North Down and Ards Road Safety Committee
ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2019
The trustees have pleasure in presenting their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 MARCH 2019.
North Down and Ards Road Safety Committee is registered with the Charity Commission for and hand-held
Governance
The Charity is governed by its Constitution.
Trustees & recruitment
Trustees are appointed from within the local community with suitable experience & expertise that will assist the Charity.
Charitable purposes
To promote road safety in North Down & Ards environs. To investigate road traffic risks and make appropriate recommendations. To disseminate publicity for all road users. To take such action as is relevant to the achievement of these objectives. Promote the education of the public on road accident prevention. Co-operate with statutory bodies and other organisations in the promotion of schemes for road accident prevention and casualty reduction.
Public Benefits
The objective of North Down & Ards Road Safety Committee is the advancement of education of the public in the North Down & Ards area in relation to road safety, to reduce casualties and the prevention of road traffic collisions and for any other charitable purpose or activity permitted by law. The direct public benefits which flow from this purpose are to increase public knowledge and awareness of road safety and to assist in improvements to the road user’s behaviour and driving skills that will in turn contribute to a reduction in casualties on our roads and the prevention of traffic collisions. There is no harm arising from the purpose that has been set out above. No individual within the organisation or any other organisation to gain any private benefit from the purposes of the charity or the work t carries out.
Main achievements in the year
They can be summarised as follows:-
The deployment of the Speed Indicator Device (SID) and hand-held Speed Indicator (SID-J) remained one of the main items of committee work – used over 43 times throughout the borough area. Locations determined by requests from the general public, councillors, Transport NI and PSNI – concentrating on areas at highest risk of speeding ie-around schools etc).
The committee also had meetings and gave presentations to community groups, youth organisations, older groups and schools in the area.
We were invited to the Annual NI Road Safety Awards and participated in the Greyabbey Car & Motorbike Show, Glenlola Collegiate Young Driver Event (providing marshalls & prizes), Local heats of The Schools Road Safety Quiz. Our Chairperson was invited to feature in a Christmas road safety video campaign with PSNI Area Commander, Superintendent Brian Kee, various church events.
Numerous road closures and PSNI Facebook messages were publicised on our Facebook page, assisted Transport NI. Dashcam footage from a member’s vehicle was recently used to assist with a hit and run involving a cyclist and car, and various traffic lights, road markings, pot holes, junctions, pedestrian crossings, road signs and sight lines actioned by the relevant authorities.
Frequent reporting to newspapers in addition to coverage in social media ensured that the general public were aware of all the road safety items covered in their area.
Consultations with PSNI, Transport NI and local councillors ensured that they were fully informed of all road safety problems in the borough. Funding for all the above – provided by Ards & North Down PCSP – required full monitoring and reporting on a regular basis.
Review of the charity’s financial position
The income for the year was £1650.00 and with outgoings at an identical level the charity bank balance as at 05/04/2019 was £5.71. No debts outstanding.
The Trustees’ annual report was approved on 13[tth ] January 2020 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by Yvonne Ross and Terence Malcolm.