2018-12-31-annual-report - Golf United

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GOLF UNITED

Annual report 2018

This annual report covers the period 01/01/2018 – 31/12/2018 and refers to the activities of Golf United.

Administrative details

Introduction

Golf United uses sport as a platform to engage people from different backgrounds, irrespective of their social, economic, religious, ethnic circumstances. The main beneficiaries in our early years has been children and young people, however we also run programmes for adults. By using sport as an effective tool for engaging people in positive activity, we hope to improve their physical, social and emotional wellbeing, especially for those who are suffering from disadvantage. Our charity also aims to debunk the myth that golf is an elitist sport reserved for the middle classes, in turn creating more opportunities and access for everyone regardless of their background.

Name of Charity: Golf United

Charity Registration Number: 100636

Address of the Charity: City of Derry Golf Club, 49 Victoria Road, Derry/Londonderry, BT47 2PN

Names of the Charity Trustees:

Dr. Dolores O’Reilly

Mrs. Deirdre McReynolds

Mrs. Pauline McKimm

Mrs. Lesley Mulgrew

Mr. Rory O’Hare

Facilities: Golf United hire facilities, we currently do not own or lease any properties or land. We meet at City of Derry Golf Club and use this as a base for:

Storing our equipment
Holding meetings
Holding courses for GU members
Coaching children

Meetings: Golf United meet monthly.

Summary of the Charitable activities

Golf United brought people together to enjoy the sport of Golf through physical activity and educational skills sessions delivered out and about within the community and from City of Derry Golf Club. Through working with schools, youth clubs and the general public we enabled children and young people to come together, develop their skills and meet new people from different areas of the Derry City and Strabane Council area and the wider catchment area.

Many of the children who have been engaged in services within the first few years of our charity, have becoming increasingly involved in the sport of Golf and we have noticed signification improvements in relation to their physical and social development. These participants have resided in areas of deprivation, have suffered from learning disabilities, targeted underrepresented groups and provide better access for local people to participate within their community.

In 2018 we continued to provide children with opportunities to engage in SNAG (Start new at Golf), Golf lessons, as well as taking part in team games which were delivered by volunteers and coaches. In addition to making new friendships, the children have been introduced to a new sport and acquired a new set of skills which has improved their physical health and social/communication abilities. Sport NI helped to fund this project which enabled Golf United to provide the sessions free of charge on an extracurricular basis to schools.

Additionally, we delivered sessions to youth clubs and members of the public on Saturday mornings. Towards the end of 2018 we engage in work with secondary schools and children aged 12-18 years. Some of the children who participated had a variety of additional needs, which included behavioural issues, isolation and financial hardship. We noticed that many of the children who took part in sessions which were delivered in schools as part of our Halifax, Golf in the Community Project, had never played the sport before and were inactive. We have found that our work within secondary schools has been very well attended and delivered several benefits to young people. These have included improvements in their attitudes, improvements in their physical health, their concentration in school and their communication with the peers, teachers and families as a result of confidence and self-belief. A few of the teenagers have expressed an interest in volunteering which is something we are aiming to develop further in the future with extensions to current projects. The work of Golf United in 2018 was made possible by donations and grant aid which the charity is very grateful, we will hope to continue to raise funds through donations, grant making and events in order to generate income in the future.

Governing Document / Purposes

Golf United will operate in accordance with our constitution which was adopted on 01.06.2014.

The constitution states that golf united with adopt the following purposes:

Develop and promote respect through sport, specifically golf.
Provide opportunities for all members of the community irrespective of social and cultural backgrounds to learn new skills in a safe environment
Promote inclusion, equality, diversity and respect through participant in sport, specifically golf.

Promote community participation in amateur sport by providing sporting activities and training which will help to develop skills, capacities and capabilities to enable to physically become more active individuals.

The constitution is adhered to our management committee in relation to members, income, meetings, officers/trustees and rules.

Financial review

Golf United Treasurer, Deirdre McReynolds reported to the committee on the financial report which covered the period 01/01/2018-31/12/2018.

An income and expenditure report highlighted the activities of the year. The main source of income for the year was through grant income. The charity received £687.84 from AIVC small grants.

The balance at the end of the financial year was £1,516.38.

The charity has no debts.

The charity has no reserves policy.

Accountants details: Moore (NI) LLP, Chartered accountants.

Public Benefit Statement Declaration

Golf United can confirm that the Public Benefit Statement has been agreed by our committee.

Public Benefit from purpose 1: Develop and promote respect through sport, specifically

golf - users of our service will have a more positive attitude and behavior towards all religions and cultures. Good relations will be improved between participants and their siblings. The nature of our programmes will increase their tolerance and dismiss preconceived perceptions.

Public Benefit from purpose 2: Provide opportunities for all members of the community irrespective of social and cultural backgrounds to learn new skills in a safe environment – we will create an easily accessible pathway for inhabitants to become involved in the sport of Golf. Through making use of our service users will increase their physical, mental and social skills which will directly improve their confidence and overall quality of life.

Public Benefit from purpose 3: Promote inclusion, equality, diversity and respect through participation in sport, particularly golf - The direct benefit flowing from purpose 2.3; users will have an increased tolerance and “open-minded” approach to other community members with different beliefs or social background through taking part in structured sports based programmes.

Public benefit from purpose 4: Promote community participation in amateur sport by proving sporting activities and training which will help to develop skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to physically become more active individuals - The direct benefit flowing from purpose 2.4 is the improvement of community relations between members

of segregated communities. Participants will gain an inner happiness and it will benefit their emotional wellbeing. By taking part in sporting programmes the users’ physical health will be directly benefitted.

The benefits of our work will be demonstrated through;

Increased participation levels in sport, specifically golf amongst all age groups. We will be able to measure and track participation levels through our programmes.
The increased skill development regardless of ability for users.
The increased physical and emotional wellbeing of users.
The attitudes of participants towards other religions, ethnicities which will be monitored and evaluated throughout programmes.
Increased education amongst participants through health living programmes and workshop facilitation around nutrition.
Building extensive partnerships with local schools, neighborhood renewal areas, ethnic minority groups, local schools (controlled and integrated) and colleges, children with learning difficulties, local councils, community groups and charities.
Improved relationships between residents of different communities.

Declaration

This report has been approved by the committee of Golf United.