## Yeovil Diversity Project CIO ## **Trustees' Annual Report for the Year Ending 31[st] March 2023** _Key lnformation:_ The name of the charity is "Yeovil Diversity Project" The charity was registered as a Charitable lncorporated Organisation by the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 18th May 2022 under Registered Charity Number 1198996 The charity's principal office is located at 45 The Park, Yeovil Somerset BA20 1DF Trustees of the charity as at 31[st] March 2023 were: - ❖ Alex Young - ❖ Carolyne Taylor - ❖ Claire Howard - ❖ Graham Law - ❖ Jenna Powell - ❖ Laura House - ❖ Lou Langdon - ❖ Tracey Powell - ❖ Amanda Jones Other trustees who served during the year were: - ❖ None The charity is governed by its Model Constitution, which was adopted by the trustees, shortly before registration as a CIO during May 2022. Trustees are recruited by way of social media posts and word of mouth. Potential trustees are interviewed by two of the existing board members and, if proposed, are elected at the next trustees' meeting. All incoming trustees are asked to make themselves familiar with Yeovil Diversity Project's constitution and policies, as well as the Charity Commission's guidance on becoming a trustee (notably "The Essential Trustee"). The minimum and maximum numbers of trustees is governed by our constitution. The trustee board meets at least monthly, although this periodicity can be varied according to the levels of activity ongoing and the perceived need. _Financials:_ Yeovil Diversity Project CIO maintains a Treasurer's Account with Lloyds Bank PLC. AII expenditure through the bank account is authorised by 2 serving trustees, in accordance with the mandate provided. ln the early stages of our development, the sums of money held are small and the trustees have not yet seen a need for a Reserves Policy. Yeovil Diversity Project does not act as a custodian trustee. Page 1 Yeovil Diversity Project CIO **Trustees' Annual Report for the Year Ending 31[st] March 2023** ## _Public Benefit:_ The trustees have taken note of the charity's Public Benefit requirements and consider that these are currently being met. ## _Activities During the Year:_ In June, as part of our pride month celebrations, we had a display in the window of Yeovil Library featuring LGBT+ authors and stories with LGBT+ themes. We also organised a group trip to London where we visited famous gay landmarks, and as part of the Town Council’s jubilee celebrations, we held a rainbow-themed food competition. Throughout the rest of the year, we continued to hold space for LGBT+ people in the local community with our monthly social group, “Let’s Get Beverages Together”. We also arranged a private swim session for LGBT+ youth in conjunction with 2BU Somerset, which has since grown into a well-attended, regular event. We helped to facilitate the second Yeovil Together, a celebration for the diverse ethnic minorities within the Yeovil community, which we helped found in 2021. One of our biggest and unexpected achievements was organising Yeovil Does Pride. Yeovil has had an annual Pride celebration since 2019, but in 2022 the usual organisers announced that they would not be putting on the event. Having been a cornerstone of the local LGBT+ community for the last couple of years, we knew how important the event was to local queer people – so despite the incredibly short notice, we pulled together and made sure an event still took place. It was well received and, along with our other work, has secured our reputation as a consistent and reliable resource in Yeovil for LGBT+ people. ## _Conclusion:_ Our first year as an official charity has seen us taking a direction we hadn’t intended to go, but was necessary in response to the needs of the minority communities we serve. We are delighted that the year under review sees us going from strength to strength following our registration of the charity and formalising our commitment to the local community. Lou Langdon Chair Laura House Secretary Page 2 Statement of lncome and Expenditure for the period 18/05/2022 - 31/03/2023 INCOME _Restricted Unrestricted_ **Total** RAYS _£1,046.00_ Donations _£1,050.00 £1,046.00 £1,050.00_ **£2,096.00** EXPENDITURE _Restricted Unrestricted_ **Total** RAYS _£99.00_ Admin _£72.00_ Pride _£588.88 £99.00 £660.88_ **£759.88 Net Surplus for the period £1,336.12** FUNDS HELD Balance brought forward as at 18/05/2022 £0.00 Net Surplus for the period £1,336.12 **Funds held as at 31/03/2023 £1,336.12** REPRESENTED BY Lloyds Bank Treasurer's Account £1,336.12 **£1,336.12** Yeovil Diversity Project Charitable lncorporate Organisation (Registered No: 1198996)