Friends of Dromore High (Charity no. 108516)
ANNUAL REPORT 1[st] January 2023-31[st] December 2023
Friends of Dromore High (Charity no. 108516)
Aim and purpose :
Friends of Dromore High endeavour to advance the education of pupils in the school, through supporting staff, parents and wider school community.
Objective and activities:
We aim to developing effective relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the school and engaging in activities or providing facilities or equipment which support the school and advance the education of the pupils. Members assist with a wide variety of activities, such as assisting the school with events and supporting parents. Members offer their skills in the running of the charity and the activities we organise.
As a new charity our key aim for the year was to establish a sound financial footing through the establishment of a charity bank account. This enabled the organisation to apply for funding with external organisations and benefit from access to grants available to UK charities.
Key Achievements:
This year we have been successful in opening a Bank Account, with the transfer of funds completed from a legacy account established by parents to support the school.
Members supported the school directly by volunteering at events, including Open Day, with members availing of the opportunity to chat with parents visiting the school and providing refreshments for all on the day. Spring Concert is always a well-attended busy evening with over 200 parents attending on the night, refreshments were supplied and served by members of the committee.
The support of the local community in sponsoring Dromore High Rugby was recognised through a sponsors’ breakfast which was hosted prior to a Schools Cup Rugby Match, with members assisting with the set-up, serving and post-event clear up.
The school have recognised the importance of equipping students with the digital skills required for their future to ensure they are confident and ready for the future in their chosen pathway. “Bring your own device” had been successfully rolled out to students in 6[th] Form and the school planned to extend this to Year 11 students from September 2023. In consultation with the school the committee realised that while for many parents this would not be an issue, in terms of ensuring all Year 11 students had access to a device funding of personal devices for a number of students would be required. To this end, the committee applied for a number two grants, one through the Community Fund (CF) and a second through the Halifax Fund (HF). We were successful with both applications through partnering with a local IT supply company were able to purchase 18 (CF 8 & HF10) Lenovo 100e Chromebook Gen 4 82W0 with an extended service agreement (3 years parts and labour awaiting) at cost price.
The school had received funding for additional catering serving stations and requested assistance from the wider school community in painting an area of the school that could be utilised during lunch breaks by students. A number of FODH members contributed to a successful 2-day painting event over the weekend, 22[nd] October. The Senior Leadership Team expressed their gratitude for the assistance.
A fundraising and community trip to Kildare Village took place in November raising £250 (proceeds of this will be in the following years account).
Friends of Dromore High (Charity no. 108516)
The group hosted an informal Christmas event (mince pies, shortbread, tea/coffee) in the school on Tuesday to promote the group and encourage other parents to take part and join the group. This provided an opportunity for members to get to know each other and new members to group.
Friends of Dromore High (Charity no. 108516)
Finances :
With the establishment of a bank account this saw the transfer of £9,644.46 in January 2023 from funds previously raised by parents of the school.
Complete income and expenditure account for the year 2023:
| INCOME | EXPENDITURE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.01.22023 | Transfer of funds from | £9,644.46 | 11.07.2023 Spring concert | £17.01 |
| historic school PTA | (shortbread) | |||
| account | ||||
| 02.05.2023 | Community Foundation | £2,000.00 | 20.11.2023 Curtain rail – | £25.00 |
| Harry Corry cash | ||||
| 20.06.2023 | Halifax Foundation | 05.12.2023 Unity IT | £2,016.00 | |
| (Chromebooks, | ||||
| £2,500.00 | CF) | |||
| 20.11.2023 | Cash – Kildare Trip (Petty | £50.00 | 05.12.2023 Unity IT | £2,586.00 |
| cash) | (Chromebooks, | |||
| HF) | ||||
| £14,194.46 | £4,644.01 | |||
| Closing | Bank & petty cash | £9,550.45 | ||
| balance | ||||
| 31.12.2023 |
Future Plans:
In order to benefit fully from private donations and fund-raising activities, the committee plan to apply to HMRC to register for Gift Aid in 2024.
The school and the committee have recognised that areas of the school require some additional maintenance to facilitate a learning environment which would encourage students to achieve their potential. The committee will endeavour to assist in improving the learning environment for students.
The committee will continue to support the school at events throughout the year. In addition, further grant sources will be investigated. Wider participation by parents in the wider school community would benefit the group and we will continue to endeavour to increase and broaden involvement in the group.
Reviewed by: Girvan Gault (Finance and Banking Consultant), 28.11.2024
Friends of Dromore High (Charity no. 108516)
Administrative details:
An AGM was held on 20[th] November and office bearers were elected.
Committee members:
Chair: Mrs Elizabeth Bloomer
Vice Chairperson: Mrs Tracey Wright
Secretary: Mr Philip Evans
Minute Secretary: Mrs Fiona Cook
Treasurer: Dr Deirdre Murray
Assistant Treasurer: Mrs Louise Monroe
Press Officer: Mrs Lynn Whan
Trustees:
Mrs Tracey Wright
Mrs Beverley Gray
Mrs Lynne McCabe
Dr Deirdre Murray
Mr Dean McDowell
Mrs Joanne Lesley Moore
Friends of Dromore High {Charity no. 108516}