Charity Number: NIC100157 Aghalee Village Hall Aghalee Village Hall Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Daly Park & Company Ltd Chartered Accountsnts 4 Carnegie Steet Lurgan Co. Armagh BT66 6AS Northern Ireland
Aghalee Village Hall CONTENTS Page Trustees, and Other Information Trustees, Report 4-21 Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities 22 Independent Examiner's Report 23 Statement of Financial Activities 24 Balance Sheet 25 Notes to the Financial Statements 26- 30
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. AND OTHER INFORMATION Trustees Christopher Buller Alison Gawith Anne Miskelly Pat Mc4dams Michael Beacham Derek Blakely Stephen Bann Matt Hull Bobbie Hamill Pauline Buller Kerry Quinn Femando Gutierrez Fiona Maree Andrea HLrff Susan McCavig8n John Harris lan Chrisb"e Charity Number in Northern Ireland NIC100157 Principal Address 6 Lurgan Road Aghalee Co. Armagh BT67 ODD United lfjngdom Independent Examiner Daly Park & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants 4 Carnegie Steel Lurgan Co. Amagh BT66 6AS Northern Ireland Principal Bankers Danske Bank 4548 High Street Portadown Co. Amagh BT62 1LB Northern Ireland Solicitors R M Cullen & Son 16-22 Eard Street Portadown Co. Arniagh BT62 3NA Northern Ireland
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 The trustees present their Trustees. Report and the unaudited finanaal statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2024. The financial statements are prepar&J in accordance with the Charities Act (Northem Irelandl 2008, FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounb"ng and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to chatrties preparing their financial statements in accordan with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021. The Trustees, Report contains the information required to be provided in the Trustees. Annual Report under the Statement of Recommended Practice {SORPI guidelines. The trustees of the tharity are also charty trustees for the purpose of charity law and under the charity's constitution are known as members of the board of trustees. In this report the trustees of Aghalee Village Hall present a summary of its purpose, governan, acb"vities, achievements and finances for the financial financial year 31 Dember 2024. The organisab.on is a registered charity and hen the report and results are presented in a fomi which complies with the requirements of the Charities Act {Northern Ireland) 2C()8 and, ahOUgh not obliged to comply with the Stslement of Recommended Pracb'ce applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS 102, the organisation has implemented its recommendations where relevant in these finanaal statements. Financial Review The results for the financial year are set out on page 24 and additional notes are provided showing income and expenditure in greater detail. Results and Dividends Al the end of the financial year the charity has assets of £257.06212023 - £296,116) and liabilities of £2,75512023 - £1,640). The net assets ofthe charty have decreased by £140,169). At the dawn of 2024 2023 had been confirmed as the world's warrrEst year on record - 1.48C wamier than the long-temi average, driven by climate change and El Nino. A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Japan's westem coast, killing an estimated 120 people and injuring more than 100, The lowest January temperature of 43.6 C lrninus 46.5 Fl had been recorded in Sweden for 25 years in Swedish Lapland, January 2024 brought a month of contrasts to the UK weather, with three named stom)s, a significant spell of cold, wintry weather and finally a new UK daily rnaximum temperdture record for January. And here in Aghalee, the first meeting of Aghalee Village Hall was Canlled due to bad weatherl AGM 2024 - report This was held on Wednesday 15 May 2024 at 7.30pm Acting Chairperson." VI Chairperson Matt Hull was unable to attend and had nominated Anne Miskelly to stand in as Chairperson for the evening and to read his report for 2023. The Acting Chairperson welcomed everyone to this 2024 AGM of Aghalee Village Hall relating to wot* to year end 31112r2023, and welcomed Cllr Claire Kemp and Gina Biggerstaff, Community Services Development Officer with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, who will be acling as independent presiding offIr during nominations to the 202415 committee. All meeting paperwork from 2023 was provided, plus the minutes from AGM 2022. MINUTES 2022- ADOPTION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS Yle 31112r22 Acceptance of the minutes was proposed by Alison Gawith. seconded by Pat McAdams and signed. There were no matters arising. REPORTS 2023 CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT for 2023 was resented b Anne Miskell As 2023 dawned, in Northern Ireland we had been wf(hout a functioning government for some 11 months, and major budgetary crises were facing a number of public servi. All did not bode well for the incoming year.
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Dember 2024 However, at AVH, after Christmas 2022 when a number of the Village Hall Committee were recovering after having been in hospitsl, had contracted Covid or had a bad 'flu which was going about, everyone seemed well recovered and fighting fit. We had some excitements in 2023, the first was to celebrate the Hall's 90 anniversary in September, and we did this by running a Special Aftemoon Tea. A request for photos went out on social media befohand and which were then added to over 100 donated by Soldierstown Church from their celebration of their Heritage project. We displayed a 90th anniversary table with minute book from the first days in 1933 along with the opening photograph, a short history of different actThiities through the decades, and 2 booklets of the old village pictures which proved very popular. The Art group showed their painb"ngs, old friendships were renewed and new ones made. Everyone had a great aftemoon, with a delicious handmade aftemoon tea made entirely by Fiona Maree of the committee. Our thanks to all who made il such a wonderfvjl evenL The second excitement was when we were approached in septeMr by a location scout for the Children's BBC programme 'A Kind of Spark,. They needed an authentic village hall in which to film some sneS for the new series of the programme and had found Us in the online yellow pages. They tokl us we seemed to be the only remaining authentic village hall in the Province. A Kind of Spart is a story about fv"endship. courage and seff-tself, based on the aWard-nnIng novel by neurodivergent author Elle McNicoll. Aimed at children 8-12, it tells the inspirational story of ÈeenagerAddie, a neurodivergent girl, growing up and leaming the power of her vol. To cut a long story short, we hired the hall to the film unit for a total of 6 weeks and were paid a handsome rental fee for the duration. We had some shifting about to relocate all our groups and workshops. but we manged it prety well and thank local Church and Memorial halls for helping us out. As you would imagine, filming caused huge excitement in the village and local area. There were advantages lo many due lo the filming, re-location siles all made a profit, as did local building supplies, shops both here and in Aghagallon and the cafés in Aghagallon. Members of the committee were in and out daily wrth the film company and have a few photos for use when allowed. The series aired on 261h April 2024. Other highlights during 2023 included.. Art Exhibition: in April Coronation Drop in EvenL' 6th May Country Music Night- 13th May Summer Solstice Walk.. 24th June Rock & Pop Night: 7th October Christmas Evenl: ThurslFrilSat 7th 9th Dember Craft Fair held by a local resident- 24th November During the post Covid Activities Programme over 2022 & 2023 we held a lotal of 116 workshops and 8 courses. There were 1,300 places available and more than 300 individuals booked pla$. The programme was funded by". Telecommunity, Halifax Foundation Nl, The Honourable The Irish Society, John Moores Foundation Nl, Arnold Clark, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Garfield Weston and Awards for All. Thanks also to Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council for funding the Coronation and Chrisbnas events. Our SInre thanks to all of these funders as without their support much ofthe programme wouldn't have been possib. Social Media page and website- Thanks to Fiona Maree and Peter Rusk for managing both of these which have proved to be very popular, and over the year on our pages we have advertised the work of the hall and reunited the community with all manner of tiems lost and found. New$letter- on again we produced 2 editions of the newsletter, each reaching more than 1,000 people, in hard copy and on line. Regular user groups- Thanks to all our regular user groups who continue to meet each week and provide ServIS and activrties lo all their members and paying vital rental income as they do so. Resignation- Our Chairrnan Lewis Trevithick resigned from the Committee in Dernber, stepping down after 5 years in the Chair. We thank him for his time and support of the organisab.on over the years and wish him well in the future. Villa e matters Traffic calming - Finalty happened in 2024, after communty discussions started around 20161 Feslive lighting - We continue to repair, erect and pay for the festive lights throughout the village and were pleased this year to have paid for a pole at Coronation Gardens to be rewired. Thanks to the volunteers for managing this each year. The Future for AVH In January 2024 we discussed the future of the hall. We want to ty and engage the community further and create a strategic plan for the next 3-5 years. We met with Victoria Jackson. Communty Development Officer Lisburn &
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Dember 2024 Castlereagh City Council and McGarry Consultants, to discuss how we could do this. The project will be focussed on strategic development, future proofing and buikling sustainability. A Strategic Plan was drawn up and while we were unsucSsful in attracting funding at that time, we met again and reviewed what we coukj achieve ourselves. We reviewed our rental hire rates as they had not been increased since 2015. We sought consultancy fees for 2024 to help with the plan and were successful through Awards for All. We carried out a skills audit with the current commttlee and from this will work out what is required by way of additional skills and people. We planned and created a Community Audit for early 2024. In 2024 we need to.. Review the findings of the Community Audit. Create a business plan for the next >5 years. Break the Strategic plan into shorter temi activities more easily achievable. Look at grants available with a possible regard to the employment of a part-time Hall Manager. Conclusion It's been busy year for us with a great deal to celebrate and some serious future plans to think about. I would just like to highlight that none of the successes in 2023 would have been remotely possible without the continuing valuable input and support of all the committee members and volunteers working together as a team and l am very grateful for their help and support and thank them all very much indeed. TREASURER'S REPORT for Yle 31112123 wa$ resented b Chris Buller On your seats you will have a copy of the accounts lo year end De1mber 2023. In accordance with current charity legislation, these have been independenuy checked by Daly Park & Company Ltd given an unqualified, or clean report. We offer a huge thank you to everyone in the local communty who has supported us wrth raffle prizes and donations, and especially to Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council who put their trust in us and continued their valuable support through their various programmes, and to all the other Trusts and Agencies who have helped us wilh funding on again this year. Income for the year decreased on the previous year to £63.827 {2022 - £94,593}. The reason for this decrease was the reduction in the number of grants received this year. Grants received in 2023 were £22.595, down from £73,224 in 2022 and were received from Halifax Foundation Nl £4,000. combined awards from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council of £8,595 and Awards for All of £10,000. On a more positive side, the income from rent from hire of the hall increased this year to almost £33,000 (from £17,500 in 20221, mainly due to 6 weeks hire rental from the filming event hire. Total donations raised through fundraising of £4,642, including a donation from Deutsche Bank matching funds raised al the Carols n Cake event held in 2022, and HMRC Gift Aid of £477.26. Expenditure (excluding dePreation) for the year has also decreased to £67,40212022- £73,099). Direct costs on the provision of the halllactivitEs stayed in line with the level of income r1Ved and totalled £64,706 or 960/0.This is an increase of 1 Ok on 2022 figures1950/0l and includes, deaning, wages, tutor fees, rates, insuran, light & heat, repairs, programme costs & subscriptions, and consultancy fees in relation to planning for the future. Admin costs made up the remainder of £2,69614%)- general admin expenses, bank fees, professional fees and are down 1 g/0 from 2022. Deficit for the year is £3,575 lexcluding depreciation) and there is still approximately £26,000 of grdnt income received in 2023 that crosses over and will be spent in 2024. This deficit has been reflected in our cash reserves which have decreased from £88k to approx. £85k al year end. The Charity continues lo be in a very strong and secure financial position for the next e1ve months. The large cash reserves held al 31st December 2023 have been saved up over the past few years and are to go towards the planned refurt)ishment and repair works lo be carried out in 2024,. once these are completed our reserves will be back in line with policy. 96010 ratio of spend on direct projed costs is excellent value for money and we would emphasise to all those present the valuable work we are carrying out on behalf of our local communtty. I present the accounts for scrutiny and adoption. There were no matters arising and the report was adopted.
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Dember 2024 The 2024 nominations from the regular user groups as follows. Book Club Fiona Maree & Kerry Quinn Aghalee Taekwondo Susan Mccavigan & Michael Beacham Ballinderry Badminton Club Derek Blakely & Bobbie Hamill Aghalee Upholstery Group Anne Miskelly & Alison Gawilh Needlecraft Club Pat McAdams Art Club John Harris Ballet & AgeNI Pauline Buller The total regular group representstives nominated is 11, so up to 6 Public representatives may be elected at AGM. Nominations were confirmed for public representatives as follows. There is space for one more and it was noted that volunteers can also be cwpted at a later date. Public Representatives wishing to stand again in 2024 Matt Hull Chris Buller Andrea Huff Stephen Bann Femando Gutierrez Vacant The public representatives were proposed by Chris Buller and seconded by Stephen Bann. Two Speci81 Advisers were acknowledged for their continuing important wort(." Ruth Macauley, Bookings and Carol Redpath, Safeguarding. New Reps and Trustees John Harris will be the new Art Rep- Pauline will meet up wrth him in June to induct. Another local man, lan Christie volunteered to become a committee member. Pauline will go through induction at a mutually suitable date. Officers Al the first committee meeting of the management trustees after AGM, the following Offir$ and other posts were appointed and elected. All are on a voluntary basis and training is given as required. If we cannot appoint from within the committee, interested parties can be c¢>opted into post. Members of the committee are encouraged to consider taking on a post in order to enable the committee to function properly and to lake pressure off individuals. Legal office for following 3 yea Chairperson- Anne Miskelly, vicchairperSon - Matt Hull, Secretary - Pauline Buller, Treasurer- Chris Buller others.. Marketing & Publicity, including Website and social media - Fiona Maree. lan Christse and Peter Rusk l.T. - Femando Gutierrez Booking Secretary - Ruth Macauley Safeguarding - Carol Redpalh Programme and Courses -Pauline Buller H&SIFire Officer- Anne Miskelly and John Harris as Deputy maintenan Cttee- Matt, Chris, Lewis, Femando and others as required End of 2024 AGM Report Other AVH Business in 2024 Grants 2024 LCCC - Community Services Grant 24 TNL People & Communities Hedley Foundation Enkalon LCCC- Xmas Grant LCCC- DIY Grant Total Fundraising 2024 Art Exhibition 80.00 Afternoon Tea 275.00 Rock n Pop Night £ 1,000.00 Upholstery Donations £ 192.18 Christmas Donations £ 364.93 Other Donations 360.00 Core costs Activity Prog 202&26 Elderty Hardship Core costs Christmas Maintenan 4,730.00 46,822.00 2,500.00 500.00 1,000.00 1,305.00 £56.857.00 Grand Total £2.272.11 HMRC on Donations £ 249.28 to be added to this figure.
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Decernber 2024 We thank all of those funders and indNiduals who have made donations andlor awarded grants and funds to enable Aghalee Village Hall to continue its work in the comrnunity. IAfithout your valued support, none of what we do would be possible. The Llsbum a Castlerea9h Clty Councll Hedley Foundation A Grant Giving Charity Ballot Prizes 2024 We reiVed brilliant support from local businesses to the ballot prizes totalling more than £750 and we thank them very much'_ Hannons Transport- 2 Glasgow Express coach trip vouchers, Classic Kitchens- Steam cleaner, Aghalee Taekwondo Club- 6 weeks lessons and insurance cover, Aghalee Vehide Services- Voucher £50, Centra Aghalee - Voucher £50, Beeches Resource Centre- Wool Wire Sign. Agha1 Pharmacy- Cushion, Trish Rogers Originals - Cheeseboard & Coasters, Breadboard and Tealight holder, The Copper Tree- Xmas fused glass decoration, Aghalee Building Supplies- Voucher £30, Relatively ceram1cs-Pe of pottery, Nifty Needles- Snowman and Sewing kil and other prizes from various AVH members. We thank each and every one of these companies and individuals for their continuing generous donations of prizes for our ballots and events over the year. Wice Chairperson Matt Hull was absent for a couple of rnonths while having a new hip, and returned to committee in July. Retirements Walter Robertson decided to retire from the committee, but hoped still to able to help out at ChrL8tmas. Waller has been with the committee since 1995, some 29 years. and has helped overthe years in numerous ways. The committee thanked Waller for his Servi and wished him very well in his retirement. Sheila Hull had been unwell and retired from worf(ing as cleaner at the hall after worting for us for 22 years. The committee thanked Sheila for her Servi and offered her its best wishes. Cleaning Arrangements Lindsey Matchett, took on the cleaning wort until the end of December. She has expressed an interest in taking on the work as per Sheila's hours, should it become available. The committee agreed a 3-month trial {Jan-Marchl. The role is not that of an employee and will be invoiced on a monthly basis. Centre manager We made an application to Halifax 40 Invest for funding towards salary of plt centre manager and are looking also at The Fore and Heritage Lottery funding to further develop this role. Annual events 2024 Country Night and Solstice Walk were not held this year Art Exhibition and Afternoon Tea- 20th to 22th1 September The combined Art exhibition and Aftemoon tea events were held beeen Friday 20th and Sunday 22nd September. The SRC art group exhibited the work the had created over the previous year. This event opened on Friday night and was very well attended over the weekend. The group donated £80 from sales made. The Afternoon Tea event was well attended again with committee member Fiona Maree making all the baked goods and sandwiches for the event, ably helped by other committee members acting as watbng and kitchen staff. A total of £275 was donated after expenses. Many thanks to everyone who worf(ed so hard and were involved in making the weekend such a success.
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 De-stash event pics- 2yh June This year the hall was hired for its first d&stash event. This is not a craft fair but an event where crafters and other like-minded people come together lo sell on excess crafting gcK)ds and items. AVH sel up the small hall as a tea room and made £130. It is planned by the organiser to hold up to 4 events next year. Rock & Pop Night- P October The Village Hall was On again the venue for the annual Rock and Pop gKJ night on Saturday 5th October. The audience was entertained by regulaTS, Dazed and The Renegade Kings as well as 3 acts appearing for the first time. All performers appeared free of charge with takings going to support the Village Hall. Dazed opened the evening with their blend of 70's classics, such as Baker Street, Stamian and Nights in Vvhite Satin. Next up were the newcomers Eddie and Connor playing a mixture of old and new material, followed by Liz, who sang a solo of'Torn' followed by a duet with John of the The Renegade lfjngs and finally Siobhan who performed two beautiful solo ballads. Following a very well supported raffle, The Renegade Kings took to the stage to perfomi hits from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Queen and many more, as well as a few of their own composTtions. (Keep an eye out on social media for their upcoming appearan51. Once again everyone had a great night, a total of £1,000 was raised and hopefulty we can do it all over again, same time next year. Huge thanks to everyone conrned.
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial ear ended 31 December 2024 }lT, Craft Fair- November Local woman and artist, Trish Rogers On again hosted the annual Christmas craft fair at the hall. AVH Secretary Pauline and her daughter Katherine and granddaughter Abigail, took a table at the fair and along with sales from their crafts made a donation of £200 to AVH. Rock Choir Nl- 17th November We held 8 Rock Choir Nl event to raise funds for Demenba Nl. We had a full house, a wonderful time and £450 in donations was raised. Christmas Switch on- yh December This was a wonderful event in the hall. After the fesb.ve lights were repaired, erected and lil up, we held our annual, free. Community switch-on event, which was attended by The Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Cllr Kurtis Dickson, who conducted the countdown. Our three partner schools each sang a Christmas song and Toby Pinecone was there to check who was on the naughty or ni list. The hall was full of happy people who were served refreshments by Ruth Macauley and a band of ladies from the committee. 10
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Santa Visits- D8cember Following the switch on event, we held our annual Santa visrts. The Paul Green Hall had been transformed for the duration into the Grotto and Waiting Room by many of the committee. Over the Friday evening and Saturday despite Storm Darragh, this also went very well apart from 16 no show families, due to the very bad weather on the Saturday moming. Santa saw 51 families and 114 children including babes in ams. Between choirs on Thursday night and Santa visits we gave out 162 dairy and non4airy selection boxes and 4 books, leaving 43 selection boxes which we donated to Moira foodbank. The total raised between the 2 events of £364.93 Activities Pr(uramme 2024 The 2024 activities programme was greatly reduced from 2022 + 2023, due to few grants being available. In the first 3 months of 2024 we carried out the workshops and courses diSplad by the filming at the hall during the end of 2023, and from April to the end of December we completed the programrne for the year. The stats for the reduced 2024 programme'_ we held 36 workshops and 11 courses. There were 350+ pla$ available and all plaS were booked. The programme was funded by grants reiVed in late 2023 from.. Halifax Foundation Nl and LCCC MAC. We thank both of them most sincerely as wtthout their support we jijst would not have been able to provide such wonderful opportunib.es to the community. AVH made up the balan of around £5,000. IL ra 11
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 i.ry New activity We took new bookings.. Adult Yoga- Wednesday 24 April belJ¥een 1 Oam and 12pm & Child Yoga- Monday 3 June belween 6.30 and 7.30pm lon a 4 week trial basis),. these new classes addressed a couple of ihe findings from the survey. The aduh yoga was successful and has continued through the rest for the year, but sadly, the children's and family programmes didn't survive once children retumed to school in septernr. YOGA eech Brae Wellbelnl ds.. SÈretch & IleF tp 12
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Loss of Activity After 20+ years with Aghalee Village Hall, the Jeanne Cree School of Ballet left the hall at the end of October and moved lo Craigmore Church Hall. This was because of their need for additional hours on a Thursday which we were unable to give. We are sorry to see them go, they will be a great loss to us in both incomeluse of the hall and in bringing people to the hall. We thank Mrs Cree for her use of the hall over the years and wish her well in Craigmore. Activities Programme 2025- 2026 In May, we heard we had been awarded a total of £46,822 over 2 years by The National Lottery, People & Communities, for a conlinualion of the Acb"vities Programme into 2025r26. This was wonderful news and we are deeply indebted to the Lottery for this wonderful award to continue to host the programme in 2025 and 2026. Within the month the hard work of finding tutors and new activities along with the timetabling startedl Advertising for term 1 started on 17 November for applications opening on 24 The public was notified via the usual noliceboards, webpages and social media posts. The Secretary managed Ihis. This year we asked people lo pay up front for the activities they were sucsSful in obtaining. We look forward to the activities starting in January 2025. In total there will be 47 workshops and courses over 2025 reaching children. teens, families, SEN and adults and the cost for the whole of 2025 will be approximately £22,000. COMMUNITY FUND Temi 1 Activities Caretaking This year we continued to require caretaking help required from club reps and we thank them for their help and support.. TUESDAY NIGHT- Taekwondo Club- after dass put out tables and chairs forAgeNI on Wed morning. WEDNESDAY NIGHT- Exercise Class- after class put out against wall 16 tables for Thursday Upholstery. THURSDAY NIGHT- Either Taekwondo Club or Ballinderry Badminton Club (depending on who is the last group using the h811 on a Thursday night)- after dass put out and erect 15 tables for SRC use on a Friday morning. One of the new committee members has very kindly offered to help out with caretaking arrangements and it is hoped this will prove to be surtable and will really help us manage more effiryenily and we thank them for their offer of help. Other Hall Actffvity- Regular Progrdmme AgeNI WEDNESDAYS in the Main Hall- 10.00am- 3.00pm lover 65}- Contact.. Gillian Thompson Manager- Contact.. 07733 912 876 Gillian.Thom son eni.or Aghalee Taekwondo Club TUESDAYS - in the Main Hall- 6.30pm - 8.00pm (Age 7+1 THURSDAYS- in the Main Hall- 6.30pm-8.00pm (Age 7+} Contact.. Michael Beacham- 07548 885 114, or email Mi¢haelb5717478 btintemel.com AVH Upholstery Classes THURSDAYS mornings- 9.30am- 12.30pm in the Main Hall. Contact.. June Acheson 028 9261 9177 Ballinderry Senior Badminton MONDAY evenings and THURSDAY evenings 8 to late. Contact.. Text or call Bobbie Hamill on 07919 123 027 or Derek Blakely on 07791 267 636. 13
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Dember 2024 Book Club FIRST TUESDAY of each month - In The Loli Contact.. Clare Ward 028 9265 0377 Needlecraft Group SECOND TUESDAY of each month- In The Loft. Southem Regional College- Hobby Art MONDAYS in the Paul Green Hall- 10'.15am- 12'.15pm. Contsct.. Jim Cunningham 07711981 732 or College on 0300 123 1233. Southem Regional College- Upholstery Classes FRIDAYS in the Main Hall. 10.00am to 12.00pm and 12.30pm- 14.30pm. Contact.. Jim Cunningham 07711 981 732 Yoga for adults- Tuesday momings in the Main Hall and Wednesday momings by arrangement 10.00am to 12.00pm. Contact.. Lynn on 07808 174467. Hire increases In January we implemented our new hire charges which hadn't been increased since 2015. We made some modest increases and we feel the hire of the hall is still very good value for money. We have 3 rooms to choose from.. the main badminton sized hall for larger groups, private parties and hires, the Paul Green hall suitable for dasses andlor workshops and the Loft for small groups: such as yoga, smaller dubs etc. We adverb'sed through various methods to encourage further hire of the hall and will contsnue to do this in 2025. Legal status We considered options for AVH legal ststus as we said we would do this as part of our strategy review. Information was gathered with help from CCNI, NICVA and the consultant about the options available lo AVH regarding a review of ils stslus, these being.. stay as il is or becoming a company limited by guarantee. This was discussed at length and a unanimous decision was made to stay as we are. We will review again in some years time. Maintenance A1Y-WaY- a non-slip surface- we had work carried out on this and complained to the contractor that the Surfa they pul down was not suitable and had lrfied off and that AVH was very dissatisfied with the seN1. An apology and full reimbursement were received. Tp1- -*- Main woths- March Major repairs lo the rear of the hall were carried out. This work was remedial work to the original 1930s high woodwork along with replacement soffit and fascia at the Paul Green Hall and the rear of the main building. We painted the high areas of the hall and repaired various gutters and spouts. We also pul in a rear fire door from the kitchen along with a ramp to setvice the change in ground height. Other items such as interior painting, replacement of all lights with LED lights and replacement curtains will be completed whenever funds allow. These main repairs to cost a total of £19,998, which we had saved towards over the previous couple of years. Legionella r8quiTrments- water impn)vem8nls We also spent time and effort in upgrading our plumbing after a Legionella audit, which showed there was room for improvement. We replad the tank water storage plumbing with direct main input to designated water heaters for each area meaning there would be constant hol water as and when required and that this would also comply with Legionella requirements. Old doglegs pipes were removed and the whole plumbing system overhauled. One of the committee undertook to carry out the monthly paperwork requirements and ched(s Policy Reviews Our Safeguarding Advisor Carol had reviewed and a draft utwjated Safeguarding policy and Code of Conduct for discussion and consideration. Commtttee members were each expected to sign Code of Conduct and also to undertake the training to complete the revEw of our Safeguarding Policy. Details of suitable training were sent round. We agreed that 2 people would complete training each year and the revised Safeguarding Policy was proposed. seconded and agreed. 14
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Strategy pmgress Pauline has been conb'nuing to work with the consultant on this. We looked at working up an application for some possible funding opportunities {several have been identrfiedl to fund a part-time Centre Manager. We also asked NICVA lo review our Consb"lution lil appeared the AVH Trust document had been amended over the years to become a Constitution on one document and this had been accepted by the Charities Commission as our governing document) and to advise on possible changeslimprovements to enable us to remain on track for the future. They are to come back to us with recommendations. We had to consider what'heritage, with regard to the hall is, as heritage means different things lo different people. We spoke with both Maghabery and Aghagallon MMunity halls and the findings from these were surprising. We seem to be doing well despite our concems about the future and both of the other groups are also having difficulties very similar to our own, despite Maghaberry reIving Council grant aid towards 1 full time and 2 part-lime employees and Aghagallon reNIng grant aid for a part-lime admin employee. In both cases the groups had to make up the difference in wages from their letting incomes. We also spoke with Rural Community Netsyork of which we are a member, and they reviewed our Govemance, were very impressed, and said we should be congratulated for the way in which we work and manage ourselves. We spoke to local Councillor Claire Kemp, wrth regard to the Council Community Facilities Audit to see how this might impact on AVH and found that many of the other groups wanted lo have a forum for Killullagh area and have a 'borrowing' facility in place whereby all the groups could advise what equipment they held and from which others could borrow. We advised Claire there were insurance implications with this proposal as AVH insurers were not keen for us to 'lend' items off premises as they are then not covered. SuFvey- a community survey was Caled out JanlFeb asking what people would like to see happening al the Hall, as well as opinions requested from each grouplworkshop using the hall. After reviewing the information gathered, it was fell there weren't many surprises from results of the survey. As usual, we were in equal opinion". doing welllnot doing enough, addressing all we We askedlnol addressing enough, providing enough activitieslnot providing enough. We are already addressing many of the rtems requested, bul it was acknowledged that we did need to try and publicise the hall more in the near future to try and attract more regular and other users which would in tum provide more activities and income. Dayts'me Yoga classes in the Loft were already planned in April for a trial 6 weeks. The main hall remains open for public hire for private parties and aclivilies. The Activrty ProgTamme which is based mainly in the PG Hall would finish al the end of May. There were a number of requests for a Men's Shed but there aren't really any suitsble rooms in which lo house a venture like this as equipment would need to be safety contsined, but it is possible a men's group could meet on a gUlar or drop in basis. Also requested was Youth club at the hall, but without official input from Education Authority it was felt this would be very difficutt lo achieve. Regarding other, village matters that came out of the survey, they remain.. - the stsle of the towpath, traffic calming on different roads and dog fouling, none of which it was felt we can really do much about. The details of the survey wll be added into strategic planning. Other Work. Events & Activities of AVH in 2024 Aurora- Twicel Aurora spectacular- We were treated to an amazing light show over Northem Ireland on the night of Friday 11 th May and On again on 10 October. Not usually seen over Nl, the lights were visible after some of strongest geomagnetic stoms in more than 20 years hil the earth. The most active conditions tend to occur at the maximum of and 11 year solar cycle, and it was expected to be possible to see the lights for a few days after this. deFndIng on doud cover and pollution. The lights appear as bright swirling sheets or curtains of light in the night sky and can range in colour from green through lo pink, purple and red. They are caused by charged particles from the storms in the sun hitting gases in the earth's atmosphere. The drfferent colours occur due to different gases being energised by the charged particles. The most common gases affected are nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen glows green and nitrogen varies pink, purple and blue. Oxygen at higher levels glows red. whi these can be seen by the naked eye, they aren't often seen to their full beauty until captured by either camera of phone, which see more than the human eyes. The most impressive auroras occur when the sun emits very large douds of particles during a solar slomi, called 'coronal mass ejections,. 15
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Bank- The Bank changed banking arrangemenls when r( closed in Lurgan. The next nearesl branch is in Portadown and the only alternative is to use the Post Office to lodge cash and cheques. In 2024 a PIN number with debit cash lodgement cards was required to make cash lodgements. We had to write asking for new cards and PIN numbers to be sent out. Paperwork T&Cs for these cards was approved and accepted by the committee with Pauline Buller being the named person to lodge on behalf of the organisalion. Blueways- We were ntacted by j Nelson of Aghagallon Community Group abo possib funding opportunilyldevelopments for Greenways and Blueways through both council areas. We had talked in the past about the possibility of connecting our respective villages by reopening the towpath from Aghalee to Aghagallon. ABC Counal is still committed to their preferred Greenway investment being Aghalee to Portadown. Aligned with the Greeways are the Blueways, which are a brand-new outdoor recreation offering. currently unique to Ireland. They encourage the use of lakes, canals, rivers and coastsl environments for walking, cycling, swimming, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding while engaging with nature and heritage. The Waterways Community is lobbying for this locally with Aghagallon Community Centre. We agreed that AVH would support the venture and committee member Ketry Quinn had agreed to be our representative., she will contact Joe and advise about our situation, and confirm our agreement to support the venture. Book A message came in about a new book that would be of great historical interest to the people of Aghalee and Soldierstown - the memoirs of a young boy from Sandy Row in Belfast evacuated to Aghalee during World War11. It must have felt as though he was hundreds of miles from home- yet it's a journey many make now on a daity basis to go to work. While the book is only in part about his time in Aghalee, the story as a whole will be a fascinating one to many. "Aghalee and Soldierstown residents will find a new book fascinating. The tide is 'Sandy Row Bom and Bred, by the late Gordon Freeman who devoted a whole chapter to his experiences in the Aghalee area when he was evacuated there as a child from Sandy Row, Belfast during Wodd War11. The chapter is entrtled,'The Famierfs Boy, which he rtainlY was not, and perhaps he would never have survived the country but for the close friendship he struck up with Teddy Dugan. They were both pupils at Soldierslown School. The book tells of the adventures they had together. l understsnd Teddy is no longer with us", not sure when he died. It would be interesting to know if any of the families mentioned have still family connections with the area. It would also be interesting to know if some of the place names ments.oned in the book are slill used today. For example, would anyone today know the whereabouts of McKinstry's Hill? The book will make a very important inclusion in the local history of the Aghalee and Soldierstown area. The book is not for profit and any proceeds after the cost of producing the book, will go into community work in the greater Sandy Row area in Belfast The paperback book can be purchased through Amazon. There is also a Kindle edition. Bus Sheliers After several years of asking Translink for bus shelters in the village, they finally admitted they had 'mispla¢ed' our application. MLA David Honeyford contacted them on our behalf and championed our cause again. The result of this is that, after asking for 4 shelters we are to get 1, this on Ballycairn Road, for the bus going into Lisbum, as Translink say this is the busiest stop. Chip Shop Planter We are indebted to Christine Lynn, from Down to Earth Gardening for continuing to sort out and replant this container every season. It's lovely to have this sort of job carried out by a local business on a voluntary basis 16
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Community Transport We met with Richard Dougherty, manager of Lagan Valley Rural Transport, which now includes Aghalee in tts area. Registration with LVRT means those of us in the Aghalee rural area within Lagan Valley electoral area, with little or no asS to public transport or those who have disabilities. can avail of a booking system for tn.ps into Lisburn and all points East. This service will prove to be a real boon to our community. Dtyjyou Deaths in the community There were a number of deaths affecting commrttee members plus a large number of deaths in the local community 2024 and we offer our sincere condolen$ to those who have been bereaved. Committee related deaths included- Nat Skelton ph February, father of committee mernber Anne Miskelly. Matt McFarland - 5 July, father of committee member Pal McAdams. Rita Blak8ly- 6th July, mother of committee mernr Derek Blakely. Rrta was involved in the worf( of Aghalee Village Hall and helped to run Aghae Tiny Tols Playgroup in the 1980s. There are many children from the village who will fondly remember being looked after by Rita. Maureen Taylor & Emie Taylor- 22 June & 23 September, both fomier badminton players who spent many happy hours at the hall. Maureen was also a fomier village Hall commrttee member 1978-1985. Gwen Johnston & Geooe Johnston- 4th May & 2Ph September- George was a fom)er Secretary of AVH for 10 years 1985- 1994. Sadly predeased by his wife Gwen in May. George & Gwen moved to Aghalee in or around 1979 and look a great interest in matters going on in the village. They both became involved in various ways in the work of the hall. On retirement from business, George was able to spend much more of his time involved with Aghalee Village Hall and during his tenure as Secretsry, was instrumental in the great refurbishment of 1985186. After his retirement from the hall commrttee, George was often consulted about matters relating and gave of his immense knowledge so willingly to those seeking his help. As rentlY as a week before his death the current Secretary called in with him to chew over a problem that needed a fresh perspeth've and some sage advi, which was given in a measured and carefully considered way as always, and more to the point, was so very appropriate. Kathleen Searson- 20th October, mother of Seamus Searson volunteer and mother In law of committee member Fiona Maree Roly Lyons- 9th December- Roly was a committee member and representative of Aghalee Badminton Club in 1987 and again from 1993 to 1996. He was a great mentor for young players just learning the game and always great craic at the same time. He especially enjoyed the 'round robin. nights when young and okl pitched in playing against each other. Festive Lighting In early 2023 AVH had agreed to fund the infrastructure to a refurbished Dn lighting column at Coronation Gardens, to enable our festive IKJhting to be displayed there at Christmas. sin then several other Dfl columns have either become faulty or had infrastructures removed for one reason or another. In December'24 Chris repaired the festive lights and had arranged for these to be put up on the working columns with help from Nigel Grant and Frank McGrady. Electrical contractor Stephen Magee Electrical supervised as per DfiINIE licen requirements, but il transpired several columns didn't work. AVH continued to peti(ion Dfi as to why we should be expected to fund the replacement or repair when it has largely been through the actions of Dn that these no longer worked. The result in late Dember 2024 was that Dfi agreed to repairlreinstate a number of columns to enable the festive lighting to be properfy restored from 2025. Fire Officer 17
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Dember 2024 We needed someone new to undertake training for the Legionella requirements and Scan Alami Fire checking requirements and carry out the monthly safety cheths at the hall. Also, fire evacuation checks will need to be undertaken by each user group at least once per year and records kept. It is expected each group represenlab.ve will carry this out. Anne Miskelly agreed to undertake training as Fire Offir and John Harris agreed to be Deputy. Football changing facility The Council plans for a replacement changing falty at the playing fields are now approved and although there is as yet no date to start building, the demolition of the old facility will be a huge improvement to the playing field. Noted that there is no public toilet in the Village and AVH has asked whether one woukl be included as part of this development. Fly tipping and litter We have highlighted episodes of fly tipping around the area to try and discourage this and other littering. On different roads in the district, in both council areas, items such as fridges, lorry loads of tyres and black plastic bags of rubbish have been dumped. Both councils have responded to remove the items. There are number of local people who regulady collect litter fomi the sides of the roads and we thank them and their efforts lo keep our community cleaner. Gold lamé- Filming legacy The gold lamé backdrop to the stsge left by CBBC crew in 2023 has proved to be a big hit with all our users and those who perform on the stage. It rtainlY adds to the sense of entertainment at the hall. Lost & Found + New social media page 18
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 Dernber 2024 Over the year we adverb.sed lost or found pets on our social media page and had reports of at least 16 dogs, 14 cats and 5 cattlel We also had a report of sheep tangled up in barbed wire. In the main everyone was happily reunited. We were also asked continuously over the year about permission to advertise on our social media page. We don't advertise on this page but responding to demand, we opened a new page. Aghalee Notice Board for people to freety post items of interest. Men's Group After a post to gauge interest, one of our committee, lan Christie suggested a cohort of those interested could arrange to meet lo discuss what might be possible to organise. He agreed to convene a meeting in the Loft early in 2025 to see how this might develop. Moira Station The plans for the new arrangement at Moira train station were finally approved and it is expected work will start in Spring 2025 to provide an additional 466 parking spas, 23 disabled SpaS, secure cycle parking and related supporting structures, allowing improved links lo Belfast and other towns and cities. Work is to be completed by the end of 2026. There is slill considerable disappointment about the continuing very poor egress on to the A26, safe pedestrian access over the A26 from Maghaberry direction, nor for addf(ional lighting on the approach roads, bui local politicians continue to petition on behalf of the community. Seats and path at Wildllower meadow One of our committee, Stephen Bann, worked with the Council to improve the seating and install a path at the wildflower meadow area in the village. By June the work was completed and it looks very well, with seasonal planters inSts1 in front of the seab'ng area. Thank.you meal 2024 We met in The Gate Inn on Friday 31 at May 2024 for our'thank you, meal for all our regular volunteers over the year. This went very well with 23 people attending and having a super meal and the best of craic. Traffic Calminglupdate Money for this was to have come frorn Small Villages Scheme but due to all the restrictions we were unsure when the work would finally be carried ovl. Work stsrted on 19 March and was expected to last 4 weeks. We approached the Council about the roses which were removed from the beds opposite the hall to facilitsle the wotl(s as the contractor advised these had been dug up and discarded. By June the work was completed. In October the roses were replanted. There have been a great number of complaints about peop driving down the centre of the humps and misusing the measures put in pla and we have direded complainants to Dfi directly. Planning is now being sought for speed ramps on part of the Soldierslown Road al the housing to slow traffic as it enters the village from there. There is no date yet for these works to commence. 19
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES. REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 Soldierstown Road Improvements Volunteers- thanks Very many thanks to all the volunteers and helpers who have helped OLrt in any way over the past 12 months. There are those who have.. set out tables and equipment, put Ihis all away again, looked after bookings, collected subs and ticked off names at workshops, washed dishes. seryed food, given of their time to fundraise, sell ballot tickets, do the H&S paperwork, sort the accounts. become elves and other Christmas VIPS, and make the hall what it has been over 2024. Thank you all- without you the Village Hall would not be able to continue its work. Youth worker- Aghalee There continues to be no dedicated youth worker for the young people in the community. The Education Authority have been unable to attract anyone suitable to the posL despite advertising a few times. We will continue to work with the EA lo try and find some provision for our youth. Wildlife We are all very fortunate to have such a beautiful area of the world in which to live. Our social media pages are full of pictures of the life that goes on around us. Credit- Lindsay Clarke Credit- Bob McGlade 20
Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES, REPORT for the finanual year ended 31 December 224 CigJrt-AbNJail Lksyd Credit- Paulne Bullef Future- Planning for 2025 The future for Aghalee ViFJage Hall is secvre for the Short term. The are fvnds in the bank frorn vaiious attivittes, our major ACtNIt Prograrnme i£ calered for ovcr 2025126 and w¢ heve the staff to athieve what need to. For Ihe medium lerrn. we need to consolLdale our pOlI0n. br¥ig in more regular users to the hall. expand our 8divitie8 and above all. fiTrJ the $oUr$ to employ a part4ime tre managerto relieve sorne of the pressures on a few dedicated indtvtduaLs. For the lOngerten. we swll meel and discuss ¢)pti appropriate agenci8s and adv0[$ and by the end of 2025, shoukl hOpefv be in 8 P1b0 lo hdentfy ourstr* forttB kn9 lemi futwe ofthe hall Mrythin the communty. Compliancewith Sector4Wide Legislation and Siandard¥ The company engages pro-aclNety th Jegislation, standards cr4Jes wlmth are developed forthe sector. Aghalee Village Hall subscribes lo and is compliant wrth the following.. The Charities SORP IFRS 102) Publlc Benefit The charity has 9iven careful consKleration to the Chaiity CommissrI for Northem IreL8nd's guidance on public benefft to ensure that the actnirties entered into during the year have helped to achieve the Charitys objeGlive5 and actNilies, 8$ weu as PTOVtdin9 publi¢ benefrt. Approved by tho Board of Tfustqes on 19 March 2025 and signed Its b•haK by: Anne Mlskdty Trustse Chris Trus her Buller
Aghalee Village Hall STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES. RESPONSIBILITIES foT the financial year eed 31 December 2024 The trttsie•s are wponsibje for preparirg Ihe finanaal slatemènls In a¢cordance with apk4icable law and 1¥bOn5. The law appIable to charities in Northem Ireland qUIreS the Iruslees to prepare financial siatements for each finarKial year which give a true and fair view of the a5set$. IvabililE5 and financial position of the cornpany as at the financial year end date and of the suiws or defirA of th8 ¢>ynpany aTrJ otherw?se compty with the Charities Aet (Northem Ireland) 2008. In pTeparing these finanual slatet$. lh& trlee$ are requNed lo: sclcct uitab 8c¢ounting pol15 and appty them consistentty". observe the methods and principles in the chan SORP make judgements and accounting estwnates that are reasonab and wlent,. stsle whether the finanGial slatements have been prepared n accordarKe th 8ppknb accounling standards. identify those standaTd5, and note the effeet and the reasort5 for any material departure from those standard5, and prepa the financval statements on g(ng COrM basi% vnle55 it 1$ ir4ppwpriate to pre5umD that the rnrnpany will continue in OFeration. Th? trustees confinm th81 they ha¥e ¢LP1•ed whh lh• atV4e w¢quiMienis in prnparing th? financial 8taiements. The trust¥ are reSportsle for keepThwJ ats]uate accountin9 records that are suffic*nt to show and explain the rnmpany's tIansactK)ns and dis¢Jose with 3$onabl& accuracy al ary tne Ihe finanaal position of the Ixmpany and enab them lo ensure that the financkal slalements comply with the ChantEs Ad (Northern Ireland) 2008. They are also r¢SponSib for safeguardin9 the assets of the company and hen for taking reasonable steps for the preventKJn and dete10 of fraud and other iegUrItieS. Approved lry the Boartl ot Trustees on 19 March 2025 and slgned Its behalf by: Anne Mi5keJly Trustee Chrlsto Trus èr Bull 22