ANNUAL REPORT
MAKING HOLBROOKS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY.
2022/2023
Holbrooks Community Association Holbrooks Community Centre John Shelton Drive Holbrooks
Coventry CV6 4PE
www.holbrookscommunity.co.uk hca@holbrookscommunity.co.uk
024 7666 5621
Chairman’s foreword - Rajinder Dhaliwal
Our year has seen the organisation thrive, with new partnerships with Diabetes awareness groups, Pathways Family Hub with their stay and play sessions, and the opening of our Social Supermarket and Community Café amongst many other community activities, including the Holiday, activity and Food (HAF) program, rummage sales and baby events.
Sadly, this year, I have decided that due to other commitments, I am no longer able to act as Chair for this wonderful organisation, so will be stepping down as of the AGM
I wish Holbrooks Community Association the best for the future and I look forward to seeing it develop more great services to support the Holbrooks Community over the next few years.
Rajinder Dhaliwal
Introduction
This year Holbrooks Community Association is back on track after COVID-19 closed down.
Partnerships have thrived with new groups hiring the building, including sessions and the Pathways Family Hub Stay and Play sessions, and had regular users rehire the centre including, the Sri Lankan Prayer Group, CATS Dance and the Sunday church groups.
It has also been an exciting year for new service developments including The Awards for all funded Breakfast Club, providing before school provision for the pupils of John Shelton Primary School. The Social Supermarket’s opening enables the community to access £15-£20 worth of groceries for just £5 per week. Alongside
the Social Supermarket, we also opened the Community Café providing the community with a healthy home cooked hot meal and hot drinks at affordable prices.
Centre users
Partnerships have continued to thrive at Holbrooks Community Association with a host of new groups using the centre.
In September, XYLA Diabetes Awareness started using the centre to provide those at risk of diabetes with information and advice on living with and controlling diabetes. They run 3 sessions per week with 20 participants per group over a 6 week period.
In January, Pathways Family Hub began to provide Stay and Play sessions for pre school children at the Community Centre on a Tuesday morning. These sessions provide fun activities to support children’s communication, physical development and personal, social and emotional skills. These sessions run weekly and are attended by an average of 25 people per session.
The baby weighing clinic, delivered by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, have continued to use the centre each Tuesday. Health visitors deliver babies and children developmental checks, and looking to extend hours next year, they also provide an afternoon pre school health visitor service on Tuesdays.
Coventry City Council Adult education service continued to deliver ESOL courses twice a week from the centre providing English Language courses to those who do not have English as a first language. Central Academy of dance, who have performed at both Euro Disney and in the West End, continued to deliver classes on a Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
We continue to host four different religious groups, two African and one Sri Lankan Christian group on a Saturday and Sunday, and a Sri Lankan Muslim prayer group each Friday.
Activities
Holidays, Activities and Food (HAF)
The community centre again partnered with HCCA to deliver the City Council's HAF program for the first time this summer. This focused on supporting free school meal families to access activities and events at no cost and also provided a balanced meal for the children who attended each session.
Easter activities
We hosted an Easter arts and crafts session at the Community Centre, where children made Easter bonnets, and Easter cards and decorated eggs. This activity was attended by 29 children, and a theatre production of the Grimm Sisters was attended by 22 children plus family members. Each child who attended received an Easter egg, which were donated by Smart Learner Driving School, based in Holbrooks.
Christmas activities
Chaplin’s Pantomimes performed Aladdin at the centre to 32 excited children plus their family members. As well as the Pantomime, the children all sat down to a hot Christmas Buffet prepared by Urban Goodies CIC, adhering to Department for Education guidelines on healthy meals, of course, there were a few treats throughout the day too. The food was very well received. Father Christmas also paid a visit to the centre to hand out presents to the children which were donated by Evans Cash and Carry, Morrisons Holbrooks, John Shelton School and local residents.
Representatives from the HAF team visited the events and took photos and videos of the children enjoying themselves. All administration and project management for these activities were undertaken by HCCA
City of Culture
Animals
In April we hosted 2 productions of the show Animals, one of which was British Sign Language interpreted. Animals is a fun, interactive and featuring original songs, Animals! was an empowering and uplifting performance about animals, humans and nature. It celebrated the amazing wildlife around
us and makes big things feel possible. These shows were attended by 30 people
Dangerous Dave
In October we hosted Dangerous Dave, a live theatre performance for children and young people and their parents. Dangerous Dave is a puppet who performed stunts including fighting his way out of a wet paper bag, climbing the slippery pole of peril to plunge into a domestic food processor, escaping from the pickled egg jar of DOOM and becoming the fearless inhuman Cannon Ball!! He was accompanied by his sidekick Herbert Lemon. This hilarious show was loved by all in attendance, young and old!. There were 46 people in attendance.
Services
Social Supermarket
I n August, the Social Supermarket opened its doors for the first time. The social Supermarket runs on Mondays between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. It is available to anybody who is on means-tested benefits, or on a low income.
Members pay a £5 annual membership fee, and then £5 per visit for £20 worth of groceries including Fresh fruit and vegetables, Milk, Cheese, Tinned food, Cereals, Fresh meat/fish/vegan protein, bread, Pasta/rice/lentils, personal hygiene products and home cleaning products. It also provides one-off shopping bags to those in need who do not want to become members. Paying a small amount gives people dignity.
Food Network
We are now members of the Coventry Food Network (CFN), which is a group of Social Supermarket and food hub facilitators across the City. CFN meet monthly to share good practice, information and guidance on hosting a food hub. CFN also funded the Turkey’s for our Christmas Hampers.
Community Café
Alongside the Social Supermarket, we opened a Community Café in August, providing healthy, homemade and affordable meals to the community. The Community Café is run by Urban Goodies CiC who cook meals including, pasta dishes, chilli con carne and soups. While there is a small fee for a meal, those who cannot afford this are not turned away. Members of the social supermarket are given a meal for free as part of their Social Supermarket membership while funding allows us to do so.
Hampers
The centre hosted the Christmas Hamper handout giving out a total of 50. 28 of these were to members of the Social Supermarket who requested one and the others were nominated by schools, Councillors, and other professionals. Thank you to those who helped to collect food, parcel up bags and deliver hampers the time you all volunteer is much appreciated.
Warm Safe Space
During the winter months, the Community Café incorporated our Warm Safe Space initiative which provided those in the community who were worried about the costs of using their heating at home a warm safe space, with unlimited hot drinks and activities such as cards, crafts, jigsaws and books amongst other things.
Breakfast Club
In September, Breakfast Club started to provide before-school provision to the pupils of John Shelton Primary School. This service is funded by Awards for All, which funds two staff members to run the sessions. There is a cost of £2.50 per child per session. Breakfast Club has been used by 24 individual children.
Finally The Management Committee would like to recognise the commitment and hard work of the staff and volunteers without whom the centre would not thrive
Aspirations for the next year.
We are looking to expand the membership of the Social Supermarket and the services it offers to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the community. We are also hoping to securing funding to ensure the longevity of the service.
We are currently applying for funding to update the windows in the hall to double glazing to make the centre more eco-friendly and to save costs on heating. We aim to have this work completed in the next financial year. We are also looking to refurbish the centre as a whole
Committee
Rajinder Dhaliwal – Chair Cllr Joseph Clifford – vice chair Tawakalitu Karimu Geraldine Bratt Danielle Garside Katrina Price Father Simon Oakes Debbie Jones Isabelle Osbourne
Staff (contracted and supplied through Service Level Agreement with HCCA)
Garry Booth, site services, 16 hrs per week (Retired August 2022) Daniel Sabin - Site Services - 16 Hours Per week (From September 2022) Liz Twynham - Breakfast Club Supervisor Ewa Grzywacz - Breakfast Club Assistant
Volunteers
Rachel Lancaster Emma Shiers Meridith Womble-Lancaster Lawrie Womble-Lancaster David Womble Susan Ryrie Luke Shires TT Clare Allington - Dixon Carlton Dixon Raj and Gughan Dhaliwal Sapna Patel Kat Price Mick Duggan Viru Kansara
Management
Management and all Human Resource functions including staff development and training Services are provided by HCCA.
Partnerships During the last year.
HCA has been funded and supported by:
National Lottery Awards for All Heart of England Charitable Trust Tesco Groundwork
HCA has worked with the following partners:
Holbrooks Community Care Association Holbrooks Ward Councillors MP Coventry North West Taiwo Owatemi Evans Cash and Carry Urban Goodies CiC St Luke's Church John Shelton School Parkgate School Holbrooks School Holy Family School Cardinal Newman School President Kennedy School Cannon enterprise Fresh Dessert Company Feeding Coventry Coventry Food Network Morrisons Supermarket Tesco Arena Park Fairshare Bookers Nuneaton Smart Learner
Coventry City Council’s
Culture and Leisure City Development Directorate Coventry City Council’s Community Development Team Adult Education Services
And most importantly our local residents.
Finance:- The centre has remained solvent over the last 12 months and has continued to source funding to support the projects and activities with a carry forward of £30,753.39 as of 1st April 2023. Accounts are audited by PJ Williams and Sons every year. A full set of audited accounts can be seen on Appendix 1
1011-IOD A YEAR IN PICTURES
Appendixl Commun 12022 to 31 RECEiwrs Rrmim Hwe. etc Grnnls aThJ Funding 17.958.95 26.417. 1.347.16 4S.723.77 PAYMENTS Rent. R8t•s & SeNkes Repaks, Ronwals, ¢lc Wage8 lino Management F•N C•wl. ) IT Costs IA¢ur4nc• 143.12 2.122.72 19.983.83 2.881.25 & 8ro•dbgnd 150.C Bk Cornm8)n & Chaffde8 2.4n.Tr) 1.205.05 20247.57 Mksc. lino Cleaning. trknJ, tr8¥el. ) Restsi(ed Funds .360.14 4,636.37 h 2023 ACCUMULATED FUND Bmu9hl Fopwa Excess of Receipts l (Paym) 3S.427.05 4.636.3 30,N).68 Represented iyf" CURREpir Cash al Bank 30.753.39 37.29 30,790.68 Note Pease note Cash #t Bw ofU).753.39. £20237.11 fis Restrvthd Fth 45 Bgwt¢)n Ro&J Co¥entry CWS 6JX P JWILLIAMS & CO June 2023
Registered Charity no: 506729
Holbrooks Community Association Holbrooks Community Centre John Shelton Drive Coventry CV6 4PE
www.holbrookscommunity.co.uk hca@holbrookscommunity.co.uk 024 7666 5621