## Charity Annual Return ## **Organisational Information** - Charity Name: The Westwood Community Centre - Registered Charity Number: SC053442 - Registered Address: 28 Dunedin Drive, East Kilbride, G75 8QQ - Reporting Period: 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 ## **Annual Accounts** During the period 1 April 2024 ( registered 17/6/24 ) until 31 March 2025 the charity has generated no income, received no direct grant funding and incurred no expenditure. During the reporting period there was no activity on our bank account, accordingly our bank have advised us that as the account was empty they are unable to provide monthly statements for that period. We have not sought the services of an External Examiner as we have no accounts or other relevant documents for examination. A telephone call to the regulator’s office confirmed that this action would be in order for this report. ## **Trustees Annual Report** This is the first annual report for this charity which was first registered with OSCR on 17/06/2024. Our primary activity since that time has been our ongoing work with South Lanarkshire Council ( SLC )to complete a Community Asset Transfer of The Westwood Hall, East Kilbride form SLC to our new charity. Our group was first set up in September 2023 as a sub committee of Westwood Community Council to gather community support for and to lead the opposition to the proposed closure of Westwood Community Hall by SLC. The campaign although widely supported by the community was unsuccessful and SLC confirmed that building would close at the end of March 2024. A short time after confirmation of the hall closure was announced, Westwood Community Council collapsed due to an inability to attract sufficient members. The protest group now operating under the name One Voice continued to gather community support and maintained its discussions with SLC, as a result and with support and guidance from SLC officials it was decided that we should seek registration as a Charity with the objective of obtaining ownership of the Westwood Hall by way of a Community Asset Transfer ( CAT ). South Lanarkshire Council agreed that pending our achieving charity status it would seek some Grant funding and would continue some form of operation of the hall. Following our successful Charity registration application, we held our inaugural meeting of The Westwood Community Centre Charity on 16/07/2024 at which time our Office Holders were elected and our Trustees confirmed. The charity is managed by a board of trustees elected by and who report to ordinary members. The Trustee oversee the strategy and direction of the charity and ensure compliance with our charitable objectives. Regular meetings were held throughout the year to review progress and where required to agree decisions and actions. There was no change of Trustees during the reporting period. The discussions and negotiations with SLC continued and as a result a number of activities including a full structural survey and significant repairs to the building were undertaken. As of March 2025 the Asset Transfer had not been completed in part as a result of damage to the building sustained during storms at the beginning of 2025, however we continued working with SLC as a result of which the transfer of the hall became a reality later in the year. ## **Plans for the coming year** Looking ahead, the primary objective of the charity is to complete the Asset Transfer process in respect of the Westwood Hall and to reopen it as public amenity as soon as possible. As an organisation we know that there continues to be significant support for our objectives, however we understand the need to increase our membership and are working at encouraging members of the local and surrounding communities to join us. We have recently created a Social Media presence and it is our hope that we will be able to increase and develop the functionality that we provide through that medium to allow us to become more accessible to the community. We are aware that the premises, although safe and usable, does require a considerable degree of upgrade and modernisation and to that end we are actively engaging with potential sources of funding. We are fortunate in having a membership which incorporates a variety of skills and we will work with them to develop the plans, policies, training and documentation necessary to operate a safe and viable community venue. ## **Declaration** The information provided in this return is accurate and complete to the best of our knowledge. This report was approved by the board of trustees on [insert approval date].