Bodmin Community Association (Charity No. 1196016) Trustees Report for period
1st April 2024 – 31[st] March 2025
Trustees
Carol Randall Carolyn Screech Fintan Roland Bowler Irwin Laine Gynn Nigel Bolt Susan Alsworth Susan Joy Tune Thomas Frank George Thrussell
Recruitment of New Trustees
At the beginning of the period BCA was transitioning into a new management structure and 5 more trustees were recruited. These were
Carol Randall
Carolyn Screech
Laine Gynn
Nigel Bolt
Susan Alsworth
The original intention was for Fin Irwin and Thomas Thrussell to resign once the bank account was sorted and new signatories were arranged. This had not happened by the end of the period. Su Tune continued as a Trustee. Towards the end of the period several of the trustees were unable to spend time on the BCA work because of ill health and increased workload which did affect what we were able to achieve in the last quarter.
Financial
Opening balance for this period was £22,568.03 There was no income in this period Total expenses - £1146.69 Website invoice – Wix - £115.20 Website domain - £29.95 Insurance - £96 Games and equipment for Kinsman Family Day and launch- £92.83 Tables and covers for launch - £93.89 Sweets and drinks for Kinsman Family Day and launch - £103.89 Tabards and clothes - £179.33 Printing of banners, stickers and flag – £290.40 Darcie Albrighton singer at event - £30 The closing balance for the period was £21421.34
Kinsman Family Day
The Kinsman Estate is a social housing estate in one of the most deprived areas of Bodmin. The Kinsman Hub community group holds an event every summer for Kinsman families to enjoy. We donated drinks and games equipment for the event and ran fun tug of war contests for the children.
Launch event – Fun in the Park – 3[rd] August 2024
We launched the new BCA at the Fun in the Park event held on 3[rd] August 2024. It is organised annually by a community group (CIC) called KBSK. It is free to attend, and everything is free, including food and all activities.
We had a small marquee stocked with free drinks and sweets and free games. The weather was excellent and approx. 3000 people, mostly families, were estimated to have attended. Many of Bodmin’s community groups came along and it was a very successful event and a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration.
Community Group Meetup – 25[th] September 2024
On the evening of 25[th] September, we invited representatives from local community groups to a meeting to discuss what community groups need in order to thrive.
The attendees were asked to rate 8 possible supportive ways that the Bodmin Working Together (BWT) programme could help the local community groups. The ratings given were from 1 to 5 with 1 being Not at all helpful and 5 being Very helpful.
1. Practical advice and guidance about starting up a community group
2. Bring community groups together and facilitate collaboration
3. Have a small stock of useful equipment that groups can borrow e.g. Sum Up machines, poster and banner frames, trestle tables etc.
4. Raising awareness of groups and unmet needs
5. Fundraising – arranging collaborative bids for commonly needed resources
6. Make small grants to help with funding needs
7. Help with governance and grant funding applications
- Help to find venues and volunteers
There were 16 responses and the average score for all of these possible services was 4 so they were all considered to be helpful. The open discussion placed an emphasis on letting people know what groups there are and what they do so this would appear to be a sensible priority. We had just launched the BWT website
www.bodminworkingtogether.org.uk so we planned to use this as a central place to access information about the groups that exist and other useful information. We also launched the Bodmin Working Together Facebook Group to aid collaboration and information sharing.
The discussion about the challenges that groups are facing highlighted the need for most of the groups to make people aware that they exist and what they offer so that they can attract new members. Some groups also need volunteers to allow them to do more. Fundraising was also a challenge for many of the groups. Advice on how to start a group, help with paperwork and bidding for grants were also mentioned as being useful.
It was agreed that the lack of affordable and accessible transport prevented many people from participating in groups and other community activities, especially the elderly and those on low incomes. We are aware that there is an opportunity being worked on to get a bus for local community use but getting a minibus is the straightforward part. Finding a safe place to garage it, maintaining it, insuring it and finding reliable drivers, booking systems etc. are all issues that need to be organised and funded.
Another transport related problem identified was that some residents are unable to collect and deliver things. So, although there are often free items available, arranging for them to be collected can be very expensive.
There was a lot of interest in the idea that we could set up a stock of items that groups could borrow rather than having to buy them. Items mentioned included trestle tables, chairs, card readers, audio equipment and display boards. Some groups said they would be willing to share equipment assuming that things would be securely managed.
After the workshop invitations were sent out to approximately 50 community group leaders and stakeholders to join the free BWT together with a questionnaire to obtain group information for the website. Despite chasing the response was disappointing with only 4 groups submitting their information. Subsequent conversations with group members did not provide us with a reason for this lack of engagement.
Support for Community Bus project
In November 2024 we began discussions with the leaders of the local Community Bus project, a partnership between intoBodmin and Lanivet One for All, both local community groups. This project was to create a sustainable, community-led transport network to improve mobility for residents in Bodmin, Lanivet, and the wider Camel Valley. The project will help to provide
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Reliable Transport – Connecting rural villages with key services.
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Stronger Communities – Reducing isolation and improving well-being.
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Sustainability – A scalable model with volunteer drivers, hireable services, and long-term funding strategies.
Many people in rural Cornwall face limited transport options, high travel costs, and social isolation. This project addresses these challenges by coordinating three community buses to provide regular routes, hireable services, and volunteer-driven transport, ensuring that everyone—especially older adults, people with disabilities, and families— can access essential services, leisure activities, and social opportunities. Bodmin has two neighbourhoods with high levels of deprivation and affordable and reliable transport is critical for those residents in particular.
The project needed funds to
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Expand the fleet – 12 seat minibus and an additional 16-seat electric community bus
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Grow the team – recruiting a Project Coordinator and volunteer drivers.
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Build partnerships – Accessing funding, sponsorship, and local collaboration to ensure long-term success.
The plan was for a fully functioning bookable community bus service to be operational by the summer of 2025.
In February 2025, we agreed to support the project with £5000 to provide match-funding for a grant application for additional funds. The payment was not made in this period but in June 2025.
Support for Bodmin Revival CIC Creative Studio and Gallery project
In December 2024, the Trustees resolved to pledge a donation of £5000 to Bodmin Revival CIC for the purpose of helping to establish a Creative Studio and Gallery in Bodmin town centre.
Bodmin Revival CC is a new organisation set up to help regenerate the town. The Creative Studio and Gallery was the first project. The goals for this project are to begin to regenerate the town centre sustainably, to give opportunities to local people, develop skills, support our young people and attract footfall with interesting events and products that people can't buy online or at a retail park. It will also be used as a public engagement hub in the town centre for the CIC so that people can pop in and see what is happening and make sure that people are given the chance to voice their opinions.
The payment was not made within this period, until June 2025.
| Transaction Date | Transaction Description | Debit Amount | Credit Amount | Balance | Purchases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/05/2024 | Darcie Allbrighton | £30.00 | £22,538.03 | Singer set at event | |
| 18/07/2024 | Carol Randall Reimbursement | 646.96 | £21,891.07 | Reimbursement for wix invoice - £115.20 | |
| Insurance - Zurich Insuramce - £96 | |||||
| Website domain - £29.95 | |||||
| Games Equipment - £92.83 | |||||
| Tables and covers - £93.89 | |||||
| Sweets and drinks -£103.89 | |||||
| 12/08/2024 | Carol Randall Reimbursement | 469.73 | £21,421.34 | Reimbursement for printing of banners etc - £290.40 | |
| Tabards and sweatshirts - £179.33 | |||||
| Opening balance for period April 2024 to End March 2025 | £22,568.03 | ||||
| Closing balance for period April 2024 to End March | 2025 | £21,421.34 |
Reimbursement necessary as severe delays from bank changing signatories for new trustees