesden Lacey, Headley, Box Hill and Ranmore. Runners took part in Kelly’s Guildford 10k as a warm up event for the London Landmarks Half Marathon later in the spring.
10
In March 2022 our Hikers celebrated International Womens’ Day; Mountain Bikers enjoyed Saturday rides and provided beginner/slower pace rides as well as options for more experienced riders; girls ALIVE ran trial road cycling sessions in both Reigate and West Sussex; and Mole Valley girls ALIVE volunteers gathered for an evening social. Our range of hiking options included Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening, Thursday morning, Thursday evening and long weekend hikes, all with different paces, distances and elevations. The girls ALIVE London Landmarks Half Marathon team held a successful and hugely enjoyable quiz night to raise money towards this incredible challenge. This marks the first time that girls ALIVE has secured fundraising places in a major sporting event.
11
Evolving our direction
Prior to the pandemic, there was a clear focus in grant criteria on levelling the playing field for women and girls in sport. Sport England had grants available in each district to help further this goal.
More recently, the funding focus has shifted towards health and recovery, and so girls ALIVE is seeking new ways to meet this vital need whilst remaining financially viable in a tough financial backdrop. Expanding geographically has been thoroughly investigated and trialled in some areas. Useful research and ideas are on record for expansion to Reigate and Banstead, Epsom and Ewell and also to West Sussex. However, these plans must be kept on hold, while we firm up our base in Mole Valley, seek new funding streams and ensure we are the most relevant to our membership and to available funds.
Covid-recovery, supporting physical health and mental health along with seeking out harder-to-reach communities of women are substantial and worthy goals for us, moving forward.
12
Activity beneficiaries
From April 2020 to March 2021 our registered beneficiary numbers grew from 165 to 302, through unprecedented sign up levels during lockdowns. This number has levelled off to average between 200 and 220 members as in-person activities have resumed.
In the year from April 2021 to March 2022, girls ALIVE put on a total of 497 individual events, including 79 runs, 69 hikes and a total of 200 rides! These were split across 59 road rides, 10 crosscountry, 65 MTB and 66 Zwift. There were 1378 attendees across these activities.
girls ALIVE attracted 162 trial members during the same time period. These are prospective members who benefit from a chance to dip their
toes in any activities they like the sound of, during a free trial. Of these, 48 became full members, giving a conversion rate of 29.6%.
In our third year of operations as a registered charity, we will seek new opportunities to deepen our impact and grow our membership.
13
Volunteers
girls ALIVE is extremely proud of our network of volunteers, numbering around 40. They are the life-blood of the charity, running activities, welcoming new members and coming up with new challenges and ideas. Volunteers are offered first aid training as well as disciplinespecific training and are supported by our team of trustees and by the girls ALIVE Charity Co-ordinator. In addition to our robust and regularly reviewed Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Vulnerable Children and Adults Policies, we have a detailed Volunteering Policy to help ensure that our volunteers are safe, happy and supported.
Our volunteer trustees embrace working hard to juggle every element of running a vibrant charity. In our third year of operations, we will seek to increase our trustee team from the 3 founding trustees to a total of 5 or more, so as to share the load, widen our skills base and broaden our reach.
14
In summary
Throughout an exceptionally challenging second full year as a charity, girls ALIVE has evolved and adapted to successfully deliver its charitable aims. We have reigned-in plans for geographical growth, in response to changing criteria for funding in sport, whilst bolstering our commitment to actively diversify. We will continue to focus on supporting and inspiring our existing membership base, whilst actively seeking to reach women for whom barriers make it harder to engage in active, sociable and emotionally fulfilling community activities. The support, the passion, the inspiration and the benefits are in an everincreasing loop, where each member gains more than they put in and our community is much more than the sum of its parts.
The Trustees are excited about the future of girls ALIVE with a determination to bring the life-changing benefits of exercising together in a women-led, supportive community to women in greater numbers and with increasing diversity across Mole Valley and beyond! We would like to thank every girls ALIVE member, volunteer, sponsor and supporter who contributes to our ambitious, caring community. You are AWESOME!
15
31 Mar 2022
Balance Sheet girls ALIVE As at 31 March 2022
----- Start of picture text -----
Assets
Total Bank £6,787.81
Current Assets £426.05
Total Assets £7,213.86
Liabilities
Current Liabilities £1,283.92
Total Liabilities £1,283.92
Net Assets £5,929.94
Equity
Current Year Earnings -£2,120.59
Retained Earnings £8,050.53
Total Equity £5,929.94
----- End of picture text -----
Profit and Loss girls ALIVE For the 12 months ended 31 March 2022
Mar-22
----- Start of picture text -----
Income
Activity sales £8,434.07
Interest Income £0.08
Merchandise sales £3,951.03
Other Revenue £900.99
Sales £12,116.14
Total Income £25,402.31
Less Cost of Sales
Direct Expenses £6,297.13
Merchandise £3,839.20
Total Cost of Sales £10,136.33
Gross Profit £15,265.98
Plus Other Income
Donation £2,402.31
Grant funding £970.00
Total Other Income £3,372.31
Less Operating Expenses
Advertising & Marketing £666.96
Bank Fees £281.44
Consulting £15,867.02
Entertainment-100% business £46.87
General Expenses £271.64
Health & Safety £13.98
Insurance £112.00
IT Software and Consumables £1,939.03
Legal Expenses £0.00
Postage, Freight & Courier £35.12
Printing & Stationery £2.50
Spond fees £323.45
Staff Training £721.95
Stripe fees £474.79
Sumup processing fees £2.13
Total Operating Expenses £20,758.88
Net Profit -£2,120.59
----- End of picture text -----
For the financial year ending 31[st] March 2022, the girls ALIVE bookkeeping was undertaken by two paid members of the team. These were then independently reviewed and the Management Accounts were prepared by our Trustee Treasurer.
Further information available on request.
The girls ALIVE Trustees