Adventure Leadership Training Trust
DIRECTORS REPORT
The Directors present their report and accounts for the year ended 30 November 2023.
Principal activities
The principal activity of the company during the year under review was Registered Charity.
Directors
The Directors who served during the year were as follows:
J. Dunaway, J. Fisher, P. Fisher, B. Gates, K. Gonzalez and G. McCluskey
The Directors would like to thank everyone for their continued support as we navigated through post Covid. It was another challenging year for ALT.
Structure, governance and management
The daily management is entrusted to the Directors and Management Committee.
Objectives and activities
Adventure Leadership Training's mission is to empower and to develop the leadership skills of volunteers, youth leaders and young people across all communities, in and through the delivery of a range of programmes and social enterprises.
Objectives and activities are achieved through:
ALT Elite Centre at Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor continues under the instruction of Michael Fisher who is qualified under Irish Field Archery Association and Archery GB. He is assisted by a great group of volunteers.
During the year, all ages and abilities used the range. Michael continues to develop programmes for ASD young people, blind archers, wheelchair users, those who are life limited and others who have mental health issues and find life challenging.
ALT Elite Centre is an ideal venue for all types of groups, fun days, birthday parties and oneone sessions for those who don’t like mixing with other people. Michael provides respite for many parents who can meet for coffee with friends in the centre or in a café while the young person does a one-one. Elite Centre is also a contact centre for the Family courts.
We wish to thank Michael for all his hard work and effort that he has put into making the Elite Centre such a success. The Elite Centre has become a ‘safe place’ for many people across all ages with various disabilities and mental health conditions.
During 2022-2023 we partnered with:
Archery GB, Autism NI, Chest Heart & Stroke, Crossroads Care NI, Disability NI, Extern, Home schoolers NI, Orchardville, Positive Futures, PSNI Anti- social programme, RNIB and Social Workers. Plus, a number of church and community events.
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Adventure Leadership Training Trust
ANVIL (A New Venture In Life)
The Knit & Natter programme continues. During 2024 we hoping to develop a forestry programme at Eagle Creek. In the past we have partnered with Woodland Trust and Mourne Heritage.
We had two Social Action Mission Teams from Kentucky USA. One from Asbury University who run community programmes in Rathfriland. The other team were a group of returning adults who did social action in the Dungannon area with the Zacchaeus Project.
Eagle Creek a five-acre site at the edge of the Mourne Mountains in Annalong. Eagle Creek is a place of respite, restoration, and reflection. We partnered with groups and a mental health organisation offering campcraft and hillwalking. We offer respite to Dad’s who were having a challenging time through the family court system.
Fundraising
We were given a donation from Walter Watson Foundation which enabled us to renew our well used bungie run and help fund a purpose-built room in the Elite Centre for counselling as well as a ‘quiet place’.
We are also grateful to many individuals over the year who gave of their time and finances.
Financial review
A copy of ALT’s full financial report is available on request.
Reserves
The Management Committee believes that the Charity should hold financial reserves because it has no endowment funding and is entirely dependent for income from year to year on donor funding, which is inevitably subject to fluctuation. There is also a need to make provision for the development of the charity's services.
Investment policy
Adventure Leadership Training Trust will invest surplus funds not required for day-to-day operation in a secure high interest account. The prime consideration is to balance security with the need to make an adequate return on investment.
Future plans
The charity is committed to and will be required to look for new sources of funds, which will enable their programmes to develop. We look forward to 2024 and a bright future for many of our clients.
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Adventure Leadership Training Trust
Statement of trustees' responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the surplus or deficit of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The above report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime as set out in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
J.D. Fisher Director February 22 2024
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