ANNUAL TRUSTEES REPORT
PERCY MAIN CRICKET AND SPORTS CLUB
For financial year 2024: 30 Jan 2024 – 30 Nov 2024
DETAILS
| Name: | Percy Main Cricket and Sports Club |
|---|---|
| Registered Address: | St Johns Green, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, |
| NE29 6HS. | |
| Charity number: | 1206787 |
| Incorporated: | 30 Jan 2024 |
| Trustees: | Steven Knight |
| Alex Young | |
| Jon Roys | |
| Philip Cramman | |
| Other management contributors: | Robert Cooper |
| Peter Young | |
| David Byerley | |
| Email: | trustees@percymain.org |
| Web: | https://www.percymain.org |
CHAIRS INTRODUCTION
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the charity’s Trustees’ Annual Report, which sets out, for our members, supporters and the general public, what we have achieved in the past eleven months since incorporation. 2024 was a busy yet productive year for everyone at St Johns Green. The trustees, a small group of volunteers stepped forward, refusing to see the club and local sport disappear for good and formed a new charity called Percy Main Cricket and Sports Club. Its mandate is to care for and develop the multi-sport facility known as St Johns Green (and in part as Purvis Park), which has been at the heart of the local community for decades.
In 2024, the objectives of the charity were;
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Set up the charity, form a structure and frame a business plan for the long term
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Secure a new long term lease of the ground
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Open dialogues with all stakeholders, the community and users of the facility
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Start up and develop a pathway for girls and women’s cricket
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Increase the pool of volunteers helping and working at the club/ground
I am pleased to say we have achieved all of the objectives we set ourselves in 2024. Whilst activities on the pitch have been tough for all Percy Main teams, activities off it have been more positive. Going into 2025, we have a new set of objectives and some bold plans. They include:
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Secure the facility with new fencing and gates
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Improve facilities for both cricket and football via grant funding opportunities
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Increase fund raising activities and awareness to support growth
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Increase the number of stakeholders using the facility, i.e. external charities, junior clubs and schools
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Build on the pool of volunteers that help drive the charity forward
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Develop a phased masterplan for the site to enable long term regeneration and improvement
The ultimate goal is to create a thriving facility that is in use 365 days a year. It is open to the community and supports a range of activities outside of just cricket and football. Activities which will engage all members of our society and community alike. Alongside this we seek additional trustees to join the management team, to help bring enthusiasm and passion to the project. To be a trustee you need one thing, to care for the project and the local area, that’s it!
With success off the pitches and a positive plan in place, we hope to continue to invest our time and passion to develop young people, and encourage participation and community interest at all levels.
I’d like to thank my fellow trustees in Phil, Jon and Alex for their help, dedication and support. I’d also like to thank the pool of volunteers that help with ground activities to include Rob Cooper, Pete Young, Craig Sinclair, Christine and The Robsons. This has been a great start and I’m excited to see what 2025 brings.
For more information or to enquire about potentially joining the project as a volunteer or a trustee please email trustees@percymain.org.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
| Jan 24 – Nov 24 | (£) |
|---|---|
| Income | |
| Donations | £10,763 |
| Charity income via members fees, | £6,870 |
| sponsorship and subscriptions | |
| Other income | £727 |
| Total income | £18,360 |
| Expenses | |
| Legal costs | £2,982 |
| Repairs and maintenance | £3,999 |
| Other administrative costs | £2,444 |
| Total expense | £9,245 |
| Proft / Loss | £8,934 |
Commentary
Donations have formed the large part of our income for this period, and we are greatly appreciative of the support from the estates of Dennis Wardle and Ron Balsille. Both left the club money in their wills, and this money will be preserved and to put good use in the pursuit of grant funding for a range of projects in 2025.
Legal costs were required in the process of obtaining a new 25 year lease of the site from the Northumberland Estates. We are pleased to confirm that the lease was completed in September 2024. With this security in place, we have a good foundation to support our grant funding efforts which will be required for improvements and enhancements at the ground.
Part of the charities mandate is that no one will be excluded from participation on financial grounds. Where members are on low incomes and unable to pay annual membership costs, financial exemptions have been granted. In this period, 22% of senior players have benefited from a financial exemption. We continue to support all of our members and where members can give back with volunteering efforts, we will help them achieve this.
The charity in this period has been sustained by 100% volunteer time and effort. We have no paid employees and there are no plans in 2025 to change this.
FUTURE STRATEGY
Approved partners
At present the list of sporting partners at the site is Percy Main Cricket Club, Percy Main Amateurs Football Club and Percy Main Homing Society. In 2025 we will be seeking to attract more sporting partners, whilst working with the existing partners on expanding their interactions at the site. Regular meetings and engagement will form the basis of our efforts.
Facilities
The facilities at St Johns Greens are summarised below:
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Cricket pavilion building
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Football clubhouse
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Cricket pitch and square
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Football pitch
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Cricket training nets with secure fence
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Cricket score box
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Garage building
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3no containers for storage of equipment and materials
The cricket pavilion, originally built in 1969, is at the end of its serviceable lifespan. The roof is in a poor state of repair and there are several leaks affecting internal areas. The building has no heating system, it is oversized, thermally inefficient and many internal fittings are not operational. Costs to put the building back into repair are excessive. We therefore accept that the future of the site requires a new principal building to support the on-field activities. A new facility will incorporate accessible facilities so that the site can be used more regularly by other charities in the local area. Whilst we devise a strategy to realise a wholesale replacement on another part of the ground, we have to develop a 3 year short term plan to utilise the existing building in a safe and considered manner. Toilets and changing facilities are essential needs and must be prioritised.
Finances
The trustees continue to work hard to increase income whilst trying to manage operational costs and expenses. We will be running a crowdfunding campaign in 2025 to assist with fund raising for repairs to support our 3 year plan.
Security at the ground is a high priority. With damaged and broken fences around the site, unauthorised access continues on a regular basis. New fencing is being planned at a cost of around £25,000. We will imminently be submitting grant applications for this project and hope to deliver the works in 2025. Securing the site is legal requirement within our agreement for the land.
An annual general meeting will be held in February 2025 where member consultations and views will be taken on all sporting matters and associated items.
This concludes the report and statement for Percy Main Cricket and Sports Club.