2023-03-31-annual-report

Caring Coins Association

NIC 108464

Trustees Annual Report 2022-2023

Charity Details

Charity Name: Caring Coins Association

Charity Number: Registered Charity in Northern Ireland - NIC108464

Purpose: The Caring Coins Community Association is established to promote positive mental health, post pandemic, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Newry, Mourne & Down District Council area and immediate surrounding environs; (hereinafter called the “area of benefit”), without distinction of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnic origin, political or religious opinion, by associating the statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to relieve poverty, advance education and to provide or assist in providing facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life of the said inhabitants.

Charity Trustees as of 31[st] March 2023

Ms Kerrie Havern (Chairperson) Mrs Yvonne Campbell (Treasurer) Ms Roisin Maginn (Secretary) Mrs Carla Quinn – resigned during year. Mr Míceal Lynch Ms Nicola Grant Mrs Andrea Goodwin – resigned during year. Note: No other Charity Trustees in the Year to 31[st] March 2023

Accountant/Independent Examiner

Steven Mc Cann Mc Cann Teggart Ltd 2 Patrick Street Newry

Insurance Broker & Underwriter

Policy Bee 14 Brightwell Barns, Waldringfield Road, Ipswich, IP10 0BJ

Bank

Ulster Bank, 86 Hill Street, Newry, Co. Down

Charity No: NIC108464

Chairperson’s Report

As Chairperson of Caring Coins Association, I would like to begin by thanking each one of you for taking the time to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is our second year as a registered charity of Northern Ireland and we are genuinely grateful for the unswaying support you have given to Caring Coins Association, over the past year.

We would like to acknowledge the mentoring, guidance and community development support we have received from Cathy McMahon from the Confederation of Community Groups on a continuous basis and who was instrumental in assisting us in our application to become a Registered Charity. We would also like to acknowledge the mentoring and support of Stephen McClelland from the Newry & Mourne Co-operative and enterprise agency.

After achieving formal charity status in January 2022, it was full steam ahead for another busy year of supporting our local community with practical, direct help and support. With all Covid-19 restrictions finally lifted the time was right to get families back out into society and we felt that the best way to do this was to offer an outdoor family event for Easter 2022. We were delighted to be supported by Carrickcruppen GAA club who offered the use of their facilities and provided us with vital volunteer support from their own committee. This type of partnership working is so important and highlights the grassroots strength which is evident across the community and voluntary sector. I’d like to offer a special word of thanks to the entire Committee at Carrickcruppen GAA, and the Committee and Friends of Caring Coins Association who volunteered their time for the whole day to ensure that the 1500+ people who attended the event had a thoroughly enjoyable day. It was wonderful to see people, from all sections of the community, from diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs, coming together with their families and friends to enjoy a community celebration, bringing home our ethos, Our Community, Our Responsibility. One of our favourite quotes from the day was, ‘it was just like the fun days we had as kids’.

I’d like to thank O’Reilly’s Wholesale for their very kind donation of sweets and drinks; Gregory’s Convenience Store and Trainor’s @ Dans for their donation of Easter Eggs; and to Ronan & Deanne McNulty who covered the costs of hiring the Carnival Merry-Go-Round for the Easter event. As a direct result of this incredible community support, we were able to keep our Entrance Fees to a low cost of £5 per family which included children’s races & games, family races, ice cream, face painting, arts & crafts, the Easter egg hunt with the Easter Bunny and free easter egg, sweets & drinks, and a go on the Merry-Go-Round. We were delighted to be able to donate any surplus Easter Eggs to the Avila Nursing Home, the Children’s Ward in Daisy Hill Hospital and Cloughreagh Nursing Home.

There are a significant number of individuals, businesses, funders, agencies, and organisations who have been supporting the ongoing growth and development of Caring Coins Association over the past year and I’d like to formally acknowledge our thanks for their support.

In terms of funders, we’d like to acknowledge the support from the Charities Trust UK, the Community Foundation NI, and the Confederation of Community Groups via the Circle of Learning project which itself was funded via the Department of Foreign Affairs and managed by Co-Operation Ireland. Whist this grant support is obviously financially important it is also significant as it demonstrates a belief and trust in the work our charity is involved with.

Charity No: NIC108464

We would also like to thank the following for their vital and valuable donations to our charity work: The Noah Donohoe Foundation, Re-Gen Waste, Connex, Newry Business Christmas Toy Mountain, FSR Ltd Field and Sales Resourcing Ltd, Credit Union Kilkeel, Camlough Lake NYE Fireworks Display, and Movement for Good.

We simply could not continue to operate without the ongoing support from the wide range of fundraising supporters who never cease to amaze us with their dedication, these include:

Newpoint Youth, Sticky Fingers, The Magnet Outreach Youth group, R King Competitions, Michael McCaul Signs Ltd, MyLife Bathrooms, Newry City Football Club, Deli Lites, Rice’s Hotel, Spar Millvale Rd, Trainors @ Dans, Fire Street Pizza, Bessbrook Butchers and Delicatessen, Dan Gregory’s Shop, Dans Off Sales, O’Reilly’s The Sweet People, Killmorey Arms Hotel, East Ocean, Milanos, La Dolce Vita, Doyle’s Camlough, All3studio, Gorman Graphics, Camlough Sports Recovery and Seaweed Baths, Happy Villa Camlough, Jade Garden, S Studios Beauty, Savage & Whitten Wholesale, Carlingford Adventure Centre, Fiveways, LC Wreaths and Balloons, Neil’s Cleaning, Lir Chocolates, Walkabuddy in Buttercrane, Staff of Superdrug Buttercrane, Staff of Tesco’s Newry, Staff of Sainsburys Newry, Staff of Tesco @ The Outlet, Staff of Smyths Newry, Staff of B&M Newry, Staff of Home Bargains Newry, Therese’s Florists, Teenie Weenies, Tiddly Town Newry, Wilsons Country Potatoes, EST28, Style for You, Bawnless Recruitment, Mourne Scan Clinic, Ti Chulainn, The Barber Shop Crossmaglen, SK Barbers Bessbrook, O’Hair Barbershop Newry, Seamie @ Tc5 Newtownhamilton, Michelle @ 29 Main Street Belleek, Saoirse from 2 Kearney Crescent in Whitecross, the Camlough Pharmacy, The Millvale Arms in Bessbrook, The Nearby Shop in Cullyhanna, Milo Café in Crossmaglen, Whitegates Shop in Newry, Mourne Upholstery in Warrenpoint, Geraldine @ Pressed for Time in Rostrevor, Little Explorers Be in Cullaville, Vivo Essentials in Silverbridge, Livs Coffee Dock @ Silverbridge GAA Pitch, Murphy’s Shop in Glassdrummond, Spar in Mullaghbawn, Genova in Forkhill, Mace in Meigh, Kilkeel Pet Centre, The Merchant, The Yellow Heifer, Cross Rangers, The Vibe, CP&A Supplies, Edenappa Fuels, Dunnes Stores Newry, and The Duke Off Sales in Warrenpoint. This amazing support equated to circa £3,790 of ‘in kind’ donations and gifts bought to allow our charity to complete Christmas shopping for 27 children/young people.

I would also like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge and thank the agencies and organisations who make up our wider Partnership, your ongoing support is vital and provides valuable reassurance that our support is being directly targeted towards those families and individuals who are in most genuine need and ensures that any duplication of support is avoided.

Our partnerships for this reporting year include:

Davina’s Ark, Southern Age Well Network, The Larder, Women’s Aid Newry & Armagh, Sure Start – South Armagh, Newry, Warrenpoint and Mourne, Home Start Newry & Mourne, St Vincent de Paul Kilkeel, Kilkeel Development Association, Mourne Matters, Volunteer Now, Cornerstone Food Bank Kilkeel, Confederation of Community Groups, Southern Health & Social Care Trust, Bolster Community, Camlough CA, and Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency.

Our sincerest thanks go to everyone who has helped us over the past year, including all the support from our local Councillors and elected representatives. I really hope we’ve left no one out, we appreciate all you have done to support us and help our vision for Caring Coins to grow. We are looking forward to another exciting year ahead.

Kerrie Havern

Chairperson

Charity No: NIC108464

Financial Review

Financial Performance:

This is our first full year reporting as a registered Charity, although it is not our first year of operations. As we mainly rely on fundraising endeavours it can be difficult to benchmark our expected income each year and, given the current cost of living crisis we are experiencing, there is a pinch on charity fundraising like never before. Notwithstanding the current situation our Charity Trustees are very pleased with the income generated this financial year.

Income:

Income receipts for this year totalled at £40,343, compared to £34,983 in the previous year, which was a steady increase in generated income – see Charity Accounts / Independent Examiners Report for full breakdown of figures.

This income is derived from two main sources and when we compare them to last years’ figures, we can see a different trend emerging:

• Donations for this financial year were £9,833, compared to £3,020 in the previous financial period. Trustees believe this accurately reflects the work put in to attract and encourage new donations to support the work of the Charity and many donors being reassured by the charity status of Caring Coins Association.

• Fundraising income for this financial year was slightly down at £27,426, compared to £31,963 in the previous financial period, which perhaps reflects the impact of the cost-ofliving crisis on charity fundraising overall.

• Trustees would also like to acknowledge the ‘in kind’ income of £3,790 which was generated by our supporters’ purchasing presents from the virtual Christmas tree or donating gifts themselves. (Note that this was not actual money received through our account).

Expenditure:

Expenditure for the year totalled at £40,305 compared to £34,884 in the previous year – see Charity Accounts / Independent Examiners Report for the full breakdown of the financial spend. As a Charity, Trustees are mindful of all expenditure and keep a close eye on the bottom line; we are content that the overall running costs incurred for the year only represent circa 5.9% of our total expenditure.

Charity No: NIC108464

Funds Materially in Deficit:

As of the 31[st] March 2023, Caring Coins Community Association had no funds in material deficit.

Major Risks:

Trustees have identified no major risks moving into the next financial period. However, Trustees do note the inherent risk in any fundraising activities, especially given the enduring cost of living crisis impacting on many households which may mean that less households are able to contribute to any fundraising activities over the coming months. Trustees are proactively identifying external funding streams to help strengthen our delivery plan and are devising creative and innovative fundraising ideas for the coming year.

Financial Management:

The Association maintain robust financial systems and have good financial management systems in place; all cheques must be signed by two out of our three cheque signatories. Our annual accounts are independently examined and presented at the Annual General Meeting.

Statement of Assets and Liabilities:

The Trustees of Caring Coins Association can confirm that they have identified no assets or liabilities as of the 31[st] March 2023.

Charity No: NIC108464

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees of the Caring Coins Association confirm that they have complied with their duty under section 17 (5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and that the public benefit requirement has informed the activities of the Caring Coins Association in the year to 31st March 2023.

In evaluating public benefit, the Trustees note that membership is open to all residents in the ‘area of benefit’ – (Full members aged 16 and over, Junior members under 15) – and we strive to provide a range of activities that will cater for all ages, but some necessary and reasonable restrictions have been put in place to both safeguard and safely provide activities and opportunities for different age groups and abilities.

Summary of Main Activities

This has been another incredibly busy year for everyone involved with Caring Coins Association and Trustees are extremely proud of all that has been achieved and how much our charity has grown and evolved to meet existing and emerging needs of our service users.

• In March, our Chairperson, Kerrie Havern, was invited to speak at a TenX9 event in honour of International Women’s Day. She spoke passionately about the driving forces behind the creation and development of Caring Coins Association and promoted the current work we are involved with and future vision for our group.

• In April, we celebrated our 3[rd] Birthday, however, we were too busy to stop and celebrate it.

The Easter Extravaganza at Carrickcruppen GAA was a huge success with over 1500 people in attendance over the course of the day. Everyone enjoyed a day of oldfashioned family fun, games, face painting, an easter egg hunt and arts & crafts.

• In May, we held a District Pub Quiz which unfortunately wasn’t the success we had hoped for due to several of the venues having very low turnout, this was difficult for us all as volunteers and also a steep learning curve.

• Also in May, we were invited to sit on a panel with the President of Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald to discuss the impact of poverty and lack of health services within the area. This was an important opportunity for us to raise the profile of our Charity and the work we are involved with.

Charity No: NIC108464

• In July, 13 willing volunteers, including two of our Charity Trustees, Míceal Lynch and Kerrie Havern, took on the challenges of a 15,000 foot Parachute Jump to both raise monies and awareness for Caring Coins Association.

• In July, we held a Golf Classic in Warrenpoint, we had high hopes for this event, but it unfortunately didn’t receive the level of support we had anticipated, and we only had four teams partaking on the day. However, thanks to the sponsorship received we were able to generate a small amount towards our fundraising targets.

• In August, we commenced planning for our Christmas Appeal 2022 by firstly, reconfirming our existing partnerships from the previous year and we were then delighted to welcome three new partners on board: Davina’s Ark, Southern Age Well Network and Community Advice Newry Mourne and Down.

Charity No: NIC108464

• These trusted Partnerships are a vital part of the work of Caring Coins Association and help us to ensure that robust and comprehensive governance structures are underpinning our Christmas Appeal. Each of the ‘partners’ involved is already working directly with their own service users and are often best placed to identify those families who are most in need of additional support, especially at Christmas time, Caring Coins Association will only accept referrals for help from one of our trusted partners. The information received by our charity is anonymised, we receive no personal or identifying details, just a family profile in terms of the number of people in the household, the ages of the children/young people and some information on their likes/dislikes to help us personally shop for each family’s needs. As Trustees, we rely on the work of our trusted partners to ensure that there is no duplication of support to families and, that our support is being targeted to those in genuine need. This approach also protects our Trustees, volunteers and the families by keeping personal or identifying details confidential.

• We were thrilled when Caring Coins Association were nominated as Charity of the Year and our Chairperson, Kerrie Havern, was nominated under ‘Rising Star’ and ‘Innovator of the Year’ categories by MIB International.

• Due to the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis, we decided not to go ahead with our door-to-door coin appeal, we did not want to be adding pressure to any household by cold calling as we had no idea what challenges were being managed behind closed doors. This meant that we had to go back to the drawing board and find a new approach to raising the monies needed for the Christmas appeal.

• We ran a car boot sale throughout August and September to raise funds and help promote our ethos of helping each other; donated clothes were displayed, and people were able to take what they needed and simply make a discretionary donation to our charity bucket.

• In September we donated 100 “Caring for Our Carers” gift bags to the dental team in Daisy Hill Hospital.

• In September we launched our 2022 Christmas Appeal which

had many different dimensions to achieve our fundraising targets and ensure all Christmas referrals were fulfilled. We worked closely with local shops and businesses, encouraging a high number of them to take a Caring Coins collection bucket into their premises, allowing customers and staff to donate all spare coins/change.

• We launched a Virtual Christmas Tree via social media, displaying pictures of specific toys/gifts/items needed, people could then either go and buy the gift themselves or donate the money to allow us to fulfil the request ourselves.

• We asked local businesses and our followers to sponsor a child or a family for Christmas. Our list for 2022 had 217 children’s wishes for Christmas which was a significant jump from the 167 on the previous years’ list.

• Smyths Toy Store Newry helped support the appeal by giving us the use of their instore Christmas tree, we were able to put pictures of items needed on the tree and customers could pick and purchase an item on our behalf and the store staff held the items for us in their store.

• With bigger businesses and charities such as Re-Gen donating £2,000 and The Noah Donohoe Foundation donating £1,000, we were able to purchase hundreds of vouchers for Dunnes Stores which could be used to buy gas/electric/food. Thanks to Edenappa fuels who donated smokeless fuel and to the Vantastic van man who delivered it for us for free to

Charity No: NIC108464

• pensioners within the district. Thanks to Newry Business Christmas Charity Dinner who supported us again this year by donating £1,000, alongside 100’s of selection boxes and toys.

• • In November we were welcomed as members of The Newry Chamber which has been instrumental in building our profile and networking.

• Thanks to the support of Dunnes Stores Newry we ran a raffle for a Supermarket Sweep to help raise the monies needed for the Christmas appeal.

• In December we held 2 Santa Sundays which were discretionary donation based, every child got to meet Santa and got a selection box and picture, we also had arts & crafts and storytelling in a room separate to entertain the children as they waited for their turn to go see Santa. Thanks to the Kilmorey Arms Hotel, Kilkeel and Trainors Bar @ Dans who hosted the events free of charge for us.

• Although our Christmas appeal continued right up until the Eve of Christmas Eve, we held an end of appeal event in Trainors @ Dans who provided entertainment, we also held a raffle and auction on the night, which was a great success.

In January and February of 2023, we ran our ‘Clear Out to Help Out’ appeal and asked people to donate their unwanted clothes, coats, shoes and handbags. These donations were then processed through a local Cash for Clothes organisation which raised a total of £1,001. This money was used to support two local children who are fighting life limiting diseases, with both Bobby Browne and the Fight-For-Alfie campaigns receiving cheques for £500.50.

• In February we contacted DKMS UK on behalf of a local boy Bobby Browne who has a rare type of leukaemia and desperately needed a stem cell match. We requested that they train a group of people via zoom to enable us to run Swab drives rather than asking individuals to send of for a kit. We had over 50 people show up for the training and supported Bobbys’ parents appeal by running swabbing drives which saw over 1000 people sign up to the DKMS stem cell registry.

• During March we carried on the ‘Clear Out to Help Out’ appeal in aid of The Road Ahead Support Group raising £650.

• We were invited by The Newry Chamber to a celebration for international women’s day in the Oliver Restaurant and were delighted that our charity was a beneficiary of the evenings’ fundraiser.

The Trustees of Caring Coins Community Association have continued working in partnership to ensure that the needs of the community are being addressed through the proper channels. We look forward to developing and strengthening our partnerships further over the coming year.

Charity No: NIC108464

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