NIC103784
Meadow / Armagh Road Community Association
2022 to 2023
Trustees Report
Funded and Supported By..
Society of Sl. Vincent de Paul
Department for
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Communities
Comhairle Ceantalr
an Iuir. Mhurn agus an Duin
Newry. Mourne and Down
Distrlcl Council
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CONFEDERATION OF
COMMUNITY GROUPS

Charity Details
Charlty Name: Meadow and Armagh Road Community Assoclatlon
Charlty Number: Registered Charity in Northern Ireland - NIC103784
Purpose: The Association is established to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the Meadow
ond Armagh Road Area, Newry and its envlrons,. to include.. (Meodow) - The Fold, Clanrye Avenue,
Clanrye Park, Helen'5 Terruce, Orior Road, Slieve Gullion Road, Iveagh Crescent, Killeavy Road,
Derrybeg Drive, Ballinlare Gardens and (Armagh Road) - Violet Hill Avenue, College Gardens,
Mountain Vlew Drive, Clonmore, Lisdarrugh (herelnafter called "the area of benefit ) without
distlnction of age, gender, dlsability, sexual orientotion, nationality, ethnic identity, class, marital
status, political or religious opinlon, by a55ociating the statutory authorities, voluntury and
community sector organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to advance education, and
to providefacilities in the interests of social welfarefor recreation or other leisure time occupation,
wlth the object of improving the condltions of lifefor the said inhabitants.
Charlty Trustees as of September 30th 2023
Mr Gerry Mc Donald (Chairperson)
Mr Brendan Cranny (Secretary)
Ms Noreen Rice (Treasurer)
Mr Nlall Quinn
Mr Robert (Bobby) Johnson
Mr Peter Mc Donnell
Ms Helena Young
Ms Megan Creggan
Ms Clare Carroll
Ms Aoibheann Mc Corry
Mr Johnny Franl(s
Ms Aveen Trainor
Ms Darrelle Shields
Ms Sinead Larkin
Ms Dominika Wojciechowska
Note: No other Charity Trustees In the Year to 30th September 2023
Accountant/lndependent Examlner
Gemma Doran
5 Bracken Close, Newryj Co. Down
Insurance Broker & Underwriter
Marsh Insurance Ltd. (Ecclesiastical Brokers)
Bedford House, 16-22 Bedford Street, Belfast.
Bank
Flrst Trust, 42-44 Hill Street, Newry, Co. Down.
Charlt No: NIC103784

Chairpersons Report
This has been another demanding year for our voluntary Charity Trustees and volunteers.
not only have we been ensurlng our charity continues to meet the needs of local residents
and indeed provides a public benefit for as many residents as possible, but we also have
management responsibility for a busy community centre which is owned by Newry, Mourne
and Down District Council (NMDDC}. We work hard to ensure that through our
management functlon we are also ensuring that there is a direct benefit in terms of access
to services and programmes for residents. As you will see later in the Report, we have
anchor groups in the community centre such as the Happy Days Playgroup, Homestart
Newry & Mourne, and the Polish Supplementary Group, who all facilitate local access to
their services.
The Community Association are grateful to the main funders who have continued to support
the work of the Community Association and the development of the Community Centre,
and we extend our thanks to the following:
The Department for Communities & Newry Mourne & Down District Council-
Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.
All the User Groups in the Community Centre.
Confederation of Community Groups for Hardship funding to provide financially
struggling households, who meet strict referral criteria, support with utility costs.
I would also like to thank the following for their continued support:
Catherine O'Hanlon - Department for Communities who fund the Neighbourhood Renewal
Programme and through it, the NR Outdoor Education Programme.
Julie Mc Cann & Rita Lewis - Newry Mourne & Down District Council
Sean Mc Kevitt- Neighbourhood Renewal Coordinator, Newry Mourne & Down District
Council
Kerri Morrow- DEA Newry Mourne & Down District Council
Cathy Mc Mahon- Confederatlon of Community Groups
Martin Connell- Southern Health & Social Care Trust
Euan Morgan & Janet Naughton - Community Restorative Justice
Newry & Mourne Extended Schools
There are many challenges facing small grassroots charlties such as us and one of them
continues to be In attracting and recruiting new volunteers. The expectation and pressure
on volunteers and community-based organisatlons only seems to increase, with more
reporting and bureaucracy than ever before, and it can sometimes be difficult to stay on top
of everything. I'd Ilke to take a moment and thank all our charity trustees and volunteers;
you are doing an Incredible and often unseen Job to keep the community centre runnlng
Charl No: NIC103784

and operating at nearly full capacity, attending numerous meetings to ensure that the needs
of our communlty are being raised and addressed.
I would like to take this opportunity to pass on our sincerest condolences to all those
familles who have lost loved ones over the past year; we continue to keep you all in our
thoughts and prayers.
Finallyi I will conclude by thankin8 our communlty, without your ongoing support for all that
we do there would be little point In continuing. l encourage you to conslder getting
involved as a volunteer yourself and helping shape our plans for moving forward.
Gerry Mc Donald
Chairperson
Cha
No; Nl
103784

Financial Review
Financial Performance
Financial performance over this reporting period has been largely in line with Trustee's
expectations although it should be noted that there are difficulties in maintaining anchor
groups in the community centre as their own funding streams are being curtailed and there
is increased pressure on all resources. When we combine this with the ever-escalating costs
of utilities and general running expenses for the community centre it is a challenging
financial landscape. Trustees were disappointed not to receive a 'financial lift, from the
Department for Communlties in this reporting period, as this made a significant difference in
terms of easing financial pressures in the previous financial perlod.
Income:
Income receipts for the year totalled at £32,209 as compared to £36,224 in the previous
financial period- see Charity Accounts / Independent Examiners Report for full breakdown
of figures.
This income is derived from a variety of sources, wlth the main ones beingi
£26,358 from community centre activities, including venue hire.
£3,738 from the Department for Communities, vla Newry, Mourne & Down District
Council for the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (Runnlng Costs).
£1021 from the Confederation of Community Groups, Hardship Funding.
The Community Association's income is healthy overall and remains reasonably consistent
with previous years.
Expenditure
Expenditure for the year totalled at £30,236, compared to £41,518 in the previous financial
period.
see Charity Accounts / Independent Examiners Report for the full breakdown of
the financial spend.
Expenditure was largely in line with previous years, with the main items including:
£19,720 community centre actlvities expenses.
£6,825 running costs/expenses for the community centre.
£1,599 for insurance costs.
£1,016 for telephone and broadband.
Funds Materlally in Deficit
As of the 30th September 2023 the Meadow and Armagh Road Community Association had
no funds in materlal deficit.
Charlt No; NIC103784

Major Rlsks
Trustees have identifled no major rlsks moving into the next financial perlod. However,
Trustees do note the inherent risk in trylng to secure external funding streams as a means of
sustainability, which is why alternative options are belng explored.
Financlal Management
The Community Association maintain robust financial systems and have good financial
management systems in place; all cheques must be signed bytwo out of our three cheque
signatories. We have suc.cessfully held many grants and have always fulfilled all accounting,
reporting and monitoring requirements. our annual accounts are independently examined
and presented at the Annual General Meeting.
Statement of Assets and Llablllties
The total assets of the Community Association, as of the 30th September 2023, were
£20,670, while liabilities were £3,464. leaving an accumulation fund of £17,206.
Charlt No: NIC103784

Public Benefit Statement
The Trustees of the Meadow & Armagh Road Community Association confirm that they
have complied with their duty under section 17 (5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard
to the Charity Commlssion's guidance on public benefit and that the public benefit
requirement has informed the activities of the Meadow & Armagh Road Community
Associatlon in the year to 30th September 2023.
In evaluating public benefit, the Trustees note that membership is open to all resldents 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, our youth groups, personal
development programmes which would not be age approprlate for prlmary school children,.
nor would the Over 50's Club be appropriate for the young people. However, many events,
activities, seasonal events and fun days are open to all ages in the community.
Summary of Main Activltles
Our volunteer Charity Trustees have management responsibility for a large, Council owned
Community Centre and, It Is from this community base, that many of our main activities are
delivered. The community office was opened 4 mornings per week and residents can call in
for information, social contact, and access to computers/wi-fi. We are pleased to report
that once again the Community Centre was open an average of five days and evenings per
week with a vast array of activities¢ groups, opportunities and events on offer.
There were several anchor groups based in the community centre over this reporting
period, and they have provided a range of services to benefit the local community.
The Happy Days Playgroup operated morning and afternoon sessions flve days a week, with
each session full.
The Polish Supplementary School operated weekly throughout this period, providing
support and social opportunities for members of the wider Polish community across Newry
City.
Home Start Newry & Mourne joined us as an anchor group and offered group sessions and
various tralning opportunities for parents from the community centre base.
The community centre continues to be a very popular venue for birthday parties, and other
family celebrations and we encourage people to get their dates booked into our diary early
to avoid disappointment.
We were delighted to welcome Women's Tec to the centre as a more casual booklng, they
offered practical DIY classes and opportunities for local women.
We have continued working in partnership wlth our neighbours in Bolster Community and
have welcomed them to the centre on a few occasions to facilitate programme and project
opportunities.
Charlt No: NIC103784

Our volunteers and trustees have
been busy delivering our own
programme of activities, events and
opportunities over the year. The
weekly Community Bingo nights are
going from strength to Strength, with
numbers increasing weekly. These
nights are all about the community
coming together, reducing isolation and providing a safe and warm place for new
friendships to develop and for everyone to enjoy some light-hearted fun.
We have launched a Tuesday night youth group
and are heartened to see so many children and
young people turning up each week. We have
offered a range of different games, team-building
activities, arts & crafts and much more.
We were delighted to be able to
offer the children and young
people the opportunity to go and
see the local Bosco Drama Group
production of The Addams Family.
The community centre was a hub of activity over both the Halloween and Christmas periods
when we offered the local community a range of events and activities. Thanks to the NR
Health subgroup we were able to offer the children and young people a Dance Camp over
their midterm break where they got the opportunity to learn the Thriller Dance under the
guidance of a professional dancer. This was then showcased at the end of the week for
wider family members to come along and enjoy. Families also came together and enjoyed
the fancy dress disco at Halloween, with all the children and young people getting a treat
bag.
For Christmas time, we had a vislt from Santa who toured around the area of benefit,
bringing some much-needed festive cheer and distributing selection boxes along the way.
Our senior citizens thoroughly enjoyed a Christmas dinner at the Canal Court Hotel. Indeed,
our older people's group have continued to meet weekly in the community centre and enjoy
both the social opportunity provided and the chance to learn some new skills at the
different activity classes on offer.
Charlt No.. NIC103784

The Community Association, through the Neighbourhood Renewal Health Sub-Group and,
through the Neighbourhood Renewal Outdoor Education Programme, was able to get
access to a wide range of health programmes for the Community Centre and provide
children and young people access to outdoor activities. The physical activity programmes
ran throughout the year in the community centre and offered the local community free
opportunities with no barriers to participation.
We are grateful to the Southern Health and Social
Care Trust for managing this programme.
Southern Health
J and Social Care Trust
HSC
Throughout this reporting period there have been a range of additional opportunities on
offer for children and young people, these have included..
A Funk Soul Media workshop with Ruairi Cahill
Jamming Sessions at the Crisis Café where everyone got the opportunity to learn
some basic drumming and guitar techniques.
Trip to the Sheepbridge for bowling and a bite to eat.
Trip to Formula Karting for Championship go-karting.
Fun Fitness Week
Exploring Sports- a good relations sports programme offering taster sessions in a
range of different sports.
We also ran a Family trip to Newcastle which was a brilliant day out for everyone. Our
senior citizens also got a day trip to Carlingford, then onto the ferry, travelling onwards to
Newcastle, then the Spelga Dam and stopping off in Hilltown on the way home for a well-
deserved dinner at the Downshire Arms.
Our Summer Festival offered something for all ages over the three-day period. We held a
fancy-dress parade to launch the festival and families joined in as we walked through the
area, the weather may not have been favourable, but it didn't dampen our spirits.
Charit No.. NIC103784

We'd like to offer a special word of thanks to Meadow man, Marty
Carroll, for his very generous donation of burgers and sausages for our
Family Fun Day BBQ,
We have also been developing links with
the local Indian community and have
been delighted to welcome the Indian
Arts Club to the community centre on a regular basis.
Trustees have also been mindful of the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on many
households throughout this area; as a designated Neighbourhood Renewal area due to the
high levels of multiple deprivations prevalent, these pressures are felt more acutely on
already struggling households. We have close working links with the local St Vincent de Paul
chapter and have referred many families on for additional confidential support. Likewise
with Community Advice for support with access to benefits and assistance with the
completion of claim forms; and we have been working local foodbank at The Larder to
facilitate referrals. Thanks to Hardship funding received from the Confederation of
Community Groups we were able to provide immediate support to Struggling households
with top up vouchers for gas or electricity.
The Trustees of the Meadow and Armagh Road Community Association have continued
representing the area on several different partnerships and networks to ensure that the
needs of the area are being addressed through the proper channels. These include; the
Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership, and associated sub-groups; Newry Mourne &
Down District Council DEA Forum, Confederation of Community Groups, the NIHE Housing
Community Network, Community Restorative Justice, Policing in the Community Forum and
inter-agency meetings.
Charit No: NIC103784

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Charlt No: NIC103784