Drumalane & Quayside Close Community Association fy/rY Asso 1st April 2022 to , 31" March 2023 Trustees Annual Report NIC 103773 Drurnalane & Quayside Close Community Association Community Centre 11 Fathom Line Drumalane Newry Co. Down BT35 8AT Charlty Name: .Drumalane & Quayside Close Cotnrriunlty Association Charity Number: Reglstered Charity in Northern Ireland- NIC 103773 Purpose: The (Drumalane & Qu.I,y51de Close Communlty) Assoclation Is established to promote.th'e ..bénetitof tbe ihhabitants.of thé br￿malane and Quayside Close Areas, Iherelnafter called the 'area ot behefit'}, without.distincti0.-ti,of.age, gender, sexualltyi nationality, ethnic origin, polltical or religious opjniori; by, asso¢iating:tlie statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and the , Inliabitaiits'jn: a-comlDon effort to. relieve poverty, advance education and to provide or asslst In . p.rci:vidihg facil'itiés jn'thé interests bf soclal welfare for recreation or other lelsure-tlme occupation, . March 2023 asé,tl.RlP: Charlt No: NIC103773 Chairpersons Report Thankfully, this year has seen more of a return to 'normal' for everyone. In April 2022 there was an Extraordinary General Meeting held when a new Committee of Charlty Trustees were elected for Drumalane/Quayside Close Community Association. I'd like to take a moment to thank all of the outgoing Trustees, Committee members and volunteers for all their hard work and commitment to the local community. Without your help over the past 18 months, we could not have put on any activities or trips for the Drumalane Quayslde Close area and I really hope we can continue to count on your support moving forward. I'd like to thank all out funders fortheirvaluable 5UPPOrt over the past year, we couldn't do what we do without your support. These include: The Department for Communities who fund the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme which is managed by Newry & Mourne District Council. Newry, Mourne & Down District Councll have also funded us through our Facilitles Management Agreement {FMAI for costs of running the community centre. The Confederation of Community Groups. The Education Authorlty. The Southern Health & Soclal Care Trust. l also want to acknowledge the tremendous support from all our user groups in the community centre, you have helped us thls year to generate a significant income from venue hire revenue and this has allowed us to offer the local community a wider range of opportunities. These include: The Monday Coffee Morning The Drum Quay Men's Shed Newry Quilters The Drumclose Crafters Yoga with Paddy The Cedar Group Autism Nl Messy Pups Bolster (Parent and Toddler group) The Southern Trust (Dlabetic Clinic) And all other groups that have booked the hall In the last 18 months. Charl No: NIC103773 We contlnue to represent the needs of our area of beneflt on the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Partnershlp and have participated as active members over the past year; we have attended quarterly Partnership meetings and the monthly meetings of the various Neighbourhood Renewal sub-groups, community/physical, health & education. A special thanks goes to the followlng people for helping to organise the funding and activities that we have held in the community centre.. Cathy Mc Mahon and Raymond Jackson - Confederation of Community Groups- for the ongoing community development support provided. Sean Mc Kevitt- Neighbourhood Renewal Coordinator Members of the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership Newry Mourne & Down District Council & our local Counci1Sors Marty Connell and Eimear O'Hare- Southern Health & Social Care Trust Niamh McNamee - Education Authority Our accounts have again been Independently examined by Mc Cann Teggart Ltd Accountancy Services and we have included copies within this Report (separate copies are available on request). Shauna Mc Court {Chalrperson) Charl No: NIC103773 Flnancial Review Financlal Performance Financial performance was slgnificantly improved compared to the previous year and Trustees were heartened to see the revenue income being generated from the venue hire of the Community Centre,. we hope to continue to build on this over coming years as It will provide a stream of unrestricted Income to allow us to respond to emerging needs within the community. There was also a one off 'uplift' payment of £1500 through the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme to assist with the escalating costs of utilities and this was extremely beneficial glven the Increased bllls we were facing. Income: Income receipts for the year totalled at £15,304 as compared to £7,429 for the previous year- see detailed accounts for a full breakdown of the figures. This income was mainly derived from the Neighbourhood Renewal running costs programme, including the 'uplift' payment, and our FMA with Council, both streams of funding came via Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and totalled £7,890. We also generated an income of £6,834 from venue hire of the Community Centre. Expendlture Expenditure for the year totalled at £14,004 as compared to £7,018 for the previous year. Major items of expenditure Included our community events, utility costs, cleaning, public liability insurance, telephone & wi-fi. Funds Materially In Deficit As of the 31st March 2023 the Drumalane & Quayside Close Community Association had no funds in deficit. Major Risks No major risks have been identified. Assets & Llabllities The Trustees of the Drumalane & Quayside Close Community Association can confirm that the Association currently hold no assets and have identified no Ilabilities moving forward. Flnancial Management The Community Association maintain robust financial systems and have good financlal management systems in place,, all cheques must be signed by two out of our three cheque signatories; we have successfully held a number of grants and have always fulfilled all accounting, reporting and monitoring requirements; our annual account5 are always Independently examined. Charlt No: NIC103773 Public Benefit Statement The Trustees of the Drurnalane & Quayside Close 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 Drumalane & Quayside Close Community Association in the year to 315t March 2023. 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 youth club would not be age appropriate for primary school children. However, many seasonal events, activities, training programmes and community fun days are open to all ages in the community. Summary of Main Activities This has been an exciting year for the development of our Charity as we have progressed with the engagement with our local community and the establishment of several anchor activities in the community centre which will provide new opportunities and benefits for local residents. The weekly Community Bingo nights have proven to be very popular; they'll never generate a significant income for us, but they are an important means for connecting people, building relationships and social networks while reducing isolation. We have been working with the Confederation of Community Groups and the local Education Authority outreach youth worker and have been able to establish two new groups, supported by the services of a youth worker. Firstly, we have a new Youth Group running weekly, providing access to the centre and a range of different weekly activities. These activities are designed to support the personal development of the young people and boost their I confidence and ability to get engaged with further opportunities. We were delighted to get a new volunteer on board, who had previously engaged with one of the earlier youth groups in the centre. She volunteered as a peer leader for the youth group and then joined our committee as a Charity Trustee. r.*i- Chari No: NIC103773 Next up was the establishment of a Young Mothers Group which met weekly in the centre, supported by an EA Youth Worker who worked alongside our volunteers to help build their skills and confidence as well. The children 3nd parents blossomed in this group and developed bonds and connections that would never have been possible otherwise. They got access to post-natal exercise c1355e5, pampering sessions, messy play, afternoon tea, a trip to Mount Panther play farm and ongoing support and advice. The Community Centre facilitated some exciting new opportunities, such as Jurassic Arc Encounters Nl who came along to provide educational and fun animal encounters experiences with a wild slice of the 'prehistoric' to engage the children. Moo Music provided interactive music classe5 for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, along with their parents. We offered young the people the opportunity to try their hand at Dj'ing by running weekly sessions with a local DJ; it was great to have the centre buzzing with music and laughter. Thank5 to support from the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership, the Education subgroup and Newry & Mourne Extended Schools {NAMESI we were able to reestablish the afterschool Homework Club which operates 3 afternoons a week. It provides children and young people with a quiet, safe, warm environment to complete homework with a supervisor from a local school, the St Clares Abbey Primary School. Snacks and drinks are also provided each session. The Centre also played h05t to Me55y Pups on a Saturday morning, commencing in August and running until November time-we hope to engage with this programme again. We tried running a Sund3y Kid's Club in October and November, however, it was difficult to get times that su ited both volunteers and local fam ilies so we'll be revisiting this. We were delighted to be able to get a new Bike Shelter installed over the existing bike stands and would like to thank Newry, Mourne & Down District Council for thi5. Council also ensured that repair5 were carried out to the flooring in the Home Changing Rooms. Charit No: NIC103773 Seasonal Events Summer: We offered a range of activities and trips over the summer period to benefit local children and young people. There was an adrenaline packed trip to the Airtastic Entertainment Centre. * *• There was another trip to the Ioc31 Omniplex which was very well attended with the children enjoying the movie and snacks. We were delighted to be able to take a large group to watch the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust Charity Football Match with the Celtic legends. We launched a Kids Club which ran on Friday evenings overjuly and August where the children got to enjoy some arts & crafts, messy play, games and activities. The Community Centre facilitated a children's summer Arts & Crafts Workshop. There was also the opportunity to engage with a STEM club which ran for a week in August. Thanks to funding from the Southern Health & Social Care Trust (SHSCT), via the Neighbourhood Renewal Health subgroup, we were able to offer a Multi-sports Activity week/Fitnes5 Camp for children. We launched a Walking Group for residents in July but due to a poor uptake we've had to postpone this for the time being. Halloween: Thanks to the hard work of our Trustees, we were able to create a Pumpkin Patch for families to come along and let the children pick their own pumpkin and take it into our bespoke Carving & Create tables in the centre - lots of messy fun was had by all. This was followed by a spooktacular Halloween fancy dress disco and fireworks display. Christmas: We held a festive Christmas party for families with Santa and the Grinch visiting to bring selection boxes and mischief aplenty. For the older residents, there was an over 60,5 Christmas party night and with food and entertainment. Many old friends met up and there were lots of laughs and stories shared. Chari No: NIC103773 New User Groups: We have been working with a number of local user group5 who now form part of the anchor activities in the centre and there are opportunities for any interested residents to come along and join them at any time. These include: The Drumclose Crafters Monday Coffee morning. The DrumQuay Men's Shed who hosted an incredible 'Down Memory Lane, event for current and former residents of Drumalane Park, Quayside Close and surrounding areas. We have also attracted some new user groups from across the wider Newry City area who now offer their services from the community centre, providing additional opportunities for local residents to engage. These include: The Newry Quilters Yoga with Paddy Autlsm Nl Cedar Group Messy Pups Bolster Community The Southern Trust {Diabetic Clinic) Training & Physical Activities We offered residents the opportunity to engage with an online Safety Training Session for Older Adults. Thanks to the SHs￿, via the NR Health subgroup, we had a visit from the Autism Reality Experience Bus. This provided a unique opportunity for residents to get a glimpse into what living with autism is like and was followed by a training session. The feedback from this opportunity was overwhelmingly positive. Residents also got the chance to avail of free Health Checks from the Nl Chest, Heart & Stroke Association. Chari No: NIC103773 There was also the opportunity for access to some free physical activity programmes in the community centre, these included Kettlebells Training for 4 weeks and a 4 week Boxercise class. This was also thanks to the NR Health subgroup and the SHSCT. Trustees also engaged with ongoing mentoring and training provided by the Confederation of Community Groups. this covered areas such as funding, reportin8 and returns, governance, conflict resolution, community development and more, Through our partnership working with CCG we were also able to access First Aid and Safeguarding training and make these same opportunities available to the wider community. The Trustees of the Drumalane & Quayside Close Community Association have also been representing the area on a number of different partnerships and networks to ensure that the needs of the area are being raised and addressed through the proper channels, these include; the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership, Newry Mourne & Down District Council DEA Forum, Confederation of Community Groups, and inter-agency meetings. Cost-Of-Living Response Trustees have been mindful of the impact of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis on local households, especially given the area In which we operate which has high levels of multiple deprivations ranking it in the top IOYO of most deprived wards in Nl. We know that people are trying their best to stretch family budgets and cover ever increaslng costs and as a charlty we remain committed to providing low cost or no cost opportunities to benefit local families. During this Reporting period we were also able to work in partnership with the Confederation of Community Groups and Norbrook to distribute cooked meals to vulnerable residents. Through the NR/SHSCT Health subgroup we were once again able to distribute a number of slow cookers and food vouchers to struggling households. Thanks to donations we were able to distribute turkeys and hams at Christmas time. We wlll continue to work to support as many local households as we possibly can. Charl No: NIC103773 Photographic Highlights CAVTW, .STAY Charit No., NIC103773 Chari No: NIC103773 Funded & Supported By: Department for FEDERATI Communities UNITN (J Comhairle Ceantair CONFEDERATION OF COMMUNITY GROUPS an Iuir. Mhurn agus an Duin Newry. Mourne and Down District Council •Jea HSC Southern Health J and Social CareTrust Charit No: NIC103773