QUEENS PARK WOMEN'S GROUP
Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2023
The Trustees present their Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2023 and confirm that they comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2013.
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity Name: Queens Park Women's Group Charity Registration Number: NIC 100552 Principal Office: 339 Antrim Road Glengormley Newtownabbey BT36 5DZ
List of Office Bearers
Thomasina McTaggart - Chairperson Carolyn Nelson - Secretary Marsha Galbraith - Treasurer
Committee Members
Sharon Castle Kathy Wolff Louanne Pattison Helen McKnight Tamsin McTaggart
Accounts verified by -
Eileen Weir
Good Relation Co-Ordinator Shankill Women's Centre 151-157 Shankill Road BT13 1FD
Tel: 028 90 240642
Bankers
AIB First Trust Bank, 92 Ann Street Belfast BT1 3HH
Queens Park Women's Group Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023
Structure Governance and Management
Governing Document
Queens Park Women's Group is constituted as a Charity, registered with the Charity Commission (Northern Ireland) in 2010, under Charity number XT34333.
Organisational Structure
The Office Bearers and Committee Members are responsible for the general control and management of the Group. The Trustees give their time freely and do not receive any remuneration or other financial benefits. The Trustees meet as a body each month and are responsible for all decisions taken in relation to running the Group and all activities provided.
Recruitment and Appointment of Office Bearers and Committee Members
Office Bearers and Committee Members are nominated and appointed at the Group's Annual General Meeting. In selecting Office Bearers and Committee Members, we seek to identify people who regularly attend events organised by the Group and who are willing to help in our Community work.
Induction and Training of Office Bearers and Committee Member
Following appointment, new Office Bearers and Committee Members are introduced to their new role, given a copy of the Group's Constitution and a guide to the policies and procedures adopted by our Group and receive induction from Office Bearers.
Risk Management
Office Bearers and Committee Members have assessed the risks the Charity faces reporting public benefit. Insurance policies are in place. Finances are reviewed and checked on a monthly basis. Appropriate checks are made for all those who work with children or other vulnerable groups within the Group's premises.
Aims, Objectives and Activities
Our Aims
The aim of Queens Park Women’s Group is to develop a community based organisation which will articulate the needs and aspirations of the people of Glengormley and will work to provide opportunities to access the necessary resources to meet those needs and aspirations.
Our Objectives
Queens Park Women’s Group will achieve our aim through:
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Creating an infrastructure to consolidate and develop the organisation to its full potential by introducing programmes of social, economic and environmental benefit.
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Providing a range of development and training opportunities to enhance the skills and employability of local people, particularly young people.
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Providing a range of opportunities for local people to participate in programmes which promote peace building, generate community and civil respect, life skills, conflict resolution, confidence building and community leadership.
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Developing programmes of activities that will address the issues which impact on local people and their families, as well as the wider community to encourage reconciliation, Integration and Inclusion.
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Developing a range of programmes that will deal specifically with women's issues.
Strategies
We want to make our Group an accessible and welcoming venue for all local people. Our premises are open to all members of the public and all community groups. Our main office is accessible by stairs or a disabled lift for anyone with a disability.
Our group has been designated as a 'safe place' by women's aid for women/families in need. We also have volunteers trained for this. We are also registered with The Food Bank Scheme to refer clients.
Our premises are used by a variety of other community groups from various sections of our community. The courses we run range for the very young to our seniors of all abilities. There are no religious obligations or political views for anyone in the centre.
Our premises are located centrally in Glengormley which provides a focal point for community events. The workshops and family activities have the potential to reinvigorate the spirit of the town, build confidence within the community and stimulate community participation.
Use of Volunteers
Volunteers are an important resource in our community work and they are involved in most of our community activities. All our volunteers give their time freely and willingly. Appropriate checks are made for all those who work with children or other vulnerable groups within the Group's premises.
Achievements and Performance
Lack of accessible community facilities had contributed to the rise in rioting and antisocial behaviour between young people within the Glengormley area in recent years and this situation prompted volunteers to set up Queens Park Women's Group in 2010 initially to work on the streets to encourage the young people to engage in alternative peaceful activities.
These actions led to the establishment of the 50/50 where, as the name suggests, activities and programmes were delivered on a 50/50 basis between young people from the Protestant and Catholic traditions. The project delivery aimed to ensure that they had a level of mutual understanding, respect and trust between each other and between other members of the community. The project promoted an ethos of individual and collective self-responsibility and taught the young people how easy the personal can become political.
Of the young people who participated in the 50/50 project, almost 95% went on to gain employment or engaged in further education opportunities. The 50/50 project
has been pivotal to improving community relations throughout the Newtownabbey area but much more needs to be done to build on our fledgling work. It brought together upwards of 105 young people from all sections of the community on a regular basis to participate in a number of cultural, educational and social programmes.
We believe the evidence of our programme delivery over the past 13 years demonstrates our ability to manage a broad range of projects. The Group has managed a number of funded and community engagement programmes from a range of organisations including:
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South Antrim Community Network
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Department of Foreign Affairs
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Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
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Community Foundation for NI
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Education Authority
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PCSP
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St Stephens Green Trust
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NI Housing Executive
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PSNI
Our women’s and young women’s groups have all participated in a number of cross community/ cross border events. We have delivered a range of programmes including:
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OCN Law & Order
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OCN Conflict Management
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OCN Understanding Diversity in Society
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Graffiti Art Programme
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NEELB Cross Community Programmes
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OCN Them and Us
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Anti-Social Behaviour
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PSNI facilitated workshops
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Bonfires and Beacons
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Drug and Alcohol Awareness
We have also delivered the following programmes specifically for young people:
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Young Men’s Group
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Young Women’s Group
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Diversionary Programmes
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Labour Mobility Programme
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Young Entrepreneurs
We have delivered a homework club for children aged 8 to 11 years and we run a
drop-in for teenagers.
We have delivered a number of programmes with our women's group including crafts classes, mental health, fitness and wellbeing and nutrition. Our Women’s groups are now in the final year of a cross community programme funded by St Stephens Green Trust. Due to the Pandemic this funded project has lasted a lot longer than the intended 3 years. The Programme has been very well attended and very successful.
We have worked with local people of all ages, including those with no or low qualifications or who left the education system early, have or currently are involved in substance abuse, come from a difficult family background, have been in, or close to, the criminal justice system, suffered from poor health including mental health issues and come from communities with a negative view of their future.
Our group has worked closely with The Probation Board for NI and we have taken on a number of men and women to complete their community service hours in our Centre as to keep them out of the Criminal Justice system. These hours have taken place in our centre and in the Queens Park Estate doing odd jobs i.e. handyman, gardening.
We also work closely with the local High Schools and take Pupils for work experience each year from a number of schools.
The Group has continued with a programme of events throughout the year with coffee mornings in our centre, fun days for the children in the Queenspark Estate, Community Clean up Events help in the Queenspark Estate and in Glengormley Town Centre with the Community Relations Forum.
Partnership Working
In developing our community programmes we are pleased to work in partnership with the Community Relations Forum, Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, NI Housing Executive, PSNI, Glengormley High School, Shankill Women's Centre, The Greater North Belfast Women's Network, St Stephens Green Trust and all our local community groups all of whom have provided invaluable advice and support.
Future Plans
We need to provide continuity, practical support and leadership to progress the work we are currently delivering to young people and families from Queenspark and the Glengormley area to enable us to break the cycle of anti-social behaviour and sectarian violence which has blighted the area for the past 40 years. Our group will continue to work with statutory agencies for the betterment of our community as a whole.
We also want to continue our plans for our women’s group, to grow our numbers and add more volunteers to our centre. We will continue to pursue all funding sources available to fund programmes and training for all local people.
To this end we are actively pursuing all Statutory Agencies who can help provide a permanent structure for our premises in the Queenspark Estate. This will enable our Group to provide a more hands on practical support to Local people who need it now.
Financial Review
Principal Funding Source
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council EA St Stephens Green Trust Co Operation Ireland
Statement of Office Bearers and Committee Members Responsibilities
The Office Bearers and Committee Members are responsible for preparing an Annual Report and Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and Northern Ireland Accounting Standards. This requires the Charity Office Bearers and Committee Members to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of incoming funding and application of all funding for that period.
The Office Bearers and Committee Members are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act (NI 2013) and all accounting regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Office Bearers and Committee Members for the purposes of Charity law who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 2.
Approved by the Office Bearers and Committee members and signed on behalf of the Group by:
Thomasina McTaggart (Chairperson)
Carolyn Nelson (Secretary)
23[rd ] January 2024
Statement of Offl¢e Bearots and Committa8 Members Responsibilities offi Bearers and Committee Members are responsible for preparing an Annual Report and Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and Northern Ifeland Accounting Stsndards. This requires the Charty offi Bearers and Committee Members to prepare financial statements for each year which give true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of incoming fvnding and application of 811 funding for that period. The Office Bearers and Committee Members are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose the financial position of the Charty and enable them to ensure that the finanoal statements comply with the Charitie5 Act INI 20131 and all accounting regulations. They are also responsible fof safeguarding the assets of the Charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The offi Bearers arKI Commitiee Members for the PUTposes of Charity law who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 2. Approved by the offi Beare and Committee Membe and signed on behalf of the Group by.. Thomasina McTaggart (Chairperson) Corotyn Nelson {Secretaryl 23 January2024