Trustee Annual Report for 1[st] Harmony Hill Rainbow Unit
Charity Number 107023
1[st] January 2025 - 31st December 2025
Charities Purposes
The purposes of this Rainbow unit are to educate girls and young women to help them develop emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually so that they can make a positive contribution to their community and the wider world
Charities Beneficiaries
The main beneficiaries of 1[st] Harmony Hill Rainbow Unit are girls aged 4 – 7 years. During this year the unit had 14 girls attending weekly. The unit was run by 3 volunteers who are trained Leaders through Girlguiding.
The girls in the unit came from a wide area around Lisburn and from various different backgrounds, schools and communities.
Summary of charity’s activities
Rainbows meet for one hour each week. The programme is varied to include games - individual and team, crafts and musical activities, storytelling and badge work from the Girlguiding programme for Rainbows. Girls worked for and achieved badges about expressing themselves in different ways and communicating with others through different mediums.
The girls made new friends within the group from different schools and backgrounds and learned to work with those of different ages. They learnt the importance of being kind and helpful to others within their family, friendship group and the wider community. The took part in a short performance for parents and friends to illustrate this’
They had an outing for 10 pin bowling and had a visit from the Belfast Playbus.
The Leaders also took part in the Girlguiding trainings on First Aid and Safeguarding.
Benefit of activities
As always one big benefit of Rainbows is that girls meet others of similar age and from different schools and communities, learning how to get along with others in a more informal setting. As a result of playing individual and team games, they learn how to compete as individuals and also how to work in a team. These are valuable skills for life. There is also the added benefit of some extra physical activity during the meetings every week. Girls also
learn that there isn’t always a winner, but that everyone can have fun. They also learn that they need to be prepared to take part in activities, not all of which they will really love
The wide range of craft activities undertaken allows girls to develop their coordination and artistic skills while having fun. Some of the activities also had an educational benefit.
This year’s badgework concentrated on the theme of Take Action – Make a Change. They learnt about different charities and why they are important, and how they can make positive changes for themselves and others.
The girls also acted out a story based on Friendship, and qualities of friendship which can help them throughout their lives. To further increase their communication skills the girls turned this story into a short play which they performed for Guide Thinking Day to parents and friends. They also learned the importance of having their own views and being able to express them to others.
Learning about Girlguiding showed the girls how they are part of a worldwide organisation for girls and how girls from all backgrounds and countries have much in common.
Badges on Challenge 25 and Christmas traditions illustrated the wide variations across time and communities and that there are many different and valid ways of celebrating at personal, family and community level.
Rainbows is a voluntary activity and the fact that there was an excellent attendance rate indicates that the girls attending were clearly gaining benefit from the activities.
Statement of regard to Commission’s guidance on public benefit
In setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’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.
The Charity’s objectives and activities were carried out by volunteers who received no payment and therefore ensuring that the charity provided no private benefit.
Report written by Melissa Harris and approved by all Trustees.
22/02/2025