The Harpenden Trust (“the Trust”) was founded in 1948, coinciding with the creation of the National Health Service. Despite the introduction of the “cradle to grave” welfare state, some residents in Harpenden at the time felt that there would always be a need to take care of people who fell through the net. It was this group that formed the original Harpenden Trust.
Today the activities of the Trust are managed though a Company, limited by Guarantee, which was incorporated on 29th September 2006 with registration number 5951591. It is governed like all companies by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. On 1st June 2007 the assets of the Harpenden Trust, Charity Number 212973 (the “Former Trust”), were transferred to the Company and the Former Trust ceased to exist. Those assets now constitute the Care Fund. On 17th April 2008 the Abbeyfield (Harpenden) Society Limited transferred all its assets to the Trust and these assets now constitute the Community Fund.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
The Trust has four charitable purposes, as formally set out within the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association:
The Board has resolved that all references to “Harpenden” mean the postal district of Harpenden and its immediate surroundings.
SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY
The story of the Harpenden Trust since inception has been one of good neighbourliness. Harpenden as a town has, within its community, both the needy and the well off. “One could help the other” was at the heart of our founding principles, and “Funded by Harpenden people, managed by Harpenden people to benefit Harpenden people” continues to be our mantra.
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRUST
The main activities of the Trust which form the strategy for the Trust to achieve its charitable purposes continue to span three core areas: The Care Fund, The Community Fund and Community Halls.
The Care Fund
During the last year, the Harpenden Trust Care Fund has continued to offer support for individuals and families within Harpenden. The work of the Care Fund covers both financial and emotional support. The work of the Care Fund relies heavily on the money raised by the Harpenden Trust Annual Appeal and the Care Fund is grateful to the Fundraising team for once again raising a substantial amount of money for this work.
At the core of the Care Fund activities is the Home Visits initiative. Our home visitors meet clients either in person or on the telephone and help those in need by arranging confidential help. They arrange financial help for utility bills and provide clothing and food vouchers. Our Home Visitors also organize the provision of items of furniture and white goods for clients who find themselves with little or no furniture or basic appliances. Home Visits continue to receive over 45 calls a month for our help. We have carried out over 600 visits in last 12 months, assisting with aspects such as food costs, school uniform and essential appliances. Supporting young people, we have awarded 48 grants this financial year for essential educational trips & courses. We have also been able to help some of our Home Visits families with an outing to a theme park in the summer.
We continue to help and support our senior residents. The Trust has also been able to provide those who might be lonely or housebound over Christmas with a Christmas hamper. Last Christmas we were able to deliver Christmas hampers to 140 clients across Harpenden. We have also supported 68 seniors on a low pension by the provision of a utilities grant of £400 each. This grant has been invaluable in helping pensioners with their utility bills especially during this cost of living crisis. We have run nine Seniors outings this year with a total of 224 senior clients taking part in these outings. Both Senior Coffee Mornings (Tuesday at The Trust Centre and Thursday at the Salvation Army) are continuing to be very popular with 30-40 guests attending weekly at each location. Our transport team, now 28 drivers, has been instrumental in boosting attendance at many Trust senior and wellbeing events and classes, assisting with bringing clients who might otherwise struggle to attend.
The Seniors Fair last April was a great opportunity for seniors in Harpenden to attend the event in the Eric Morecambe Centre. The Fair brought together over 30 charities and businesses providing services to senior people and was attended by over 300 Harpenden residents.
The Care Fund – Wellbeing
The Befriending and Wellbeing initiatives are now grouped under the heading ‘Wellbeing’ within the Care Fund.
Our Befriending section has seen a dramatic increase in clients over the past few years and we now have over 100 befriending clients. We offer befriending to older, isolated, or housebound residents and our clients receive regular visits from a befriender which may take the form of meeting at the client’s home or, for example, enjoying a walk together.
We are working in partnership with the Harpenden Health Primary Care Network (PCN) and Mind in Mid Herts, to support better wellbeing across the town for all age groups through the Harpenden Wellbeing Hub.
We now provide volunteer wellbeing friends to support the PCN’s social prescribers in supporting referred patients to engage with social activities and are currently supporting 45 clients. We continue to fund 12 hours a week of Mind in Mid Herts Outreach support with 100 referrals helped in the last 12 months. This year we have an additional 8 hours a week of a second Outreach worker for a year long men’s mental health project in partnership with the St Albans and District Foodbank.
We have brought specialised initiatives to Harpenden so that residents can receive support on their doorstep. Frazzled Café was the first of these and continues to thrive. Through Partnerships we have added specialist Parkinson’s exercise classes with Parkinson’s UK and Everyone Active, and a Compassionate Café for those who have experience loss, with Rennie Grove Peace Hospice.
We also partner with other groups: Memory Lane Café for those living with dementia is funded by the Trust and run with the Town Council and Salvation Army; and this year started a dementia friendly Intergenerational Choir where residents of all ages sing with year 10 pupils from Sir John Lawes School. Arts on Prescription is funded by the Trust and hosted by Everyone Active at the Eric Morecambe Centre.
Our Harpenden Library partnership and initiative, with Trust volunteers running a Library Express service on Wednesday afternoons, also forms part of the Wellbeing Hub as the library is a welcoming place for people who value the companionship of other library users and find the surrounding soothing or simply enjoy a good reading experience.
Our community café, the Well Bean Café, within the newly refurbished Harpenden Trust Halls in Southdown enables our wellbeing and befriending clients to meet up with their wellbeing friends and befrienders in a welcoming community space during opening hours. Those more anxious or isolated are invited to our twice monthly Chatting Café with transport provided if needed.
The Community Fund
The Harpenden Trust Community Fund provides support for community schemes and projects in the Harpenden area from a substantial capital donation received in 2008 from the Abbeyfield (Harpenden) Society Limited. Since that time, it has made over 240 grants to local organisations – from schools, youth and sports clubs; to choirs, churches and charities – in support of their projects. We are proud to say we have provided over £1.1 million in grants to local community projects since 2008.
The Community Fund looks to make grants on condition that these are for defined projects or specific purposes, rather than funding regular operating costs, although it considers all applications and can help cover temporary funding gaps that can arise in austere times. As always, to decide between different applications can be a challenging task, but the Community Fund sets out to support specific projects which will benefit all sectors of the community; young, old, disabled, sporting, educational.
2023/2024 has seen a continued demand for grants provided by the Community Fund. Although grants have not reached the record figures seen in the previous year, it has been a privilege to help support a wide range of projects that have benefited the residents of Harpenden across all age groups.
Continuing support is being provided to local schools. A new library and a sensory garden have been opened at Harpenden Academy. We have enabled Wood End Primary School to fill their new library with books. The Fund has also supported a Pupil Wellbeing Hub in Lea School and a Sensory Garden at Sauncey Wood Primary School. Our contribution to the Harpenden Lions Life Skills Programme has assisted pupils, this year at Roundwood Park, Crabtree Junior, and Lea Primary. We have also supported Harpenden schools to participate in the Young Enterprise project where students start and run their own businesses. This is a national programme and Roundwood School have won the local area competition and will progress to the regional final.
Supporting projects that seek to improve mental health continues to be a high priority. The Community Fund together with Harpenden Town Council have provided money for a sensory projector. We are very pleased that this is used in the Memory Lane Café, and by Willow Court Care Home, and is available for use by people living with dementia right across Harpenden.
Funding has also been provided to support continuing growth in visitors at the Hornbeam Hedgehog Sanctuary, and for repairs to the halls for both the Harpenden and Redbourn Girl Guides and St Johns Church. Continued support has been provided to Harpenden Rovers Youth Football Club, now with over 200 children regularly playing. Funding has been granted towards the purchase of new gymnastic equipment at the Harpenden Leisure Centre, to allow more deprived children and families to have access to the facilities. Lastly the Fund has contributed towards the purchase of land on Kinsbourne Green Common on behalf of the local community, to retain access for local residents of Harpenden.
Community Halls
Following the refurbishment the Harpenden Trust Halls provide the following community spaces:
Abbeyfield Hall - 1,270 sq. ft. with a capacity of 110 people seated (theatre style) or 200 people standing
Gibbons Hall – 1,100 sq. ft. with a capacity of 100 seated (theatre style) or 175 standing
Charles Hill Lounge – 380 sq. ft. with a capacity of 20 seated (low comfy seating)
Meeting Room – 300 sq. ft. with a capacity for 18 seated (12 boardroom + 6 comfy)
Community Café – 300 sq. ft. with a capacity for 22 seated
In addition to the Harpenden Trust Halls, we continue to hire out the existing Harpenden Trust Centre at No. 90 Southdown Road. The Centre comprises:
Renwick Hall – 1,080 sq. ft. with a capacity of 80 seated or 130 standing,
Randall Room – 500 sq. ft. with a capacity of 45 seated or 70 standing.
Since the Harpenden Trust took over the old Southdown Methodist Halls last year a comprehensive programme of works has taken place to make the Halls an exciting new community facility for the residents of Harpenden. The halls had been allowed to deteriorate significantly and there was a lot of work required to bring the property up to current safety requirements, improve the overall environment to make it attractive to new hirers and visitors alike.
Once a list of works had been identified by the property committee a capital expenditure budget was agreed to cover the works. Listed below are the main projects that have been undertaken since January 2023, some of these works could be considered of a maintenance nature, others were for property enhancement:
Redecoration – The internal decoration was of very poor condition and had not been painted for a long time. The works commenced with spraying the ceilings and then carried on with decorating both the halls and other spaces.
Disabled toilet- The existing disabled toilet was located on the far side of the building and in a poor condition. A new space between the existing Male and Female toilets was created and a new disabled toilet installed.
Well Bean Community Café- The forming of the Well Bean Café was seen as an important part of what the Trust wanted to offer the community. The decision was taken to replace the existing tired kitchen area with a purpose-built café kitchen and seating area which was opened in June.
Central heating upgrade- The existing boiler was the original from when the halls were built in the 80’s and long overdue for replacement as no spares were available in the event of breakdown. In the summer of 2023, the two boilers were replaced for one new modern boiler and all the radiators renewed as a number were showing signs of significant corrosion. The new system performed well through the last winter and the team are monitoring the efficiency of the new system.
Fire alarm and lighting improvements- The existing lighting has been overhauled to incorporate new LED lights, automatic control and the emergency lights replaced if defective. When we took over the building the fire alarm system was very unreliable and constantly creating false alarms. Since then, a lot of work has been carried out to improve the system which is now working well.
Fire stopping- The fire safety report had identified that there was existing steelwork that need fireproofing to protect the steel in the plant room and Co-op escape corridor. This has now all been installed.
New Corridor- It had been identified early on that potential new hirers were not happy with the fire escape route through the Abbeyfield Hall and it needed a corridor to separate the space. As this was a fire escape it needed to comply with building regulations. The new corridor was completed last summer.
Door entry system- The two means of access into the building makes it difficult to control access into the building and it was agreed a door entry system using pin numbers assigned to users would make the building more secure. This went live in April 2024
Acoustic Improvements to Abbeyfield and Gibbons Halls- Discussions with new hirers highlighted that the acoustics in the Abbeyfield Hall made it very difficult to teach classes as the reverberation time was too high. As a result, acoustic panels have been fitted to the two main halls and café area. The improvements have been welcomed by hirers.
CCTV- A CCTV system has been installed to both of the Trust’s properties to give greater security and peace of mind to hirers. To allow this to be introduced a CCTV policy has been produced and sent to all hirers. The system went live in April 2024
There are still further works planned for both properties during 2024:
Redecoration of No 90 internally and externally
Refurbishment of the office to 90
Replacement of the existing Velux windows to 130a
Refurbishment of the toilets to 130a
When we took over the Trust Halls in January 2023 we inherited 9 regular hirers from the Methodist Church, we currently have 24 - 11 of these are new hirers; 4 are running classes at both venues and 1 has moved from the Trust Centre.
Across both venues, The Harpenden Trust currently has 42 external hirers. These include those providing classes for children: Dance, Theatre, Girl Guiding, Martial Arts, Expedition Club and Science. The Adult classes include Education groups, Exercise and Dance, Bridge club, German Language group, Marquetry, Martial Arts and Sewing.
We are also delighted to provide hall space for our Wellbeing partners, enabling them to expand their good work further into the community. Computer Friendly run a regular Drop-In at the Trust Centre, once again making help more accessible for the local area. We continue to hire out our halls for one-off activities such as Children’s parties, Charity events, Art exhibitions, AGMs and as a Polling station.
Community Halls – Well Bean Community Café
The refectory space in the newly acquired Harpenden Trust Halls has been redeveloped to create a community café. Named the Well Bean Café, this café is donation only and run by a team of volunteers from the Harpenden Trust. The Well Bean Café opened its doors in June 2023, creating a community meeting place for all. In particular, clients and friends from the Wellbeing group use this welcoming space to meet up for a chat over coffee, tea and cakes. The newly refurbished space also includes a gallery wall to display the work of local artists and students.
VOLUNTEERS
The Trust operates almost exclusively on a volunteer basis and is most fortunate to have had the services of approximately 500 unpaid volunteers during the course of the year. The Trust would not function without the generosity of time donated by so many dedicated local people.
To put this into some perspective, without the enthusiasm, drive, professionalism and commitment of all the Trust’s volunteers, the Trust would not have:
· been able to respond to over 600 calls for Home visits, including over 50 new clients and so enabled families to be assisted by financial and other means;
· ensured that 68 people received £400 each to help with their utility bills;
· enabled 140 residents to receive Christmas parcels;
· provided befriending service for nearly 100 residents;
· delivered c.10,000 Christmas Appeal envelopes in 354 roads, received over 2,200 donations involving 240 Area Organisers, collectors and volunteers counting and recording the collections;
· helped with the provision of wheelchairs on short term loan for 32 residents;
· organised a family outing for 42 home visits clients with children;
· organised 9 outings and tea parties for 224 senior residents;
· launched the Harpenden Wellbeing Hub in partnership with the Harpenden PCN for over 100 residents;
· assisted 48 pupils with school trips and courses.
Whilst remaining true to our principles of supporting the residents of Harpenden, we continue to broaden and widen the areas of support work that we are setting up and becoming involved in. As a result, our database of volunteers continues to broaden and widen too. We are very grateful for the skills and expertise that many of our volunteers bring.
Over the past year the acquisition of our new premises (no. 130a Southdown Road) has meant that we have seen a considerable increase in the numbers and the skill sets of volunteers recruited across the Trust. Alongside expansion in many of our existing areas of work, including Befriending, Wellbeing, Driving, Blue Badges and Events, the new premises has needed a management structure to function efficiently, as well as providing the opportunity for a welcoming and perfect meeting place for several new Wellbeing Support groups to be established.
Our Ribbon Cancer Support Group, PD (Parkinson’s) Buddies and the Compassionate Café were all set up during last year, each one in partnership with a local or national organisation. They are all now running very successfully at no.130a with Trust volunteers. A Men’s Project support group is in the initial stages of set up.
Our very successful Well Bean Café, a donation only Community Café, which opened in June 2023 at no.130a, has 30 volunteers trained and ably running the cafe on weekday mornings, welcoming and chatting with the many visitors, clients and volunteers that call in.
Planning ahead for the arrival of the Trust minibus also meant a further need for volunteers to both head up the team and to drive the minibus. This is now all in place whilst we still await its arrival.
The Trustees would like to thank every one of the Trust’s volunteers who give so generously of their time and skills. Their enthusiasm and dedication is much appreciated by everyone. Whilst it would be difficult to list all the volunteers in the Directors’ Report, the organisation chart on pages 20-21 shows the Trust’s organisation structure, role and responsibilities of the Board and Committee Chairs and members, individual team managers and leaders and their respective team members and we would like to thank them all formally for their valuable contribution to the Trust.
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
With the objective of supporting all the Trust’s activities, the External Affairs Committee was established by the Board at the start of 2019 and now meets quarterly.
The Committee’s overall objectives are to advise the Board and build overall awareness and knowledge of the Trust’s presence and activities across the local community. It seeks to support both the Care Fund and Community Fund as requested; enhance the overall levels of communication with volunteers, members, and local residents; as well as managing the Trust’s website and social media presence. We undertake the publication of a bi-annual Newsletter, published online on our website and with hard copies also available from our Southdown offices, which has been incredibly well received.
This all assists the Trust in becoming more visible to those in need, which in turn assists us in identifying where needs are emerging across our community. Our external communications activities also assist us in attracting new volunteers to support our work and also in our ability to raise additional funds to support these activities.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
An organisation is exposed to risks which at best may prevent it from achieving its objectives effectively and, at worst, may threaten its existence. Risks should be assessed and disclosed to all the stakeholders. Whenever possible, risks should be avoided. Failing this, risks should be mitigated and managed. To this end, a Risk Report which analyses the risks the Trust faces and their potential impact is reviewed annually and submitted to the Board. The Risk Report assesses the structure and governance of the Trust and services provided by the Trust under the following headings: Strategy, Structure, Finance, Investment, Operations and Human Resource, Compliance, Regulations and Health and Safety, Cyber Security and Information Technology, External Affairs, Property, Care Fund, Wellbeing Hub and Community Fund. Control measures to reduce the risks are also assessed. Ownership of individual risks is assigned to the relevant Committees and teams. The Risk Report information is delegated by the Board for further actions to address the risks as and when necessary.
The expansion of services and help to the Trust’s clients and the Harpenden community has led to a substantial growth of the Trust in terms of its management, operations and staffing who are largely volunteers. Over the years, the Trust’s governance has been enhanced to reflect the growing complexity of the Trust. To this end, the Audit Risk and Governance Committee meets three times a year to review the Trust’s governance and structure, with urgent matters dealt with via emails. Comments and recommendations are reported to the Board and relevant committees for actions. The strengthening of the governance is a continuing process, and the Trust aims to achieve best practice whenever possible.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Trust takes its duty for H&S matters very seriously, and with the acquisition of the additional premises, came an increase in health and safety requirements. We therefore appointed an external H&S Consultant on a one-year contract, to work with our newly established H&S team, guiding us through the necessary requirements, making us aware of our legal H&S duties and assisting us in setting up systems, procedures, and documentation across our two premises.
DIRECTORS
On 31st March 2024, the Trust had twelve appointed Directors. The full Board meets quarterly. The Trust has established policies and procedures in place to regulate its activities. Delegated powers have been given to an Investment Committee, which oversees the Trust’s Investment Policy and Strategy. Delegated powers have also been given to the Audit Risk and Governance Committee which oversees the integrity of the Financial Statements and Accounts and the Trust’s compliance with the practice of good corporate governance. In addition to the Board committees, there is the Care Fund Committee and the Community Fund Committee which meet regularly. The development and maintenance of the Community Halls are being managed by the Property Team. A Property Team committee meets monthly to oversee the management and letting of the Harpenden Trust Centre and the newly acquired Harpenden Trust Halls on behalf of the Board. An External Affairs Committee advises the Board and develops policy for building overall awareness and knowledge of the Trust’s activities.
After a long association with the Trust, Teresa Heritage stepped down from her role as President last October. Terry, as she is known, had been our President for 4 years and a non-executive Director for the previous 8 years. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Terry for all of the valuable contributions made to the Trust in a variety of different ways over the past twelve years.
The Directors who have served during the 12 months under review (all of whom are unpaid volunteers) are listed below.
Those serving throughout the year were:
Richard Nichols - Chair of the Board
Roona Ellis - Chair of the Audit Risk & Governance Committee
Mike Felton - Chair of the Investment Committee
Mike Gosling - Board Secretary
Lynn Kennedy - Christmas Appeal Director
Andy Lynes - Finance Director
Nick Luckett - Chair of the Care Fund
Steve Pryor - Chair of the Community Fund
Pat Ring - People Director
Emma Deutrom - Non-Executive Director
Mike Kelly - Non-Executive Director
Sarah Holmes - Head of Wellbeing
There have been no changes to the Board of Directors over the past year.
OUR FUTURE
The Directors believe that the Harpenden Trust, underpinned by established sound corporate governance, continues to be well positioned to support our local community.
With over 75-year heritage, the commitment of over 500 local volunteers, an established investment portfolio providing a core income stream, and the generosity of local residents and businesses each Christmas at the time of our annual appeal, the Trust has the ability to provide much needed support across our local Harpenden community. Despite the perception expressed at times that Harpenden is a community that requires little additional financial support, increasingly the Trust’s experience has been the opposite.
The Harpenden Trust seeks to be at the heart of supporting the evolving needs of our community. We continue to seek to make a positive difference in supporting our community where we feel most able.
The Harpenden Trust is here to help.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Approved by the Board on 11 July 2024 and signed on its behalf by
Richard Nichols
Chair of the Board
(For the Year Ending 31 March 2024)
Link to Annual Report 2024 here.
27 September 2024
