Ouseburo Ouseburn Community Centre Annual Report and Financial Statement Year End 31" March 2023 Charlty number.. 1195681 Legal Structure: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (C.l.O) Perlod covered: 1st April 2022- 3151 March 2023. Chair erson's Re ort My thanks to our Staff, Volunteers, Colleagues and Supporters It has been another Challenging year for our charty having transitioned from the COVID pandemic back to full normal operations, only to enter a Cost-of-living crisis putting a squeeze on all our customers pockets matched with increasing overheads. This year has been one of stabilisation in temis of keeping our centre busy, providing a wide range of socially motivated activities benefitting our community of interest, matched with generating income to cover our operating costs. Once again. the dedication and commitinent of our Staff, volunteers, partners and supporters has meant we have managed to minimise the impact of the cost-of-living squeeze on our income generation, increasing our total over the previous year. This has helped us to ensure our overall deficit did not push us into an unhealthy financial posits'on for our coming financial year 2023124. So, I would like to begin this report by giving my personal and heartfelt gratitude to our management team - H.C. Horizons C.IC. who have worked tirelessly to keep our centre vibrant and busy providing a wide range of activities, supporting families and their children from low-income households, vulnerable adults and children. whilst carefully balancing the need to trade space to help cover our operating costs. I would also like to thank them for helping to maintain our business continuity and a resilEnt balance sheet over the past 12 months, where our response to community needs and aspirations are a priority within our resourcing and budgeling strategy. I would also like to personally thank our board of truste8s, who have continued to attend board maating8. making critical bu8ina88 daci8ionB, and continuad to provida 8tratagic leadership and directlon to our contracted staff team. Introduction The purpose of my annual report is to provide our stakeholders wtth relevant information about our charity's performance over the past 12 months having only rntlY incorporated. Our charitable objectives are to further or benefit the residents of Newcastle Upon Tyne and the neighbourhood. without distinction of sex, sexual orientstion, race or of political, religious or otheropinions by associating togeth8rthe said rèsidents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents. In the furtherance of those objectives our stewardship and management of the building has been focused on maintaining a vibrant. inclustve and diverse community centre, offering a
wide range of activities to our communities of interest alongside the continual development and creation of new ways to g8n8rate income to keep our charity financially viabla. A key focus for our board has been supporting H.C. Horizons with the challenge of balancing our social focus in helping those in need alongside the requirement to generate income in an equally challenging commercial environment generated by a significant rise in inflation matched with ever increasing overheads that need to be met to run our centre. My report and associated accounts, when read together, provide key information about our organisation, what has been achieved as the result of those activities, how we are governed and our future plans. Asset Transfer In preparing our charity for asset transfer, we have continued to commission H.C. Horizons C.l.C. in supporting us through the asset transfer process. Progress is still very slow with the Council and we are now waiting for the new 35-year lease to complete the transfer process. We are fully prepared to take the opportunities this now presents. with the right terms and will work to best practice, with systems, resourcing, and tools in place to ensure our future success and longevity. The Trustees of our Charity stephen Powers Walter Morauf Kevln Anderson June Conway Summary of activities Following on from our previous years, work l am pleased to report our management arrangements continue to worl( well for our centre and our aclivities are continuing to grow from strength to strength despite the challenges we now fac8 from the cost-of-living crisis. Our reach has evolved over the past 12 months with some of our old partners ceasing to operate and moved on and new partners jolning U5 providing new exGltiri9 aGtivities for our beneficiaries. brief, as a board we have worked with H.C. Horizons C.l.C. to date in undertaking the lowing activities this has included.. Continued negotiations for a new lease for the building for the nexi 35 years. Brought a range of new users to the building with a focus on adults with physical and mental disabilities, adults looking lo learn new skills and children and young people with a focus on early years development. Continued to liaise with the school to pursue opportunities for collaboratlon. Increasing income and identifying further opportunities for income generation sowe are not dependent on grants. Making the Centre accessible to all and flexible options to meet beneficiaries needs
Bringing in and attracting new servi$ so our offer is extended and diverse Users Over the past 12 months Ousebum Community Centre has supported a wide range of existing and new user groups. Our approach has ensured our centre has family and children support and development at the heart of its offer. Our partners are diverse in nature and include but not exhausttve.. Hotspur Primary School - continues to be a central partner to our ntre, delivering their well-utilised Tree House after school and holiday provision. l am very grateful for their continued support of our charty and look forward to continuing to work dosely with them in to the future. Adventure Bable8 - We have estsblished a strong working relationship with our local franchise running regular classes on a Wednesday. Their Sensory Storytelling Baby Classes or Toddler Classes ensure that children enjoy sensory a¢tivibes whi¢h support their speech and language development. sensory development, physical developmen( social and emotional development. However, we have noted that Adventure Babies is finding it challenging due to the cost-of-.living crisis with numbers beginning to dwindle so we have worked them to find a way for them to continue operating. Bloom Baby Newcastle We supported a local entrepreneur establish her Bloom Baby franchise in Newcastle using our centre as her venue. Bloom Baby Classes support parents by teaching baby play activitr'es that can be replicated at home. Our partnership with Bloom Baby sadly came to a close in July 2022 which the operator stated was due to the cost-of-living crisis. Busy Bees - Is an NHS and Council funded seNice unique to Newcasle that supports families with children that have autism. Their focus was on helping parents care for autistic Children, bringing families together to share mutual support. offering help, support, advice and guidance in dealing with this challenging condition. We have enjoyed VrkIng with and supporting Busy Bees but unfortunately our work sadly came to an end in December 2022 when they moved to new premises provided by the council free of charge. Crossroads ProJoct- Our work with Crossroad8 continues to go from strength to strength with them now being a regular fixture within our building. They are now incorporated through help and support provided by H.C. Horizons becoming a bonafide social business with a focus on supporting vulnerable, isolated, eldedy, physical and mentally disabled people. helping them lead fulfilled and active lives by ¥ocialising With likeminded people, leaming new ¥kill?, having nutritiou? food cholS but ultimately having fun in a safe and indusive environment. The company primarily provides fun and educats'onal activities to beneficiaries with the aim of slimulating their motor and cognitive senses to help maintain and improve their bodily and mental functions. We supplement our activities with a lunch Servi to provide healthy, nutntious and affordable hot food. They offer a range of healthy services and ath'vities induding but not limited to.. Zumba Arts and crafts Bingo Indoor bowling Dancing
Singing Accredited training in First Aid This new venture has added a whole new dimension to our social purpose by helping and supportrng a very vulnerable group of interest. Newcastle Dlamond Way Buddhist Group - Are a new group to us and we welcome this new faith into our centre in support of our drive for greater social integration, community cohesion and racial integration, building tolerance beeen communities of interest and identity. Ellte P.E. and Wellbelng - We partnered up with Elite P.E. and W811being who specialise in delivering high quality PE and wellbeing sessions to schools and community venues. We partnered up with them to supportthe Govemment's holiday activities and food programme which provides food and activities to children on free school meals during the school holiday periods. Friends Actlon North East (FANEI - FANE are now a regular customer and their group continues tcf go from strength to strength. Their main purpose is to help adults in the Northeast of England witf4 learning disabilities to make and keep friends. FANE champions friendship, raising expectstions and creating opportunities to do ordinary things. Having this organisation within our centre helps us to reinforce our support for vulnerable adults from within our local community. Hartbeeps- Our work with Hartbeeps came to an end in April 2022 again due to a downtum in numbers, which we believe is linked to the cost-of-living crisis. Our relationship with Hartbeeps helped reinforce our commitment to children and early years developm6nt but sadly now ended. Mana Chrlstlan Church- Continue to be a regular customer of ours and use our centre for their sermons 8very Sunday which is predominantly attended by members of the BME community. We see this as a great platform to welcome people from all denominations into our centre and help them integrate into our local community. Foodnation We are contlnuing to develop our collaborative relationshlp with Foodnation by hosting their Men's pie club which is popular with its participants and has grown to sessions per week. We are working on plans to upgrade our kitchen area to make it fvlly Commercially compliant once the asset transfer is complete, which should help us open up new markets and opportunities associated with food and cooklng opening up new traded income options. Nourlsh Food School - Nourish Food School continue to be a solid partner of ours and previously a part of social enterprise Food Nation. They use our centre as their registered operating address and provide cookery classes, workshops and food events In partnership with us. The company's focus is to positively shape the way people see, eat and experience food every day at every age. They believe food should be enjoyed and a positive part of every lifestyle, and that everyone should have access to the skills, knowledge and confidence to make that happen. Everything they do matches up with our social mission - allowing us to support our local community's health, well-being, skills and happiness. They have worked with us to cascade key messages. Mixed in beeen all of our structured and organised activitles, classes and groups we also hosted a range of events and activities with a variety of local organisations and local residents to broaden our reach into the local community and also help with the accessibility of essential and key health servi$ needed by local people including.. Vita Health Group- one to one mental health support commissioned via the NHS., NewcasJe City Council - with COVID vaccinations, family support work and community Meetings.,
Yoga - we are home to a local YOGA club set and ran by a local resident Table Top Sale - we provided free use of our hall to a local resident to pilot and indoor 'boot sale Lego Club - set up by a local resident as a way of getting chIldn off their hand held deVIS and socialising- Family Fun Zone - Y applied for grant funding from the Council to operate a Family Fun Zone from March 2023 as part of the Wam zone initiative aimed at helping keep families wann during the Winter period. Our session is the only one aimed at families and children and open at a weekend. We worked with Elite P.E. and lQds kntchen to provide good quality food and activitses to keep people active. Summing Up I fimly believe our move to a C.l.O. puts us in a better posits'on to ensure the longevity of our charity looklng Into the future. With the continued help and support of H.C. Horizons C.l.C. l am confident that we will continue to grow our portfolio of social parthers and increase our social impact whilst still hoping to take ownership of the building in 2023 and maintaining a healthy balance sheet to ensure our financial sustsinability- Statement of Accounts 1st Charity Number.. 1195661 Please nots this statement of financial activities has been irKlependenlly examined. The chanty was incorporated on the 31st of August 2021 as a C.l.O. From that date it began operating as Ouseburn Community Centre C.l.O. This is a financial ststement of the a'ccounts of the new charity covering Ihe first full 12-month operats'ng period from the 16t April 2022 _ 3111 March 2023. ril 2022 - 31st March 2023 Independent Accounts for ear ending March 31 2023. Please find a full breakdown of our full yearfs accounts on the next page. Please note Spending out stripped total income but this was to be expected due to the cost-of-llving crisi$ and significantly increased operating overheads. Approved by the Trustees ?????? 2023 signed on their behalf by: Stephen Powers Chairperson Stephen Powers ( .
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