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
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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
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