2025-05-01-accounts

Bridlington Friends Association Trustees Annual Report for 2024-25

Charity’s Name

Bridlington Friends Association

Charity Registration Number:

2101010

Registered Address:

Bridlington Friends Association,

Morley’s Yard,

Beverley,

East Riding of Yorkshire,

United kingdom, HU17 9BY.

Trustee Names

Tracey Hobson, Michael Hobson, Bruce Oliver, Julia Kendrick, Susan Hutchinson, Christine Maltby

BFA’ s Structure and Details of how BFA is Managed

Tracey Hobson is the Chairperson of BFA and is the Founder of the Charity. Tracey heads the BFA Management Committee and the BFA Board of Trustees and is the Safeguarding Lead.

Michael Hobson is the Treasurer of BFA and is also a Founder of the Charity.

Bruce Oliver is the Schools and Education Officer of BFA and is also a Group Facilitator for BFA, running the BFA Bridlington Chess Club and the BFA Strolling Group (for all abilities). BFA also run a Chess Project in Schools to get Children interested in playing Chess which Bruce runs and co-ordinates.

Julia Kendrick is the Health & Safety Officer of BFA and is an active officer across BFA Events and Groups.

Susan Hutchinson is a General Officer of BFA and is an active officer across BFA Events. Susan is also active with the recruiting of new subscribers, known as ‘Members’ and ‘Membership’ at BFA.

Christine Maltby is the Engagement & Safeguarding Officer of BFA and works in conjunction with the Chairperson who is the Safeguarding Lead for BFA.

BFA also has a Management Committee Member called Jim Taylor . Jim is also a General Officer of BFA and is active with the recruiting of new subscribers, known as ‘Members’ and ‘Membership’ at BFA.

BFA Trustees hold a meeting monthly to assess past events, plan forward events and vote on various factors to make sure the charity continues to move forward, achieve its primary objectives and look at best practice, including what we have done well and what needs improvement or change moving forward.

These scheduled meetings consist of 9 x Management Committee Meetings per annum, where all Trustees and Jim Taylor attend and 3 x BFA Board of Trustee Meeting’s including the AGM – which all Trustees attend.

How BFA Recruits Trustees (and Management Committee Members)

Recruiting new committee members is the responsibility of Chairperson and is fully discussed with the other Trustees before an offer is made or an application accepted.

A Committee Member or a Charity Trustee at BFA - must be 18 yrs or older.

We also follow a stringent set of government guidelines as to who cannot be a Committee Member or Trustee at BFA. These guidelines include:

• Anyone who has been convicted of an offense involving deception or dishonesty, unless the conviction is spent

• Anyone who is an undischarged bankrupt or has made a formal agreement with creditors under the Insolvency Act 1986

• Anyone who has previously been removed from trusteeship by the Charity Commission or the courts

• Anyone who is disqualified from being a company director

BFA are very clear about these restrictions regarding people who are interested in joining the BFA committee to avoid making it difficult for them at a later stage.

Trustees and Committee Members at BFA generally start off as Volunteers.

The Chairperson always considers who will make a good Trustee or Committee Member to make sure BFA finds the right people with the right skills, knowledge and experience to join our Board and Committee.

BFA’s Constitution states that there can be a maximum of 8 x Trustees and a 4 x Management Committee Members at any one time.

BFA’s Objectives in the year

BFA is headed by an effective board that provides strategic leadership in line with the charity’s aims and values, led by the chairperson, which is reflected in the management committee.

Strong and effective leadership by the chairperson, helps the charity adopt an appropriate strategy for effectively delivering its aims. It also sets the tone for the charity, including its vision, mission and strategy.

BFA is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). By law, our charity’s objectives must be charitable.

The chairperson and board periodically review the organisation’s charitable purposes, and the external environment in which it works, to make sure that the charity, and its purposes, stay relevant and valid.

The board regularly reviews the sustainability of its income sources and business models and their impact on achieving charitable purposes in the short, medium and longer term.

The chairperson and board recognise its broader responsibilities towards communities, stakeholders, wider society and the environment, and acts on them in a manner consistent with the charity’s purposes, values and available resources.

BFA’s Activities in the year

BFA base their offering to subscribers known as ‘members’ or ‘membership’ and the wider community by putting on 5 x BFA core events per month, some of which, at certain times of year, are open to the community. The 5 BFA Monthly Events are:

• 1 x BFA Friendship and Warm Space Café

• 1 x BFA Monthly Social

• 1 x BFA Monthly Quiz Night

• 1 x BFA Meal in the Community

• 1 x BFA Coffee Morning (CHUMS) in the Community

Other than the above stated BFA Events there are BFA Groups that meet weekly: i.e.: BFA Bridlington Chess Club, BFA Walking Group, BFA Film and Cinematic Group, BFA CHUMS and the BFA Drama Group. Groups are decided by subscribers known as ‘members’ or ‘membership’ supported by BFA. There is always a clear Group Facilitator put in place, who is responsible to the chairperson and follows all BFA policies and procedures, in line with the constitution and insurance requirements.

The above BFA events take place at different times and locations making BFA accessible to all adults in Bridlington and the surrounding areas.

BFA also celebrates all important times of the year such as the Festive Season, Easter, Summer, Halloween etc when we open our doors to the General Community.

BFA also support other organisations in the community and have set up referral programs for them to refer into BFA, such as: NHS Humber Partnership Trust, GP Surgeries, Connect, Red Cross, Mental health in the Community etc.

BFA is based around social inclusion and at all BFA events and group meetings we have a Welcome Table.

The BFA events and groups above help adults within the community to be part of a great social organisation which also combats: Social Exclusion, Loneliness, Isolation, Bereavement and people new to the area looking to build a support networks and a social life. The ‘BFA Team’ always make sure that there is plenty of conversation, laughter and fun for everyone attending.

BFA Achievements and Performance

BFA Good Practice

• BFA have delivered all that we set out to deliver at the start of the year.

• The 12 x BFA Social Events with: 4 of them open to the whole Community including families. Over that 12-month period: 7 were Music based, 4 were local Speakers based and 1 was a Pantomime with Carol Singers. People who attend also enjoy the monthly raffle and information available at all BFA events. Approx. 580 people attended BFA Social Events over the year – subscribers (which can be multiple attendances throughout the year) and guests/members/children from the Community. There were also 129 performers/speakers through BFA Social Events giving local performers/speakers an opportunity and a platform.

• The 12 x BFA Friendship and Warm Space Cafes all took place, offering free hot drinks or bottled water and biscuits. All were used as a drop in for a ‘Cuppa and a Natter’, some were also Craft Cafes, Diabetic Support, Demonstrations such as CPR, a Local Information Service /Speaker and all were filled with kindness, support and friendship. There were also 12 demonstrators/speakers through BFA Friendship and Keep Warm Cafes giving local demonstrators/speakers an opportunity and a platform.

• The 11 x BFA Monthly Quiz Nights all took place. (BFA do not run a BFA Quiz Night in December as the dates fall over the Christmas period). These are very popular events, and everyone gets to play as part of a team. They are all open to the community. The Quiz comprises of 8 x Rounds of 10 Questions, with special rounds to do with the time of year and a Raffle. The Quiz Evenings are always filled with laughter, banter and conversation. There were approx. 390 attend the BFA Monthly Quiz nights throughout the year (some people came to multiple Quiz Nights).

• The 12 x BFA Meal in the Community, were all very successful and gave BFA subscribers the opportunity to go out in a Group setting to a local café,

restaurant or hotel for a nice meal in company. The meals are very popular with individuals and couples. Over the year we had: 8 x Lunches, 3 x Evening Meals and 2 x Afternoon Teas. One of the Lunches was open to the Community and was the BFA Christmas Lunch. As an extra there was a ‘Lets Sparkle’ Festive Dinner Dance held at a Local Hotel in December. There were approx. 282 people attended the BFA Meal in the Community and Dinner Dance also giving local businesses an opportunity to showcase their premises and menus. This is part of our ‘Sharing the Wealth’ around the community and working with local businesses. It also gives individuals who are on their own the opportunity to enjoy a meal out, which they wouldn’t normally do on their own.

• 12 x BFA Coffee Morning (CHUMBS) in the Community. Over the year we had 12 x Coffee Mornings in the community. This was an open group we formed called CHUMS to help people get out and about in the local community. It was run by a very experience Group Facilitator who planned great coffee mornings for BFA subscribers at many locations within the community. There were only approx.50 people attend over the year (with not many regulars) and on a couple of planned occasions nobody turned up at the coffee mornings. It was decided after having talks with the Group Facilitator and the subscribers, trustees and committee members that due to the lack of interest, that we would close the coffee mornings. The findings when speaking to subscribers were that due to the BFA Monthly Meal in the Community and the BFA Friendship and Keep Warm Cafes it wasn’t required.

The numbers quoted above include multiple attendance to different events by BFA subscribers and members of the local community at BFA Community Events.

Measuring Impact and Out Comes

As was earlier stated in this report the BFA Trustees and BFA Management Committee meet on a regular basis to review and plan all events looking at best Practice in all areas. BFAs success is not just measured in quantifiable outcomes such as numbers but in human terms. The main work quite often is seen in individuals gaining confidence, finding the strength to leave their homes and rebuild their lives, having things to put in their calendars and the laughter and friendships made along the way. BFA are proud to be based around social inclusion which is for everyone not just ‘Jo public’ but it also means providing a safe space for adults working through bereavement, coping with adult autism, suffering long term illness like diabetes and dementia etc. BFA activities contributed over this period to positive outcomes not just in numerical numbers but through improving and adding something to individual’s lives. BFA Welcomes all adults from our local community to become subscribers known as ‘Members’ and ‘Membership’ and attend events. There is always a Warm Welcome waiting for everyone at BFA.

BFA’s Public Benefit Statement

Public Benefit Statement

• Bridlington Friends Association (BFA)

• Charity Number: 2101010

• Most recent draft: 10/2025 prepared by Tracey Hobson approved by the BFA Trustees 10/2025.

• The objects of the BFA shall be to provide benefit to all adult inhabitants of Bridlington and the surrounding areas without distinction of the protected characteristics as outlined below:

These are to:

• (i) provide opportunities for all adults through activities, groups, events, outings, visits, trips & holidays, socials, referral programs and to provide appropriate assistance to people at times of need.

• (ii) provide opportunities for all adults to experience social inclusion within their communities.

• (iii) provide educational and learning opportunities for all adults as required

The public benefits that flow from purpose (i) are:

• (a) Increased opportunities for adults to build friendships and support networks whilst enjoying a vast range of recreational activities, which in turn benefits the whole area.

The public benefits that flow from purpose (ii) are:

• (a) Increased opportunities for individuals to experience inclusion, friendship and support, resulting in the benefits of a deeper emotional understanding and connection with others. This increased ability to comprehend and empathize leads to a more cohesive community and increased public wellbeing.

• (b) Increased investment in communities where BFAs activities and socials are taking place, through use and hire of premises, purchasing of materials and subscribers spending in the community through discount deals boosting the local economy.

The public benefits that flow from purpose (iii) are:

• (a) An enhanced quality of life and sense of well-being through engagement

• (b) With and participation in activities and events that allow people to express themselves actively, socially and creatively, leading to improvements in physical and emotional well-being, quality of life and a more stable and cohesive community.

• (c) No harm arises from the purposes, the beneficiaries are all adults, and the general public and no private benefit arises from these purposes.

Footnote:

A Financial Review covering this period has also been uploaded separately.

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