2024-03-31-accounts

Ouseburn Community Centre Annual Report and Financial Statement Year End 31[st] March 2024

Charity number : 1195661 Legal Structure: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (C.I.O).

Chairperson’s Report

My thanks to our Staff, Volunteers, Colleagues and Supporters

It has been another challenging year for our charity as we further emerged from COVID, faced a cost of living crisis particularly in terms of utilities for the Centre and saw the impact of service users and providers. Demand was up so delivering a broad range of socially driven activities that benefitted our local community was our key purpose. Alongside these challenges the funding environment and landscape is changing limiting opportunities.

Once again, the dedication and commitment of our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters has meant we have managed to maintain our balanced financial position at the end of the reporting period, 31 March 2024.

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 driven the partnerships and collaboration that has resulted in new services where the response to community needs and aspirations are a priority alongside our resourcing and budgeting strategy.

I would also like to personally thank my fellow Trustees who have continued to attend board meetings, making critical business decisions, and continued to provide strategic leadership and direction to our contracted staff team.

Introduction

The purpose of my annual report is to provide our stakeholders with relevant information about our charity’s performance over the last year.

Our charitable objectives are to further or benefit the residents of Newcastle Upon Tyne and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents 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 getting services and activities back up and running alongside developing

and responding to new opportunities and requests as identified by our community development activity and entrepreneurial focus.

To sum up, the year saw the Centre:

• opened and accessed by residents 7 days per week

• support out of school childcare provision for local families and those in need 50 weeks of the year

• deliver holiday and food hunger provision for families

• create a warm space focused on children and young people

• support 2 new groups targeted at those who might be excluded from provision and opportunity

• facilitate 156 sessions for those with special needs focused on self organisation and empowerment

• support 64 sessions targeted at BAME residents

• host 100 mens pie club sessions plus training opportunities

• support food related healthy living activities with the purpose of no one being disadvantaged by what they eat or exacerbate heath related symptoms with diet

• facilitate fund raising with core groups to aid their delivery and sustainability focusing on empowerment and self reliance taking a capacity building approach

• host work of the Social Enterprise Academy which offered leadership and management training alongside coaching and mentoring

• support the Council to engage with a wider range of residents and different audiences with regards road plans for the area

• support 26 friendship group sessions

• administer 13 womens led sessions including outreach work

• support 78 children and young peoples language sessions

• support numerous parties, celebrations and family events

Our monitoring and evaluation tells us that the Centre is viewed as accessible to all, friendly and cooperative however the work of the Council with regards roads, entry and exit points in the area has affected our clients, user groups and services. Making some of our offer unsustainable . We will continue to monitor the situation and as we have done already review, reflect and amend services.

The Trustees of our C.I.O for 2023/24

• Stephen Powers

• Walter Morauf

• Kevin Anderson

• June Conway

Users

Over the past 12 months Ouseburn 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 monitoring data tells us that Centre usage has increased again.

Beneficiary numbers for the year amounted to in excess of 15,000 with noticeably

34% self identifying as having a disability

12% identifying as BAME.

33% of users are male- this is uncommon in most community settings which are most commonly accessed by women

33% of beneficiaries are children and young people

We are giving some thought to how we can improve the accuracy of our data collection with the purpose of demonstrating impact and reach to grant funders.

We have strived to respond to community priorities such as dealing with the cost of living crisis and being able to get together, connect, make new relationships, learn and share more.

Summin U g p

I firmly believe our move to a C.I.O. puts us in a better position to ensure the longevity of our charity looking into the future. With the continued help and support of H.C. Horizons C.I.C. I am confident that we will continue to grow our portfolio of social partners and increase our social impact whilst taking ownership of the building and maintaining a healthy balance sheet to ensure our financial sustainability.

Statement of Accounts 1st of April 23 – 31[st] March 2024

Charity Number: 1195661

Please note this statement of financial activities has been independently examined.

The charity was incorporated on the 31 of August 2021 as a C.I.O. From that date it began operating as Ouseburn Community Centre C.I.O. This is a financial statement of the accounts of the charity for the detailed 12 month period.

Income and expenditure account

Income

Source Tot al	Source Tot al
Standard earned income	£52,591.43
Grants	£190
Donations	£300
Investment and other income	£450.57
Total Income	£53,532.32

Expenditure

Source Total	Source Total
Rent and Rates	£1252.37
Heat, Light and Power	£10,631.21
Printing and stationary	£302
Telephone and Computer	£1105.25
Maintenance	£2425.50
Professional Fees	£32,754.50
General Expenses	£791.27
Total Expenditure	£49,262.10

Please note

• The accounts are evenly balanced with a small surplus created towards our capital spend plans.

Approved by the Trustees on 16[th] January 2025 signed on their behalf by: Stephen Powers

Chairperson

Stephen Powers (Jan 16[th] , 2025, 19:00GMT)