Company registration number: NI611583 Charity registration number: 101460
Ballybeen Improvement Group
(A company limited by guarantee)
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Ballybeen Improvement Group
Contents
| Reference and Administrative Details | 1 |
|---|---|
| Trustees' Report | 2 to 6 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 7 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 8 |
| Balance Sheet | 9 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 10 to 14 |
Ballybeen Improvement Group
Reference and Administrative Details
Trustees Rev JW Cheshire Rev P Maxwell Mr W Livingstone Rev R McIlhatton Ms T Hughes Mr C Mullan Mr G Maxwell Mr N Shields Charity Registration Number 101460 Company Registration Number NI611583 Registered Office Unit 7 Craigleith Drive, Dundonald Belfast BT16 2QP Independent Examiner RBCA Limited RBCA Limited Linenhall Exchange 26 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BG
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Ballybeen Improvement Group
Trustees' Report
The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Objectives and activities
The objectives of the charity are as follows:
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Building relationships, initiating positive change and growing potential.
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Aspire to be a welcoming and thriving community at peace and unity with itself, working towards an all-inclusive society, where all are valued contributors towards a positive future.
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The advancement of health or the saving of lives.
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The advancement of citizenship or community development.
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The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity.
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The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
Through these objectives the charity aims to:
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facilitate and support information sharing to strengthen relations to collaborate and gain better opportunities for the area.
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build community capacity and improve educational aspirations.
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develop the local surroundings, rejuvenate the area and make it an enhanced environment.
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support and assist those in need; by reducing isolation, encourage engagement and promote inclusion.
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encourage good community relations to enable a cohesive and inclusive community to flourish and to be advocates for equity, equality and diversity.
In setting out the objectives for the charity and planning activities for the year, the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity's purpose and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.
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Ballybeen Improvement Group
Trustees' Report
Public benefit
The charity is about building relationships, Initiating positive change and Growing potential. The charit aspires to be a welcoming and thriving community at peace and unity with itself, working towards an all-inclusive society, where all are valued contributors towards a positive future.
The direct benefits are to facilitate and support information sharing to strengthen relations to collaborate and gain better opportunities for the area. The charities beneficiaries are the residents in the area of benefit (Ballybeen), There may be some incidental benefit arising from training and how participants apply what they have learned. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose are to promote and implement best practise to build community capacity and improve educational aspirations. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose are to develop the local surroundings, rejuvenate the area and make it an enhanced environment.
These benefits will be evidenced through feedback from members and beneficiaries, monitoring and evaluation forms and government statistics. The direct benefit which flows from this purpose is to encourage good community relations to enable a cohesive and inclusive community to flourish and to be advocates for equity, equality and diversity.
Achievements and performance
Overview
All work done within the Ballybeen Improvement Group is based on community development principles. As an umbrella organisation, BIG is regarded as playing an integral part in fostering improved community cohesion, promoting community participation, and assisting with community planning and regeneration. In collaboration with the Ballybeen community, BIG has created, maintained, and expanded networks with the voluntary, public, and statutory sectors over this past year. Through engaging with community committees and the existing sub-groups, which also have representation from these sectors, communication is taking place. The reporting period is representative of all achievements for the financial year of 2023-24 and the 5th year taking on the Department for Communities contract independently. During this period, there was continued growth in responsibility and workload increase with regards to Governance and oversight from the board.
Building Relationships
We place a high importance on our working partnerships. Throughout the reporting period, we have continued maintain important connections with statutory organisations like the Department for Communities, the PSNI, the NIHE, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, and our member groups-particularly those that depend on BIG's support to thrive. We have also fostered relationships with our council members, MLAs, and the MP for East Belfast, to whom we have been able to reach out and request assistance as required. Above all, we have established productive working connections with the Ballybeen community.
Funding and Sub-Group's
There were 11 funding streams utilised during this period, which enabled us to engage in a number of activities and events during 2023-24. During this period there were 8 Directors’ meetings. In addition, 24 sub-group meetings were also held including:
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x8 Sports Hub committee
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x4 Health and Wellbeing
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x11 Finance and Governance
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x1 Youth, Education and Employment
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x2 PSNI Surgeries
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Ballybeen Improvement Group
Trustees' Report
Achievements To Date Include
-Cultural Art and learning took place for the Pride of Ballybeen Band working to reimagine the Flute band mural and celebrate their 10th Anniversary.
-Daily Help Clinics to support local residents
-Weekly Men’s Club to promote positive mental health and combat social isolation
-Continued development of the Sport Pitches with the addition of an outdoor gym and a new online pitch booking system.
-Summer Football Academy took place and was a successful event with over 60 young people in attendance, and supported by Dungoyne F.C.
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-The July Family Fun Day was a successful event with over 1000 in attendance.
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-King’s Coronation Fun Day Event was successfully run with over 1000 in attendance.
-Christmas Light Switch on Fun Day event with between 1000-1200 in attendance and the Brooklands Christmas Choir.
- -Community Carol Service with over 300 in attendance.
Going Forward
During this period, our Community Development Officer carried out a community survey to best understand the needs of the community for moving forward. The findings have contributed to a better understanding of Ballybeen's eight grassroots issues, and continue to inform our programmes and activities. The key grassroots issues include:
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Educational Attainment
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Housing Rights
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Anti-social Behaviour
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Policing
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Community Participation
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Cost of Living
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Banned Substances
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Dog Fouling
Having a better understanding of these problems will enable us to focus our practice on meeting community needs even more successfully, moving forward.
Financial review
The charity's incoming resources totalled £114,141 for the year ended 31 March 2024 with corresponding expenditure of £86,778 producing a surplus for the year of £27,363..
At the year end, the charity's reserves amounted to £63,421 of which £9,325 were restricted.
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Ballybeen Improvement Group
Trustees' Report
Trustees and officers
The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:
Trustees: Rev JW Cheshire Rev P Maxwell Mr W Livingstone Rev R McIlhatton Ms T Hughes Mr C Mullan Mr G Maxwell Mr N Shields
Structure, governance and management
The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee and incorporated on 7 March 2012.
The company was established under Articles of Association which set out the objects and powers of the charitable company and the company is governed by these Articles. In the event of the company being wound up, members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.
Ballybeen Improvement Group is in compliance with legal and other government obligations. The company was formally granted charitable status by the Northern Ireland Charities Commission on 5 June 2015.
Statement of trustees' responsibilities
The trustees (who are also the directors of Ballybeen Improvement Group for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland".
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards, comprising FRS 102 have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
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Ballybeen Improvement Group
Trustees' Report
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that can disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006and Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Small companies provision statement
This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.
24 Dec 2024 The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on .................... and signed on its behalf by:
......................................... Rev R McIlhatton Trustee
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