Voluntary and Community Action Trafford
Trustees Report
and Financial Statements
for the year
October 1 2014 to September 30 2015
Registered Charity No. 1098222 / Company No. 4399868
Voluntary and Community Action Trafford
Report & Financial Statements October 2014 – September 2015
Contents
/Page
Legal and Administrative Details / 2Report of the Directors / Trustees:
- Structure, governance and management
- Objectives and Activities
- Achievements and Performance
- Staff Changes
5
- Projects and Initiatives
Trafford Advice Partnership
Independent Support Service
Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Service
Funding Portal
Digital News and Social Media
Shared Space Initiative / 6
8
9
12
15
16
18
- Financial Review
- Plans for the Future
- Directors Responsibilities
Independent Examiner’s Report / 23
Statement of Financial Activities / 24
Balance Sheet / 25
Notes to the Financial Statements / 26
Trustees and Directors
Ralph Rudden / ChairJoan Ball
Joanne Bennett
Philip Gratrix
Victor Holding
Eddie Kelson
Jacki Wilkinson / Vice chair
Company Secretary
Mark NesbittMembers of Staff
Mark Nesbitt / Chief ExecutiveRose Thompson / Office Manager
Bernie Connor / Community Development Worker to September 2015
Jackie Stott / Senior Trafford Mental Health Advocate
Aaron Lohan / Trafford Mental Health Advocate
Sameeia Luqman / Trafford Mental Health Advocate
Muriel Howarth / Payroll Administrator
Kerry Voellner / Social Media and Communications worker
Natasha Howells / Trafford Advice Partnership Marketing and Communications Coordinator to June 2015
Julie Blinston / Independent Support worker
Sammy Jo Hesketh / Independent Support worker
Victoria Cusick / Independent Support worker
Zoi Tzagadouri / Community Organiser (Stretford Area)
Maddie Powell / Community Organiser (Sale Area)
Registered Office
Oakland House
Ground Floor East
Talbot Road
Old Trafford
M16 0PQ / Independent Examiners & Accountants
Stephanie Stevens
Hobday-Stevens Limited
21 Wheatfield
Stalybridge, Cheshire
SK15 2TZ
Bankers / Sub Committees
The Royal Bank of Scotland
14-16 The Mall
Sale
Manchester M33 1XZ / Finance Sub Group
Eddie Kelson
Ralph Rudden
Jacki Wilkinson
Mark Nesbitt
Rose Thompson
Charity number1098222
Company number4399868
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Voluntary and Community Action Trafford
Trustees Report October 2014 – September 205
Governing Document
The Charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated March 20 2002, as amended by special resolution to change the name of the charity dated June 5 2003. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission.
The Directors have the power to admit any constituted voluntary or community group or individual to membership and also have the power to remove members. There are currently around 500 members of the company, a limited number of whom have agreed to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 in the event of the charity being wound up. Trustees may permit any member to retire provided that after such retirement the number of members is not less than two.
Appointment of Directors and Trustees
The Directors, who are the Trustees, are appointed by the members at the annual general meeting and are collectively known as the VCAT Board. At each AGM, one third of the Directors retire by rotation, being the longest in office. They are eligible for re-election. Other than a retiring trustee, the only people eligible for election as trustees are those either nominated by the Board or by a member giving not less than 7 and not more than 28 clear days’ notice of the intention to propose a person for election. The Charity, by ordinary resolution, or the Trustees, may appoint a person who is willing to act, to fill a vacancy, providing that a Trustee so appointed shall hold office only until the next AGM.
Trustee recruitment, induction and training
VCAT has a recruitment and induction policy which includes all new Trustees, involving skillsand knowledge. VCAT has no specific policy for Trustee Training, but training opportunities and governance information is forwarded to Trustees.
Organisation
The Board, which must not be less than three members and not more than nine, administers the Charity and meets as necessary, usually 6 times a year. There are sub-committees which meet more regularly and report to the full Board. The day to day operations of the Charity are the responsibility of the Chief Executive, Mark Nesbitt, to whom the Trustees have delegated
authority for operational matters including finance, employment and development, within the overall strategy agreed by the Board of Trustees.
Risk management
The Board has undertaken a review of the major risks to which the company is exposed and established systems and processes to mitigate those risks. The major financial risks facing the charity are – changes in funding streams, sustainability of projects and changes in local and government policy. Risks to funding are considered as part of the business planning process. The sustainability of projects is to be mitigated by consistent dialogue with partners and funders. Each project has its own business and strategic plan. Internal risks are mitigated by processes that are accountable and monitored. Such procedures are reviewed to ensure the company meets its legal and operational objectives.
Public benefit
The trustees annually review the membership of the organisation and the objectives within the memorandum. This review also looks at the services offered by the charity and the benefits to the public. The trustees have referred to the guidance of the charity commission and in the context of planning future activities to ensure they contribute to the aims and objectives of the organisation. The trustees will refer to the public benefit test against the aims and objectives of the charity and in relation to the specific services the charity offers the public in Trafford.
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Voluntary and Community Action Trafford
Trustees Report October 2014 – September 205
The Charity’s objectives, as described in the VCAT Memorandum and Articles of Association are:
VCAT aims to develop an effective and highly skilled voluntary and community sector, capable of making a strong contribution towards a fair and open society in Trafford.
Benefits: As a result of our work, VCAT Members:
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Voluntary and Community Action Trafford
Trustees Report October 2014 – September 205
1
Voluntary and Community Action Trafford
Trustees Report October 2014 – September 205
Partnership and Strategic Working
VCAT continues to undertake significant work with our strategic partners within the public and voluntary sectors both here in Trafford and wider across Greater Manchester.
VCAT continued to play a key role with the Trafford Partnership (Trafford’s Local Strategic Partnership), VCAT’s Chair holds a place on the Partnership Board and plays an active role on the Stronger Communities Partnership and the Diverse Communities Board.
During the year VCAT was successful in applying to host Trafford’s Community Organisers and with the support of THT’s Stretford and Sale Moor Community Panels we are able to employ Zio and Maddie who are making a real difference support local community action in two key area across Trafford.
Our Independent Support service goes from strength to strength and this have been widely welcomed by all the families we have support across Trafford over the past year and we have just been informed that our project will continue to be funded until March 2017.
VCAT continues to invest in the Greater Manchester Funding Portal, which provides access to 1000’s of funding and grant opportunities to VCSE in Trafford
Devolution is now with us and VCAT has been working and with CVS colleagues across the 10 Greater Manchester LA areas to ensure that devolution engages local VCSE services. As a result of this the VCSE has established a small Reference Group to interact and advise GM Devolution structures.
Closer to home, our Shared Space Initiative continues to deliver fantastic support and services which, currently provides a home for 10 VCSE organisations and social businesses , saving each one thousands of pounds, as well as getting the opportunity to work in partnership.
Staff Changes
During the year, we said a sad farewell to Bernie Connor who moved to our colleagues at Oldham Voluntary Action to take up a new post and fresh challenge. Bernie had been with VCAT for many years starting in Old Trafford as a very effective community engagement officer, then moving to support many more VCSE organisations has our Community Development Officer. We wish her well.
Sadly, we also bade farewell to Natasha Howells as a result of the ending of lottery funded, Trafford Advice Project. Natasha played a vital role in the delivery of the project as the Partnerships Communication and Marketing Officer. We wish Natasha well in her new role.
During the course of the year, we welcomed, Maddie and Zoi our brilliant two Community Organisers who main task is support local people to do more locally. Their project is explained further in this annual report.
“I’m Zoi and I work as a Community Organiser with VCAT and the Stretford Community Panel in Stretford. I’m originally from Greece and moved in Manchester 5 years ago to do my Masters in Community Psychology in MMU. I soon found out about the Community Organisers Programme and decided to stay and train as a Community Organiser, because I love working with people. “As a Community Organiser, I am doorknocking and listening to local residents, trying to see what they like and love about their communities, what concerns or worries them and what actions they are willing to take towards tackling their problems. I have a strong belief that communities have all the knowledge and skills it takes to bring about change. I hope to meet as many people as possible, bring them together around shared ideas and support them to take local action
My name is Maddie and I work for VCAT in partnership with the Sale Community Panel in Sale Moor. “Community organising includes listening to residents on what they love, what concerns them and supporting them to tackle the issues that they think are important. “I talk with residents by door knocking. I also like to have a chat in parks, bus stops, cafes – anywhere where the locals are! “I have volunteered since I was a teenager in the community and this is how I got into community organising. “One thing I love about the job is being able to see people’s personal development stories. “Sometimes, you meet someone who may lack confidence to do something, and a few months down the line, they are almost like different people. This, along with being able to watch people build their own projects around their own passions and create change, is why I wanted to carry on being a community organiser.
What is Community Organising?
Community organising is the work of building relationships and networks in communities to activate people and create social and political change through collective action.
The community organising process involves identifying what people care strongly about in a community through 1-2-1 conversations, building relationships and networks that are strong enough to support a long struggle for change, developing community leaders and mobilising people to take collective action to achieve a shift of power and significant social change.
The roots of community organising go back to the 19th century in Europe, the United States, South Africa and South America. The ideas and techniques were developed over 100 years in the tenants empowerment and trades union movements, the Settlement movement, the civil rights movement, the suffragette movement, the community enterprise and cooperative movement and other movements for social justice, critical education and community ownership.
Many thinkers and activists have helped to shape the community organising movement around the globe, for example Tom Paine, Paulo Freire, Henrietta Barnett, Augusto Boal, Mary Parker Follett, Mahatma Ghandi, Robert Owen, Kurt Lewin, Saul Alinsky, Steve Biko, Robert Putman, Ann Hope and Sally Timmel.
What are our Aims/Objectives?
Sale Moor Community Panel
Increased awareness of the work of the THT and its Funding Model amongst its neighbourhoods and in particular with those sections of the community that do not access the funds to address their needs that potentially impact on their local neighbourhood / Community Organiser works with a minimum of 10 groups who have not previously accessed funding to write a bid. Grants awarded to new groups. Recordings, applications, feedback, case studies.Greater engagement, diversity and understanding of local neighbourhoods due to revitalised membership of THT’s funding bodies and training to support this change. / Evidence of contribution to new membership of THT’s funding bodies from the Sale area. Feedback / case studies from these members, including info they have provided on local needs.
Increased confidence in Sale Moor’s 3rd sector to access funding and development opportunities / 90% of groups supported feel more confident to apply for funding independently in the future. Questionnaires, case studies, any other feedback that shows progress.
Stronger communities as a result of closer working together and developed understanding of communities reducing stereotypes/discrimination. / Survey about connected communities
Increased local community action activity
Stretford Community Panel
Increased awareness of the work of the THT and its Funding Model amongst its neighbourhoods and in particular with those sections of the community that do not access the funds to address their needs that potentially impact on their local neighbourhood / Community Organiser works with a minimum of 10 groups who have not previously accessed funding to write a bid. Grants awarded to new groups. Recordings, applications, feedback, case studies.Greater engagement, diversity and understanding of local neighbourhoods due to revitalised membership of THT’s funding bodies and training to support this change. / Evidence of contribution to new membership of THT’s funding bodies from the Stretford area. Feedback / case studies from these members, including info they have provided on local needs.
Increased confidence in Stretford’s 3rd sector to access funding and development opportunities / 90% of groups supported feel more confident to apply for funding independently in the future. Questionnaires, case studies, any other feedback that shows progress.
Stronger communities as a result of closer working together and developed understanding of communities reducing stereotypes/discrimination. / Survey about connected communities
Increased local community action activity
Locality
The expected outcomes of my work are:
- build a team of volunteers who listen, connect, communicate, network, develop ideas and build power
- listen to 500+ people (supported by their volunteer team) by door-knocking and in community settings, analyse the listenings and produce with the network a listening report’
- develop a ‘community holding team’, a voluntary network which ‘holds’ the listenings and commits to support action to address community needs, as part of a strategy to sustain the organising work
- support local leaders/entrepreneurs/activists to take social action, lead campaigns or develop enterprising solutions to address community needs
- support the network to develop new power relationships between local government, public agencies, community institutions, corporations and local people
“We have only just started our roles and are in the early stages of speaking to people – we are looking forward to community organising in Stretford/Sale over the next 12 months and are excited to see how it unfolds” – Maddie and Zoi
Trafford Advice Partnership
Natasha Howells worked in partnership with the Trafford Advice Partnership, a consortium funded by the BIG Lottery Fund’s Advice Services Transition Fund from 2013-2015.
The project, led by Citizens Advice Trafford, also includes Trafford Centre for Independent Living, Trafford Carers Centre, Age UK Trafford and Stephenson’s Solicitors.
The main aims of the TAP project are to streamline the way that advice and information services are provided, to become more accessible to people and to work more cohesively between organisations to improve the quality of service that Trafford residents receive.
The key successes for the project was the launch of two webcam centres in Old Trafford Library and Urmston Library, where residents are able to obtain information, advice or signposting for their particular issues three days a week from the central locations of both libraries, saving extra travel time and costs for clients.
Another key part of the Marketing and Communications Coordinator role has been to work closely with all the partners within TAP and provide specialist knowledge to produce a marketing strategy. This resource was not something that many of the partners have had access to previously.
The Trafford Advice Partnership also worked closely with the Trafford Information Network and following the Advice and Information Review, produced an A2 Signposting Matrix which highlighted the services available to people in Trafford with up-to-date contact information. The matrices were initially distributed
amongst GP surgeries in the borough and has also been widely distributed to other organisations providing advice and signposting in Trafford.