A Company Limited by Guarantee Report of the Trustees Year Ended 31 March
The trustees present their Trustees' Report and the unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The trustees present their Trustees' Annual Report prepared in accordance with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. The charity considers that under applicable law they are entitled to adopt receipts and payments basis for the period ended 31 March 2023.
TRUSTEES
Deirdre Bradley Diana McClean Martha Mullan Pauline McFall Ann McNicholl Margaret McCusker Brigid O'Doherty Trea Duggan Roisin Turner Janette O’Kane Mary Mullin
The trustees are reviewed on an annual basis
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE, AND MANAGEMENT
The Women's Group is an unincorporated charity, which was registered with the Charity Commission of Northern Ireland on 3 November 2016. The charity number is 105800.
The charity is governed by its constitution and is managed by the Trustees as noted above.
The charity’s principal address is:
25 Macknagh Lane Upperlands Maghera BT46 5SL
The charity is a registered charity and hence the report and results are presented in a form that complies with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, the organisation has implemented its recommendations that were relevant in these financial statements.
MISSION, OBJECTIVES, AND STRATEGY
Objectives
As per our Constitution, we aim to relieve poverty, advance education, preserve and safeguard health and, in particular, to provide in Granaghan and the surrounding district in Co Derry ("the area of benefit") activities in the Interests of social welfare for the education, recreation, and leisure-time occupation of people (not exclusively women) who, because of social or economic circumstances need such activities.
Granaghan & District Women's Group, over the past 29 years, has been successful in securing funding from a wide variety of Funders to run an impressive array of activities for men, women and children. For example- Yoga, Pilates, Demo Cookery, Digital training, Self-Care, Mindfulness, Karate for kids, Self-defence, Drama, Script writing, Relaxation & Meditation, Jumping Clay, Crocheting and crafts etc. For 23 years we also facilitated a weekly class called The Open Doors Club for people with complex or additional needs. In recent years, Granaghan & District Women’s Group received funding from the following sources: Brockaghboy Windfarm, The N I Housing Executive, Cookstown and Western Shores Area Network (CWSAN), Mid Ulster District Council, National Lottery Community Fund, Awards for All, Solace Women’s Aid LONDON, The Honourable The Irish Society and The
Page 4
Granaghan & District Women’s Group Report of the Trustees Year Ended 31 March 2023
Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme, etc. These grants funded numerous diverse projects and will continue to bring and keep people together, continue to improve community relations and community spirit, help people avail of opportunities, services and premises, and reduce loneliness and isolation.
Achievements and Performance
Granaghan & District Women's Group organises courses and classes in health and well-being and most significantly, these courses change annually, in response to need. We also are involved in linking with other community organisations, attending appropriate conferences such as N I Rural Women’s Day in Stormont Parliament Buildings Belfast, Twinning up with The Men’s Shed Upperlands in May 2021, N I Housing Executive, The Loup’s Women’s Group, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, (NIRWN), Cookstown Western Shores Area Network (CWSAN), the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, and Mid Ulster District Council. The group, in conjunction with Upperlands Community Development Group, has run very successful cross-community/cross-border bus trips to places of interest such as the Ulster Museum, Crumlin Road Jail, Lisadell House Sligo, the GPO in Dublin and The Boyne Valley Centre.
We also organise environmental activities such as litter picks and our very popular “Sow and Grow in the Swa” in our evolving wee community garden. In these sessions, we grow vegetables and build our own wooden veggie beds under the tutelage of Jenny McGetrick from The Conservation Volunteers.
Over the past 3 years, since Covid-19 struck in March 2020, our women's group has successfully navigated its way through the repercussions of Covid, initially suspending all activities, as demanded by law, then quickly up-skilling our committee (and members) in Zoom, Facebook Live and Youtube. Subsequently, we provided our full tranche of pre-Covid activities online, (completely free to beneficiaries) from September 2020 until the Summer of 2021 and then since September 2021 resuming face-to-face activities in the village Resource Centre and also continuing to provide activities online such as Self-Care Hour and we will continue this hybrid approach as Covid numbers are on the rise again.
Our work is guided and informed by a series of bespoke policies which we have meticulously developed and which we review and update at regular intervals.
Granaghan & District Women’s Group is currently in its 29th year, which confirms that we are a very successful community group as our classes and activities are generally oversubscribed with waiting lists.
We are proud of our Facebook Page and Instagram Account. Both these platforms capture the impact our group has and the impressive tranche of activities which we facilitate.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Total receipts for the year have decreased from £32,762 in the year ended 31 March 2022 to £19,467 for the year ending 31 March 2023. Payments have also decreased from £30,735 in the year ended 31 March 2022 to £26,984 for the year ending 31 March 2023. The charity had a bank and cash balance of £27,353.
Reserves Policy
The reserves are held for the benefit of Granaghan & District Women’s Group. The policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the Trustees.
Results and Dividends
At the end of the year, the company has assets of £27,353 (2022 - £31,969) and liabilities of £0.00 (2022 - £0.00). The net assets of the company have decreased by £4,616.
Page 5
Granaghan & District Women’s Group Report of the Trustees Year Ended 31 March 2023
The charity engages proactively with legislation, standards, and codes that are developed for the sector. Granaghan & District Women’s Group subscribes to and is compliant with the following:
Public Benefit
In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission's guidance "Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)”.
The chief benefits of Granaghan & District Women’s Group are that people, (not just women) in a deprived rural area have a neutral venue where they can meet and socialise. A further benefit is that people can access all sorts of classes and courses of both educational and recreational content.
Benefits are demonstrated by the number of people attending each activity. Beneficiaries are routinely asked to complete an evaluation of the activities at the end of the courses. The management committee also measures the success and the benefits of their activities through face-to-face interviews with participants and tutors.
The beneficiaries are a large number of local families and the women's group provides equality of opportunity to all Section 75 persons to meet, connect and socialise in a secure cross-community venue thus ensuring they are not socially isolated but that they have the chance to become more fulfilled both as individuals and as members of the Granaghan community.
There is no private benefit except for fees paid to tutors which are necessary for the successful work of the group.
This report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 21 August 2023 and signed on behalf by:
_______ Deirdre Bradley Chairperson
----- Start of picture text -----
_______
----- End of picture text -----
_______ Ann McNicholl Secretary
Page 6
Granaghan & District Women’s Group Report of the Trustees Year Ended 31 March 2023
TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustee's report and the financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in the UK & Ireland including the accounting standards issued by the Accounting Standards Board and published by Chartered Accountants Ireland.
The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102);
-
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
-
prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
By Order of the Board
_______ Deirdre Bradley Chairperson
Page 7