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← D J Evans Youth Club

2024-12-31-accounts

Bowburn Youth Project - Annual Report 2024/25

Created by Joanne Eden and David Bonarius-Burns

Introduction – A Brief History of the Project

Bowburn youth project is a purpose built youth centre in the semi-rural village of Bowburn in County Durham.

Bowburn youth project is managed by Joanne Eden and supported by a strong Management Committee built up of local community members and County Councillors

Bowburn Boys’ Club was founded in 1935 by “Taff” Evans, headteacher of Bowburn School. It mainly used the old Miners’ Institute, opposite where the later Welfare Hall, where Bowburn Community Centre, now stands. But it also used, at different times, Crowtrees WM Club, the room above Mrs. Storey’s shop in Durham Road West, and Bowburn School. However the old Welfare was demolished after the new one was built in 1961. So plans were made to build a purpose built youth club.

The new DJ Evans Youth Club, named after the Boys’ Club founder, was opened by H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester, President of the National Association of Boys Clubs, on 25th October 1963. It became a registered charity in 1964.

Though always officially a “youth club”, with registered charitable aims to cater for both boys and girls in the village and surrounding area, it was always known locally as “the boys’ clubs”, or even just “the boysie”. Its leader since 1936, Jim Griffiths, only retired in 1967.

The building was funded originally by local subscription and with the help of the National Association of Boys Clubs (now re-named the Durham Association for Boys and Girls Clubs) and the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO). CISWO was then part of the NCB but is now an independent charity, and is still our landlord.

We are still affiliated to the Durham Association for Boys and Girls Clubs, whose local representative, Simon Healey, took over from John Ward as our youth leader in 1984 and served us till about 1990.

An extension was built in 1982, with a new games room next to the road and the entrance put round at the side. Access to this became easier in 1998, when a new footpath was constructed past the new entrance, linking Burn Street and Bowburn Library.

The club was forced to close in 1992 but it re-opened about three months later, with a new committee.

In 2003, with Beverley Philips as principal youth worker, the youth centre became the base for a wider area, including Coxhoe. It was re-named unofficially as “Bowburn Youth Project” although its charitable name remains the same, still named after “Taff” Evans. Joanne Eden has been our principal Youth Worker since 2005.

The premises are the responsibility of the local management committee. In about 2004, we started to plan a major refurbishment, after it was announced that a regeneration project in the village would release several million pounds for community buildings and projects. In due course it became clear that those plans could not be successful and the management committee, assisted by Joanne Eden and young members of the youth club, decided to plan a phased improvement to the building, instead.

Over the last ten years or so, we have created the IT room (from part of the old games room), replaced external doors and several windows, created and then completely

overhauled the gym / weights room, carpeted floors, fitted a new kitchen and redecorated throughout at least twice. Funding for this came from various sources, including a number of grants from Durham County Council and significant fund-raising by young club members.

In 2008 the future of the youth centre was under threat. Recommendations were in place to only have one Community Centre in Bowburn and Children and Young People would be given a space within the Community Centre, this would mean the youth centre would likely have been demolished. A consultation was held and Young People came out in force to keep the Youth Centre open.

The outcome of these consultations resulted in the Youth Centre continuing exclusively for Children and Young People and the Community Centre for the wider community. The original Constitution has remained in place to protect the centre and Young People allowing it to continue to be exclusively for Children and Young People one of a very few left in the country.

Since then, we have come from strength to strength in terms of what we offer to our young people.

In 2009 we were delighted to receive grants from the governors of Sherburn Hospital and from the Big Lottery Fund, to enable us at last to make the whole building completely accessible. We now have ramps to all external doors, a fully accessible toilet, and all doorways wide enough for wheelchair access

In 2014 - the old gym had a whole new refurb with all new exercise equipment, this was done in partnership with wellness on wheels who identified the need for this resource in Bowburn. The community gym is open to members of the community

In 2015 both the male and female toilets have had a whole new refurb.

In 2023 the kitchen was refurbished. This was donated by Citrus Group who also donated some of their employee’s time to fit the kitchen. The refurbishment included the purchase of new equipment and white goods.

Due to cuts in funding from the County Council, Bowburn Parish Council have committed funds to pay for qualified Youth Workers ensuring Youth Provision continues in Bowburn for the foreseeable future.

Bowburn youth project is a centre based purpose built youth Centre, which provides provision for young people age 10 - 25 years. Over a 200 young people have accessed the provision in the last year. The young people are given the opportunity to participate in projects and activities that they choose to do. The last year has seen projects around raising self esteem and confidence, sexual health, mental health, internet safety, drug and alcohol awareness, health & fitness, cooking and life skills, CVs, interview skills, fundraising, planning events, environment, sport and fitness, Young Mums sessions and fitness class for girls.

As well as the Centre based activities on offer the young people have the holiday provision provided as well as Community events.

Our Aims

To provide positive opportunities, activities and experiences for young people in a safe warm environment

Supportive Relationships - Young people need supportive relationships with people they trust to help them develop their values and judgments, learn from experience, take responsibility, and manage pressures. We provide early help to inspire, support and protect young people, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, who need more help than their families and communities are able to provide, or whose family situation puts them at risk.

Strong Ambitions – Young people have energy and enthusiasm to shape and change the world in innovative and exciting ways. Most young people will form their own ambitions and pragmatic goals to achieve the following, whilst some will require extra help to do so:-

Good Opportunities – Young people need opportunities to learn and develop. We will work together so that every young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential and make sure those that require extra help to do so, receive it, through:-

Some Key Achievement This Year

• This year has seen the Youth Clubs go from strength to strength we have a junior youth club providing a smooth transition for young people into senior sessions.

• The Community Gym is proving to be a giant step towards our goal of breaking down the barriers between different groups within the community. Spinning classes are open to everyone over the age of 12 years and fitness classes have people aged 12 to 60 all working together with a common goal to get fit and healthy. The Gym is open to young people aged 16-25 free of charge on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening. Children 12-15 can attend free with an adult.

• In addition to our regular Youth Clubs, we hold an Evening drop-in session for young people to access the GYM on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

• We now have a girl’s group on a Tuesday evening open to all girls in School Year 6-11. This group will be issued based working on issues that affect them. Examples of this are friendships, mental health and wellbeing, vaping, smoking, alcohol, selfesteem, energy drinks, internet safety etc.

• Successful funding has given the Young People the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of centre-based projects, off site visits and training opportunities, adequate resources have enabled staff to deliver high quality youth work. The funding from the Parish Council has ensured that we have been able to continue to offer a full programme of Youth Provision.

Youth Work Staff

Joanne Eden – Senior Youth Worker / Centre Manager / Fitness Instructor Brett Kirkby – Level 3 Youth Worker Mackenzie Smart – Level 2 Youth Worker Ben Davison – Youth Support Worker David Bonarius-Burns – Administrator/Youth Support Worker Dave Chapman – Gardener Oliver Jenkinson – Youth Support Worker Charlotte Proctor - Youth Support Worker

Staff have been provided training in Safeguarding Children Level 2 and 3 and Food Hygiene Level 2.

Volunteers

Daniel Pocock – Youth Club Volunteer Dennis Pilmoor – GYM Volunteer Dave Chapman – GYM Volunteer Kimberley Richards – GYM Volunteer Darcy Silk – Youth Club Volunteer Lucy Johns– Youth Club Volunteer Luke Smalley - Youth Club Volunteer

Management Committee

Councillor Jan Blakey – Chair Andrew Shutt – Treasurer Joan Beck - Trustee Rebecca Avery – Trustee Ben Griffiths – Trustee Shaun Carter – Trustee

Volunteer Recognition

We would like to thank all of our volunteers and Management Committee for their support over the past year. We would not be able to offer what we do without the support of our volunteers.

What we offer

Community Gym - Open 5 mornings and 5 evenings a week and ran by Volunteers. Fitness classes run on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening with a qualified instructor.

Junior Youth Club - A very popular session for young people aged 11-12, they take part in sport and leisure sessions, healthy lifestyles, arts and crafts as well as issue-based sessions around issues that affect them for example, bullying awareness, Internet safety, drug and alcohol awareness giving young people the chance to make informed decisions.

Senior sessions - We have four senior sessions a week giving Young People a safe place to meet, sessions are structured around the needs of the Young People and include, confidence and self-esteem, sport and fitness, drug and alcohol awareness.

Girls Group - We have opened a girls group on a Tuesday evening. This is open to girls in School years 6-11. Having a girl only group gives the girls a safe and supportive environment to develop confidence, leadership and a positive self-image.

Senior Drop-in sessions - We have 3 evening drop-in sessions a week where young people aged between 15 - 25 can drop in to use the centres facilities, access the GYM, sports hall. These sessions run after regular Youth Clubs finish. This offers them a safe space to meet and access support from a qualified youth worker.

Funding

We continue to look and apply for funding sources to enable us to continue to offer an extensive programme for young people and ensure we have provisions in place for core costs.

Recent funding has come from:

Holiday provision – 2024-25

We have offered an extensive Holiday Programme to Children in school years 3, 4, 5. This took place over each of the school holidays and half terms. During the summer they were able to go on an off-site visit. The sessions involved sports and fitness, team building games and arts and crafts. Children were given a breakfast and a meal during the session. These sessions were partly funded by the Co-op, the Hurton family and Joanne Ridley.

Evening youth clubs were cancelled over the summer as the young people said they would rather have off site visits. We went to Flamingoland, South Shields and planet leisure as well as having a BBQ in the yard. All trips and BBQ were very well attended. The evening open access GYM / Sports sessions continued to run during school holidays allowing our young people a safe place to meet.

Sessions - 2024-25

Mixed senior sessions - These sessions are aimed at young people 13 to 19, this year has seen the young people take part in a variety of projects including health and well-being, Drug and Alcohol awareness, Community Cohesion and Internet safety.

The gym is very popular during our senior sessions and the young people have a system in place so all young people have the opportunity to use the facility's.

Young people have the opportunity to play football, pool, table tennis, bar football during each session. We also offer project-based sessions where young people can take part in cooking, arts and crafts, sports and fitness, nail art etc. The IT room is also available for home work.

Girls Group - We have opened a girls group on a Tuesday evening. This is open to girls in School years 6-11. Having a girl only group gives the girls a safe and supportive environment to develop confidence, leadership and a positive self-image. The group will offer a refuge from the pressures of mixed gender environments allowing them to discuss topics without fear of judgment. It will give the girls a sense of belonging as the mixed sessions are often dominated by the boys who take staff attention as well as dominating resources. Working with the girls we have planned sessions in place, half the session will be issued based working on issues that the girls have said affect them which include friendships, mental health and wellbeing, self-confidence, smoking, vaping, internet safety etc. The second half of the session is either Gym/Sports, art and crafts or cooking.

Junior club - This is now a well-established popular group which is enabling young people to make a smooth transition from the junior club to the older session. Young people have taken part in cookery, arts & crafts, football, challenges etc as well as receiving issued based information and advice.

Senior Drop-in Session – This session has become incredibly busy over the past year, the session is predominantly used by young people aged 15-25. They have the opportunity to use the facilities which includes the GYM, Sports Hall, pool table and chill room. In Addition to this young people have access to information, advice and C-Card from a qualified worker.

What the Young People Have to Say

The Future

We will continue to offer a wide variety of youth provision to young people in Bowburn. We constantly evaluate our sessions with young people to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community.

Thank You

We would like to say a huge thank you to Cassop Cum Quarrington Parish Council for their continued support in funding our core staffing costs, we would not be able to offer what we do without this funding.

Thank you to Total Business Group for providing us with a new photocopier at a significantly reduced monthly cost.

Thank you to DABGC (Durham Association of Boys and Girls Clubs) for providing us with a trip to south shields surfing during the School Summer Holidays.

Thank you to Cllr Janet Blakey, Becky Avery and Cloe Sparrow for providing food and refreshments to the community during the School holidays.

Finally, we would like to thank all our, staff, volunteers, Management Committee and funders for helping to support us over the past year.

Accounts DI Ewns y4x￿41 Oiib. Bowburn Youth Proje(t FWYW EndlnB 2024 Januiry F#b￿Ary IA4rch hl•Y Ju g•pl•n•r Oct•b•r M•vmb•r D•Mffjb•r 21,6Jl J2 1612 90 S.W Fl 3.6n 55 J.4MI1 3.420 3.104 71 J.$9048 3,618 31 2J45 3.824 ee 3208 J.eOF F3 3.J8940 3455 41,F04 71 ILN1 45 )O(p) 17blt ?sofy) tIO P1 51 15S00 435th) 81 20P 21 2JOg1 160 00 2QCi 13822 ljl 45 ooo 75ty) Y303 I.OT4.14 ooo $9294 4,117,41 1.172.2) 21.b7•.14 M.15341 4,5W 52 12(p) 94047 4.9x149 4.10$ 89 4,lJ2 è9 3,755 73 3.•W 74 99SF 16) 1.20265 4.6J2 76 104 J412S 391535 J20T 4,819 JO 4.42161 1255 8sJ49 2F• •.M5 JI z.iii • I Wjl l• 927 90 oiJoo 291 LII 521 10 I￿L¥j 3SWJ 10849 127•) 6fDD S75 3351 5736 l.isa 6941 14595 •J4 Jo •J49 57 21$(kl ii$eo 102 81 7SJ 102 ILJ 21)? 714 14 6trJ J5 JiJ>)

)9 29 1.IM)S 1.jtsl 5$ Ios 14146 1>7 10 1SSO 122 000 SJOag I)￿.7* 4,217.19 911.11 .433.71 4ml.10 lJ.27&11 Tr•a•urnr Ind•p•nd•nt Exam •r Sign •O.OJ5.IF 1SQ14 P￿ClI￿ oas Date 2025.

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Sectlon A -: Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trustees DJ Evans Youth Club - Bowburn Youth Project On accounts for the year ended 3111212024 Charity no (if any) 520751 I report to the Irustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('the Trust") for the year ended 3111212024. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Chartties Act 2011 ('the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the ap￿ICable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charrties Act" or the accounts did not accord wilh the accounting records" or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements Con￿rning the fonn and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Irue and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection wbth the examination to which attention should IE drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: Name: LJ LILolE C-£04 Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 3 rKloLioNI AUEWUE IER Oct 2018

Section B Dlsclosure Only complete If the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts." directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. NIA IER Oct 2018