Big Local Gateshead – Charity number: 1200709 Tyne View Health Hub, Rose Street, Gateshead NE8 2LS
ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024
What is Big Local Gateshead?
Big Local Gateshead is a resident-led charity first established to help people living or working in Teams, Derwentwater, and Racecourse Estates to make positive change in their community. We began as one of 150 Big Locals up and down the country, each with their own catchment areas and a £1m grant to spend over a 13-year period.
In 2022 we became registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, then in 2023 we published our final community plan as part of the national Big Local programme – two big steps towards securing a long-term sustainable future for the organisation. Our governing body continues to be made up of people who come from and are deeply passionate about this community. There are currently 6 trustees serving on the board of Big Local Gateshead.
Congratulations to our long-standing Chairperson, Lawrence O’Halleron who was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours’ List at the beginning of 2024 year in recognition of his tireless dedication to this community.
Community at work
All the work we do is completely dependent on the drive of volunteers who really care about this area. Our core, long-standing projects, were started by local people with support from the Big Local Gateshead team and we continue to offer our resources, space, skills, knowledge, and funding to any individual or organisation who work towards the same goal – a better community.
The Pop-Up Shop has had a very positive year indeed, distributing more than 11 tons of surplus food and raising £ over the financial period. Regular customers have turned an informal cuppa before the shop opens on a Friday morning into a fledgling women’s group.
Teams Wheelers community cycle club have racked up an astonishing 149 group rides in the last year and now boast a membership of 75! With the financial support of Cycling UK and volunteers from Teams Wheelers, we have been able to help adult beginner cyclists get out on 2 wheels and refurbish 14 donated bikes that went straight back into the community at bargain prices.
Doing more in Teams
Coming into 2023 we had big plans to expand our work across the whole of our catchment area, growing from our first real headquarters at the Big Local Bungalow. In March we hosted the grand opening of Victoria Road Scout Centre, bringing that building back into community use for the first time in more than 10 years. We secured a new home for Teams Wheelers Community Cycle Club in April, at what we have dubbed the Tyne View Health Hub, just off Rose Street. Late this summer we opened a second community allotment to operate as a small nursery as part of Herb Hub, and began to offer new gardening sessions from Fountain Court supported accomodation, St. Aidan’s Primary School, and Cuthbert’s House Probation Service. Generous funding from the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board allowed us to establish a new group in partnership with the early-onset dementia service at Bensham Hospital offering activities for those living with life-changing illness.
Big Local Gateshead is a registered charity 1200709
Big Local Gateshead – Charity number: 1200709 Tyne View Health Hub, Rose Street, Gateshead NE8 2LS
During our consultation at the start of 2023 you asked for more community events, and across our seasonal programme we delivered 38 separate day trips, get together, celebrations, and competitions. We tried to spread those events across the area and offer a wider array of activities than in previous years to encourage more people to get involved and had some fantastic results, full coaches and fresh faces!
Collaboration
Working with other organisations is absolutely key to some of our greatest successes over the last year. There are dozens of partners that we’re proud to have worked alongside, but some of the standout projects include:
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Supporting passionate residents Virginia and Roger with the launch of the very first Riverside Window Walk alongside the Staiths Café and Tyne Derwent Way staff teams.
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Helping establish a brand-new forest school with Stomping Grounds just 100 yards from our doors.
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Growing a fantastic network of support at Tyne View with the Teams Family Hub, Eslington School, and NHS teams.
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Improved facilities for homeless young people at Changing Lives
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Supported the Sandown Gardeners club to become completely independent selfgoverning organisation.
Our future
In March this year we launched the first of many pilot projects that we hope will provide a diverse range of benefits to local people while also creating some financial security for our charity – Herb Hub, which you will hear more about shortly. Suzanne has been carefully expanding on our very successful horticultural work, securing funding for new groups using the allotment, and creating some stunning artwork with young students from local schools.
We plan to replicate that approach across our other spaces, starting at Rose Street where we’re thrilled to announce we have secured long-term premises at last. In 2024 we will begin to shape the Tyne View Health Hub into a fully functioning new community centre to benefit all. We vacated our office at Victoria Road at the end of 2023, but we hope to continue using the Scout Centre to provide many more largescale events there in the future.
Big Local Gateshead is a registered charity 1200709
Big Local Gateshead
Registered Charity No. 1200709
Financial Statements for the period ended 31 March 2024
Legal Information - 2023/24
Name: Big Local Gateshead Charity Number: 1200709 Structure: Registered Charity (CIO) Trustees: Chair: Lawerance O'Halleron Lesley Gooding Susan Moody Brandon Bartrop Brenda Clelland Paula Graham Address: Tyne View Health Hub Rose Street Gateshead Tyne And Wear NE8 2LS Independent Mark Thompson MAAT Examiner: 42 Lesbury Road Newcastle Upon Tyne NE6 5LB
Big Local Gateshead – Trustees’ Report 2024
Aims & objectives
Big Local Gateshead is a charity based in Teams, ran by the people who live here with the aim of: - Developing the capacity and skills of those living, working, or volunteering in our catchment area (Teams and Racecourse Estate).
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Supporting the people living here to identify and meet the needs of their community.
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To provide facilities for recreation and leisure time with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents.
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To do this work without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions held by our beneficiaries.
Achievements
Since becoming constituted in October 2022 our projects have been able to grow significantly and support even more local people. Funding from the North East and Cumbria Integrated Care Board has enabled our community allotment on Arkle Street to partner with Bensham Hospital's memory hub and set up a horticultural therapy project to benefit patients of early-onset Alzheimer's. Our food surplus project, the Pop-Up Shop, has been able to secure an expanded range of produce from Fareshare North East, allowing us to reach further into the community.
Over the past 18 months we have worked hard to develop Big Local Gateshead as a charity. We have adopted a whole suite of policies including safeguarding, health and safety, GDPR, equal opportunities, finance, environment, and more. We have secured insurance to protect our community work and implemented a new induction procedure for all future staff and volunteers. Lastly, we have expanded the board of trustees to 6 members.
Plans for next year
Big Local Gateshead has now secured a one year lease of a new premises for the charity at Tyne View Health Hub, off Rose Street, Gateshead NE8 2LS. The building shares a site with 2 organisations we already work closely with - Teams Family Hub and Eslington Primary School, and others we hope to work with in the future including the community midwife team and home visit NHS team. We intend to grow this building into a fullyfunctional community space that can accommodate all of our ongoing projects and explore new opportunities to work with the surrounding communities.
Over the next year we will also look to grow and develop our board of trustees, looking especially audit our skills and seek out new members who can help to increase our diversity and add to our strength. We will continue to expand our suite of policies and procedures, and look to becoming an employer for new staff members.
Statement of Trustees' responsibilities
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which show a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and its financial activities for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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State whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operational existence.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:-
...................................................... Print Name...................................................... Date ….......................
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
Report to the Big Local Gateshead trustees of
On accounts for 31 March 2024 Charity no 1200709 the year ended
Respective The trustees of the organisation are responsible for the preparation of responsibilities of accounts; they consider that an audit is not required for this year under trustees and section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 and that an Independent examiner Examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to
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examine the accounts (under section 145 of the 2011 Act),
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follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the
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Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act), and
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state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions independent given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review examiner’s of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the statement accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
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Independent In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention: examiner's 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material statement respect, the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that:
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proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with section 130 of
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the Act); and
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accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and
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comply with the accounting requirements of the Act; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Date: 20th November 2024
Name: Mark Thompson MAAT Address: 42 Lesbury Road Newcastle NE6 5LB
Big Local Gateshead
Receipts & Payments Account 18 October 2022 to 31 March 2024
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | |||
| Receipts | ||||
| Donations and Membership | 4 | 20659 | 20659 | |
| Grants | 5 | 7660 | 7660 | |
| Shop Sales | 1993 | 1993 | ||
| Total Receipts | 22652 | 7660 | 30312 | |
| Payments | ||||
| Cost of Projects Delivered | 1261 | 1680 | 2941 | |
| Office Costs | 308 | 308 | ||
| Trustees Expenses | 85 | 85 | ||
| Utilities | 4 | 4 | ||
| Total Payments | 1658 | 1680 | 3338 | |
| Surplus/Deficit for the period | 20994 | 5980 | 26974 | |
| Total Funds at 31 March 2024 | 20994 | 5980 | 26974 |
Big Local Gateshead
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024
| Notes | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Assets | ||
| Current Account | 310 | |
| Cash in Hand | 162 | |
| Debtors | 9 | 26502 |
| Net Assets at 31 March 2024 | 26974 | |
| Total Funds at 31 March 2024 | 26974 | |
| Represented by : | ||
| Unrestricted Reserves | 20994 | |
| Restricted Reserves | 5980 | |
| Total Funds | 26974 |
The financial statements were approved by the following members of the Management Committee: Signed…………………………………. Position…………………………….. Signed…………………………………. Position…………………………….. Date
Big Local Gateshead
Notes to the Financial Statements to March 2024.
- 1 The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) – Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006
Big Local Gateshead meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
- 2 Big Local Gateshead is a charity registered with the Charity Commission, as a CIO. Registration no 1200709
It is governed by a management committee. The first year has been extended to cover 18th October 2022 to 31st March 2024. Future financial years will run from April to March(12 months).
- 3 Trustees were reimbursed expenses during the year, a total of £85.20.
4 Donations and Membership This includes £20,521.80 of donations taken from surplus food project from 2019-2024, held on the charity's behalf by St. Chads Community Project.
4 Grants Received:
Horticulture Therapy Project: Gateshead Council £ 7,660 (On behalf of North East and Cumbria Integrated Care Board). Total Grants Received £ 7,660
- 7 The cost for Independent Examination for the year will be £???
| Balance | Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Restricted Funds | Oct 2022 | Income | Expenditure | March 2024 |
| Horticulture Therapy Project: | 0 | 7660 | 1680 | 5980 | |
| Total | 0 | 7660 | 1680 | 5980 | |
| 9 | Debtors | ||||
| Horticulture Therapy Project Grant | 5980 | ||||
| Food Project Surplus | 20522 | ||||
| Total Debtors | 26502 |