1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024
TRUSTEES REPORT
Funded and Supported By:
NIC 103842
Three Ways Community Centre Well Lane, Newry, Co. Down, BT34 1HE
info@threewaysca.co.uk www.threewaysca.co.uk
Charity Details
Charity Name: Three Ways Community Association
Charity Number: Registered Charity in Northern Ireland - NIC103842
Purpose: Three Ways Community Association is established to relieve poverty, sickness and the aged and to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the St Patrick’s Ward, Newry and its environs (hereinafter called ‘the area of benefit’) without distinction of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic identity, class, marital status, political or religious opinion; by associating the statutory authorities, voluntary and community sector organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to advance education, and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation; with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.
Charity Trustees as of March 31[st] , 2024
Mrs Cathy Keenan (Chairperson) Mrs Patricia O’Gorman (Treasurer) Mr Padraig Harte (Secretary) Ms Amy O’Gorman (Vice Secretary) Ms Josephine Keenan Mrs Lesa Hollywood Mrs Mary Markey Ms Bernie Hollywood Ms Maria Keenan Mr Patrick O’Gorman Mr Maurice Rooney Note: No other Charity Trustees in the Year to 31[st] March 2024
Accountant/Independent Examiner
Mc Cann & Co Accountancy Services 53 Patrick Street Newry
Insurance Broker & Underwriter:
Marsh Insurance Ltd (Ecclesiastical Brokers) Bedford House, 16-22 Bedford Street Belfast
Bank
Danske Bank Business Banking, PO BOX 183 Donegall Square West, Belfast
Charity No: NIC103842
Chairpersons Report
Cathy Keenan
Presented by Padraig Harte (Secretary), on behalf of the chairperson in their absence.
Good evening, ladies, and gentlemen,
We welcome you to the Annual General Meeting of the Three Ways Community Association. We extend our warmest greetings to all the distinguished ladies, gentlemen, and public representatives present here this evening.
Firstly, we start this evening by offering our condolences to chairperson Cathy Keenan, and committee members Maria Keenan and Josephine Keenan on the passing of Cathy's sisterin-law and Maria & Josephine’s aunt, Mary Keenan. Mary was a member of our senior citizens luncheon club and a delight to have been involved for more years than we can remember. She will be missed by us all.
Tonight, we have the honour of presenting and seeking approval for our annual Trustees Report and financial review for the year spanning from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024. We are grateful for your presence and participation.
Annually, we prioritize emphasizing the utmost importance of transparency and accountability within our organization. We are unwaveringly dedicated to delivering a comprehensive overview of our activities and financial performance. This meeting will undoubtedly serve as a platform for engaging in robust dialogue and exchanging ideas on how we can further elevate our service to the community.
The members of the Three Ways Community Association have dedicated themselves to enhancing our community and its facilities. Throughout 2023 and 2024, we organized a wide range of activities, workshops, educational programs, and community initiatives tailored to the specific needs of our community. It has been an honour for all of us to prioritize the community's well-being in our planning and execution of these initiatives.
We are delighted that the community centre remains a central hub for the hundreds who attend every week. Our success is attributed to the diverse range of activities and events that we offer, including youth programmes, community training and workshops, and birthday parties. We take great pride in the fact that our centre remains a central hub for community engagement. We are confident that the incoming committee will continue to serve our community with the same level of dedication and commitment.
In April 2023, the Easter Bunny visited the community centre, bringing Easter eggs and hosting a disco for over 150 children and their families. Additionally, our youth group organized a fundraising coffee morning to support the costs associated with their personal and social development programme. Both the youth clubs and the senior citizen's luncheon
Charity No: NIC103842
club continued to meet weekly undertaking several activities of interest and development to their physical and mental wellbeing.
May 2023 saw the Senior Citizens Luncheon Club benefit from a visit by the PCSP and PSNI, who provided advice and guidance on staying safe. The informative workshop offered valuable support to the attendees.
In June 2023, we hosted our annual end-of-year BBQ for all members at Kilbroney Park, and everyone had a great evening. Our senior citizens also enjoyed a day trip, as they certainly know how to enjoy some leisure time, and rightly so. June was a busy month for the association, with fundraising, hosting a quiz night, and receiving much-appreciated support from the community and many local businesses that sponsored events, ensuring that we would be able to provide a summer scheme and community festival.
Thanks to the support from the Department for Communities Outdoor Education Programme and our fundraising efforts, we were able to organize a week-long summer programme for our youth club members in August. The activities and events were tailored to their interests, and it turned out to be a fantastic week. All the young people thoroughly enjoyed the summer scheme. This was also supported by our committee member Mo Rooney cycling the Lap the Lough, which we are truly appreciative of.
Our youth group had the opportunity to participate in a residential, thanks to the funding received from the Bank of Ireland and the young people's fundraising efforts. Residential programs are instrumental in the personal and social development of young people, as they promote active participation, citizenship, independence, and more. Additionally, our older youth club enjoyed exciting activities at Let’s Go Hydro, funded by the PCSP Youth Diversionary program, and Water Bouldering, thanks to DFC’s Outdoor Education Programme.
Our men’s shed has been thriving. Members use their trade skills to teach and learn new skills. They also take part in social activities to build and maintain friendships. The men’s shed has been an asset to the association, and their creativity has contributed to the success of the many community events we have hosted. We look forward to seeing the creations they have in store for 2024/25.
At the end of the summer period, the association hosted a community festival with activities for all ages and abilities. We provided line dancing, a community get-together with music and refreshments, and a fun day that was attended by over 300 people. We were thankful to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the Ropewalk Synthetic Pitch for partially funding the weekend.
Our youth clubs recommenced after the summer break with a significant increase in membership and have continued weekly.
Charity No: NIC103842
During the Halloween season, we organized a youth costume party attended by 120+ children and their families. Additionally, we arranged a social outing to the Ulster American Folk Park for 50+ people, thanks to the financial support from the PCSP.
During the Christmas season, we hosted a variety of events thanks to the generous funding from NMDDC and the association's funds. These events included arts and crafts for the youth clubs, a Christmas Craft night for adults, and a senior citizens Christmas party that was attended by approximately 100 residents. All attendees enjoyed a meal provided by the Boulevard, beverages, and music/dancing, which was one of the highlights of the year. Our annual Santa Sunday was also a hit, with over 300 attendees throughout the afternoon. Each child received a gift, and a box of chocolates, and had the opportunity to visit Santa.
We had such a wonderful time organizing these activities, and they were definitely the highlight of the year for our committee. We were absolutely thrilled to bring people of all ages together to celebrate the spirit of the season.
Our youth programmes have continued, thanks to the funding received from the Education Authority’s Youth Engagement Program. The young people on their personal and social development journey have undertaken several accredited trainings, including good relations and diversity, suicide prevention, youth work, and more. They have also taken part in creative skills activities, all of which are helping to prepare them for the next stages of their lives when they become adults and move into employment and/or further/higher education.
In February, we bid farewell to our oldest group of young people who were part of the youth programs. They are moving on to study medicine, law, nursing, teaching, and ICT at university. We are extremely proud of each of them and believe that the support provided by Three Ways Community Association and the youth project has played a significant role in their successes and personal development. This was evident in the evaluation film they created and the speeches they delivered at the celebration night hosted at the Canal Court Hotel. We would like to give a special mention to the Education Authority for their ongoing financial support of our youth programmes from the beginning.
The Ropewalk Synthetic Pitch has been used by several local teams. However, as an association, we feel that the full potential of the facility is not being utilized by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. We believe that if the Ropewalk were upgraded into a 4G facility, the community centre would be able to self-fund the community hub and be less reliant on fundraising, this is evident by the many football teams pleading with up to push for an upgrade. I know this will be a priority for the incoming committee, with engagements and meetings in the pipeline to encourage our local council to support us. We call on the public representatives here this evening to get behind us and help make this facility fit for purpose.
During certain times of the year, the association has become quite frustrated. Our members are dedicated and passionate about our community's facility and ensuring that the facility
Charity No: NIC103842
meets the required standards for all who use it. We seem to at times, be faced with barriers when trying to get repairs/maintenance to the facility. We will continue to communicate with the council officials to ensure that our centre is accessible and suitable for its intended purpose. We felt that this needed to be highlighted.
The year 2023/2024 proved to be yet another busy and successful year for the Three Ways Community Association. As we transition into the year 2024/2025, we are faced with a multitude of uncertainties. However, like every year, we are confident that the incoming committee will rise to any challenges and continue to enhance the association, community centre, and our community.
Our Trustees have been actively representing our community at various meetings, such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership (NRP), Neighbourhood Renewal (NR) Health Subgroup, NR Education Subgroup and NR Community/Physical sub-group. However, due to personal and work commitments, it is not always feasible to attend all external meetings. Nevertheless, we are confident that our incoming trustees will continue to represent our community as and when their commitments permit. As a community organisation, we understand the importance of being present and engaged in these meetings to ensure that our community's needs and concerns are heard and addressed.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who has supported the association over the past year. There are too many people to name individually, and we don't want to leave anyone out. We hope that everyone receives our heartfelt thanks.
In Cathy’s absence, I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to my fellow committee members for their consistent support, dedication, and commitment to serving our community over the past year. Your contributions have been invaluable, and we are thrilled to have had the privilege of working alongside such a talented and passionate group of community-oriented individuals.
Thank you.
Padraig Harte Secretary
Charity No: NIC103842
Public Benefit Statement
The Trustees of Three Ways 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 Commission’s guidance on public benefit and that the public benefit requirement has informed the activities of the Three Ways Community Association in the year to 31[st] March 2022.
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 under18) – 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 appropriate for primary school children. However, all our seasonal events and fun days are open to all ages in the community.
Financial Review
Financial Performance
Financial performance has been generally consistent with the Trustee’s expectations based on the previous year’s figures.
Income:
The total income receipts for the year were approximately £35,099.00. For a detailed breakdown of the figures, please refer to the full accounts. This amount represented a decrease of over £10,000.00 from 2022/23 due to a decrease in rent, funding, and fundraising/donations. The income was generated from various sources, including grant funding awarded and secured during the reporting period. Notably, the Department for Communities Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, managed by Newry, Mourne & Down District Council, contributed £20,216.00, which also includes financial assistance and facilities management.
In addition, the Association received £10,225.00 in rent income from user groups of the community facility. Other sources of income included £4,658.00 in fundraising and donations.
Overall, the association has a healthy income, reflecting its steady efforts to secure funding and increase the hiring of community facilities.
Expenditure
Expenditure for the year was £33,219.00, which marked a decrease of over £9,000 compared to 2022/23. The main expenses were related to lighting and heating, operational costs, equipment purchases, repairs, community activities, and a community fun day.
Charity No: NIC103842
Funds Materially in Deficit
As of the 31[st of] March 202, Three Ways Community Association had no funds in material deficit.
Major Risks
No major risks have been identified and no concerns have been raised by the accountant as the independent examiner.
Assets & Liabilities
The Trustees of the Three Ways Community Association can confirm that the Association currently hold no assets and has identified no liabilities moving forward.
Financial Management
The Community Association maintains robust financial systems and has good financial management systems in place. All cheques must be signed by two out of our four check signatories, and all BACS payments must be authorized by two out of our four signatories. We have successfully received grants and have always fulfilled all accounting, reporting, and monitoring requirements. Our annual accounts are always independently examined.
Charity No: NIC103842
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