2023-03-31-annual-report - Glenelly Development Trust Limited

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Glenelly Development Trust Ltd

Directors’ Report

For the Year Ended 31[st] March 2023

The Directors are pleased to present their annual report together with the unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Objectives and Activities

The company’s objects are to advance community development, advance education and training, relieve poverty and promote sustainable means of creating employment and training opportunities in the Glenelly Valley.

GDT is a company limited by guarantee governed by articles of association.

During the year the company carried out a number of activities and projects in the furtherance of it’s’ objectives:

Through our property asset scheme, we managed our land and buildings including providing business premises and accommodation for people.
Through activities run in Glenelly House and other community venues, we have delivered classes, courses and programmes, community and family events as well as providing facilities, resources, support and information to community and voluntary organisations.
GDT continued to develop tourism and opportunities for cultural and recreational activities.
GDT continued to work in the spirit of promotion, co-operation and partnership working with statutory agencies and bodies, influencing decision makers and negotiating on behalf of the community.
GDT continued to maintain, improve and provide public amenities, promoting the enhancement of the natural and built environment improving the appearance of the area of benefit;

Achievements and Performance

This report relates to events and activities delivered within the year ending March 2023.

We had a significant increase in the amount of funding for community activity with over £90,000 secured. This includes a lead partner role where we administered funding, on behalf of Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) for a number of groups across the Sperrin District Electoral Area (DEA). Funders included DCSDC, the Public Health Agency (through the Clear Project), Airtricity, Community Fund, Community Foundation and the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs. We were delighted to secure one-year funding from DCSDC for our Community Venue Service Level Agreement which supports a lot of our running costs. This has helped us continue to deliver different projects and events with over 1,000 people engaged across a range of groups.

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Pre-school children enjoyed the Halloween-themed workshops as well as the Messy Play sessions organised in partnership with the CHILD Project at RAPID. The youth programme included arts and crafts such as designing your own plate and mug, a transition programme for primary school children, hip hop dance, skateboarding, parkour, kids’ cookery classes and environmental school workshops. Through the Consensual Grant Making Model funding, we hosted and led three outdoor activity days as well as one individual day with mountain biking and SUP and two joint outdoor activity days at Gortin Outdoor Centre with other youth from across the Sperrin DEA.

Women were getting very creative through the crafts and ceramic classes, glass lantern painting, gelli painting, crocheting, floral, cookery and airfryer demos as well as an interior design talk. I’m pleased to say that we have been able to support those with a disability through our online Makaton training and our bi-monthly hearing clinic where the numbers are continuing to increase with each clinic and is indeed one of our great success stories of the year. We thank Siobhan McCullagh for taking on the commitment to facilitate these sessions on a voluntary basis.

We have continued our support for older people through our partnership working with the Plum Club. It was great to see members back in the Plum Club unit every Thursday enjoying activities such as bingo, painting, ceramics and felting then finishing with a lunch. They also travelled for events such as International Rural Women’s Day and visited places like Butterlope Social Farm, garden centres, Portrush and Portstewart. We worked with the Plum Club and Leo McCullagh on the Meals on Wheels service securing funding to help purchase meal containers and help with the meal subsidy. We worked with the Plumbridge Parish Hall to deliver a delicious Christmas Dinner which was greatly appreciated by 55 of our seniors.

At the end of February 2023, we finished our first year of funding for the Collective Approach to Rural Exclusion (CARE) Project. This four-year project, led by Learmount Community Development Group is supported by Big Lottery People and Communities fund and targets those aged 50+. At our CARE Project launch on 6[th] May 2022 we had representatives from Falls prevention, WHSCT Breast Team, First Housing, Alzheimer's Society, Easilink Community Transport, Sensory Support and RNID. As part of the project, our Friday walkers continue to meet every Friday morning and have varied their walking destination each week. They also met with Ballymagorry walkers to walk the canal and in July 2022 went to Oakfield Park in Raphoe to celebrate the first-year anniversary of the group. The Monday crochet club have worked on some beautiful patterns and created amazing pieces. An example of other activities delivered in year one includes craft workshops, flower class, photography class, chair exercises, reflexology, essential oils, relaxation, Shepherds Crooks and Walking Stick workshops, history evening and rural support succession planning event. We held a number of joint events with our partner groups such as the picnic in the Gortin Glens and two tea dances, one in Ballylaw Hall and one in Park Hall. As we enter into the second year of the project we look forward to another year of fun-filled activities.

Our website and Facebook page is updated a few times a week which helps to advertise activities as well as share information about other groups. We have focused on education and training through our tablet IT training, farming first aid, Basic Life Support and AED training and the accredited ONC Level 1 in upcycling.

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Knowledge about health has been increased through talks on topics such as Breast Cancer / Breast Awareness and Dementia Friendly Awareness and through the farming families’ health checks. The activities organised through the Learning City project during the last week in April 2022 were warmly received.

Local people have availed of the opportunity to participate in sports and leisure activities such as reel aerobics, line dancing and pilates. Our ambition of having a local allotment site has started to become a reality with the signing of the lease with DCSDC for the allotment site, beside the MUGA. The site clearance is well underway, and we have started to move the equipment we purchased previously onto it. We hope to be operational by June 2023.

We were pleased to be able to return to a larger event for our Christmas Lights switch on with over 200 children and families attending. Santa’s dome was beautifully lit up and we need to thank Santa and his elves for taking time out from their busy schedule to join us. Thanks also to our resident DJ Derek, music by CCE Cappagh Badoney, readings from our local clergy, carol singers, NI Fire Brigade and PSNI. We also thank John Pinkerton for organising the two mascots who stayed around for the photos and Leo McCullagh for the refreshments afterwards.

Groups continued to make use of the photocopying, scanning and printing service available, particularly during the weekly library sessions hosted by Anne Bradley and Rose Farrington. The Friends of St. Joseph’s High School continue to show the permanent display of school memorabilia in Glenelly House. Glenelly House has been used by a number of groups such as the Jack and Jill Playgroup, Friends of St. Peters and Cappagh Badoney CCE for their meetings. We were happy to welcome the AA back for their usual Monday night sessions and Glenelly GFC has made good use of the Zoom licence for hosting meetings.

We have been building our linkages with other agencies through our involvement in a number of civic and strategic forums. Representation continues on the Sperrin Strategic Growth Partnership, NI Housing Executive Interagency meeting, Easilink Community Transport and the regional resilience group. We held networking meetings locally with speakers such as Fibrus broadband, PSNI rural crime prevention and developing Sperrin Heritage Centre site. In March 2023 we hosted and facilitated the Glenelly Community Forum session where we had elected representatives in attendance to hear the issues affecting the people from the Glenelly area. An MP, MLA and a variety of Councillors and prospective Councillors were in attendance, and we hope they will continue to highlight and lobby these issues with the appropriate organisations and people.

Our domestic letting income has continued to be a great source of finance to help us deliver on our community activities. As always, Frankie Bradley has been very active in assisting with the upkeep of our buildings and supporting our tenants. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local people for their generosity at the charity coffee mornings held for Turkey, Syria earthquake and Macmillian cancer. We owe a great deal of gratitude to our various funders who have helped provide financial support for activities. A huge thanks go to Bronagh Kearney for her enthusiasm and creativity in advertising, designing and co-ordinating the massive array of activities undertaken in the past year. Thanks to Rose Farrington for supporting the activities and opening up Glenelly House and the Plum Club unit. We truly appreciate all our

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volunteers including those who support us in the delivery of our activities as well as our board members who help give strategic direction. Thanks to the office bearers, especially those on the Executive Committee who have worked tirelessly over a long number of years for the benefit of the community. As we move into the next financial year, we look forward to working for and supporting the community in the Glenelly area.

Public Benefit

The objectives of the Trust are as listed. The Trust has considered Northern Ireland Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and plans to ensure that it provides benefit and achieves its objectives as set out in the Trust’s Memorandum and Articles of Association.

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Appendix 1

The public benefits that flow from purpose (1) are:

(i) increased efficiency and effectiveness of community and voluntary organisations, resulting in enhanced outcomes and service delivery and, consequently an improved quality of life for those who benefit from the work of these organisations;
(ii) opportunities to engage in social activities that bring people together and an increased sense of well-being and fulfilment;
(iii) enhanced accessibility to free or affordable facilities and amenities;
(iv) increased engagement in civic society and the local community;
(v) improved environmental conditions, leading to a reduction in stress and anxiety and improvements in people’s well-being;
(vi) enhanced ability to provide advice and information to statutory sector bodies and agencies, funders and others and to outline the needs of and exert a positive influence on the development of policy on community development.

The public benefits that flows from purpose (2) are:

(a) enhanced educational attainment, transferable skills, capabilities and capacities and improved potential to secure employment;
(ii) increased self-awareness, confidence and resilience and the development of social and communication skills and abilities and an enhanced sense of purpose and fulfilment
(iii) reduction in unemployment, hardship and poverty, leading to a better quality of life for the beneficiaries and consequent improvements in their health and wellbeing.

The public benefits that flow from purpose (3) are:

(i) the creation of employment, training and work experience opportunities and consequently a reduction in poverty, unemployment and hardship, leading to a better quality of life for the beneficiaries and consequent improvements in health and well-being;
(ii) enhanced accessibility to free or affordable facilities and amenities, leading to an improvement in people’s quality of life and well-being.

These benefits can be evidenced through monitoring records kept by the Trust and other agencies and organisations with regard to the progress of those participating in training and the creation of employment opportunities; records kept of attendance at, or participation in, recreational, cultural, and social events and activities; feedback from the beneficiaries, independent and internal evaluations and reports of the work and impact of the Trust and of the groups and organisations assisted by the Trust; and the findings of community surveys.

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