Girdwood Community Trust
Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2023
1. The Purpose of the Charity
The Purpose of Girdwood Community Trust is:
“to advance peace and reconciliation within Cliftonville, Lower Shankill, Lower Oldpark, and their environs of Belfast and to advance the benefit of the inhabitants of the area of benefit, and promote economic and urban regeneration within the locality, and to promote a peace and reconciliation centre at Girdwood on a cross community basis, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the area of benefit without distinction of political, religious or other opinion, nationality, ethnic identity, disability or sexual orientation, with the object of improving the conditions of life of said inhabitants and building good community relations within the locality”.
2. The Financial year the report relates to
This Trustees Report relates to the financial year commencing on 1[st] April 2022 and ending on 31[st] March 2023.
3. Principle Address of the Charity
185 Cliftonpark Avenue, Belfast BT14 6DT
4. Information on governance
Girdwood Community Trust is a company limited by guarantee with a Memorandum and Articles of Association which was adopted on 10[th] June 2015. The Articles of Association were amended on 26[th] October 2019.
5. Trustee Details
The Trustees of the Charity who have served within the period of this report are:
Janice Beggs Manus Maguire Ian McLaughlin Malachy Mulgrew Rosemary McGreevy
6. Trustee Appointment Information
Trustees are elected by the members or co-opted by the Trustees provided that there shall be at all times equal representation of trustees on the Board connected with member organisations associated with the two main traditions (Catholic, Nationalist Republican and Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist. This does not affect the nomination and election of other Trustees who have no association with organisations from the two main traditions.
7. Public Benefit Compliance
Girdwood Community Trust in setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission NI’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity’s purposes and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.
Girdwood Community Trust | Charity No. NIC106517 | Company Registration No. NI632080
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8. Activities and Achievements
The primary focus of our work is to secure agreement from Belfast City Council to manage the Girdwood Youth Space as a centre to promote peace and reconciliation and economic and urban regeneration.
In 2016 Belfast City Council sought expressions of interest from a suitable cross community organisation to manage the Girdwood Youth Space. One expression of interest was submitted by the North Talks Too project which set up the Girdwood Community Trust as its legal entity.
Belfast City Council decided to procure the services of an independent consultant to develop a community management proposal to manage the Girdwood Youth Space and facilitate the engagement of community and youth organisations around the site.
This consultant facilitated a series of meetings with community and youth organisations around the Girdwood site and the Girdwood Community Trust. This lead to a draft community management proposal. This was an intensive piece of work which took more than 12 months to complete.
After a number of meetings the four areas around the Girdwood site which include Lower Shankill Community Association, Cliftonville Community Regeneration Forum, Lower Oldpark Community Association, TDK Community Group and Greater New Lodge CEP came to an agreement on the way forward for the community management of the Girdwood Youth Space. This led to changes to the Memorandum and Articles of Association at a special meeting on 21st October 2019. Further meetings took place to agree a new community management proposal which was submitted to Belfast City Council in February 2020.
However, during the current year April 2022-March 2023 Girdwood Community Trust meet 7 times to work on the proposal for the community management of the Girdwood Youth Space. The Girdwood Youth Space management proposal was submitted to Belfast City Council in February 2023.
Future Plans to Advance the Charity’s Purposes for Public Benefit
We hope that our aspiration to work together as communities and manage the Girdwood Youth Space is achieved in the incoming year.
9. Financial Review
1[st] April 2022-31[st] March 2023
| Income | NIL |
|---|---|
| Expenditure | NIL |
| End of Year Balance | NIL |
| Pending Income | NIL |
| Debts | NIL |
| Reserves | NIL |
Girdwood Community Trust does not have a Reserves Policy.
Girdwood Community Trust | Charity No. NIC106517 | Company Registration No. NI632080
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10. Deficit Funds
The Charity has no deficit at the end of this financial year.
11. Sign off
This Trustees Report was approved by the Board of Girdwood Community Trust on Monday 11[th] December 2023 and is signed by:
_____ Manus Maguire, Trustee
Girdwood Community Trust | Charity No. NIC106517 | Company Registration No. NI632080
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