Loup Women's Group - Trustee's Annual Report for the year ended 31, December 2023 The Tnte¢S present th¢ir Annual Report and Statements of Receipts and Payments and Assets and Liabilities for Loup Women's Group Group for the year 31° December 2023. References and Administrative Details Charity Name: Loup Women's Group Charity Registration Number: NIC104831 Principal AddresslRegistered orric& Mrs H¢lcn Andrcws 6 Dunronan Road Magherafelt BT45 7SU Trustees The trustees who served during the year are as follows: Chairperson: Helen Andrcws Vice Chair: Maura Johnston Secretary: Jennifer Hamilton Treasurer: Irene Johnston PRO: PatriGia Ton¢r Committee Members: Ann Cassidy Anne Conway Christine McFlynn Rosaleen Mcmahon Bernadette O'Neill Dympna Wilson Dclid M¢Pcake Jennifer Bell Mary Frances McGuckin
Objedives & Activities The b¢nefits flowing from the purposcs of Loup Women's Group is that the people of The Loup and sutrounding areas have aGCeSS to a rangc of educational, social and tccrcatioithl activities promoted by the group. People benefit by learning new skills in a variety of crafts. They benefit from being introduced to IT which in turn helps them to work with their children witli a bettei. knowledge of modern technology. The communitv benefits beca115e individuals who might otherwise be isolated in a very rural area are given an opportunity to meet and interact with each other. Individuals with disabilities benefit because the building used by the group is wheelchair accessible so that those with disabilities can participate. A major benefit for eeryo1]e participating in tli¢ activitics is tliat tlicy knc¢t ncv¥ friciids, leal'n to trust eacli otlicr ]d sliait uidividual prublcinb with each other. Local volunteers benefit by becoming involved in the work of the group and deriving a sense of achievement and purpose and ownership of everything that happens. All participants benefit from the educational Classes. talks and lectures ofteii from eminent speakers on a huge varietv of topics. Those who participate in the social outings benefit from visitin8 intercsting places, learning by networking with other groups and as a result reducin% their feelings of isolation and loneliness. While the majority of activities are organised for i*omen by V40men many of the Lalk5 and classc5 are open to the entRre community so everyone can beiiefii. The benefits are measured by internal evaluations which are held at the end of each series of claqses or coui'ses. They are also measurcd by the number of people wanting to attend the activities and by the feedback from the general community to the manag¢m¢nt committee. 2023 was another successful year for our group. We wer¢ able to continue having our usual classes in crocheL scrapbooking,sewing,flower arranging.stone painting and gardening. The crochet class was held on Monday mornings taken by Celine. 2 new members joined the 'oup ld cnjvycd l¢arning huw to crochet. All enjoy¢d the company, chai and a cup of tea or coffee and treats. On Tuesday evenings Yvonne took the scrapbooking class. There were 8 ladies doing this immaculate paper craft work. They made cards, boxes photograph albums and more. The sewing class was held on Wednesday evenings. Ena w'as the tutor and she worked hard helping all thc ladics to mak¢ some beautiful homc furnishings. This class has bcen on80ing sinc¢ our group was fornied in 1999. It's a real social affair. Flower arranging and stone painting were held on Thursday evenings. Collin taught the class how to make very artistic flower arrangements. Fern took the stone painting class in the canteen and they painted some very pretty pictures on the small stones. Our gardening class continued throughout the year ,weather pennitting. There were only 3 ladies attending but we managed to produce some fruit and vegetables. Jenny from The Conservation Volunteers was our tutor and advised us how best to manage the garde With a grant from Live Here Love Here we did 2 project making 2 raised beds and planting them with various flowers which will bloom at different times of the year. These beds were placed at a fruit garden beside a local housing estate. The residents were pleased to have them in their are& Jenny also had some cooking sessions with us on colder days. We made bread and butter piclde which was delicious. In December she also held a class in wreath making. 13 ladies attended this and were very pleased with the results. We had 2 workshops making box frame pictures. In April 13 ladies made pictures depicting a tamily tree . Helen Annstrong was the tutor. She was kept busy helping everyone out . Then in
Dccctnbcr l O liidic5 mad¢ Christmas sccnes which lit up in a box framc. Thc rcsults w¢rc v¢ry good. Also Alan did his usual v¢ry popular wreath making workshops. H¢ came with a large Christmas tree for greenery and there wasnl much left when the class w".as over. There was such demand for his sessions that we ran 3 ot" them accommodating about 30 ladies. Bronagh Duffin from Bcllaghy Bak¢hous¢ e£une and did 2 excellent cookery demonstrations. One in March and the other in December. Again these were very popular with 20 ladies at the first one and 30 at the second one. Bronagh made 6 different dishes at each demonstration and we all got tssting her delicious food. Loup Women's Group always enjoys their trips. In April 22 ladies travelled to Arthur Cottage in Cullybackey ,the ancestral home of a forn]er American President. It was lovely sitting round the large old style kitchen watching Mary Johnston Watterson making soda bread and telling us about the family history. We got a tsster there too. Thc ncxt trip was in August whcn 33 ladi¢s travcllcd to Bushmills garden centre , Royal Qourt hotel for carvery lunch and then on to Portrush. We were pleased to conclude our book project in August with the launch taking place on the 8th.The book is entitled "Field names and Folklore of The Loup" It has Ixen a great success and we have sold 250 copies with another 50 copies printed. With a generous grant from Mid Ulster Council we were able to have a Christmas Tree at The Loup. The switch on ilas on 2nd December at The Black Sheep pub. A massive crowd of all ages attended and Sants was there too. Refreshments were served in the pub. So you can see we have had an interesting year and it is so encouraging that l O more members hav¢ juin¢d (Trur Whats App Gmup so that th¢y can kccp up to datc with what we are doing. Will has remained faithfiil throughout the year looking after the heating. grass cutting and whatever else is required. I would also like to thank the wmmittee for all their help and support throughout the year and for their interest in keeping the group going. Wc arc cvcr grateful to our funders without whom we could not continue. Big Lottery £9207 ( Running costs and activities) Midulster Council £750 (part payment for Christmas tr¢e) Compliance with Public Benefit The Charity has given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities entered into during tlic ycar havc hclp¢d to achieve the Charity's objectives and activities. as well as providing public nefit. Financial Review Total Payments (£20,550) for th¢ ycar cndcd 31° Dcccmbcr 2023 exceeded Total Receipts (£15,350) by £5,200 decreasing the total cash funds held to £5,957 from £1 1,157. ageS 8&9). Charitable Purposes The purposes of the Loup Women's Group is to promote activities for the benefit of people in The Loup and surrounding areas without distinction of age. race, political, religious or other opinion. The group will associate with statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and local inhabitsnts in a common effort 10 advance education lind ptovidc facilitics for social intcraction with the aim of improving the conditions of life for the said people.
Structure, Governance alld Management Loup Women's Group is a Registered Charity and is governed by the ternis of its constitution, which was adopted by the membership on 26 FCbrU<Y 2015. Loup Womeii's Group is registered with the Charity Commis$ion and is placed on the Northern Ireland register of charities from * March 2016. The objectives and activities of the Charity are administered by a Management Committee, which shall consist of not less than five and not more than twenty members and who are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Th¢ AGM is held each year and not more than 15 months after the preceding AGM. There shall not bc Icss than fiv¥ mcnibcrs of tlic Managctncnt Committee present at all General Meetings, including the AGM. Voting is carried out at General Meetings by way of a show of hands or ballot with the Chairperson baving the casting vote. th Approved by the truste¢s on 27 June 2024 and signed on their behalf by: Helen Andrews Chair Jennifer Hamilton Secretary