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2025-03-31-annual-report

Ballybot Community Association

NIC 103508

Trustees Annual Report 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025

Ballybot Community Association C/O 21 Barcroft Park Newry Co. Down BT35 8EW

Charity Details

Charity Name: Ballybot Community Association

Charity Number: Registered Charity in Northern Ireland – NIC 103508

Purpose: The (Ballybot Community) Association is established to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Cleary Crescent, Thomas Street, Pool Lane, Dominic Street, Francis Street, Cornmarket, Kiln Street, Dominican Court, Peter’s Place, Patrick Street, Kilmorey Terrace, James Connolly Park, John Martin Street, John Martin Gardens, Michael Mallin Park, Pound Road, Aileen Terrace, Glenside Terrace, Gleann Rí & immediate environs, (hereinafter called the “area of benefit”). Without distinction of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnic origin, political or religious opinion, by associating the statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to relieve poverty, advance education, and to provide or assist in providing facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life of the said inhabitants.

Charity Trustees as of the 31[st] March 2025

Mr Malachy Maguire (Chairperson) Mr Martin Cranney (Treasurer) Ms Dani O’Neill (Secretary) Mr Patrick Murphy Mr John Hogan – resigned during the year Ms Caroline Finnegan Mr Ronnie Woods

Note: No other Charity Trustees in the Year to 31[st] March 2025

Accountant/Independent Examiner

Raymond Jackson Confederation of Community Groups, Ballybot House, Newry

Insurance Broker & Underwriter:

Marsh Insurance Ltd (Ecclesiastical Brokers) Bedford House, 16-22 Bedford Street Belfast

Bank

Ulster Bank, 86 Hill Street, Newry, Co. Down, BT34 1BT.

Charity No: NIC103508

Chairpersons Report

Welcome to our annual Trustees’ Report for the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

This has been a busy and challenging year for our trustees and volunteers. Like many local charities, we have experienced both highs and lows, but we have continued to build confidently on our established partnerships and to represent the emerging needs of the wider Ballybot community.

We have also continued to work closely with the Confederation of Community Groups (CCG), accessing ongoing community development support, governance and training opportunities, and vital support to access hardship and crisis funding. This funding enabled us to provide immediate, confidential support to financially struggling households that met strict referral criteria.

We would like to thank CCG for the trust and confidence they placed in our committee to administer this funding to those most in need. One of the key strengths of a grassroots charity such as ours is that our trustees and volunteers live within the community. This means we are closely connected to local people and have a strong understanding of emerging community needs.

We also continued to work with the Neighbourhood Renewal Coordinator at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC), statutory partners and voluntary sector partners. This network has proved very beneficial for the local community, giving us access to a wealth of knowledge, skills and support that helps us to continue growing.

Throughout the year, we have continued to represent the Ballybot community at meetings of the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership and its associated subgroups, including Health, Community/Physical and Education. Our work with the Newry City Neighbourhood Renewal Health subgroup has been particularly successful, and later in this report you will find details of the opportunities we have accessed to support practical projects and programmes for the benefit of the community.

We would also like to thank all the community partners we have worked with in the Newry City Neighbourhood Renewal Health subgroup. Thanks to your ongoing support, we have been able to offer residents access to a wide range of health-related activities, programmes and training opportunities that would not otherwise have been available. The move towards more inter-community collaboration has been particularly welcome to us as we do not have a dedicated community base and being able to join with other local community groups allows resources to stretch further and build important social networks for residents while breaking down barriers between communities.

We are grateful to our funders, without whom we would not be able to deliver activities and support for the benefit of the local community. We would particularly like to thank the Department for Communities for the essential running costs and community development support funding provided through the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal

Charity No: NIC103508

Partnership/Programme. This continued investment helps make a real difference to the lives of local people living in the Ballybot area.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all our volunteers, committee members and charity trustees. We would be nothing without your incredible voluntary commitment, and the tremendous contribution you have made over the past year has not gone unappreciated.

I would also like to encourage more residents to join us as volunteers. This is your community, and without additional support we will struggle to continue delivering at the same pace. If you would like to get involved, please contact any of the committee members to find out more.

Malachy Maguire Chairperson

Charity No: NIC103508

Financial Review

Financial Performance

This was another challenging year for our charity, and we are very grateful to the Department for Communities and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for the continued support through the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme as this covers all the essential running costs for our charity. We would also like to acknowledge the continued support from the Confederation of Community Groups (CCG) and, as one of their ‘trusted partners’ we were able to access essential hardship funding to provide support to struggling households.

Income

Income receipts for the year totalled at £5,637, which was a further decrease on the previous years’ £8,182.

The significant income was from the Department for Communities via Newry, Mourne & Down District Council for Charity running costs under the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme at £3,037.

We also received £1,500 in grant funding form the CCG during this period; this was part of a local hardship funding scheme designed to provide immediate, confidential support to those households most vulnerable & in financial difficulties.

Expenditure

Expenditure for the year totalled at £6,739 as opposed to £15,379 for the previous financial year.

Our largest items of expenditure centred around community events and totalled at £3,518.

We ensured that the £1,500 in hardship funding from the CCG was targeted and allocated to those households meeting strict referral criteria and that this funding was distributed throughout our area of benefit in the form of vouchers for utilities or food. Our public liability insurance costs were £929. And we only expended £522 on community trips over the reporting period. Full details are included in our accounts for the year.

Funds Materially in Deficit

As of the 31[st of] March 2025, the Ballybot Community Association had no funds materially in deficit.

Charity No: NIC103508

Major Risks

The risks noted by the Trustees moving forward concern the difficulties regarding securing additional project grant funding to allow for the continued development of the work of the Ballybot Community Association; and the challenges of engaging in fundraising activities in an area of high multiple deprivations.

Assets & Liabilities

The Trustees of the Ballybot Community Association can confirm that the Association currently hold no assets and have identified no liabilities moving forward.

Financial Management

The Community Association maintain robust financial systems and have good financial management systems in place; all cheque authorisations must be signed by two out of our three cheque signatories.

The annual accounts for the Charity are always examined by an independent examiner. Previous grants awarded have all been successfully reported on and charity trustees are considering the potential for new project development.

Charity No: NIC103508

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees of the Ballybot Community Association confirm that they have complied with their duty under section 4 (b) of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and that the public benefit requirement has informed the activities of the Ballybot Community Association in the year ended 31 March 2025.

In evaluating public benefit, the Trustees note that membership is open to all residents in the ‘area of benefit’ – (Full members aged 18 and over, Junior members under 18) – and we strive to provide a range of activities that will cater for all ages but some necessary and reasonable restrictions have been put in place for example, personal development programmes for the older youth would not be age appropriate for primary school children. However, many events, activities, seasonal events and fun days are open to all ages in the community.

Summary of Main Activities

Reducing volunteer numbers, and no dedicated community base, have continued to present challenges to the delivery of community-based activities and events. Notwithstanding this, our small team of trustees and volunteers have worked hard throughout the year to provide access a varied programme of activities, events and opportunities to benefit our local community/

Raymond Mc Creesh Park

The local play park has hosted many community events this year, with trustees ensuring they are open and accessible to everyone. Its central location, within walking distance for many residents, makes it an ideal community venue and an important space for inclusive local events.

The highlight of the summer was, once again, our three-day community festival, and we were delighted to have the sun shining down on the local park as many local families came together to celebrate all that is positive about our community.

Day one kicked off with Family Olympics, fiercely competitive and lots of fun for everyone. Once the competition was established, we followed up with a Family World Cup Tournament, and it was heartening to see multi-generational family teams taking part in the events.

The second day of festival fun was the Family Fun Day when we filled the park with inflatables, games, food trucks, ice cream vans and residents from age 1 to age 90.

Charity No: NIC103508

The grand finale for the festival was our Party in the Party outdoor music event, which showcased a wide range of local talent, from punk, to rockabilly, pop hits, country, and even some nu-metal. These acts also represented great diversity with many different backgrounds and cultures involved alongside members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Trips & Outings

Thanks to Sean Mc Kevitt (NR Corordinator) and the Neighbourhood Renewal Outdoor Education programme we were able to facilitate tow community trips for our adults and older residents over this reporting period. First up was our Mystery Bus Tour which had a fully packed bus off on an adventure to Portaferry, with a few extra stops along the way to take in some new sights and experiences. It was wonderful to be able to bring so many people together, creating new social connections, and making wonderful memories.

At Christmas time we were once again able to bring people together for a trip to the Christmas Markets in Belfast. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from these trips highlights just how important they are to people who may never otherwise get to leave their local area.

Charity No: NIC103508

Seasonal Activities

This year we worked collaboratively with other local groups and offered residents the opportunity to get creative at Halloween and learn how to crochet your own pumpkin. This was followed by an event at Barcroft Community Garden when children were invited to pick an ‘everlasting’ pumpkin.

Our Santa Sunday event was held at the local Leisure Centre in a large multi-purpose room; we were able to hire in a grotto and got a fabulous balloon arch display created. Many children benefited from a free visit to Santa and a festive treat; and special thanks go to our trustee elves for their special visit with Santa.

Activities, Training and More …

Thanks to the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) and the Neighbourhood Renewal (NR) Newry City Health subgroup we were able to provide access to a range of different physical activity programmes and health related opportunities for the Ballybot community, these included:

We were delighted to be able to offer additional free training opportunities for trustees, volunteers and to the wider community, these included Safeguarding (Children and Young People), Adult Safeguarding Awareness, and Emergency First Aid; all facilitated by the Confederation of Community Groups.

We would like to thank our partners on the Newry City Health sub-group for all their support and collaboration over the past year.

Charity No: NIC103508

Partnerships and Networking

The Trustees of the Ballybot Community Association have continued to represent the area on several different partnerships and networks, these include the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership and associated subgroups, Newry Mourne & Down District Council DEA Forum, Confederation of Community Groups, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive Housing Community Network, and inter-agency meetings.

Trustees are grateful to the Confederation of Community Groups for their management of a Hardship funding scheme to allow access to vital funding to support struggling households with the ever-escalating costs of utilities.

Safeguarding

The Trustees of the Ballybot Community Association can confirm that there were no incidents or concerns regarding safeguarding of children, young people and/or adults at risk during this reporting period.

Communication

Trustees continue to make use of a variety of different mediums to ensure that they keep in touch with their community and ensure that all relevant information is circulated as widely as possible. Community Newsletters and/or Flyers are used to update and advertise on upcoming opportunities along with social media.

Charity No: NIC103508

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Charit No: NIC103508

Charit No: NIC103508

Funded & Supported By: Northern Ireland Executive Co www.northernireland.gov.uk Departmentfor Communities Comhairle Ceantair an luir. Mhurn agus an Duin Newry. Mourne and Down Distrirt Council HSC Southern Health J and Social Care Trust Charit No: NIC103508