Ground Floor Charity no. 515918 . 4aueS0' th 40 Annual Report 1981- 2023
What is Ground Floor?
Organizational structure
Ground Floor is a registered charity (No. 515918) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 01867571). Ground Floor was set up to provide community facilities for disadvantaged groups living in Calder Valley, Luddendenfoot and Todmorden wards of Calderdale.
Based in the centralized town of Hebden Bridge Ground Floor has developed a special and enduring relationship with the town. As well as being a prime site for developing centralized resources for the region. The town was severely under resourced in community amenities, something that Ground Floor has managed to remedy over the years.
Ground Floor is run by voluntary Council of Management, which consists of the following members (correct as of November 2022)
Board of Council of Management and Trustees representatives
Alan Sladic Ben Oubridge Peter Manning Alice Horner Richard Goodwin
About Ground Floor (a potted history)
In 1981 in response to a lack of adequate community provision in the Hebden Bridge area, particularly for young people, a body of local people came together with the aims to create youth provision. Soon the aims grew to encompass other disadvantaged groups, including the elderly, unwaged, single parents and people with both physical and learning disabilities. Securing a lease on the rear ground floor of the Trades Club building Ground Floor was born and in the autumn of 1983 the Ground Floor Centre was officially opened.
In 1984 Ground Floor became a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee and is now established as one of Calderdale’s longest serving charities. The move to charity status led to a change in direction for Ground Floor who went throw a period of consolidation where it focused the majority of it’s energy into developing new facilities and groups within the community.
The charity moved to its current premises Salem Community Resource Centre, adjacent to Co-Operative Food, in 1998.
In partnership with local community groups, Ground Floor was instrumental in developing a variety of independently run community initiatives. One such was the first ever after schools Club - Hebden Bridge Schools Out - an umbrella group that developed out of school provision and resources throughout the whole Upper Valley. Ground Floor was also the major force behind the establishment of a number of organization in the Calder Valley including the first Credit Union, Pennine Play & Leisure Library and recycling projects as Pennine Magpie, Kerbside Recycling and The Alternation Technology Centre. It also created the first ever Yorkshire Car Share Scheme - the well known Hour Car and set up the first ever Calderdale Computer Recycling Refurbishing and reissue of computers to the disadvantaged, unemployed
and students - the equally well known Dot Communications/3RiT. Both these latter Groups are still based at Salem Community Resource Centre.
Ground Floor is controlled by a management committee of trustees and representatives from its user groups and is currently home to over 40 such user groups including Dog and Puppy Training, Yoga, Ballet, Flamenco Dancing and other Dance Group, AA and NA Groups and a number of Social Welfare Organizations. For the last 30 years it has the Annual Toy Appeal and hosted Les Dansants Panard and other festivals.
In conjunction with the Charities information bureau, West Yorkshire Community Work Training and the local job Centres.
Ground Floor has won many awards including being given the Duke of York Community Initiative Award, Ground Floor begin the only charity to win this award three times in a row 2007, 2013 and 2015 and in 2013 became the first recipients of the Duke of York Community Leadership Award that included funding. In 2010 the Charity was given the Queens Award for Voluntary Service (The MBE for Volunteer Groups).
Report for 2021/22 Financial Year.
This financial year, we managed to stay afloat with the electric prices going up and things are looking up financial.
Over the year we have had volunteers from the Halifax Job Centres.
However during the course of the year a number of new groups joined the Ground Floor family including the Ash Hebden Herbs, Marnie’s Studio and Oxfam workshop, we were sorry to see the Yoga Hall Soul Space, but we still haven’t got all the groups back after covid, some of them are still want to return at a later date.
Kevin Hogan that runs Hour Car retires this year good look to him hope he enjoys retirement and doesn’t miss everyone to much.
Despite the many accolades Ground Floor has received it does not currently receive any grant funding on a regular basis and relies entirely on donations from the groups and the hire of it’s premises to thrive. However the future of Ground Floor looks bright which makes the long term future of the Centre look good.
Mission Statement
Ground Floor aims to promote positive community action that increases opportunities and benefits for all disadvantaged people living in the Calder Valley. To this end, Ground Floor is actively involved in providing, developing, supporting and sustaining a wide range of community-led and self-help initiatives within the region.
Charitable Aims & Objectives
The primary objectives of Ground Floor, are:
To promote the advancement of education, the relief of the need and the provision of facilities and other leisure-time occupations in the interests of social welfare
among young and other unemployed people residing within Upper Calderdale (comprising Calder Valley, Luddendfoot and Todmorden).
- To promote the protection and preservation of the environment for the public benefit by: a) educating the public in the benefits to the environment of sustainable waste management and energy practices, b) conducting research into sustainable wast management and sustainable energy and disseminating the useful results of that research and c) developing and encouraging sustainable waste management and sustainable energy practices.
In this clause ‘sustainable waste management and energy practices’ shall mean waste miniaturization, minimization of pollution and harmful waste, reuse of waste, waste recovery activities and clearance of pollutants from contaminated land.
In this clause ‘sustainable energy practices’ shall mean the practical creation of energy from waste and renewable sources in such a way as to minimize pollution from the same.
To promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the aforesaid community and in particular the advancement of education, the protection of heath and the relief of poverty, distress and sickness, to promote and organize co-operation in the achievement of the same and to that end to bring together in council representative of the voluntary organization and statutory authorities within the area of benefit.
- To promote the integration of the disadvantaged groups within the general community and to stress the importance of importance of self-help amongst such disadvantaged groups.
In order to achieve these aims the council of management is empowered to do the following:
To create links and contacts both inside and outside the area of benefit.
To establish, maintain and manage any work centers, projects or activities in furtherance of the objectives.
To arrange and provide exhibitions, meetings, lectures and classes concerned with the education of the public.
To enter into partnership or into arrangement for shared of mutual promotion of any of the objectives.
The Staff 2020/21
Ground Floor
Fran Tidswell Centre Manager Volunteers Alan Sladic Painting Melissa Meadows Cleaning Darryl Tidswell Odd Jobs Arron Owens Odd Jobs
Job Placements (Job Centre Plus)
20 individuals were placed with us for work experience over the year Together with other volunteers from our user groups.
Financial Accounts of
Ground Floor Company Number 1867571 For the year
ended 31[st] March 2023
The attached accounts have been prepared from the books, records and explanations received, and are in accordance therewith.
Lord & Swain Accountants
Hawkstone House Valley Road HEBDEN BRIDGE HX7 7BL
Ground Floor
Independent examiner's report on the accounts of Ground Floor for the year ended 31[st] March 2023
I report on the accounts of the company attached herewith.
I have examined the books, records, other information and explanations supplied by the company's administrators without performance of an audit and prepared accounts there from.
The accounts are in accordance with the records as supplied, which I believe give a true and fair view of the company's financial affairs for the period under examination.
No matter has come to my attention that gives me cause to believe that the requirements to keep proper accounting records and prepare accounts which accord with them have not been met.
Notes:
- The Company's administration has undergone major changes since the withdrawal of Local Authority funded staff, and its role within the community has altered as time has gone on, hence general costs and expenditure streams have varied considerably with time. Income has been restored to pre-pandemic levels, but the current cost of energy remains a challenge.
Gareth Swain M.A.A.T.
5[th] October 2023
Ground Floor
Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31[st] March 2023 Income and Expenditure Account
| Income Grants & donations Miscellaneous Income Resource Income Expenditure Salaries & Casual Labour Rent, rates & water Light & heat Insurances Repairs & Improvements Communications Sundry expenditure Volunteers' Expenses Cleaning Security Accountant's Examination Depreciation Surplus / -Deficit for the year Fund balance brought forward Fund balance carried forward |
31.3.2023 Total funds 0 0 36932 |
31.3.2022 Total funds 2667 86 37152 |
|---|---|---|
| 36932 9802 5895 10312 835 3810 938 48 98 3651 737 200 85 |
39905 9704 6202 13856 810 5456 865 436 662 2949 532 200 107 |
|
| 36411 | 41779 | |
| 521 79 |
-1874 1953 |
|
| 600 | 79 |
Ground Floor Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31Balance Shee as at 31[st ] March 2023[st ] March 2023
| Fixed Assets (per Schedule) Current Assets Prepaid Electricity Balance at Bank Cash in Hand TOTAL ASSETS Current Liabilities Creditors' Ledger Accrued Liabilities |
0 961 5 |
31.3.2023 342 0 270 90 |
31.3.2022 427 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 966 | 360 | ||
| 508 200 |
1308 508 200 |
787 | |
| Long Term Liabilities Loan account |
708 0 |
708 0 |
|
| 600 | 79 | ||
| Financed By Fund balance brought forward Surplus / -Deficit for the year Fund balance carried forward |
79 521 |
1953 -1874 |
|
| 600 | 79 |
Ground Floor
Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31[st ] March 2023 Schedule of movements of fixed assets
| Fixed Assets Balance forward Additions Depreciation at Start Depreciation for Period Value at Start |
Buildings 95677 0 -95456 -44 |
Pool 2972 0 0 0 -2766 0 -41 0 |
Motor Van |
Total 98649 0 -98222 -85 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | 165 0 |
342 | ||
| 221 | 206 0 |
427 |