Building Ballysally Together
101 Daneshill Road, Ballysally, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, BT52 2QJ Charity number – NIC105273
Trustees Report – 31[st] March 2022
About the Charity
To relieve poverty, sickness and the aged and to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the Ballysally area and district area of Co. Londonderry and its clear objective of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants. Trustees represent our area at various meetings with the aim of making improvements to the estate for local residents with positive outcomes such as community clean ups, environmental improvements, and the upgrading of leisure facilities.
We run our community premises in the Ballysally estate which acts as a social hub for the local community providing access to information, the opportunity to increase skills, improve confidence and build relationships thereby reducing social isolation and targeting issues surrounding deprivation in the area.
From our premises we run a community cafe which provides healthy low-cost meals for the local community, an allotments project, art and craft classes, several educational and training classes, and workshops as well as hosting various meetings. We also deliver social, leisure and sporting programmes to young people. All of this is provided for the public benefit and does not give rise to any harm.
Building Ballysally Together hold monthly committee meetings as well as an Annual General Meeting each year. We attend various meetings with statutory and voluntary agencies to try and improve the local area for the benefit of Ballysally inhabitants.
We run a community cafe which is open Monday - Friday and provides low-cost meals to the local community. In addition, we also organise a variety of activities, training courses and classes for the local community as well as manage an allotment project. We are involved in the annual community festival and advertise our activities through the cafe and the distribution of flyers.
We have also previously won the Queens Award for Voluntary Service which reflects the hard work and service to the local community by the Trustees.
How the charity is funded
Building Ballysally Together has a robust fundraising strategy in place to meet its charitable aims. Income is derived from funders including the Department for Social Development, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Henry Smith Charity, Tesco, NIHE, Halifax
foundation, Nationwide community fund, CRUN, John Moore Foundation and Garfield Weston foundation. We also have a social enterprise project, a community café which derives an income from producing healthy meals for residents and provides a catering service. All our expenditure is involved in delivering on our aims and objectives of making life happier and healthier by providing a range of educational, social and leisure opportunities for residents. As well as the running costs of the café, we support a thriving community garden, community library and a community hub. A full statement of our finances is included in the financial accounts which accompany this report.
Administration Information
During the financial year the group were based in their community hub building at 101 Daneshill Road Ballysally which is leased from NIHE and managed by the charity.
The trustees are as follows:
Mr Lexi Hynds, Mr Adrian Eakin, Mr Lee Watt, Mr Alistair Watt, Mr Paul Newman, Mr Johnny Adams, Mr Jordan Moffett, Miss Samantha Neill.
Activities undertaken and the furtherance of the Charities purposes
The purposes of the charity are to relieve poverty, sickness and the aged and to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the Ballysally area and district area of Co. Londonderry and its clear objective of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants. Trustees represent our area at various meetings with the aim of making improvements to the estate for residents with positive outcomes such as community clean ups, environmental improvements, and the upgrading of leisure facilities.
Building Ballysally Together is based in and works from one of the largest social housing estates in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area. Ballysally is one of the top ten per cent most deprived areas in Northern Ireland. Our work in the community involves many aspects of support for children and vulnerable and marginalised adults.
We provide a healthy eating Café where people can eat healthily and enjoy low-cost meals. There are volunteering opportunities and we offer training opportunities to improve employment opportunities, build confidence and enhance personal development. Courses delivered this year include Food hygiene, Child Protection, Makaton taster session, and Marshalling course. We also have an allotment and provide gardening lessons and volunteering opportunities. A mentor is provided to support residents to gain skills to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Every Wednesday morning, we hold a woman’s group which brings woman together to engage in various activities such as Arts and Crafts, trips to the local theatre and having facilitators for talks from Woman’s Aid, The Hummingbird project, and The Sunshine project. We have library of over a thousand books which also includes a desk top facility for residents to access the internet to complete job searches, benefit checks and other information.
We also have an arts and crafts group that meet every Monday morning to engage in different art activities of interest. This group invites others of similar interests to come together and enjoy a fun activity in safe, comfortable environment.
We also deliver numerous seasonal community festivals every year for residents which includes a culture night, historical talks and tours, BBQ for the local community, a fun day and fireworks display.
We also worked with local schools, churches, youth football club and other health promotion charities to ensure that we can provide the best services to our local community. Additionally, we sign post individuals to other statutory organisations if they require additional support or help.
The group also provides opportunities for children and young people to develop confidence, positive memories, and encouragement to grasp opportunities through provision of workshops, educational trips, social experiences including a Winter Wonderland and a Halloween event. Our group is a voluntary group and is committed to equality and providing a better life for all the residents of Ballysally.
Signed
Alistair Watt
Chairperson