2024-12-01-accounts

Connect Alloa | SC049028

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 01[st] December 2024

1

Contents:

Page 03. Structure, Governance, and Management Page 04. Charity Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 01[st] December 2023 Page 10. Financial Overview and Funds Achieved Page 11. Statement of cashflows Page 12. Financial Statements Page 13. Total Surplus/(Deficit) for the year Page 14. Current asset value Page 15 . Notes to the accounts - for the year ended the 1st of December 2023 Page 16. Independent Examiner’s Report to the Charity Trustees of Connect Alloa

2

Structure, Governance, and Management

Constitution

Connect Alloa is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). Connect Alloa was registered as a SCIO on the 6th of February 2019. It is a single-tier SCIO, meaning that its charity trustees are also the members of the charity.

Appointment of Charity Trustees

The members of the Board of Connect Alloa are its charity trustees, all of whom must be over 16 years old. The initial charity trustees were the three individuals who signed the declaration forms that accompanied Connect Alloa’s application for incorporation, who are deemed to have been appointed by the members of the organisation as of the SCIO’s incorporation on the 6[th] of February 2019. Charity trustees are appointed at the annual general meeting, or by a resolution passed by a majority vote at any board meeting. The minimum quantity of charity trustees at any point is 3, and the maximum quantity is 13.

Charitable Purposes

The charitable purpose of Connect Alloa, as outlined in clause 4 of its constitution, are:

Providing recreational facilities or organising recreational activities with the aim of improving the conditions of life for the people for whom the facilities or activities are mainly intended.

The advancement of citizenship or community development (including rural or urban regeneration).

3

Charity Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 01[st] December 2024

The Board of Connect Alloa have pleasure in presenting their fifth annual report together with financial statements for the period between the 1st December 2023, and the 01[st] of December 2024, the charity’s financial year end.

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity name: Connect Alloa

Name the charity is known by: Connect

Charity number: SC049028

Address: Unit 10 Carsebridge Court Alloa F10 3LQ

Website Address: www.connectalloa.org.uk

Current Trustees:

==> picture [373 x 166] intentionally omitted <==

4

Objectives and Activities

Connect Alloa is a dynamic youth group dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive environment for young people in primary and secondary schools. Offering multiple sessions throughout the week, Connect Alloa aims to address various challenges faced by youth today, while promoting personal growth and community engagement. We have several things that we are always working towards such as:

Combating Social Isolation : One of the primary objectives of Connect Alloa is to reduce social isolation among young people. By providing a regular meeting space, the group encourages friendships and connections among participants, helping them to feel a sense of belonging and community. Social activities, peer support, and team-building exercises are integral to this mission, ensuring that every young person feels valued and included.

Enhancing Social Skills : Connect Alloa is committed to helping youth develop essential social skills necessary for effective communication and interaction. Through various group activities, workshops, and discussions, participants learn to navigate social situations, build confidence, and improve their ability to express themselves. This objective not only benefits their current relationships but also equips them with skills for future interactions in both personal and professional contexts.

Building Life Skills : Beyond social skills, Connect Alloa focuses on equipping young people with vital life skills that will serve them well into adulthood. This includes teaching topics such as problem-solving, decision-making, resilience, and teamwork. Interactive sessions that simulate real-life scenarios encourage participants to think critically and engage in practical learning, empowering them to tackle challenges in their everyday lives.

Providing a Safe Space: Safety and support are at the core of Connect Alloa’s philosophy. The group aims to create a welcoming and secure environment where young people can openly express themselves, share their experiences, and seek guidance without fear of judgment. Trained staff and volunteers work diligently to ensure that all members feel respected, heard, and safe.

Encouraging Personal Development : Connect Alloa recognizes the unique growth journeys of each young person. Connect seeks to encourage personal development by offering a variety of programs tailored to diverse interests and goals. From creative arts to sports, leadership training to community service, participants are encouraged to explore their talents and passions, helping them to cultivate a sense of identity and purpose.

Promoting Community Engagement : Another important objective is to foster a sense of responsibility and connection to the broader community. Connect Alloa encourages its members to engage in outreach and volunteer opportunities, helping them to develop empathy and a sense of civic duty. By participating in community projects, young people learn the importance of giving back and become more aware of the world around them. We aim to hold several events throughout the year that bring people together, such as raffles, fundraisers, and inviting other community members to use our space.

Through these objectives, Connect Alloa strives to not only support the personal growth of young people but also to empower them to become active, caring members of society. By

5

addressing social isolation and equipping youth with essential skills, Connect Alloa plays a crucial role in shaping a brighter future for its participants and the community as a whole.

Achievements & Performance

This past year, we achieved quite a lot as a charity. We signed on to the Armed Forces Covenant. Which shows our support for the Armed Forces, we then put more polices in place, we had one of our volunteers nominated for the CTSI Volunteer of the Year award, which was lovely to see a member of our team be recognised. We hit a record number of young people registered with us, as well as secured some new funding. This made it easier to provide a variety of sessions for our young people.

Connect has performed well this past year, an example of which would be the extensive holiday programs that we ran. We run sessions 4 days a week through the summer holidays with a variety of different sessions, which bring in a lot of different young people.

Community Events:

We celebrated our 5th anniversary with a vibrant anniversary party that brought together our community in a joyful and memorable event. The atmosphere was filled with love and gratitude as we reflected on our journey over the past five years, celebrating the milestones we've achieved and the lives we've touched. The venue was beautifully decorated, sparkling with lights and colourful banners that showcased our logo and the theme of the anniversary. Guests enjoyed delicious food and drinks, while a live band provided uplifting music that kept spirits high throughout the evening.

In addition to the anniversary celebration, we hosted a craft fair aimed at raising funds for our future initiatives. Local artisans and crafters participated, showcasing their unique creations, ranging from handmade jewellery and artwork to baked goods and home decor. The fair not only provided a platform for local talent but also fostered a sense of community as families and friends gathered to enjoy the creative atmosphere. The proceeds from the craft fair will go directly into funding programs and projects that support our mission, enabling us to continue making a positive impact in the lives of young people in our community.

To cap off the celebrations, we held an award ceremony dedicated to recognizing the incredible achievements of our young people. We honoured individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, resilience, and commitment to their personal growth and to helping others. The ceremony was a heartwarming experience, filled with inspiring speeches and heartfelt testimonials from peers and mentors. Each award recipient was celebrated for their unique contributions, and we were proud to highlight their accomplishments in front of family, friends, and community leaders. This moment not only acknowledged their hard work and dedication but also served as motivation for all young people to continue striving for excellence and making a difference.

Overall, our anniversary party, craft fair, and award ceremony created a powerful sense of togetherness, celebration, and purpose. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us for this milestone event and look forward to continuing our journey together, inspiring and empowering the next generation.

6

Plans for the future period

As Connect continues to grow, we hope to take on additional staff members to help with outreach and digital engagement. Thanks to funding, we were able to create a dedicated position within our team that focuses on both youth work and digital outreach. This role has successfully increased our reach on social media platforms such as Facebook, with an approximate increase of 14.9% between 2023 and 2024. Likewise, a 53.6% increase in page visits in comparison to 2022, showing the benefits of this position and the importance of continuing to invest in this aspect of the charity. We aim to expand our online presence and increase our awareness of our work, encouraging more young people to engage with us while providing support to them and the wider community. Additionally, we hope to grow our volunteer team, whether on a weekly or monthly basis, bringing in fresh ideas to Connect and creating more opportunities for local involvement.

Furthermore, throughout the year, we have invited several guests to run specialised sessions for the young people, for example, Epilepsy Scotland, Youth Parliament, Cats Protection, Safe Drive Stay Alive, and the local Fire Service. By providing a variety of sessions run by external organisations, it keeps sessions engaging and brings valuable insights that the youth workers may not have. Guest speakers can also serve as role models, showing our young people potential career paths, inspiring success stories, and broadening their aspirations.

In the future, we plan to engage more with local primary schools to encourage an uptake in attendees for our younger group (Primary 6 and 7s). We hope to develop a series of programmes that youth workers can deliver in primary schools to better support their young people and help build resilience.

Training & Upskilling

We have hosted several staff days focused on session planning, team building, and scenariobased training to help our youth workers and Project Manager become a more unified and efficient team. Staff members are also encouraged to participate in regular high-speed training or attend online training sessions run by Youth Scotland to enhance their knowledge and continue professional development. Several staff members completed Level 3 Food and Hygiene training, enabling us to offer more cooking sessions for the young people. The project leader will continue to apply for funding to ensure ongoing training is available for staff members.

We have continued to support our young people in working towards their Saltire awards by delegating tasks to boost their confidence, create a sense of ownership of our unit and connect with others. One of our young people achieved a significant number of hours when designing Connects mascot Buzby; this creation allows this young person to express themselves and contribute to Connects journey, as well as working towards a Saltire milestone.

During the summer, we took 8 young people to ‘Big Ideas Weekend’ where they got to engage in a series of activities such as, special effects makeup, parkour, LGBT history, DJing and many more. This provided our young people the opportunity to learn new skills, take themselves out their comfort zones and make new friends. The attending staff also participated in training courses. In the future, we hope to focus more accreditation

7

opportunities for our young people and inquire about any potential upskilling opportunities they request.

Volunteering and Peer Mentoring

young people, college students, and anyone who would be right for Connect.

We always try and get the best out of the people who volunteer for us, whether that means challenging them to do something out of there comfort zone or simply being themselves and helping the youth of connect in whatever way they can. We try and support our volunteers when needed and however we can, so they are at their best while working with Connect

We have changed the names of peer mentors and mentors to a larger umbrella term of youth volunteers. This way they will do what seems like menial tasks such as doing dishes, helping staff clean up, helping run sessions or making something for Connect using these we help them get Saltire awards and hi5 awards

We try and make sure our all our young people have a voice when it comes to Connect any complaints will be heard suggestions considered and we will ask their opinions on things like future plans of our holiday programs.

Creative Opportunities

At Connect we always try and make opportunities for the young people of Connect to be creative for example in the past we have had young people create designs for t-shirts as well as create their own design for bags which they then made, we have even had them help decorate our walls bye having them create frames for their artwork to go on the wall as well as have them put there handprints on the wall we are specifically proud of a tree on our wall that has many of our young people’s handprints on it past and present

D&D has been a staple of Connect for some time now and it will continue into the future it is one of our most popular activities at connect and helps young people display a level they of creativity may not elsewhere

We also have volunteers and staff members who lead sessions on art in various different ways these include making cardboard models, painting a mural and many more things we always look toward the future and what creative opportunities we can offer the young people who attend Connect

We at Connect see creative activities as a great way for young people to engage with staff, volunteers and most importantly each other and we always encourage them to do so, we have had young people create jewellery for themselves and connect which we hope to use as an opportunity to begin social enterprising

8

Community Events

This year has been filled with positive community events that have brought us closer together and highlighted our commitment to fostering connections. We celebrated a major milestone with our 5th-year anniversary, marking half a decade of growth, collaboration, and meaningful impact. It was a joyful occasion that allowed us to reflect on our journey and the strong community we've built.

Our quiz night was another highlight, offering a fun and engaging way for everyone to come together and test their knowledge while enjoying each other's company. It was a fantastic opportunity for both new and long-standing members to interact in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.

The Christmas Fayre added a festive spirit to our calendar, providing a space for everyone to celebrate the season and support local crafts and businesses. It was a wonderful way to connect with the wider community, and the positive energy was felt by all who attended.

Additionally, we were proud to have a table at one of our partner's events, further strengthening our relationships within the community. This presence allowed us to showcase our work, engage with new faces, and reinforce the collaborative spirit that is central to everything we do.

These events have not only been enjoyable but have also reinforced our shared values and commitment to making a positive impact in our community. We look forward to continuing to build on this momentum in the years to come.

Gaming

We have had a successful period in engaging with various gaming activities, with a youth worker running quite a few board game sessions. The switch is continually used each night, along with Dungeons and Dragons being frequently requested. We have inquired and gained new Dungeons and Dragons books to make the game for varied for the young people.

The young people have expressed interest in other games such as monopoly and a youth worker has run multiple sessions running it for the young people. We've done other games to do with teambuilding as there was a youth led session done with both older and younger group where they created obstacle courses for one and other it was very successful.

It is mostly ran by the volunteers and youth workers however has been run with the project manager and senior youth worker.

Apply for funding

Any funding we look at has a purpose, Although the Project Manager takes lead, he is training up the Youth Services Coordinator and encouraging staff to apply to small pots to be able to provide more for our young people.

Youth Forum

We have continued on with the way our youth forum with ideas such as hot topics. We have a suggestion box that we encourage the young people to use however it isn’t as frequently used as we like. We’ve made it so the young people do have a say in truly what they would like and we do this by approaching the young people as a group and getting the data that is helpful for the betterment of Connect Alloa.

9

Financial Overview and Funds Achieved

Connect Alloa’s main source of funding has been through grants for staffing, resources, and activities.

We have also had young people win local competitions which has allowed us to build up a small amount of money, which we hope to put towards reserves by next year.

Funds/Fundraising achieved 2024

Funds/Fundraising achieved 2024
Who funded us	Restricted (£)	Unrestricted (£)	Amount (£)
Just Giving		102.50	102.50
Donations		3410	3410
Clacks Lottery		86.50	86.50
Clackmannanshire Council	53,250.34		53,250.34
CFSLA	555.89		555.89
Refunds	555.89		555.89
CSET	12,500		12,500
Thistledown Trust	500		500
Youth Scotland	500		500
Robertson Trust	11000		11000
Scottish Children’s Charity Trust	4000		4000
Youth Charity Trust		1,000	1,000
National Lottery Community Fund	49654.00		49654.00
The Garfield Weston Foundation	7500		7500
Groundwork Uk		500	500

10

Statement of cashflows Financial Statements Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended the 01 St of December 2024 Cost of charitable activities Cost of Charitable Activities- 2024 Unrestricted Restrcted Total Phone & ASsc￿lated Costs £0.00 £1,961.97 £1,961.97 Rent & utilities £0.00 £43,787.58 £43,787.58 staffing Costs £0.00 £97,224.77 £97,224.77 Advertising £0 £680.55 £680.55 VPAI Domain Costs £0.00 £84 Volunteer Expenses £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 Crafts. Refreshments. Games. Holiday Provision £0 £208.28 £208.28 Misc Training, Purchases £0.00 £3,182.91 £3,182.91 staff Phone £0.00 £ 4.80 £252 Total Payments £0.00 £197.636.57 £197,636.57 11

Statements of Balances - 1[st] of December 2024

Balance sheet at 1st Dec 2024

Fixed assets

Electronics, Games & Acces Games and Role Playing Manuals PPE Craft, Promotional and Admin Items Music Equipment Storage Utensils Total Fixed Assets Closing bank balance Total Assets Less Liabilities Net assets Surplus from Income & Expenditure Disposals Retained reserves Reserves	£1,950.64 £27.38 £65.09 £526.95 £2,165.36 £0.00 £0.00 £4,735.42 £4,735.42 £72,669.35 £77,404.77 £0.00 £53,308.43 £6,429.13 £0.00 £46,879.30 £53,308.43	£0.00 £0.00
		£0.00 £77,404.77 £25,018.22 -£921.88 £53,308.43 £77,404.77

12

2024 13

I report on th& 8ceounls ol Iha <wity It year I1￿ 01sl of DÈcemb81 2023. CA)ntamed wlhn ttits dixxwneni Re•pectiv• Responslblllt1•8 01 Truste•8 and Examln•r charllvs tTlJStees arfr responsble foi the weparaiion of the apxy)unts in Mlh Ihe terTlls ol Ihe Ch8rilies and Trustee InveslTnent ISfJ)118￿I) Acl 2005 and cl￿1￿￿5 Accounts CScollthrJ) RBgulaltL)Wts las al￿ntle￿I). The chwi'ly liusle45 consi¢w Ihal Ihe au¢Jtt requiremeni ￿ RegUla1￿)n 1011 >ld) ol the 2(fi6 Accounls RegulatfrJns (Jces apply It is my reSI￿51t￿￿ to exaThi Ihe accthjnis as iequiied uii(Jèr Sec1K￿ 4411 Xc.} of Ihe Act 8iyJ lo sraie %￿lher p8rticul81 m8tlws hBve c•Jne lo my 8iieNI Bas1• of In41•p•nd•nt Examlnevg Ststement hly exammèiion Is came(J out In accoroancg with Regula1h￿ I l of Ihe 20￿ Accounis RaJulali(X￿ An examinatwi i￿￿£S a of th OCC<•un'rYJ iec(x(Is kepl by the ¢harily a C(YnD￿S0n 01 Iho acc(•unts prtsenled y￿th Ibose recoifts. 11 dso IrKlu•Je5 ¢xThd8¥alic ol •ny urxjsval rtems ￿ dsck)sur05 In the aceoun15, and Sks expJank)ns Irwn th8 Inistees concerntng any suth matters. rhe proce(luies umertaken ￿ nat wovKle all Iho 8VK18nce thal would ba roquired in ￿ outhl. an(J corwuerrtly I do nol exp￿5$ Wl euart opinjon on the VTeW given by Ihe accounl5. Ind￿QndI1nt E¥•rnln•r St•tament In coursft of my 0xaiThnal￿n no rnter has oyne lo my artenlM>n which grwes me roasonatsig cew 10 l)elww Ihal In leiial Ihe requiiemen15 lo keep records ￿ accordan(> will> s￿110￿ 441IK8) of 2005Pd and Regulalm 4 01 U)8 2006 A¢4X)uTrts Regulat￿nS 8￿re 8ccounls thch ￿Cold willi Ihe 8cc(xiiilino re¢oids id cornply Imth 14ffjulalion g of the AcoNr*s Regulolion5 Hava not been mel. c 2 ID t¥llliir.h ii", lily rTrpii-ii()ii a1to.niic￿l I s lirjl Il(1 bi: Ill In ￿￿er lo s io be feaclied. Date: 14