WISPA (Women in Sport and Physlcal Activity) Directors, Report For the Period Ended 31103123 The Dlrectors present their report and financial statements for the period ended 31103123 Principal actlvlty The prlnclpal actlvity of the charity Is to promote the partlclpatlon of women In healthy recreation in the Belfast area. Directors The Director5 who Served du rlng the period are as stated below: Chalr Secretary Dlrectors Eileen Welr Nlarnh O'Neill Emma Sheehy Irls Mcllroy Tracy Mawhlnney Advlser Structure, Covernance and Management The organlsatlon Is a charitable company limited by guarantee, Incorporated 24110106. The company was establlshed under a Memorandu m of Assoclatlon which establlshed the objects and powers of the charltable company and 15 governed under Its Articles of Assoclatlon. Board of Trustees The management commlttee are also the charity trustees for the purposes of charliy law. All trustees give thelr time voluntarlly and receive no benefits from the charlty, Objecrlves and Actlvltles The aim of the charltyls to promote the partlclpatlon of women In the Belfast area In healthy actlvity. Ourlng thi5 reportlng perlod WISPA secured core fundlng from Publlc Health Agency and programme fundlng from National Lottery Communlty Fund Nl whlch enabled the del ivery of the MELT Project acr055 Belfast and funding through Versus Arthritls for the Move to Improvo, Project. Our F.A.B. Project wa5 also extended Into July 2022 wlth rhe 5UPPOrt of the National Lottery Community Fund Nl , Over the past year we have delivered 97 communlty based programmes In total. working wlth a range of communlty partners and organisations allowlng us to work with 1,96 1 women who reside in the most socially deprived areas of Belfast. See monitoring Informatlon below. Covld-19 and the cost of livlng crisis has made us continually look at our model of delivery and how we can use our networks and resources to have the besr Impact at communlty level. We are contlnuou51v thlnklng of innovatlve way5 Of worklng of how we deliver our work and communicate wlth the women Involved. Number of opportunities provided over 10,000 Increase level of particlpation 1,961 participants, of which 1,002 were returners who have used our 5ervlce before and continue to exerc15e on a weekly ba515. 959 were new to WISPA classes. 47% of the women said they are now more aware of the benefits of physlcal actlvlty Page 4
and how it impacts on health and wellbeii 91% of the women questioned said they would contlnue to exercise after our programmes have ended and 9% sald maybe. 75% of the women said the projeci had Improved their mental health and well belng 81% of the women said the project had Improved their physical health and well beSng 29% of the women said the project had improved self-esteem and confidence We are confident that we have made a poslrlve impact on the majorlty of the women'5 ealth and wellbelng. Thls Is demonstrated through the data received at our evaluatlon Some of the comments we received from the women participating included: "Th15 was a great experlence. The programme impacted me dlfferently than I thought it would as orig inally l used It to be introduced to triathlon and to Increase my engagement in cardS0 actlvStles. Since completlng the programme I have Improved In all 3 disciplines and completed my first 5k. l am more able to overcome the barriers that make me stop when I ht my discomfort zone. The programme was very well organised and I was able to attend with ease. Completlng the programme has made me feel Ilke I have accompllshed somethl ng and l am very proud of that "It provides an important women only space where they can exerclse without judgement and with a great tralner. "These projects really help wlth moblllty and mental health and allow me io meet other people. I love that it is so local. Followlng the successful delivery of our programmes we recogn Ise our posltlon as a fu nded organlsatlon and the pressure It brings to contlnue the mornentum of dellvery. For this reason, we are pro-actlve in Identlfylng and sourcing futu re fundlng to ensure that we can continue to dellver our programmes Into 2023-2024 We are confldent that we have achieved our overall aim to provide Increased opportunitie5 for women to access local community based programmes deslgned to to cater for thelr need5. Through engagement wlth WISPA we hope to encourage Ilfestyle changes whlch will irnpact on individual's health and well belng. We have developed strong partnerships wlth a wide range of commun1ty based group5lprojects enabling U5 to better Identify disengaged, sedentary women across the clty. Looklng back on the past year we have faced a lot of tran51tlon In the organlsatlon. Audrey Barr retired as Project Manager after 20+ years and Niamh O, Nelll has Stepped Into her new role as Project Manager. We have a150 recrLJlted new board member5 for WISPA whlch Is very excltlng and we hope that the project can contlnue to move forward golng from strength to strength. Our financial performance has been in li ne wlth expectations. Total I ncome has fallen, largely due to the end of our Lottery funding, and we have reduced cost5 and used some of our reserve5 to invest in programmes to ensu re that we can continue to meet our objectives. Thls report was approved by the Board on . and slgned on it5 behalf by Signed Name: Elleen Weir - ChalrpersonlDlrector Page 5