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← Aghalee Village Hall

2025-12-31-annual-report

Charity Number: NIC100157

i) oS =m DN AN Aghalee Vill Hall

Aghalee Village Hall

Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

Daly Park & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants 4 Carnegie Steet Lurgan Co. Armagh BT66 6AS Northern Ireland

Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

The trustees present their Trustees' Report and the unaudited financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2025 ~~.~~

The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) ~~.~~

The Trustees' Report contains the information required to be provided in the Trustees' Annual Report under the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) guidelines ~~.~~ The trustees of the company are also charity trustees for the purpose of charity law and under the company'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, governance, activities, achievements and finances for the financial financial year 31 December 2025.

The company is a registered charity and hence the report and results are presented in a form which complies with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and, although not obliged to comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS 102, the organisation has implemented its recommendations where relevant in these financial statements ~~.~~

Mission and Strategy

We provide and maintain a premises ~~.~~ We enable and permit these premises to be used for the purposes of physical and mental recreation and social moral and intellectual development through the medium of reading and recreation rooms, library, lectures, classes, recreations and entertainments as may be found worthwhile for the local community. We also provide courses, classes and activities similar to those described above in our own right ~~.~~ By these activities we encourage individual and social development, improved community relations and improved social welfare for the local community many of whom are isolated by their rural location ~~.~~

Aims and Objectives

Aghalee Village Hall (AVH) works to benefit the inhabitants of the village of Aghalee and its surrounding neighbourhoods within Lisburn and Craigavon Council areas ~~.~~ AVH provides a facility for the use of the inhabitants and assists a wide spectrum of people, from young children and young people to the elderly. The estimated numbers of people currently directly benefiting from the facility is around 1700 directly, with 3500 indirectly benefiting ~~.~~ These figures are based on existing user group figures ~~.~~ User group numbers are not static and increase or decrease over time. In considering the benefits flowing from AVH’s management of Aghalee Village Hall and the promotion of charitable purposes under the Recreational Charities Act, the use of the village hall facility for classes and educational programmes acts to encourage the community to develop friendships and relationships ~~.~~ This in turn enables the creation of a friendly community atmosphere and provides for a better future for the community ~~.~~ This provides important benefits to the community through members of the user groups and event attendees by the encouragement of social and community cohesion and the development of good community relations. AVH’s leisure, educational and drama programmes provide an important focus point for the community ~~.~~ Through the classes provided by AVH, attendees gain new skills and benefit from improved sel ~~f~~ -esteem and personal development. AVH also acts as a valuable interface and network for many other community organisations within the area, further strengthening community relationships and resilience ~~.~~ These benefits are core to the Association’s community development mission through improving the conditions of life for the beneficiaries. In seeking to demonstrate these benefits, evaluations from participants and users of the facility are undertaken in order to provide tailored activities suitable to the needs of the beneficiaries. In examining the evaluation returns from the year 2009 to the present year, AVH has found a substantial increase in participation in community life ~~.~~ Furthermore, a substantial increase in those attending community education/capacity building classes has also been evidenced with a resultant improvement in the skills base, confidence and sel ~~f~~ -esteem of the community. In the context of AVH’s recreational purposes and the consideration of the possible harm that may arise from AVH’s purposes, it is acknowledged that access to the facility is not always provided on a free of charge basis ~~.~~ The Committee considers that the introduction of charges for the use of the facility is necessary in order to ensure the maintenance, upkeep and survival of the facility ~~.~~ However, consideration has been given to the level of charges payable by the beneficiaries, many of whom are children or elderly or from lower income families and/or community groups. In the context of AVH’s recreational and community activities, it is not perceived that any harm arises from these purposes. In considering the private benefits arising from the AVH’s work, it is acknowledged that incidental private benefits are received by facilitators as a result of payments made to facilitators where required ~~.~~ This is considered necessary for the safe and effective running of the facility and its classes ~~.~~ The private benefits received by the Committee as a consequence of any necessary and transferrable governance or management training or expenses payments are considered incidental and necessary in order to ensure that benefit is provided to the inhabitants. The private benefits received by committee members as a consequence of the ability to access community facilities are incidental as residents living in the area and are no greater than the benefits obtained by any other resident.

2025 opened worldwide with many uncertainties and concerns: ~~-~~

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Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

The continuation of the Israeli invasion of Gaza; Russia’s suspension of gas through Ukrainian pipelines, a boat carrying migrants overturning near Tunisia resulting in many deaths and President elect Trump threatening to fulfil his pledge to mass deport Honduran immigrants working and living in US.

In Aghalee, we welcomed the New Year with an Arctic air mass bringing below average temperatures, as well as wintry showers, persistent rain and flooding ~~.~~ We then had a couple of weeks of milder weather, followed on the 24th by storm Eowyn, the strongest storm for 10 years, which brought destructive winds and the first red warnings for wind ~~.~~ Gusts of over 90mph were recorded across parts of Northern Ireland and much damage sustained.

Politically in Northern Ireland, the government unveiled its draft Climate Action Plan, outlining their strategy aimed at reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors, aiming for net ~~-~~ aero emissions by 2050 ~~.~~

At the Village Hall things were fairly quiet as we settled into the New Year Activities, reflected back on 2024 and planned for the future.

REPORT OF 2025 AGM relating to y/end 31/12/24 ~~-~~ TUESDAY 26" MARCH 2025 Apologies were received from: Matt Hull, Andrea Huff, Fiona Maree, Ruth Macauley, Sally Crawford and Alderman James Tinsley ~~.~~

The Chairperson welcomed those gathered and noted Cllrs Beckett and Kemp ~~.~~ She pointed out the pack on each chair, relating to the meeting this evening, which held all the information about the previous year and which could be taken home ~~.~~

The assembly was given some time to read through the minutes from last year and the Chairperson asked if all were content and if so, requested a proposer and seconder ~~.~~

There were no matters arising from the minutes and they were agreed by all for adoption, proposed by Alison Gawith and seconded by Chris Buller and signed by the Chairperson ~~.~~

Chairperson and Treasurers reports were given and the accounts for y/end 31/12/2024 adopted ~~.~~

The Chairperson introduced Gina Bickerstaff Community Support Officer, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and invited her to oversee the elections and the current committee officially retired ~~.~~ Gina took the Chair and thanked the committee for the invitation to attend and oversee the election of the 2025 committee. She spoke about how successful the hall and its committee have been over the years and congratulated them on their achievements with regards to the services provided to the local community ~~.~~ She said they were a great example of how local people could come together for the greater good ~~.~~ She said the committee had had a very successful year in 2024 and she was very impressed with the level of funding achieved for the various programmes held at the hall. She congratulated the committee on their valuable work over the previous year.

Gina read out the 2025 regular user group nominations ~~.~~ REGULAR USER GROUP REPRESENTATIVES Book Club Fiona Ryan Maree & Kerry Quinn Aghalee Taekwondo Susan McCavigan & Michael Beacham Ballinderry Badminton Club Derek Blakely & Bobbie Hamill Aghalee Upholstery Group Anne Miskelly & Alison Gawith Needlecraft Club Pat McAdams Art Club John Harris AgeNl Pauline Buller

From this list, the number of public representatives is calculated to be 6 for the incoming year. Previous Public Representatives willing to stand again

Matt Hull Chris Buller Andrea Huff Stephen Bann Fernando Gutierrez lan Christie

Ruth Macauley and Caroline Redpath had once again offered their services for 2025 as Booking Secretary and Safeguarding Officer ~~.~~ They would do carry out these posts as volunteers who would not sit on the committee ~~.~~ Gina thanked those who put themselves forwards to represent their local community and sit on the village hall committee for the incoming year. She asked if any other members of the public from the floor wished to offer themselves to the committee. There were no further nominations and she read out the final committee, explaining that people can be co ~~-~~

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Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

opted during the year by contacting the Secretary, Pauline Buller on: ~~- Aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com~~ to meet and discuss ~~.~~ Likewise, if anyone has any ideas about additional activities and events that could be held at the hall, there were encouraged to get in touch. It was noted that Officers would be agreed at the first meeting which is 16'" April @ 8pm in the Paul Green Hall. The election of the new committee was agreed by those present and proposed by Michael Beacham and seconded by Kerry Quinn.

In closing, Gina also offered any help she could provide to support the committee and reminded them that specialised training could be organized as required ~~.~~ She also indicated that some further small grants from the Council would be opening soon, which the committee might be able to avail of ~~.~~ Gina then invited the acting chairman to resume the chair until the end of the meeting.

Anne, as acting Chairman thanked Gina and resumed the Chair until the end of business ~~.~~

As there was no other business, the Chairperson thanked those who had attended and the meeting ended ~~.~~

Other business throughout 2025

CAR PARKING

Throughout the year, the Free Presbyterian Church opposite the hall has very kindly offered the use of their car park for large events, which has been very helpful and we are very grateful to them for their help and participation.

CENTRE MANAGER

We had been unsuccessful in 2024 in securing finding for salary for a centre manager, but agreed that renewed effort would be made during the coming year.

CLEANING

In January Lindsey Matchett was confirmed as our cleaner on agreed terms ~~.~~ She is not employed by us but will invoice each month for work carried out as per agreed schedule, divided into 12 equal payments. We are very pleased to have Lindsey on board and carrying on the great work carried out by Sheila, who retired in December ~~.~~

CUSTODIAL TRUSTEES

The list was updated after 7 years of service as required and signatures were needed from current Custodial Trustees to allow for two retirements. Most have signed the legal document update, with just one last signature required.

FUNDING & GRANT APPLICATIONS 2025

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|||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Grant|applications|ee| |Truemark|Elderly|Hardship|5,000.00| |Garfield Weston|Fdn|Core costs|7,500.00|LCCC| |LCCC|Comm|Service|Grant|2025|Insurance|4,235.00|Lisburn &| |A4A|Various|19,740|.|00|Castlereagh| |LCCC|Facilities|Fund|Digital|hub|&|Solar|battery|8,589.75|City|Council| |LCCC|-|Xmas|Christmas|events|1,000|.|00|nn|ae| |LCCC|—|DIY Fund|Alleyway|resurface work|1,065.00|&|||&| |47,1 29|.|75|LOTTERY FUNDED|

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Aghalee Village Hall really appreciate the funding and support from each and every funder, the Hall would not survive and thrive without this year after year ~~.~~

HMRC funds received on 2024 donations was £328 ~~.~~ 28

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|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |FUNDRAISERS/DONATIONS| |20/1/25|Destash|Donations|40.00|(Teas)| |1/5/25|Destash|Donations|75|.|00|(Teas)| |4/6/25|Art|Exhibition|donation|209.00|(Artists|donation|from|sales)| |4/6/25|Personal|donation|10.00| |2/8/25|Destash|Donations|40.00|(Teas)| |4/10/25|Rock|night|Donations|100|.|00| |4/10/25|Rock|night|Ticket/Ballot|1,300|.|00| |11/10/25|Destash|Donations|60.00|(Teas)| |16/10/25|Upholstery|Donations|241|.|45| |17/10/25|Donation|RefA|Miskelly|50.00| |8/11/25|Craft|fair|Donations|243|.|00| |4/5/6|Dec/25|Christmas|Donations|285|.|00| |£2,653|.|45|

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LITTER PICK

Building pride in our village, Aghalee’s community spirit continues to shine with the ongoing Meet Up, Clean Up litter pick events, organised from Aghalee Village Hall. These mornings bring residents together to help keep our village

6

Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2025 looking its best ~~—~~ and to enjoy a bit of craic and connection along the way! Our inaugural event on 21% June was a huge success, with an incredible 44 local residents turning out to lend a hand ~~.~~ Families, friends, and neighbours joined forces to tackle litter hotspots, collect bags of rubbish, and make a visible difference across our community. Unfortunately, our most recent clean ~~-~~ up on 27" September had to be cancelled due to Storm Amy, which brought high winds and heavy rain to the area ~~.~~ Safety always comes first, but we’re determined to get back out there with renewed enthusiasm for our next scheduled dates ~~.~~

The Meet Up, Clean Up sessions take place on Saturdays at 10am from Aghalee Village Hall, with upcoming events planned for: 24th January, 18th April, 22nd August, and 28th November 2026 ~~.~~ Everyone is welcome ~~—~~ whether you can give ten minutes or an hour, every little bit helps. All equipment is provided, and there’s always a friendly chat and a cuppa afterwards ~~.~~ Together, we’re keeping Aghalee clean and proud!

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HALL USAGE AND PROMOTION

We felt needed to promote the hall more in the future. It was felt we should leave this until the interior refurbishment is complete in 2025 when we could perhaps make a video walk through of the hall showcasing it and promoting on our proposed new website and usual social media site.

INSURANCE 2025

Given the soaring insurance costs over the past few years we searched around for an alternative policy. We obtained like for like insurance cover this year for less than half the amount quoted by our usual insurer; £2,858 as opposed to £6,373 quoted and we took up this offer.

IPB PRIDE OF PLACE AWARDS

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council nominated AVH for IPB Pride of place in the population category 300 ~~-1~~ 000 ~~.~~ Organised by peacebuilding charity Co ~~-o~~ peration Ireland and sponsored by IPB Insurance, the IPB Pride of Place Awards recognise and celebrate the very best in community development across the island of Ireland. Now in its 23rd year, the IPB Pride of Place Awards honour the selfless efforts of people who make their local neighbourhoods better places to live, work, and socialise ~~.~~

We were honoured to be nominated by the Council, and had a judging meeting on Monday 1%! September at the hall. Pauline, Anne, Fernando, Steve and Alison all attended ~~.~~ Gina at LCCC has helped by compiling a PowerPoint submission about the hall and its people and activities ~~.~~ We gave a presentation to the 2 judges ~~.~~ The IPB Pride of Place Award judging finale was held on Friday 7° November in Limerick and Chairperson Anne Miskelly and committee member Andrea Huff attended the ceremony on behalf of AVH ~~.~~ We were delighted to hear we were runners up in our category, this being won by Clarinbridge in Galway ~~.~~ A great night had by all and we are delighted to have been awarded a beautiful glass trophy plus 500 Euro. It was suggested that the trophy be placed in the main lobby with our other plaques and achievements ~~.~~

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MAINTENANCE

We had various routine maintenance issues over the year and we used local handyman Paul Kemp to sort most of these out ~~.~~ Latterly we had some remote management of the heating system, with it sometimes not recognising the different zones, making it very difficult at times to arrange suitable heating for groups and users. We shifted signal boosters around the hall, which has helped but feeling is that signal in the area has been variable this year for some reason ~~.~~ Over the Christmas period the main stores are to be emptied, the contents assessed and those being retained, repacked more tidily.

NEWSLETTER

We continued to publish 2 editions of the newsletter as usual this year and discovered with some surprise we are about to publish the 36" edition.

7

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Aghalee Village Hall
TRUSTEES' REPORT
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for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

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SETTING OUT 2025

We accepted help from both committee members and regular user groups in setting out and putting away of tables in the main hall to accommodate various activities, and thank them all.

PLANNED DATES FOR EVENTS AND FUNDRAISERS 2025 WERE: ~~-~~ Art Exhibition ~~—~~ 23 ~~-~~ 25" May with Afternoon Tea ~~—~~ 24'" May, Summer solstice walk ~~—~~ 21 June, Rock n Pop Night ~~—~~ 4" October & Christmas event ~~—~~ 4" / 5t" / 6 December

Private hires throughout the year for birthdays, anniversaries and similar plus 4 x De ~~-s~~ tash events on 25" Jan / 26% April / 2"? July / 11" October and a Craft fair on 8 November raised additional rental fees ~~.~~ We also let out the hall to the BBC who wished to hire the hall for a few days filming in November which was very exciting once again for the community ~~.~~

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Afternoon Tea
The Afternoon Tea fundraiser usually run with the Art exhibition was cancelled this year due to very low ticket
sales. We're not entirely sure why this was, perhaps because it was scheduled on a bank holiday weekend .
We hope to run the event at some stage next year as it is lovely when run along with the Art exhibition, and
is a valuable fundraising event.
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Aghalee Village Hall
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7 RS st 7. 7
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Annual Afternoon Tea
Saturday 24" May 2025
£14.50 —2pm booking fee+
Thank you for your support
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Charity ho NCIODES
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Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

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for the financial year ended 31 December 2025
e Rockn Pop night - 4 October
What a super night this was . A hall full of happy local people, listening to our wonderful local musicians . We
sang and enjoyed ourselves and some of us danced the night away too . A superb £1,300 was raised to go
into hall funds . We could not have done this without the help of: the bands and guest artist who played for
free - Dazed, Renegade Kings and Neil Withers, the local businesses and friends who donated ballot prizes -
HANNON Transport Classic Kitchens Aghalee Pharmacy Practice Aghalee Taekwondo Club Centra Aghalee
Aghalee Vehicle Services Aghalee building & Agricultural Supplies Copper Tree Glass Waggin Tails Green
Woodwork Ireland Trish Rogers Originals, or without the help of Aghalee Village Hall committee, thank you
all!
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ma \ TAN
7
e Christmas event
Our annual Christmas ‘switch on event’ was held on Thursday 4' December 2025 and was a great success
as always . Two of our 3 partner schools were able to attend and entertained us with 2 songs each . Toby
Pinecone was in the hall checking the naughty and nice lists and was in great demand . The Mayor thanked
them for singing, everyone for attending and the committee ladies for providing refreshments throughout the
evening and then we all walked up to the new site for the Christmas tree . After a successful countdown the
tree lights were switched on as were the festive street lights and Aghalee was Christmas ready!
—
e Father Christmas Visits mie eS tdOuwe
Before the event,im the small hall had been previously decorated_ as the BESS = ony sclee a Ral s
Grotto and waiting room so our Father Christmas booked visits took place a: fal}174lei
on 5". and 6" December . Volunteers Walter Robertson and Owen Gawith, #é mene P |
plus Kylie, Abigail and Andrena, Susan, Pauline and Alison G received 60 a) \ ee es We FUG) x:
families with 106 children, who all saw Father Christmas and put in for their rs 7, , ey
special Christmas requests . ; f
e Thanks to all the volunteers who made these two events possible — a total
of £285 was raised in donations, which will go towards the work of the hall.
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2025 CHRISTMAS FESTIVE LIGHTS

Dept. for Infrastructure has confirmed they will ensure the suitable lighting columns all work in 2025 as the display was poor in 2024 due to various columns not working ~~.~~ We paid for 1 column to be fitted out, but the rest were to be repaired without further cost to us.

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Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

NEW CHRISTMAS TREE SITE

Last Christmas we felt the current site was no longer fit for purpose as the once small trees close by have grown into mature trees, so we put in a request to discuss the possibility of re ~~-s~~ iting. In July, James Rodgers Parks & Amenities, and other staff from the Council building and technical offices, met with Stephen Bann and Pauline Buller of the hall committee to discuss moving the Christmas tree site ~~.~~ We were all agreed that the centre point of the green area in front of the community seating at the wildflower area would be ideal. Council personnel went off to sort out the technical and logistics of getting the right sort of power to the new site ~~.~~ By October most of the work was completed and we look forward to the switch on event on 4° December ~~.~~ We also requested a much better tree than we have had in the past ~~.~~ 5 - | »_ ae oS ae ee : : I *. NEW VENTURES e Repair Café Having been interested about Repair Cafés in previous years, this year we wondered if the newly established Moira Repair Café would come out to carry out similar in Aghalee every so often ~~.~~ The Moira organiser suggested that Aghalee committee come to a Moira one to see how the café worked, e.g ~~.~~ repairing clothes, tool sharpening, electrical repairs, IT, woodwork, etc. They thought rather than coming to us, we could perhaps start our own Repair Café. lan and Susan went to see an event and both were very impressed ~~.~~ Repair Café NI operate on a franchise basis, with help and support from their leadership ~~.~~ A setup pack is provided to help a group set up and no entry fee to the scheme. People who have items repaired make donations and this is used to provide refreshments, new tools and ongoing insurance ~~.~~ The committee was very excited at the potential of this new venture and it was agreed that lan and Susan would lead on this venture ~~.~~ Regularity and timing of events were discussed ~~.~~ We agreed to visit another Café date, explore the next step and consider getting started ~~.~~ The Aghalee Café sub ~~-~~ committee then shadowed Dromore Café, which was well attended and very enjoyable and gave lots of insight ~~.~~ We currently have 11 repairers on board and it is also hoped that the wider community will start to become involved in terms of offering repair services and also carrying out ancillary duties. Insurance concerns have been met and a new policy via the repair café will be purchased ~~.~~ Health and safety concerns are covered under the repair café insurance ~~.~~ We held a soft launch on Saturday 11% November and went very well. This was only advertised to friends and family to see how it went very well indeed. Our fixers and volunteers did us proud to be residents of Aghalee ~~.~~ We had £78 of donations which will help in the running of the Aghalee Repair Cafe ahead ~~.~~ We had 8 repairs of from bikes to irons to laptops to clothing and various other bits and bobs ~~.~~ There is a real drive within the group to see this venture succeed. Our next event will be 10th of January 2026 and we are looking forward to new opportunities with volunteers fixing jewellery, garden machinery and much more. Jo Temple, Waste Development & Communications Officer with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has also come to join us and will assist with organising various initiatives ~~.~~

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Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

e Men’s Group In May, lan Christie of the committee took the lead and started the process about making contact with those who expressed an interest in starting a group. Gina Biggerstaff of LCCC has sent a starter pack over which was very helpful. The group is now established and meets on the last Thursday of each month in the Loft from 7pm

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AGHALEE
CLeMENS |);
GROUP
LAST THURSDAY, OF THE
MONTH AT 7PM
IN THE verte Tue
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
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e Senior Digital Hub
We received funding by way of a facilities improvement grant from Lisburn & AGHALEE
Castlereagh City Council for a Digital Hub and lan, being an IT expert took the lead in DIGITAL HUB
this . Fernando, another IT expert on the committee is going to assist along with Alison
Jamison. lan met a representative from the Council with our plan for some advice on ey eee
best practice, and it is hoped this could be a regular workshop . The plan is to host a VILLAGE HALL
drop -i n digital hub for the more elderly in the community — the idea being to help folk ;
with laptops, iPads, phones, website issues etc with the aim of increasing people’s FROM THE [COMMUNITY.]
confidence. We have7 laptops available . The next stage is to set up a programme of we
events (online assistance, raise cyber security awareness etc) and to start advertising
in 2026 .
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e More New Ventures
o Junior Badminton - Ballinderry Badminton decided to try and start up a Junior Badminton section in
September . They contacted their governing body for help and opened during the first week in
September with an initial 12 children . Numbers have grown and the junior club is now thriving .
o Football - We were contacted by a Football coach who also wanted to start a Junior Football
programme for very young children. This started in first week in September also and numbers are
very encouraging. - ; ~
Badminton ie 3
q » ®) FRIDAYS
AGHALEE > ] cmaaaeena
NEW VOLUNTEERS AF THE NEYT CHAReWINE # = i ps
A local resident, Janette McKeown volunteered to refill the dog poo bag machine at the Playing Fields . She was
approved by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and was given boxes of bags along with a key for the container .
Many thanks to her for volunteering to carry this task out to ensure there are always bags available . Janette has also
volunteered to help the committee out in any way she can.
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MORE NEW VOLUNTEERS We have 3 further new volunteers, along with Janette, Sheila Baker is willing to help out in any way she can ~~.~~ Neither are interested in sitting on committee. Andrena Christie and Alison Jamison are interested in serving on the committee ~~.~~ The secretary will go through the application process with each of them and when complete will induct

11

Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

them both and organise suitable training as required. Many thanks to all of these people, offering to become part of Aghalee Village Hall.

OPEN DAY

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We decided to hold and open morning on Sat 22 November to display the activities programme items and showcase
of Regular user groups . Most regular groups expressed an interest in having a table to display what they do and we
set out the main hall with tables holding flyers and items of interest for potential visitors. We also set up a welcome
table showing off our new award from IPB alongside our original 1933 minute book and some tables holding
examples of the fruits of the courses and workshops on the 2025/26 Activity Programme funded by The National
Lottery. The morning went well, we had a lovely event showcasing all of the clubs, groups and classes that take place
at the hall. It was great to meet new people and reacquaint with others. Thanks to all the committee members and
club reps for helping out . -
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2 YEAR ACTIVITY PROGRAMME In May 2024, we heard we had been awardeda total of £46,822 over 2 years by The National Lottery, People & Communities, for a continuation of the Activities Programme into 2025/26 ~~.~~ This was wonderful news and we are deeply indebted to the Lottery for this wonderful award to host the programme in 2025 and 2026. Term 1 ~~—~~ 2025 had been advertised and was heavily subscribed ~~.~~ There were 4 courses and 17 workshops offered ~~.~~ 269 places were available and we had 298 applications. Only 12 places were not booked immediately and most of these were taken up during the term ~~.~~

Term 2 had been advertised and was again very heavily subscribed. There were 2 courses and 8 workshops offered. 97 places were available and we had 180 applications. A couple of people had complained as we hadn't received emails they said they had sent, but this is out of our control. Only 2 places were not booked immediately and these were taken up during the term ~~.~~

Term 3 applications had been advertised and was once again very heavily advertised ~~.~~ There were 4 courses and 19 workshops offered ~~.~~ 300 places were available and we had 335 applications. There were no places not booked. For the first time during the programme, 2 workshops had to be cancelled due to tutor personal issues and in each term we put on extra workshops to try and cater for the additional applications ~~.~~

Allin all it has been an incredibly successful programme in 2025 ~~.~~ We have provided a total of 10 courses, varying from 3 weeks to 8 weeks, and 44 workshops ~~.~~ We had a total of around 815 applications out of which 665 people were able to obtain places ~~.~~

Work with Beeches Resource Centre ~~—~~ SEN Programme

Also under our 2025/26 Activities Programme, funded by National Lottery, we continue our collaboration and work with The Beeches Resource Centre students ~~.~~ This year, tutors Nikki Terlik of Empathy Creations and Naomi Whan ~~-~~ Wylie took the students through various artistic and other activities. Didn’t they all do well?

The 2026 Programme has been planned and is timetabled with Term 1 opening for applications on 30" November ~~.~~

12

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Aghalee Village Hall
TRUSTEES' REPORT
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for the financial year ended 31 December 2025 _
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IN ADDITION
Added to the 2025 Programme was our first summer scheme since before Covid . This was a great
and 23 children attending Sporty and Crafty week respectively . Two committee members have
with summer scheme in 2026 .
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Added to the 2025 Programme was our first summer scheme since before Covid ~~.~~ This was a great success with 20 and 23 children attending Sporty and Crafty week respectively ~~.~~ Two committee members have volunteered to help with summer scheme in 2026 ~~.~~

Workshops and courses are priced at a very modest cost to those attending and the total spent over the year was as expected and budgeting for, in the range of £21,000 ~~.~~ Adverting for the first term of 2026 has already started, and once again we are inundated with applications. It looks like it will be another very busy year for us with this programme. Many thanks to The National Lottery for their support ~~.~~

NATIONAL voELOTTERY

REFURBISHMENT

This work more or less completes the complete, planned programme of exterior and interior repairs and refurbishments that we pledged to carry out to keep the hall sound and secure for the future ~~.~~

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13
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Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2025 REGULAR USER GROUPS

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AGENI - AGHALEE
e AgeNl Wednesdays
Aghalee AgeNI group continue to meet weekly at the hall. There are 15 service users © ——
who enjoy some fun and games and a lovely 2 course meal each Wednesday . Each eanicaae
month they have been receiving a regular food parcel each from a £5,000 grant ( 22%
awarded by The Truemark Trust and which will be followed by a £4,000 grant from 3 i % . ;
Awards for All to continue the service . To contact — please ring Gillian Thompson on
07733 912876 nenenaAtle le. Bi,
Aghalee Book Club __-_ Stet ian [“ooo]
Aghalee Book Club continues to be a regular user of the Loft in Aghalee Village Hall since our inception in
2013 . Our membership remains at a comfortable number, with some members leaving throughout the year,
while others joined us from the village and surrounding areas . We have read some very interesting books
this year including The Salt Path by Raynor Winn which has seen some controversy in the press . We went
to the cinema to see the film adaptation of this book and agreed that the book's content was favourably
transferred to the Big Screen! We enjoyed 2 novels covering aspects of the Second World War, namely The
Rose Code by Kate Quinn and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows; we were able to show the film adaptation of the S rohatee
latter in the Loft while munching on popcorn and treats! Some of the non-fiction books BOOK CLUB
we covered included an interesting delve into the world of Swedish death cleaning, . ‘
which prompted a lot of discussion and Billy Connolly's Tall Tales and Wee Stories ag 6
which showcased the comedian's enduring ability to make the reader laugh at the most 7 » gt oe
mundane human interactions! We have been very fortunate in the last year to secure La
fundingfurther which has facilitated our cinema trips. We hope to arrange theatre trips and TUESDAYEXCHMONTH
cinema trips in the coming months using this funding . _Aghalee Book Club poet
remains a wonderful opportunity for locals to engage with each other once a STARTING BACK 2ND SEPTEMBER
month, over a cup of tea, to discuss all things literary....and more . To make contact — ee e ee ae
email — Aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com San
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e Aghalee Needlecraft Club
Needlecraft group started back on 10" June . Wed decided to be slightly more formal as a Needlecrait Glub
group, and have membership forms, code of conduct and a Constitution to go by. Annual aa Arend
membership is £5 per year, which we think is very reasonable plus £2 per month attended. Be eae
We did this in order to bring in some funds which we can use to pay our monthly rent and Sees
also bring in tutors now and again . We received a grant of £900 from Awardsfor All and SoQise
used this to help with rent and to bring in tutor Nancy from Nifty Needles to teach 3 short Soe to
workshops of Slow stitching, Blackwork and Inktense colouring and stitching in July, i, eA”
September and November. These were great workshops and everyone attending made “CSS
some lovely items . On the other months, we just bring our own projects to work at . a
Everyone over 18 is very welcome indeed, so if you'd like to join us, please get in touch with Pat on 07906
320810
e <@-; Repair
Aghalee Repair Café id
This‘soft new venture started gathering momentum over 2025 and in November we held out 200Satucars.of
launch’, which was very successful. We have plans to host Cafés in 2026 on 10" oth January 8
January, 7 March, 9" May, 15 August, 17 October and 13" December . We are still antay
looking for volunteers who want to help out with anything from making tea to repairing items. october Y
If you are interested, please give us a call — contact lan on 07342 929995 — everyone very 2026
welcome.
e Aghalee Taekwondo Club sono 7
Everyone in Aghalee Taekwondo Club has been working hard this year. In June we had a celebration Laas y
outing to Moira lakes and in July, a number of students passed their grading, under the UTANI Panel, = SIA
showing that hard work pays off . After that, in October Oliver become Aghalee’s newest Black belt and Zz,
in December we did our grading exams. Such a great bunch of students! Interested in joining? For — Aff
ages 7+, we meet on a Tuesday and Thursday evening 6 . 30 to 8pm . Contact Michael on 07548 ea ae
885114 wari
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14

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Aghalee Village Hall
TRUSTEES' REPORT
for the financial year ended 31 December 2025
e Aghalee Upholstery Group a
AghaleeAcheson,upholsteryour mastergroupupholsterergoes from . Groupsstrengthof uptotostrength18 meetundereach theThursday tutelagetooflearn Junethe “ornTeeviginciynte ae finerc
secretschairs, of how to repair and reuse old and often neglected pieces of furniture such as Meatson oT 287
footstools, sofas chaise longues and many other and varied items . This is all a Bead orn
besides the tea, buns and craic! The courses are open to all over 18. If you would like to ~o ——
join please contact Alison on 07542299287 —oeif
e — Ballinderry Junior Badminton Club
Junior Badminton started on Monday 8" September . This was the first time in several years juniors were
held and we were delighted to have around 13 on the first night . This has grown
now considerably and it’s very encouraging to see so many young ones wanting to aaa
play . We meet on a Monday evening 6 . 30pm to 8pm for ages 6 to 16 years . Contact <<
Phyllis on 07817 916589 =
e _ Ballinderry Senior Badminton Club = Fhe
The senior badminton club fortunes have taken an upward turn as they were ie
seeking some new players over the year and have had some success, which is nie: al
great. In 2025 they entered one team in Church of Ireland mixed division and one ic! analog
team in Ballinderry gents. They would be delighted for more players to jointhem and = #z2ns2inse
if anyone is interested in joining the club please contact Derek on 07791 267636 ¥
e Exercise to Music Group
The exercise group run by Ciara has proved to be very successful indeed, so much so there is a waiting list
to join . The ladies keep fit every Wednesday evening 7pm - 8pm. If you’re interested please contact Ciara on
07780 954731. ae he
<a FOOTBALL
e Friday Football Group pi FRIDAYS
This year we welcomed Jonny for Football Friday sessions . This is football aimed at ’ oon
children, starting as young as age 3 & 4 up to ages 7 & 8 . Sessions are on Friday As Eaaeee tones
evenings, 6pm to 6 . 30pm for ages 3, 4 & 5 and 6 . 30pm to 7pm for ages 6, 7 &8 . PE ihr mca
Sessions are steadily gaining momentum so if you’re interested please get in touch with MW ess
Jonny on 07832 035532 ata
e Yoga Group
On Tuesday mornings at the hall we have Lynn and the yoga classes . So much more RELAL YOUR BODY, SOUL 4 MIND
thanWe meet just yoga,between the st10 .u dents30 andlea12 rn. 30 a hoston a Tuesday of tricks tomorning, keep themselvesand due to chilleddemand, out andmayfitbe. yesR Foal eS 4‘ oe
also putting on an evening session in 2026, so keep an eye on all the socials to check "ad ey a a
this out. Interested? Contact Lynn on 07808 174467 ‘sas
¢ SRC -A rt Course BECINNERS WELCOME 8+
We work in partnership with Southern Regional College and their Hobby Art course Tuesdays 10,00- 113Sam
meets in the main hall on a Monday morning 10 . 15 to 12 . 15, under the excellent
tutelage of Cherie Craig. At the end of each year, just before summer their Annual Art TERE
exhibition is held in the hall to display al they have learned . This course is run by SRC and to enrol please
contact SRC directly on 0300 123 1223 to enquire about future courses.
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RETIREMENTS

John Harris retired from the committee as Art group rep during the year but continues to assist as he has volunteered to remain as Deputy Fire Officer and continues to set out and put away tables and chairs for groups and events ~~.~~ We thank John for his continuing commitment and support ~~.~~

Caroline Redpath

After a great many years, Caroline is stepping down as Safeguarding officer but has confirmed she will help and support the new officer, who will need training ~~.~~ We are indebted to her for her knowledge, guidance and very valuable training over the year and hope she enjoys a very happy retirement ~~.~~

15

Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

THANK YOU MEAL FOR VOLUNTEERS ~~.~~

This has been postponed until 2026 as there had been too much to be done before the end of December. Those who have volunteered and contributed to the work of the hall during 2025 will be invited ~~.~~

TRAINING

Fire Officer Training

Anne Miskelly and John Harris trained as Fire Office and Deputy, through training offered by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. Evacuation training is to be scheduled with each regular user group ~~.~~ Safeguarding training ~~—~~ As agreed, 2 committee members completed updated Safeguarding training. It is hoped in 2026 that 2 further committee members will also complete this important training.

WILDFLOWER GARDEN

Stephen Bann of our committee spoke to the local Council with a view to having the path around the wild garden tarmacked as opposed to the current rough stones, which make pushing wheelchairs very difficult ~~.~~ This was successful and was implemented in the late spring ~~.~~

YOUTH PROGRAMME

We had received many requests from the community for a Youth programme at the hall. We investigated how this had been manage previously, whether the same regulations were required or if these had changed ~~.~~ There was great discussion and some concern that children are too busy with afterschool activities and homework and many younger children are with minders until parents come home from work and therefore a younger children programme might not be worth pursuing ~~.~~ We felt eventually a younger youth programme was not something the village hall could help with at this time ~~.~~

There were similar discussions with regard to a senior Youth programme and again, with all the new regulations and legislative requirements, it was felt the committee was unable to host a regular, dedicated Youth programme ~~.~~ The Education Authority was unable to help as they stay they have no staff for outreach in rural areas and have been unable to recruit for this.

It was decided to arrange a trip in September for about 20 boys/young men to go karting and / or paintballing ~~.~~ We worked with Ballinderry Residents Association on this initiative and 20 teenaged boys were taken paintballing and then back to the hall for chips.

The point of the exercise was to reach teens boys, including those who might be are at danger of getting into antisocial behaviour, and also to try and make them aware of and hopefully become involved with the village hall so that they might in the future ‘buy in’ to what goes on here ~~.~~ We funded this initiative ourselves, the event was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and the boys from Aghalee and Ballinderry got on very well together ~~.~~ Thanks must go to those adults from both committees who went along as participants, chaperones and responsible persons ~~.~~ We are hoping to run something similar in 2026, for which we will see funding, and will hopefully get input this time also from Aghagallon Community Centre and community ~~.~~

For those teen girls and boys who did not want to take part in the paintballing, there was a ceramic workshop organised and this was enjoyed by all participants with some lovely pots being made ~~.~~

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16

Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT for the financial year ended 31 December 2025 OUTLough Neagh AND ABOUT ee : ‘ide—_—_4 InNeagh,April thiswhichyearis the the Uk’sfirst sightingslargest freshwaterof blue ~~-~~ greenlake ~~.~~ algae were again seen in Lough Penisetet sereakaaka itePpgtiPpgtigtii Blue ~~-~~ green algae, is a collection of microscopic organisms that are naturally present [os Suess oa Sie Sie ae in lakes and streams ~~.~~ Under certain conditions, blu ~~e-~~ green Algae can become abundant * gan. aS lot in ~~wa~~ rm, shallow, undisturbed ~~,~~ nutrient-rich surface waters that receive a T | stags sae sae = of sunlight ~~.~~ When this happens, blue ~~-~~ green algae can form, discolouring water Be * Oka see ae ae See and producing smelly, scummy mats on the surface of the water ~~.~~ Exposure to high | eed te aie levels of any blue ~~-~~ green algae blooms ~~-~~ whether by contact with water blooms, Pe get 20 Ss swallowing that water or inhaling airborne droplets can cause health issues in see Se Se Sah { om people and animals ~~.~~ ‘5 3 LE VER The lough supplies half of Belfast's drinking water and 40% overall of Northern lreland’s water. The lough and its catchment area is a vast ecosystem where species such as the curlew and the barn owl could be found in years gone by. It has numerous environmental designations ~~—~~ special protection areas, special areas of conservation, areas of special scientific interest and Ramsar status. A spokesperson for DAERA said Minister Andrew Muir is “on record a number of times saying that there are no quick fixes, with problems decades in the making and decades in the fixing” ~~.~~

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Some lovely pictures of the natural beauty all around us ~~.~~

Swans and surfboarders at Portmore, Fly Agaric and Thrushes in the Willows, courtesy of Bob McGlade ~~.~~ The hungry pheasant courtesy of Pauline Buller

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FOR 2026

We have had an incredibly busy time over 2025 and have achieved a great deal, none of which would have been remotely possible without all the committee members and other volunteers pulling together. It was also a very rewarding and positive year for the hall.

We have almost totally refurbished the hall, inside and out, and run a comprehensive programme of activities, all managed by volunteers ~~.~~ We are glad to have some new volunteers on board and will be able to put them to good use in various ways, depending on their strengths ~~.~~ We will contnue to train our volunteers and committee members as required.

We have some exciting new ventures to look forward to and develop in 2026: ~~-~~ o The Repair Café, o Men's Group, o New website, o Senior Digital hub & Community o Litter picks

17

Aghalee Village Hall TRUSTEES' REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

And we need to:-

Financial Review

The results for the financial year are set out on page 21 and additional notes are provided showing income and expenditure in greater detail.

Financial Results

At the end of the financial year the company has assets of £262,627 (2024 - £257,062) and liabilities of £1,963 (2024 - £2,755). The net assets of the company have increased by £6,357.

Reserves Policy

The Hall Committee shall endeavour through various fund-raising measures to have retained in the bank up to one year's worth of normal expenditure, to sustain the hall in case of emergency when the hall might have to be closed for any period of time. The unrestricted building fund shown at note 14.2 shows the net book value of the hall and it’s contents.

Compliance with Sector-Wide Legislation and Standards

The company engages pro-actively with legislation, standards and codes which are developed for the sector. Aghalee Village Hall subscribes to and is compliant with the following: - The Charities SORP (FRS 102)

Public Benefit

The charity has given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities entered into during the year have helped to achieve the Charity's objectives and activities, as well as providing public benefit.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on_18th March 2026 _ and signed on its behalf by:

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Anne Miskelly 4 4 Christopher Buller
Trustee Truste;
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18

Aghalee Village Hall STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

for the financial year ended 31 December 2025

The trustees are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities and financial position of the company as at the financial year end date and of the surplus or deficit of the company and otherwise comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the above requirements in preparing the financial statements.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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Approved by the Board of Trustees on 18th March 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
f
Anne Miskelly = ChristopHer Buller
Trustee Trustee
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19