EGLINTON MEN'S SHED YEAR EI¥DED 31 MARCH 2024 TRUSTEES, REPORT This is our third year of forn]al reporting to the Charity Commission. This is a report for the financial year April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 as an integral part of the process to complete and approve the Annual Acci)unts for this period. Full reporting consistent with the Charity Commission's annual reporting requirements will be completed to meet the submission deadline of January 31, 2025 set by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Current Trustees: Alastair Davidson (Chainnan), David Craig (Secretary), Sam Parkhill, Richard Manning and Rosemary O'DonneEI (appointed Sept, 2023). At each meeting of our Trustees we include: Recapping on the responsibilities of Trustees and confinning each person's intent to remain in position and to accept these rwnsibilities. All current truste&s wish to remain in place and accept the responsibilities of a trustee of a registered charity Reviewing the Public Benefit Statement of Eglinton Men's Shed and reflecting on our perforniance consistent with this statemenL We remain confident that we continue to satisfy the intent of our Public Benefit ststement. Taking stock of our financial position and the continued viability of our enterprise. We remain fully satisfied with the managing & accounting processes and operation of the Shed's Management Committee (this committee had 6 fonnal meetings during the year). o In particular, the continued diligence of Bob Parke, who led efforts to secure appropriate grant funding to supplement our income, was a very valuable contribution. We remain confident with regard to our financial viability and our ability to ntinUe consistent with the declared purposes of our organisation. Achievements & Performance We continued efforts to recover llY from the Covid-19 pandemic and to get activities fvlly back to nornial as the confidence of members. particularly older and more vulnerable members, eventually returned to fully engage in 0Up activities.
We continued to striv¢ successfully to satisfy the objects of our organisation set out in our governing document: To promote personal developmenL positive mental health and physical activities for the benefit of individuals from in and around the village of Eglinton and districL to advance the health, wellbeing and education of its rnembers by providing a safe and happy environment where the members Ca in the company of others: (i) Pursue hobbies, pastimes and interests, (li) Learn new skills. practise and pass on old skills, (iii) Promote their own and other men's health and well-being. (iv) Help reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness. OUT Management Committee rnet 8 times during the year. We held our Annual General Meeting on Sept 20, 2023. We did not convene any Special General Meetings. Throughout the reporting year Eglinton Men's sh remained open for all the planned hours, nornially 3 days per week, providing a friendly welcoming space for members and visitors. However we opened on lots of other occasions due to variOS activities in pr0c5S and the enthusiasm of members to complete tasks. The main hub of internal activity in the Shed Continu to be the main workshop with a number of team and individual woodworking projects. Projects were undertaken throughout the year including making such items such as planters and benches for mostly community spaces but also for some private clients. Our metal-working workshop got fully up and running effectively. In addktion we provided a picture-framing service to some in our local community. Both the metal-working and picture framing proved very successful to supplement our core wood-working activities in our main workshop. Of necessity, work had been ongoing on maintaÉning the combined benchlplanters throughout the village to continue to enhance the appearance of the village and to complement increased activity from other community wups. Volunteer hours were 5,806 as estimated by members and visitors signing "in" and signing "out" of our main premises. This represented a 370/0 increase from the previous year (estimated on the same basis). We do not record Polytunnel or off-site hours so the totsl figure is probably of the order of 5-10 % higher. These figures are very encouraging and clearly demonstrate the continuing commitment of the Officers and Committee to ensure that the Shed was available to serve its mernbers/ volunteers, and that the members clearly felt the benefits, otherwise their attendance would not have been maintained at such a high level. We organised a very succthsful Open Day on April 18, 2023. This afforded the opportunity to engage with our local community, funders, clients and others, including locat elected representatives, other local charities and social enterprises & community groups. Out membership roll has remained stable around 40 - the sad passing of some members over the period having been balanced by new members joinin& As with any organisation such as
ours, attendance varies but w¢ regularly SK up to 20 persons setting foot in th¢ Shed on a daily basis - evidence of the continuing value deriv by these folks. Our proarnMe of talks continued and four open talks were held with a good attendance at all by members, their families and others from our local ¢unIty. We held a very well-attended pre-christrnas social get-together on Dec 14, 2023 that appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. We are well past our '*oneymoon perllod" as a new organisation but the continued flow of memberslvolunteers through our doors remains clear evidence of the value of what we offer. One of the most itnportant aspects of our activities continues to be the provision of a wann, safe, friendly space for members and guests to visit and use, whether they wished to be involved in woodwork, metalworL gardenin& playing pool, using our free library, or simply sitting down for a coffee and a chat. The comradeship of shared endeavours serves to strengthen bonds and helps eliminate loneliness and social isolation. All these activities contiibuted in a very significant manner to the achievement of our objectives as listed above. Along with our partners, Eglinton Annual Show Con]mittee and Eglinton Conununity House, we have continued to maintsin a wide variety of florat displays across the village, including planters attached to the benches which we made a few years ago, as well as a number of free standing planters made in our workshop. This activity continues to expand year on year. We continue outreach to all sections of our community and to contribute to cross-community fellowship which is so important to nurture our local society. As part of our continual efforts to rnaintain, and hopefully increase, our public profile in our community we took two tables at the Eglinton Annual Show (Sept 2, 2023). This provided the opportunity to engage with the public and to showcase our activities. We continued to network with other Men's Sheds an more specifically, hosted a visit from Ballycastle Men's Shed on Oct 4, 2023. In sumrnary the Trustees are confident that the overall management of Eglinton Men's Shed continued to be to a high standard. are confident of the probity of its Officers and Comrnittee and ar¢ Lx)nfid¢nt that Eglinton Men's Shed has a sustainable future. Signed on behalf of the Tru$tees: David Craig Date: