King George VI Northern Ireland Youth Council Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 100178
Annual Report 2023/24
Background to King George VI Youth Council and its Fund
The funds held by the Council were generated by the sale of the King George VI Memorial Hall in May Street, Belfast. The Council has invested the capital to produce an annual income to provide small grant awards to young people in Northern Ireland engaged in training and building their skills through sports or youth activities. The Council does not employ any staff and does not have any premises. The Council holds its Annual General Meeting in June. Its grant awards scheme and business is conducted through its committees, as reported below.
Registration of KGVI with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
The King George VI Council was registered with the NI Charity Commission in 2015 Its Charity number is NIC 100178. The Treasurer is the main contact with the Commission’s office.
Report Content
This report records the activities of the King George VI Council in 2023-2024
AGM
The AGM was held on Monday 12 June 2023 at Dunmurry Golf Club. The Council thanked the Treasurer for making arrangements for this venue.
Reports of the grants awarded during the previous year and copies of the Annual Accounts were received and adopted.
Grants awarded in 2023/2024
The Council has two award panels which consider the applications made by young people in Northern Ireland aged 14-21 years. The Mary Peters Trust administers awards linked to sports while a second panel considers applications from youth organisations and individuals engaged in education, skills building and youth activities .
The website which promotes the Awards is supported on a voluntary basis by its administrator Mrs Linda Gordon. Its address is www.kgviyouthawards.org.uk
In 2023/2024 year The Mary Peters Trust granted individual sports awards to 10 young people participating in a wide range of sports at representative level.
This was the first full year following Covid that the young people have been able to train, compete and travel freely and these changes have greatly encouraged participants in all sports across the Region.
Despite severe and ongoing funding cuts in the Statutory sector, which has greatly impacted on services and opportunities for young people in both urban and rural
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settings, other youth activities continue to emerge often offering innovative ways to attract and engage young people.
Numbers in many traditional types of youth work continue to fall as young people become more involved in contacts through technology rather than meeting in groups to engage in activities, or participate in single sports which requires a large time commitment for training.
In 2023/24 the Panel had carried forward funds from the previous year and considered 20 applications during the year, 14 of which were awarded grants. Groups supported were made up of uniformed organisations, youth groups linking into activities in their local community and emerging groups working with young people.
The activities included a return to residentials in all parts of the country, the learning of new skills through a cookery course and how to develop robotics. There is a growing awareness of the need to provide support for physical and mental well being and this was a key focus of several applications. Another new group was planning to develop a forum where young people could learn to share and promote their ideas and identify priorities to influence decision making at local and regional level.
Management Committee meeting
There was no Management Committee meeting held in 2023/2024.
Accounts
Copies of the 2023/2024 accounts prepared by the Hon Treasurer, Mr John McKee FCA will be circulated at the AGM meeting on 3 June 2024 when the Treasurer will also report on the Fund’s finances.
Trustees 2023/2024
All of the members of the King George VI Council are its Trustees. Mr Richard Honeyford became a Council member and Trustee representing the Northern Ireland Sports Forum. The Office bearers were re elected to serve.
Mrs Leonard said she wished to stand down as Hon. Secretary after the 2023 AGM but would remain a Trustee. She will hand over to Mrs Gordon.
Mr McKee formally proposed that Mrs Gordon becomes the Hon. Secretary. This was seconded by Mr Nixon and agreed by the Council members.
Chairman : Mr Eric Rainey CVO, MBE, DL Vice Chairman: Miss Patricia Mackintosh Hon Treasurer: Mr John R McKee FCA Contact details: 02892 665697 Hon Secretary: Mrs Linda Gordon Contact details: 07732594683
Mr Ken Nixon Mr Colin Kennedy Mr Billy McCoubrey Mr David Smyth Mrs Linda Leonard Mr Richard Honeyford
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