Queen’s Park and Charminster Neighbourhood Forum (a charitable incorporated organisation)
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Charity Number: 1193653
0
## **Contents**
Report of the Trustees for the Period Ended 31 March 2025
|Achievements and Performance|2|
|---|---|
|Plans for Future Periods|3|
|Our Aims and Objectives|3|
|How our Activities Deliver Public Benefit|5|
|Financial Review|5|
|Risk Management|5|
|Structure, Governance and Management|5|
|Reference and Administrative Information|6|
|Financial Statements||
|Statement of Financial Activities for the Period Ended 31 March 2025|7|
|Balance Sheet as of 31 March 2025|7|
1
**Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
## **Organisational and Constitutional Changes 2024-5**
The Queen’s Park Neighbourhood Forum (’The Forum’) was designated by Bournemouth Borough Council on 6th April 2018 but, as outlined in last year’s annual return, was severely impacted by Covid in carrying out its primary designated duty of the Neighbourhood Plan (‘NP’).
A community consultation was carried out in 2022 to assess whether The Forum, also relating to ‘The Charity’ of the same name, should continue and would be able to meet the expectation of completing the NP. The consultation established the community wish persisted, but volunteer activity was lacking.
As a result, the Trustees at the time expressed their wish to hand over to a new set of Trustees, which took place in Q2 2025. The Trustees examined the constitutions, governance and public perception of both The Charity and The Forum, concluding there was confusion with both possessing the same name.
The constitutions of both organisations were redrafted voted into force, as well the governance structure changed. This made The Charity the lead organization and The Forum being a subordinate workstream although wholly and completely responsible for planning and creation of the NP with a ring-fenced budget and separate steering committee reporting to the trustees.
As a result, The Charity was renamed ‘The Queen’s Park and Charminster Community Charity’ and The Forum retained the name of The Queen’s Park and Charminster Neighbourhood Forum. The charity commission was updated with the new name for the Charity in Q3 2025, along with the new charity constitution and governance framework, subsequent to being voted as accepted at The Charity AGM.
## **Work carried out by The Charity Period 04/2024-03/25**
In accordance with the newly ratified constitution, The Charity agreed with community input to concentrate on a number of themes (workstreams) focused on improving the health and wellbeing of our local community.
The 6 agreed themes are: -
1. Helping those Most in Need;
2. Funding;
3. Environmental;
4. Community Infrastructure;
5. Planning and Neighbourhood Plan;
6. Anti-Social Behaviour and Crime.
Although The Charity constitution limits its responsibility and focus to residents and businesses within the Queen’s Park ward, it also has a remit to work with other persons or bodies outside of the ward where there is mutual benefit.
The charity has been instrumental in a number of successful grant applications and projects within the ward. These include successful grant application for a children’s play area, community volunteer run graffiti and litter removal, collaboration in the creation of a community food bank with a second in progress. In total over 15 community projects have been put in place or delivered via coordination with The Charity. The Charity has become the primary conduit in the ward for community consultation and feedback to the council, and for parties wishing to engage with the community.
## **Work carried out by the Neighbourhood Forum workstream, Period 04/25-03/26**
An application was made to BCP Council in Q2 2025 to redesignate the NP area, retaining the boundaries but with the inclusion of both sides of Charminster Road and an extension to the North to accommodate the part of the previous Strouden Park ward that was absorbed into the Queen’s Park ward due to the redesignation of BCP ward boundaries. The rational for Charminster Road, Strouden Park being non-
2
contentious, being this would be optimal way to include all the retail and hospitality outlets in the ward. This was accepted by the community, neighbouring wards and BCP Council with the redesignation formally announced in Q2 2025.
A concurrent application to groundworks (“ _Locality_ ”) for funding to create of our NP was also accepted, as was an application to assess and provide 2 technical evidence documents: -
1. A 10-year Housing Needs Assessment, and
2. Building and Environment Design Code.
At time of writing, wk. 1 Dec 2026, both of the technical documents have been completed by AECOM and signed off by The Forum, and 90% of the NP has been drafted with 2 of the 5 policy themes remaining.
Of note, the BCP Council Local Plan submitted to central government in Q3 2025 was refused, resulting in it being passed back for revision and resubmission in 2026. This is a key risk, but we are still aiming for a final review and community consultation on our NP end of Q1 2026, and submission to BCP Council Q2 2026.
## **Plans for 2026-7**
The Charity will continue to focus on and deliver in accordance with its constitution, in line with the aforementioned agreed themes. The Forum will continue as an autonomous workstream, under the governance of The Charity trustees, and will aim to complete and deliver the NP in Q1 / Q2 2026.
## **The Charity Constitutional Aims and Objectives**
The objects of The Charity are:
1. To operate within the Queen’s Park and Charminster ward of BCP Council, with the primary aims of:
- Maintaining and improving the quality of life for those residing and working in the local area;
- Promoting and nurturing community responsibility, ownership and pride in the area and encouraging community participation;
- Providing a link between the local people, schools, local authority, voluntary and other organisations;
- Identifying key community issues and coordinating a community response to address and, where possible, resolve them.
2. To identify and coordinate applications for available funding that would benefit the local area.
3. To identify and collaborate with other individuals, agents and organisations that would further the aims of the CIO.
Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the CIO for the purposes which are not charitable in accordance with [section 7 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005] and [section 2 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008].
The following map denotes the boundaries within which The Charity is mandated to operate.
3
Queens Park Neighbourhood Area Boundary
(4
rigms
## **How our Activities Deliver Public Benefit**
Our core themes were agreed via public consultation. The Charity delivers in accordance with Charity Trustee AGM and periodic review meetings, operating as a steering group, to define the Charity strategy and ratify the high-level plans of the working groups aligned with each theme. Not all themes are currently in-process and will be incepted as and when community volunteers and key stakeholders become available.
Each working group will have an autonomous leadership team, who are empowered to deliver projects aligned within their theme in accordance with the Charity strategy. Budgets are ringfenced for each theme, and all expenditure must be approved by The Trustees. Each working group facilitates community consultation and dialogue relating to the theme, agreeing initiatives and interventions (projects) and then own the shaping and delivery of the agreed projects.
## **Financial Review**
The first half of the accounting year the Charity was restructuring and virtually dormant, drafting a new constitution and governance structure.
Although the Charity was actively involved in a number of projects around the core themes, these were all funded by Neighbourhood CIL (“NCIL”) or third-party grant funding paid direct to other delivery partners.
The Charity did receive an award from _Locality_ of £9,970, in relation to completion of a neighbourhood plan, which encompassed the majority of financial expenditure in YF 24-5. We are pleased to say that this project has been very successful, with the neighbourhood plan being 85% completed.
The Charity received a small additional amount of £150 from donations.
Expenses incurred predominantly related to creation of the neighbourhood plan, comprising £8,079 of expenses. The remaining unspent _Locality_ grant is shown £827 which will be repaid to _Locality_ in Q3 2025.
As of 31[st ] March 2025, the CIO held cash at bank totalling £5,242.
Of this £2,416 is deferred income which had been received from the Co-Op Community Fund and will be recognised as income in next years accounts. A further £827 is held as reserves, representing the sum to be repaid to _Locality_ , which was not spent whilst creating the neighbourhood plan.
## **Risk Management**
## **Risks to Delivery of our Neighbourhood Plan**
We recognize the following risks to the creation of the NP, and continued operation of The Forum in its constituted form:
1. Revision and resubmission of the BCP Local Plan;
2. The advent of the new Bournemouth Town Council in May 2026;
- a. This will lead to the dissolution of the Neighbourhood Forum, but we believe will increase the relevance and importance of the Charity in its stead.
3. Central Government plans for devolution to accommodate a larger unitary authority area, into which BCP council may be subsumed.
## **Risks to The Charity Strategy**
The most significant risk faced by our CIO remains the availability of people with the time, skills, knowledge and commitment to dedicate to advancing the CIO’s work. However, with the increased profile of The Charity due to the successful delivery of a number of community projects we are seeing the number
5
of volunteers rising.
The secondary risk is access to funding, with increased competition for the reduced grant funding available. We were granted gift aid assurance and are increasingly focussed on community fund raising rather than external. We are assessing and analysing how we can become self-sufficient for funding in the medium to long term via local business and community collaboration and donations.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## Governing Document
Queen’s Park and Charminster Neighbourhood Forum is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation – a CIO Association, registered with the Charity Commission on 24[th ] February 2021. The CIO constitution was updated in Q2 2025, and registered with the Charity Commission in July 2025.
## Charity Trustees
Every charity trustee must be a natural person aged 16 or more. There should be not less than 3 nor more than 12 appointed trustees. Subject to this maximum number, the members or the charity trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new charity trustee. The charity trustees shall manage the affairs of the CIO and may for that purpose exercise all the powers of the CIO.
## Trustee Induction and Training
All Trustees are provided with a copy of the Charity Commission’s guidance, CC3 – ‘The Essential Trustee’ and C15b – ‘Charity Reporting and Accounting: The Essentials’.
In addition, Trustees have access to a range of Community Action Network (CAN) training courses, such as ‘Being a Charity Trustee’ and ‘Better Governance’.
## **Reference and Administrative Information**
Charity Name Queen’s Park and Charminster Neighbourhood Forum **C** harity Registration Number 1193563 Registered Office 124 City Road London EC1V 2NX Trustees Karen Laird (Chair) Richard Perry (Secretary) William Lennon (Treasurer) Mark Anderson Jessie Hewison **B** ankers HSBC Old Christchurch Road Bournemouth BH1 1EH
6
## **Financial Statements**
## **S** tatement of Financial Activities (SoFA)
**----- Start of picture text -----**
2024/25 2024/25 2023/24 2023/24
£ £ £ £
Income
- 155 - -
Donations
Locality - 9,970 - -
Expenditure
Bank charges 79 - 60 -
-
Locality expenses 8079 - -
Charity expenses 364 - - -
(Deficit) / Surplus of Income over Expenditure - 1,603 - (60)
B alance Sheet
31/3/25 31/3/25 31/3/24 31/3/24
£ £ £ £
Bank - 5,242 - 3,644
Locality – Pending Repayment (Unspent Grant) 872 - - -
Deferred Income – Co-Op Community Fund 2,416 - 2,416 -
Creditors (Bank Charges) - - 5 -
EOY Sub-total
3,288 - 2,421 -
(Creditors)
Net Assets - 1,954 - 1,223
1,223 1,283
Funds Brought Forward - -
Net Funds Applied in Year 731 60
- -
Outstanding liabilities - - - -
Funds Carried Forward - 1,954 - 1,223
**----- End of picture text -----**
7