WISPA (Women in Sport and Physical Activity) Directors, Report For the Period Ended 31103124 The Directors present their report and fi'nancial statements for the period ended 31103124 Principal activlty The principal activity of the charlty Is to promote the particlpation of women in healthy recreation i n the Belfast area. Directors The Directors who Served during the period are as stated below: Chalr Secretary Directors Eileen Welr Niamh O'Neill Emma Sheehy Louise Iryine Nicki Ann Stanley Angela Hodkinson Structure, Governance and Management The organisation is a charltable company limited by guarantee, incorporated 24110106. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which establlshed the objects and powers of the charltable company and is governed under its Articles of Associatlon, Board of Trustees The management committee are also the charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. All trustees give thel r time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charlty. Objectives and Activities The alm of the charity IS to promote the participation of women in the Belfast area In healthy sport and physical activity. Durlng thls reporting period WISPA secured core fundlng from Publlc Health Agency and programme funding from National Lottery Community Fund Nl, Halifax Nl, Sported and Belfast Trust which enabled the delivery of our work across Belfast. Over the past year we have delivered 89 community based programmes in total, working with a range of communlty partners and organisations taking over 2,000 booklngs from women who reside in the most socially deprived areas of Belfast. See monitoring information below. We are continuou51y thlnking of Innovative ways of delivering our work and communlcatlng with the women Involved. Number of opportuniries provlded over 8,000 Increase level of participation 2,236 registrations, of which 1,591 were returners who have used our service before and continue to exercise on a weekly basis. 645 were new to W15PA classes. 45% of the women said they are now more aware of the beneftts of phy51cal activity and how it impact5 on health and wellbeing. 90% of the women questioned said they would continue to exercise after our programmes have ended. 63% of the women said the project had improved their mental health and well being Page 4
45% of the women said the project had improved their physical health and well belng 56% of the women said the project had improved self-esteem and confidence We are confident that we have made a positive impact on the majorlty of the women's health and wellbeing. This is demonstrated through the data received at our evaluation Some of the comments we received from the women participating included: "Maria is so welcoming and makes you feel at ease from the start. There is no judgement of anyone's size, weight or ability which is fantastic. And if someone is struggling with a particular exercise Marla alway5 has an alternative. She makes everyone feel Included. I loved the mixture of Spin, circuit5 and gym. I would definitely like to see this clas5 continue a51 feel my overall health and well-being has improved, and I have made some new friends. "Love the yoga classes With WISPA - they are a slice of calmness and peace each Wednesday morning that I look forward to now." "The WISPA coaches are so knowledgeable and great cralc. I found the classe5 fantastlc and would love to continue. They have fostered a new love for Pilates in me having never done it before so I really want to contlnue and improve on it., "I wouldn't be able to afford to pay gym memberships cause of the cost of Ilving. Because of the prlce of the classes I was able to attend, This has helped me immensely both physlcally and mentally, In turn, improving my family home. Following the successful dellvery of our programmes we recognise our posltlon as a funded organisatlon and the pressure it brings to continue the momentum of delivery. For th15 rea50n, we are pro-active in identifying and sourcing future fundlng to ensure that we can continue to deliver our programmes Into 2024-2025. We are confident that we have achieved our overall aim to provide increased opportunities for women to access local community based programrnes desSgned to to cater for their need5. Through engagement wlth WISPA we hope to encourage lifestyle changes whlch wlll impact on individual'5 health and wellbeing. We have developed strong partnerships wlth a wlde range of community based groupslprojects enabling us to better identify disengaged, sedentary women across the clty. NSamh O, Nelll has continued her role as Project Manager and we have Just recently employed a new member of staff to assist Nlamh and the project. We also have plans to recruit more new board members and we hope that the project can continue to progress and move forward. Our financial performance has been in line with expectation5. Total income has risen, largely due to Increased actlvlty, and we have reduced costs, generating a surplus that we will use to invest in programmes to ensure that we can contlnue to meet our objective5. Thls report wa5 approved by the Board on .4..- 7 . 24 and signed on its behalf by Signed Name.. Eileen Weir - ChairpersonlDirector Page 5