DENMARK COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Financial statements for the 12 months ended 31 March 2024
Contents Page Legal and administrative information Committee Members, report 4-12 Independent examiners, report 13 Receipts & payments accounts 14 Statement of balances 15 Notes to the financial statements 16-18 Page 2
Business address C/0 Hopewell Avenue Belfast 8T13 IED Secretary Sadie Drake/Nicola Harris Chairperson Chris McGimpsey Treasurer Sam Drake Secretary Sadie Drake Committee Members Jane fitmus Project Co-ordinator Ryan Nicholl Jodie Morri50n Julie Annette Sarah Darragh Independent examiner Alice O'Kane Bankers ULSTER BANK, SHANKILL ROAD BELFAST Page 3
The Committee Members, report and the financial statements for the 12 months ended 31 March 2022. The Committee Members who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 3. Structure, governance and management Objectives and activities Our aim is.. To develop and work with young people in the greater Shankill and beyond to ensure the children have an opportunity to work with individuals and groups on a cross community basis. Achievements and performance Denmark Street Communit Centre Annual Review Review of Activities (2023/24) Overview of the or anisation Located in the Lower Shankill area of Belfast, Denmark Street Community Centre has been operating as a voluntary community facility for nearly 40 years. Denmark Street Community Centre is supporting the council to achieve its objectives in terms of providing a voice for local concerns. encouraging people to become more active in their communitie5 and meeting local needs as well as providing local services for children & young people, adults and senior citizens. Page 4
Pro rammes Young people regularly attend the centre on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night's 6:30pm till 8:00pm for age 5-18 year olds. Activities include discos, games night eg: Dodgeball. pool, table, tennis table, air hockey, table top games, computers and cooking classes with the kids eg: buns, soda pizzas, chicken nuggets and chips and making pancakes with chocolate. There is a group called the Shankill table tennis club who use the centre on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7:30pm - 9:30pm. Activity Report: April 2023: Monday nights we do games eg: pool. table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts eg: Easter cards, Easter colouring in pages on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. The children took part in a couple of art projects with Anne-maire throughout the month of April the first session they made Easter bunny faces on a stick as it was coming up to easter they also made some decorations to put up around the centre. The children all enjoyed takin8 part in making Easter crafts. We had an Easter party for the children they had sandwiches, chicken nuggets. mini pizzas and some Easter cupcakes. When they were leaving to go home each child received an Easter egg each which they were delighted with. We would like to acknowledge Community Restorative Justice as if it wasn't for them this would not have been possible. After Easter Anne-marie came back in to do another workshop with the kids, they made stick family's with monster faces attachèd and stuck them onto sticks and attached them into foam so they would stand up, the children had lots of fun creating their monster faces. Page 5
May 2023: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts, on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. At the start off May Anne-marie was back again and the children took part in another workshop where they made crowns from gold cardboard, sticky on gems and glitter for the Kings Coronation, the children enjoyed the glitter as they enjoyed covering themselves with it and making a mess. On the day of the Coronation we had a party for all the children and they call came wearing their crowns. We had party food, party bags boxes all set out for them arriving any when they were heading home they all received a Coronation mug each for a wee keep sake the children and parents couldn't thank us enough for putting on a good day for the children. Also in May the children along with the leaders designed their own art work and created a name for the new park and community space. The names where then narrowed down along with other groups names and 3 were picked to go onto the website to let people from the area vote on. One of the names from our group was picked for the name and the children thought it was great as they had put it on their design. On one of the nicer nights the leaders and children went out the back and doid some gardening and cleaning up for the summer coming round they helped pull out weeds clean up the flower beds and baskets, the children enjoyed helping out. Page 6
June: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. As the nights became brighter and warm we started letting the children out to the back yard where they did trampolining, playing football and also did some arts and crafts at the picnic benches they enjoyed being outside as indoors was getting too warm for them. We did a cooking class where the children made soda pizzas and took them out to the picnic benches were they sat and ate them and got a glass of juice to wash it down this was another great hit with the children. The last week of June we got all the children together and asked them what they would like to do and where they would like to 80 throughout the summer scheme and put in all down and added some stuff onto our summer scheme timetable. Summer scheme registration forms were given out so they had plenty of time getting them back to us before the July holidays. Page 7
July 2023: Summer scheme started Monday 17th during this month it involved lots of trips and some in centre activities. It run for 4 weeks I:00pm-3:00pm then again 6."30pm-8:30pm. The trips included Castle Espie, Jordanstown park, Ark open farm, Crawfordsburn beach, W5 and Divis mountain. In centre activities included arts & crafts, disco, games night pool, table tennis, x box and air hockey, 2 people came in and did a workshop called go fly your kite where they brought in the materials and each child designed and made their own kites the children really enjoyed this session. At the end of the month we did a mini sports day were we did an egg and spoon race, 3 legged race, skipping race and a race with beam bags on their heads the children loved doing the sports day. August 2023: This month was more summer scheme fun which involved lots more trips and some more in centre activities. Trips included bowling in Dundonald ice bowl, Indianaland, Vally park, Hillsborough park and a day trip to Newcastle at the end of summer scheme. In centre activities included arts & crafts, trampoling, games, movie night and bouncy castle. We had a funday out at the front of centre where the police came in their cars and land rovers and let the children in to have a look around and spoke to them about what their job is, the fire men were also present. they let the children in the fire engine put on their sirens and use the hose the children loved getting to use the hose and putting on the sirens and hats. September 2023: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts, then on some Wednesdays we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Page 8
Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. Throughout the month of September that children took part in 5 art projects with Anne-marie where they created outstanding piece of art for the opening day of the next park and community space that was in the process of being finished. They made big flowers out of plastic juice bottle and foam sheets then attached them to bamboo stick, they also created a scare crow like figure to place in the community garden in the new community space. They made their own streamers from cutting triangles out of cardboard and colouring them in by drawing flower and different things on them they finished off with nice, coloured ribbon through so they could be hung up from tree to tree. The finished work was looking good and ready to be put up around the park/community space. The Beat also came in and done an African drumming workshop with the children they really enjoyed this as most of the children had never done anything like this before. At the end of the night all the children were able to play a wee tune together so they picked it up really easy lets just say it was sore heads all round by home time. On the 29th September there was a fun day held in the new community space for the official opening of the space and park which all the children were invited to and they were happy to see the work they had done the weeks leading up to it had been placed all around the new park /community space. Wr October 2023: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts, then on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. The children took part in 3 art workshops with New Lodge art were they made monster heads out of polystyrene blocks Wlth eyes and mouth cut out of them and covered them with tissue paper so they were nice a bright when they were done we added some lights and mad some dresse5 to attach at the Page 9
end and they were put on big sticks and these where being used for the New Lodge arts annual Halloween parade to Alexander Park. The parade ended up being cancelled due to the wet weather and the park being flooded. The children weren't happy as they were looking forward to going and seeing there scary monster faces being pitched all-round the journey in the park. The children also took part in a parade on the Shankill Road that was held to remember the people who lost their lives in the Shankill bomb .The children got wreaths and they got to lay them during the service that took place at the bomb site. On the 30th October the children got invited to the pumpkin patch at the Crumlin Road jail were they got a tour of the jail see lots of scary things like staff dressed up as witches, zombies and ghosts once finished they got to go out to the courtyard and pick a pumpkin each. We would like to acknowledge Community Restorative Justice as if it wasn't for them this would not have been possible. November 2023: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts then on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. Throughout November the children took part in art workshops with Anne- Marie were they made Christmas lights, Christmas hats and Christmas costumes for the light up the road Christmas parade that was being organised the children really enjoyed it as they got to make their own costumes. The children done arts & crafts for remembrance day eg: making poppy's out of tissue paper colouring in remembrance day pictures and written poems to loved one that had passed away. December 2023: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts then on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. On the 1st December the children took part in the light up the road Christmas parade up the Shankill. It started at Brown Square and went up to the Christmas tree up beside Tenant Street. Each child that took part received a selection box and light up wand for taking part. There was tribute acts and Mr & Mrs Clause turned on the tree lights it was a good night had by everyone involved. The children did some more art workshops with Anne-marie were they made Christmas decorations to decorate the big room they even built a chimney breast and fire place to make a little Santa's grotto. On Saturday 16 Page 10
December we have a Christmas party for all the children we did some party food, the children made some Christmas treats the night before the party. We had some special guest who was of course Mr & Mrs Claus and also the not so nice grinch each child received a party bag, selection box and bag of reindeer food at hope time Mr & Mrs Claus handed them out while naughty grinch tried to steal them. We would like to acknowledge Community Restorative Justice and if it wasn't for them the selection boxes and reindeer food might not have been possible. On the 17th December the leaders from Denmark Street C.C along with the pony club put on a Christmas dinner for the pensioners in the local area which had a good turn out and everyone enjoyed themselves and said the food was lovely, some of both local care homes came to join in the Christmas festivities. January 2024: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts then on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. Children took part in 2 cooking classes this month one was we made soda bread pizza's and another one were we done chicken nuggets and chips both nights went down well with the children. Children started making some Valentines decoration to hang up for a valentines disco in February. February 2024: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and tabletop games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts then on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical status, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. The children started planting some seeds to grow their own vegetables which will then be re-planted into the planting beds in the community gardeH once the weather changes. The children think its brilliant that they are planting their own vegetables and will be able to see them grow along the way. Children took part in some cooking classes where they made pancakes and put chocolate on them and the night before valentines day they rnade buns and put some eatable valentines stickers on them for the valentines disco we had for the children. The leaders decided to create some spring flowers with the children with some foam sheets the children enjoyed making flowers. Some of the leader5 took some children in at a time and let them play on the computers and the x box they boys loved playing FIFA on the x box. Page 11
March 2024: Monday nights we do games eg: pool, table tennis, air hockey and table top games and sometimes computers. Wednesday nights we do different arts & crafts then on some Wednesday we would do cooking classes with the children which goes down a treat. Saturday nights is always kept for a disco and we play musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs the children love playing these games. The children took part in a crafts workshop where they made Mother's day cards and wee paper tissue flowers which they took home for their mothers grandparents the children really enjoyed it and thought it was brilliant that they were able to take them home to show give them to parents. The children also took part in a st Patrick day work shop where they made shamrock head bands and st Patrick's cross flag for the parade up the Shankill that took place on Saturday 16th March the children had a good day even the rain didn't put them off on having a good day. The children also took part in an easter workshop where they made wee bunnWs from cardboard paper and made eater cards for family members. On 25th - 28th March we did a week's winter cooking class were the children and parents came along and we had 2 cooks who came in. They taught them how to make banoffee pie from start to finish then they done stew we done honey chilly chicken on the final night we made strawberry cheesecake all parents and children really enjoyed this and said they would love to do more like this On Friday 29th we done a wee bit of an Easter party were we hide wee cream eggs over in the new community garden and took the children over for an easter egg hunt which was lots of fun and the weather stayed dry which made it better. Thanks to Robert Harris for the donation of bigger easter eggs for the children if it wasn't for the donation it might not have been possible . This was another good year and let hope the next one is just as good or even better for all. Contart and Bookin Information Please contact Sam Drake on: 07912 201951 On behalf of the board Secretary Page 12