## Causeway Association of Urban Sports – Charity number – 103873 

## Trustees Report – 31st March 2023 

## About the Charity 

We are an organisation which lobbies for facilities and programmes to support participation in Urban Sports in the Causeway Area. We are lobbying our Borough Council and other statutory. agencies to provide facilities and to work with us to educate the public about the positive benefits of urban sports and their impact on the creativity and the health and well-being of participants. We organise events, carry out consultations, deliver education and training programmes and undertake diversion programmes for young people. 

## How the charity is funded 

Causeway Association of Urban Sports is funded either through accessing grants or other forms of fundraising. This year we delivered on our fundraising strategy with the stated aim of raising £10,000 to develop a business case towards achieving our strategic aim of an urban sports park at Metropole Park. We did this through an appeal for donations, achievement of grants and the organisation of events. Support from the community was wholehearted and we are grateful for the response to our campaign. 

## Administration Information 

The group do not operate from a single venue but rather hire venues for meetings or utilise public spaces. The trustees are as follows: Mr Chris Currie, Mr Jonathon Fairley, Mr Peter Donaghy, Mr David Alexander, Miss Sharne Hawkins, Mrs Rose Smyth, and Mr Jesse Gordon. 

## Activities undertaken and the furtherance of the Charities purposes. 

Causeway Association of Urban Sports was initiated to provide access to urban sports including. skateboarding, bmx, in-line skating, scooters, parkour, and street dance to people in the Causeway Area to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities and other sections of society disadvantaged through age, disability, unemployment, or ethnic origin. In previous years we organised events to achieve this aim. 

Over the past five years our activities have been exclusively confined to lobbying Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council to provide a fit for purpose urban sports plaza in Portrush.  In June 2021 Independent Councillor Angela Mulholland raised once again the issue of the council granting a lease at metropole Park in Portrush for the development of a skatepark.  We have taken this course of action as proposed leisure development at Ramore Head will simply not be fit for purpose due to size, location and lack of amenity. 

A presentation was delivered to councillors at Causeway Coast and Glens Leisure and Development subcommittee on the 21[st of] December 2021 and was approved at the reconvened Leisure and Development Subcommittee on the 18th of January 2022.  While our request was not fully ratified, the following decision was officially ratified at the full council meeting held on 1[st] February 2022. ‘Members approve officers to request the development of a business case (basic Strategic Outline Case - SOC) from CAUS to understand the viability, affordability, and sustainability of the project, prior to due consideration of a lease or licence on the Metropole Park, Portrush’.  The development of this business case will form the basis of our work in the coming year. 

Since then we have availed of the support provided by Development Trust NI to develop the business plan and funding strategy to realise our ambition of an urban sports park in Portrush at the Metropole Park site.  We wish to thank the following people and business for their support: Ben Wilson, James Hennessy, Gemma Reid, Charlie Fisher, Development Trust Ni, Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Associates, Arcadia, Atlantic Bar, Blue Moon, Igloo, Indigo, Kiwi's, Rawee, Troggs, Woodies, Starlight & Stone, Blairs Caravans, A Borland, R Shepphard, Portrush Community Enterprises, Gibson Financial Services, Swellfest, Ramore Restaurants 

Signed Sharne Hawkins (Chairperson)