Everton Centre parents and carers group
Trustees Report
for the year ended 30 September 2025
The Trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2025. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the constitution, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).
Structure, governance and management
The group is an unincorporated charity.
Trustees
The trustees who served during the year were as follows:
C Hamill, B Jeffers, C Green, M Madden, A Carr, J Clarke, J Clarke, E McHugh.
Objectives and activities
The objects for which the group is established are:
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To provide a range of activities for clients of the Everton Day Centre.
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To promote access to benefits through information and opportunities for networking.
Achievements and performance
Like almost every year, there have been changes to the make-up of our board. Firstly and sadly, Charlotte Baxter died last November. She had been a board member since 2009. We’ll all miss that impish smile and sense of mischief Charlotte brought to our meetings. There were two resignations over the year: Lisa Hamilton from 2022 and Eleanor Alexander from 2023 hadn’t served anything as long as Charlotte but they too contributed to our discussions and they too will be missed.
The energy and enthusiasm of the previous year’s new trustees was evident last year. Martine, with the help of Julie and Jo organised a splendid Fall Ball which took place just after our AGM last year. Everybody enjoyed the event in the Lansdowne Court Hotel and it also raised a total of about £1500 for our funds. Their intention is to have something similar, perhaps next Spring. We also supported the Centre’s summer activities with grants totalling about £2000. We also attended, and enjoyed various charity fundraising events in the Centre over the year.
I want to acknowledge the generosity, over many years of the Dockers’ Club. In pre-Covid days, they used to host a much-enjoyed pre-Christmas dance for members of Everton. It has not proved possible to restore this, due to lingering concerns about issues of close proximity. But the Dockers very kindly sent us a cheque for £400 out of the blue last November.
In November we had a visit from the BHSCT newly-appointed Lead for LD services, Fiona Magee to talk about her role in the Trust. It was a casual but informative talk. That illustrates one of the
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Everton Centre parents and carers group
advantages of being a trustee of Everton: you get a chance to meet people in the Trust management and a chance to talk about developments as they occur.
I want to draw to your attention that a major review of LD services throughout Northern Ireland is taking place. A lot of work has been done and a number of public consultations are being organised. The Belfast consultation is next Wednesday 22 October in the Clayton Hotel at 1900. I know evening events don’t suit carers well but I would urge you to try and attend.
I am delighted to note the great improvement in staffing numbers in Everton this last year. A year ago, staffing was about 10 below capacity and Anna has informed me that this deficit has all but disappeared.
I, on my own behalf and that of all the board, want to congratulate Anna Dunlop on her appointment as Centre Manager last year. Anna has represented the staff at all our board meetings for many years and is the main channel of communication between us and the staff. That created a vacancy for an Assistant Manager and that was filled by Jill Masterson who introduced herself to us at our May meeting. We wish them both every success in their new roles.
The issue of interruptions to the daily bus service to and from Everton exercised us again this year. I wrote to the Trust last year and we received a reply indicating that lack of resources was at the heart of the issue. The issue has arisen this last year with little visible sign of improvement. So I have escalated it; I wrote recently to the Complaints department of BHSCT asking them to reorganise resources so as to address the problem. I await their reply with interest.
I want to finish by thanking all our trustees, new and old who give up part of their precious time to improving the Everton experience for our members and I further want to ask Anna, our recentlyappointed Centre manager to pass on our thanks to all Everton staff , the men and women who have continued and consolidated the process of restoring normality to Everton and re-establishing the caring, inclusive atmosphere we had come to cherish in pre-Covid times.
Financial review
During the year the group maintained sound financial reserves.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended PracticeAccounting and Reporting by Charities.
This report was approved by the Board on 4[th] November 2024 and signed on its behalf by
C. Hamill, Chairman
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