Chairperson’s Report

Borders Children’s Charity AGM: Wednesday 20th April 2013

The past 12 months has been an extraordinary year for the BCC. Reflecting where BCC is today from its modest beginnings 47 years ago, it’s amazing to see how through changing committees over the years wefind the BCC in 2013 having raised an annual amount of over £47k and spent nearly on £27k on helping over 200 children.

The committee’s decision 4 years ago to actively pursue press and public relations has had a huge impact in raising local individual and business awareness to drum up financial support. We have utilised the local press whenever possible issuing press releases whenever we have had interesting news (6 local press articles printed this past year – largely thanks to Ann).

The committee has also actively offered where ever possible, to speak at events and clubs such as schools, rotary and coffee mornings, car rally events and the BCC reunion morning to name a few, to spread the word of the BCC’s vital work.

Another landmark decision made a couple of years ago by the committee was to promote the BCC’s greatest selling point - the fact that BCC can guarantee 99% of all donations will go directly to local children as we have no overheads – we know because we write the cheques! This makes BCC unique, especially in today’s climate of commercial charities as people are becoming more aware of how much of their hard earned cash gets spent on administration.

This year, the success of local awareness along with internal fundraising has given us the new focus of ensuring that this fantastic amount of money raised, efficiently makes its way directly to the Borders children who need it.

Recognising the responsibility of our increased bank balance, the committee’s response has been proactive by contacting the appropriate channels with local authorities and professionals working with children that have used BCC in the past. As well as this we have used local press to spread awareness of the help BCC can offer professionals dealing with children in desperate situations. The next 12 months will hopefully reflect these efforts by showing in an increase in requests from a wider spread of professionals working with disadvantaged children.

A less positive landmark turn of events for BCC was the shocking news 2 years ago that SWAN was being disbanded by Children in Need. This meant that this past year would be the last time BCC would receive any funds from CiN. In the last several years the SWAN grant has been crucial to the survival of BCC as it made up the bulk of money that was used for fulfilling requests. However once again the committee reacted to this devastating news by being proactive and showed determination and resilience to survive and set about searching elsewhere for other means of funding.

The committee researched and found other means in applying for grants such as the Robertson Trust giving us £5 000,and hopefully next year (thanks to Sarah) the JK Rowling Volant Trust. This has been a learning curve for BCC not to become reliant on any one source as nothing is guaranteed in this financial climate - and the diverse spread of the BCC income in the past year is a positive sign.

The activity the BCC has been a part of in the past 12 months has been vast and varied and to highlight just some of the activities and sources of donations:

  • Diana & Sam’s lunch last April was the first fundraiser last April £412
  • Over the year various church collections, WRI’s, Innerwheel & Rotary donations, which seem to be increasing
  • Roofline’s generous ongoing support £3 500 over the year
  • Borders Book Festival last June £800
  • Sporting Bears at the Lauder Vintage Car Rally in July £2 700
  • Castlegate Nursery in Kelso has given generous amounts throught the year
  • The Roxburghe Golf Day for the second year made £2000 which led to a further £600 from Melville Independent and £1 700 from another guests Christmas auction
  • Cat’s Wedding Day at Wedderburn Caslte
  • Artyfarty Fayre and the Gramhamslaw Open House Day
  • Kelso Farmers Market
  • RM Capital £4 000
  • SPIFOX £7 500
  • Not to forget small amounts which matter, such as the Lauder Bakery collection tin £12
  • Mainetti chose BCC as their company charity and their staff have so far held two events to raise funds
  • A big thank you to Jac Neil for paying for the BCC website hosting fee during her 5 years on the committee. Without the website BCC would not have had half of the supporters we now have due to them finding us on search engines.
  • A big thank you to Linda Cormack and Peebles Life for paying the monthly £18 fee for Just Giving which without we would have missed out on donations being made throughout the year.
  • A big thank you to rest of the committee for not putting in any expenses for paper, postage, printing, signs (Ann), hats (Diana) etc. Without the committee’s contributions BCC would not be able to continue to make the 99% pledge which is actually 100% the last few years! And it is this pledge that gives BCC such strong support.

The annual amounts the committee has raised over the past 4 years keeps increasing, but the reason for raising the money remains the same. The constitution of the BCC has been cleverly constructed to ensure the committee can expand and contract its efforts and responsibilities depending on how the committee evolves and progresses through its changes in members. The changes in past committee members and finances over the years is testament to the success of the constitutions clever flexibility. It is an ongoing responsibility of this committee and future committees to protect the successful structure of BCC, which has been the soul reason for the BCC lasting for 47 years.

This coming year for the BCC the will benefit from new committee members with a wealth of varied skills and fresh ideas mixed with the skills and experience of longer standing members. Because BCC is voluntary it is very special and as committee members we all do our best to contribute in and around our busy lives. The constitution of BCCsupports this and as the committee changes members, the fundraising and public awareness style will evolve to suit the members currently serving.