174 TRUST REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 174 TRUST TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Trustees Mr Gavin Pantridge Rev. Prof J Patton Taylor MBE Mrs Heather Carey Director Rev. DR. Bill Shaw OBE Prlncipal Office Duncairn Complex Duncaim Avenue Belfast BT14 68P Northem Ireland Charity Numbor XN62669AJAR NIC 100531 Audltors Harvey & Co Accountancy Services Ltd 5 Willowbank Road Millbrook Lame Co. Antrim BT40 2SF Bankers Danske Bank PO Box 183 Donegal Square West Belfast BT16JS Solicitors Hewitt & Gilpin 14 - 16 James Street South Belfast BT2 7GA 174TRUST TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT 2023-24 The Trustees present their report along with the financial statements of the Trust for the year ended 30 September 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordan￿ with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Trust's trust deed and The Charities (Accounts and reports) Regulations (Northem Ireland) 2015. 174 Trust is approved by the Nl Charily Commission and registered NIC 100531. Chairfs Report Structure, governance and management The 174 Trust established in the Duncairn l New Lodge area of Belfast, in 1983, with a commitment to working for the good of the local community. The mission statement highlights the aim of the Trust's work in stating .174 Trust is committed to process of community development based on building relationships with local people, working together to identify and meet local needs" The Trust works towards this, keeping in mind the Trust's value base of "The proclamation of the Kingdom of God through demonstrating Christ's value in action.. The trustees a￿ appointed by the Board of Trustees. The Trustees during the year 2023124 were: Rev Prof Patton Taylor MBE Mrs Heather Carey Mr Gavin Pantridge Chair Ststsment of compliance with the duty to have regard to the Commission's guidance "In setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the trustees have given carefvl consideration to the Charity Commission for Northem Ireland's guidan￿ on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity's purposes and provide a benefrt to the beneficiaries." The day to day management of the trust has been delegated to the Management Committee. Chair: TreaSu￿r. Member.. Member. Member. Member. Member: Mrs Heather Carey Mr David Van der Merwe Mr David Read Mrs Audrey Petersen Mrs Jane Grey Ms Aisling Mccomick Rev Prof Patton Taylor MBE Secretary: Mr Geofftey Kerr Senior Management Team: DirectorlCEO: Rev Dr William Shaw OBE Operations Director Mr Tim Magowan - appointed 8 April 2024 Deputy Directorlsecretary: Mr Geoffrey Kerr prr Creative Director, Duncairn Arts Centre: Mr Ray Giffen Risk Management The trustees have considered the major risks to which the trust is exposed and established systems and procedures to manage those risks. The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises: An ongoing review of the principal risks and Un￿rtaIntieS that the charity fa￿s. The establishment of policies, systems, and prO￿dureS to mitigate those risks identified. The implementation of prO￿dureS designed to minimise or manage any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise. This work has identified that financial sustainability is the major financial risk ft)r the charity. A key element in the management of financial risk is a regular review of available liquid funds to settle debts as they fall due, regular liaison with the bank, and active management of trade debtors and Greditors balances to ensure sufficient working capital by the Trust. Attention has also been focussed on non-financial risks arising from fire, health and safety of artists and audience, management of performing rights and food hygiene. All these risks are managed by ensuring accreditation is up to date, having robust policies and procedures in place, and regular awareness training for staff working in these operational areas. Objectlves and actlvltles The Trust Is an interdenominational Christian Community Development organisation, whose mission it is to "work wrth local people, helping them to identify and meet local needs.. The Trust seeks to do this by providing an inclusive, non-threatening and shared space environment for individuals and groups to access programmes and to be involved in a wide range of activities covering every age group from parent & toddlers to Senior Citizens. The Trust's local community work is focussed on North Belfast where there are few cross-community groups and where there are very few, if any, shared venues. Public Benefits The advancement of citizenship or community development. The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial hannony or equality and diversity. The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disabilÈty, financial hardship or another disadvantage. The advan￿ment of the arts, culture, heritage, or science. The advan￿ment of education The Trust has developed the Duncairn Complex, and now the Macrory Centre, as shared spaces I neutral venues in North Belfast. Achievement and perfomiance The Duncaim Complex continues to serve as the base for the Trust's work and is used to promote cross community opportunities. It is home to aboLrt 12 autonomous groupsftenants and impacts on average 20,000 people throughout the year, some of whom a￿ among the most marginalized and vulnerable in our society. Activities The Trust operates several projects including., Preschool Nursery The NurserylPreschool was established in 1995 to address the needs of the children in the New LodgelDuncaim area of North Belfast. It was registered with Social Services for 26 children in this reporting period, aged between 2 and 10 months and 5 years old. All staff have the required qualifications, with the Deputy Leader currently completing CCLD Level 5. The Preschool operates Monday to Friday from 8'.30am to 12".30pm within the former church halls of the Duncaim Complex. During this period the preschool was part of the govemment preschool expansion programme and 12 spaces were funded by DE. 12 younger children were allocated self-funded spaces at a cost of £160 per month over 10 months. The number of children attending through DE funded spaces changed throughout this period, as Newcomer children moved houses and areas. However. new children presented as being eligible for these spaces and numbers increased once more. All children attending were assessed using Wellcomm Speech Assessment, with 100 % of children making progress with their use and understanding of speech and all English as first language children leaving the setting at their appropriate age level. These assessments were used to inform planning and support children's needs. The preschool took part in the Getting Ready to Leam programme and signed up to 3 of their focuses: Happy, Healthy Kids, Education Works in Preschool and Big Bedtime Read. We hosted parent workshops on the importance of reading to your child, positive sleep habits, oral health and how children leam through play. Some of these workshops were led by staff and others by external agencies such as the Health Visitor team or RISE NI. RISE Nl led small group work on attention and focus skills, listening skills and language skills. 6 preschoolers attending these sessions over a period of 6 weeks. The following extracurricular activities and experiences took place during this reporting year.. Jump, Jiggle and Jive, Sonal Sports, Wee Critters, Amazon Jungle, Kidzfarm, Belfast City Council Christmas Elf, Nl Fire Service and PSNI, a visit from Doctor and Dental nurse. Parents also attended Stay and Plays and parentslgrandparents sessions. We hosted a coffee and art morning for Mother's Day and a Father's Day Stay, Play and Plant morning. All events were very well attended. We continued to have a good relationship with Cinemagic, who continued to offer our families free tickets to their events. We had a grandmother who was able to support the nursery once a week for a few months. This was a positive experience for the children, as there was an extra staff member in the room to engage and play and enabled the Leader time out of the room to complete admin tasks and meet with parents and other professionals where necessary. During this reporting period. the committee appointed a new Operations Director. This has had an extremely positive impact on the setting and staff team. One example of this was work undertaken to review the need for a 4th member of staff and whether this was financially possible. A 4th member of staff was recruited in September 2024. Again, this has had an extremely positive impact on children's development and enables the Leader to be released for the duties. Vvhen 1 staff member was unable to return in September due to an injury, the 4th staff member was vital to the continuation of the preschools work. During this time, the preschools development plan has focused on 3 areas. Firstly, staff have focused on improving observations and planning cycles. This is working very well now, informing planning well and supporting each child's needs. Secondly, the staff have accessed further training on SEN children and supporting their needs and development. The staff now have increased and up to date knowledge and have grown in confiden￿. Thirdly, the team are in the process of auditing the quality of provision to ensure accessible, rich, stimulating and appropriately challenging learning experiences. There is a concern that an increase in statutory preschool provision in the north Belfast area could impact our numbers, however, applications and particularly 1st choice applications remain steady and encouraging. In June 2024 the staff began a process of reviewing the settings Vision statement and parents were invited to take part in a survey. The feedback was fantastic and encouraging to staff. The feedback helped shape our vision. The Vision statement that formed from that work is as follovrfs: "A welcoming, child centred and safe learning envimnment where individual needs are met and children can flourish., Disability Project For almost 30 years we have been involved in running activities for people wtth physical disabilities, learning disabilities, sensory disabilities and challenging behaviours. In partnership with BHSCT and Awards for All we aim to make issues like integration, inclusion, self-confidence, individual dignity, and respect for others, accepted as normal within society. To this end we run the following clubs during the school term.. Monday's 4.30 - 7.30pm Young Adult club for adults aged 18 - 25 years. Tuesday's 4.30- 7.30pm Youth Club for young people aged 11- 18 years. Wednesday's 4.30 - 7.30pm Junior Club for children aged 5- 11 years, Monday 10.00 - 12.00 noon - Parentslcarers group Three weeks summer scheme for 5- 18 year. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are given over to the Junior, Youth & Young Adult Clubs with the aim being the integration of able-bodied and disabled people through a wide range of activities provided in our large indoor hall and variety of trips and leisure experiences throughout the year. Our youth and young adults took part in educational sessions where we looked at personal hygiene, independent travel, money management and what make a good friend. We have over 50 children & young people from 5 - 25 years old involved in these three clubs. We continued to maintain our new group for 18 - 25-year-olds in this period, even though we had to continue to find the funding ourselves to do so. There were growing number of young adults aged 19- 25 years who had previously come through our youth programme and were finding great difficulty in finding support once they reached adult age. This group meet on a Monday evening. We catered for approximately 25 young adults and as the year progressed, we found that the group became a great support mechanism for each other. During this year we had extensive negotiations with the BHSCT about funding to establish this group as part of our overall mainstream disability programme. At the end of our accounting year, we await confirmation as to the outcome of these negotiations, being hopeful that annual contract funding will be agreed. Adult Disability club- During the year, 7 participants attended, enjoying a new format of social and educational activities at the Duncairn Centre on Fridays, alongside regular Saturday outings to local attractions. Sadly, our facilitator and his team had to step back from delivering this programme in June 2024, due to other work commitments. As we were unable to recruit a team to deliver this programme, we unfortunately had to pause this club. We successfully proposed to BHSCT to merge this club with our younger adult club and plan to start this enlarged club in the new financial year. Our parentslcarers club has been invaluable to our families. A place Whe￿ they can be with people who understand how hard it is having a disabled child. "Really good to meet other carers and be able to talk to them about our struggles. Give and receive advice on how we cope. Something to look forward to. I feel it ha5 improved my mental health Fiona is a great facilitator and the arranged activities where very enjoyable." (Fmm a mum of two disabled daughters). "I have been a carer for 27 years. Nobody has ever reached out to me. This is the first time I have had the chance to be part of a group of carers. Really enjoyed doing the crafts and talking to people who are going thmugh the same situation. Fiona has been great with us arranging all our activities. Really enjoyed the Christmas wreath making." (from a mum of a disabled young adult). We ran a three-week summer scheme for children and young people aged 5 - 18 years. This summer scheme allows much needed respite for the parents who struggle during the summer when school is closed. A break in routine can be traumatic for some of our young people and this shows itself in more challenging behaviours. The summer scheme gives the young people some routine and structure to the day helping them regulate their behaviour. Led by our vastly experienced coordinators, the very dedicated teams of trained and caring helpers & volunteers organise a range of activities focussing on life skills, health & educational classes, social interaction, mixed with special trips out to add a little bit of excitement for these very special Feople....and give some much-needed respite for family and carers. Both the Nursery & Disability programmes implement a range of poliGies inGluding Equ81 opportunit￿S, Behaviour Management and Child Protection to name only a f8w. Parents are given a copy of all r81evant policies and an infonnation booklet when their child first starts. Parents are always welcomed into the groups and the staffrecognises thatparents are the first educators and carers of their children. The Duncairn Centre for Culture and Arts This was an extremely challenging, yet very exciting period both creatively and organisationally. th 2023 marked the 40 Anniversary of the 174 Trust servicing and working with the local community, and mid 2024 also presented the 10th anniversary of the Duncairn Centre arts provision and impact at a local level over the past 10 years. We wanted to design and deliver a series of celebratory events which not only highlighted our work but was a celebration of our progress. To do this we organised a series of 4 high profile mini festivalsltakeovers. The theme for these were inclusion, impact, old and new. The first 2 mini-fests were in relation to our 10 years of arts programming, the second 2 paid homage to some of the fabulous artists that have helped us achieve this landmark, whilst also introducing some of our new, higher profile patrons. In 2023 we began the process of exploring possible participation in the Irish Govemment's very exciting project initiative, Shared Island. We submitted what was to become a successful proposal and partnered with an organisation that shared a likeminded ethos and ethical approach to what good community arts provision can Gontribute at a local level, while also supporting new and emerging talent alongside nationally and internationally renowned creatives. The above mentioned culminated into takeover weekends, the first being the Duncairn Takeover at Levis, Ballydahob from 1 Oth _14lh July and the reciprocal visit, Levis, at The Duncaim, will be November 2024. Our programme continues to be accessible for all members of our community. the art enthusiast and practitioner, to those taking the first tentative steps into the creative community. Our work is still cutting edge, still supporting new and emerging artists, still allows access to international artists at an affordable price for the most disadvantaged and marginalised in our communty - something we take most pride in. All in all, thankfully, another successful and rewarding year, for the team, the organisation and most importantly our community. Inclusion, diversity, collaboration, education, inspiration, and transformation are at the heart of our work, and without funders such as The Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Belfast City Council, The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and the people of north Belfast this work would be impossible to achieve. Stories at The Duncairn report- year ending Sep 2024 Stories @ The Duncaim engaged with Belfast City Council's 2024 'Bank of Ideas, summer programme and won the North Belfast popular vote for community projects at the City Hall. The project was awarded a grant of £1,990 which funded 10th Birthday celebrations with a focus on the Irish short story. This included a Flash Fiction short story competition, supported by No Alibis bookshop and the annual writers, panel, Scribes at The Duncairn, co-hosted by the Greater New Lodge Festival and Féile an Phobail. Featured writers this year were Jan Carson, Bernie McGill and Paul Mcveigh. The competition winners were announced and the two winning stories read by the actor, Tony Flynn. Although public transport was cancelled due to the August rioting, an audience of 50 attended. Shared Reading volunteers continue to deliver 3 weekly 'drop-in' sessions, in The Duncairn on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in Belfast Central Library, supported by Libraries Nl staff on Fridays. These groups take place year-round and are free and open to all. Weekly attendance totals around 35. occasional attendan￿ is closer to 60. Volunteer facilitators ￿ad aloud short stories and poetry and open a conversation that engages people with great literature and with one another. Many participants have been attending for 10 years. Volunteers also deliver other regular sessions with the 174 Adult Disability Group, with Mindwise, and with Mill Court on the Falls Rd. In April the project worked with local artists to curate a 'Dark Skies Fiction and Poetry Walk, in the Waterworks, supported by Belfast City Council. Christmas reading events drew 50 participants, from the wider Shared Reading community. The project continues to be supported with literature and master-classes from The Reader, the Liverpool-based charity that promotes Shared Reading. In June, The Reader featured Shared Reading in The Duncairn as part of their Volunteers, Week success stories. Future Plans This has been a period of significant transition for the 174 Trust: During 202314, we welcomed a new Operations Director, who has helped to strengthen the charity core functions. Highlights have included starting two new afterschool's clubs for 20 disabled children, updating all our tenancy agreements and refreshing our risk management and financial systems. We have been working on an exciting new strategy for 2025 - 2028, based on the Positive Pea￿buIldIng methodology, which will outline how our programmes will contribute even more significantly towards building a more pea￿ful future. Underpinning these new plans, will be a renewed commitment to strengthening the charity to become more financially and ecologically sustainable in the future. This is also a big year for the organisation as the CEO for the past 28 years is retiring in June 2025. The Board therefore appointed an extemal consultant to complete a thorough review of the senior Directors roles & responsibilities. This will lead to the creation of a new CEO job description and a recruitment prO￿sS which is scheduled to deliver a new appointment by end of March 2025, thus allowing a period to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. Financial Review The trust is reliant on the income from its donors which amounted to £1,310,782 during the financial year. Reserves Whilst it is the intention of the organisation to have a minimum of 6 months operational costs set aside as a Reserve, it is generally accepted that in reality the ongoing cash flow situation of the Trust will determine how much of a reserve is actually set aside. As the Trust is the owner of the Duncaim Complex, it is recognised that the capital asset of the Duncaim Complex will be used to cover any reseple that may be required in an emergency. The present value of the asset is in excess of £4M. The Trustees and Senior Directors of the Trust are continually searching for sOUr￿S of funding to establish a cash reserve of 6 months operational costs. At the end of this accounting year, we had a reserve of £200,817 set aside. Trustees, responsibilities in relation to the financial statements The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the affairs of the trust and of its financial activities for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to.. Select suitable accounting policies then apply them consistently. Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. state whether the applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the statements. Prepare the financial statements on the going con￿rn basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the trust will continue in operation. The Trustees and management committee are responsible for k￿pIng accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the trust and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with United Kingdom Accounting Standards, The Charities (Accounts & Reports) Regulations (Northem Ireland) 2015. and the provisions of the trust deed. The trustees are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the trust and hen￿ for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other i￿egUlarities. Disclosure of infomiation to the auditors We the trustees of the Trust who held office at the date of approval of these financial statements as set out above each confimi, so far as we are aware, that.. There is no relevant audit information of which the company's auditors are unaware. and We have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken as trUSt￿S in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the trust's auditors are aware of that information. Signed by.. gPdhfy-') Trustee: Rev Prof Patton Taylor Dated 31 MARCH 2025 d_E.a Trustee: Heather Carey Dated 31 MARCH 2025 10