Signpost
Resource
Centres
Annual Report 2010 / 2011
Section 1
Activity Report
Section 2
Accounts
Chairman’s Report / Eugene KraftThe year ending 31st March 2011 was another busy year for Signpost with a total of 8380 visitors to the two centres, an increase of 7.1% on the previous year.
A significant achievement for Signpost in the year was the award of a Lottery grant amounting to £230,000 over three years. In addition we were awarded £75,000 by the Henry Smith Foundation. Both these grants are essentially for our core work, providing a free walk-in service for the unemployed of Colchester and Tendring.
The award of these grants has provided a substantial part of our funding needs for the next three years and allowed us make a start on the implementation of our plans for the expansion of Signpost’s operations. As part of this plan we have recently recruited a new manager for our Tendring centre. Diane Boyd has considerable experience in the voluntary sector and has already made a positive start to the implementation of our plans.
During the year we were also active as sub contractors for the government Flexible Routeways contract, which targeted a specific unemployed client group. This contract provided funds that allowed us to assist clients into work or training. We were also a partner in the delivery of the Future Jobs Fund project, lead by Colchester Borough Council, which targeted young unemployed adults.
Total income for the year was £156,083 with expenses of £148,750. Thus, including funds brought forward from the previous year, it was possible to carry forward £58,476.
We are grateful also for the continuing support of Colchester Borough Council as well as the other donors listed in the report.
Looking forward to 2012 there remain a number of challenges, not least of which is the need for additional funds to continue our core work and implement our strategic plans.
I must thank our staff and volunteers for the hard work and commitment they have shown over the past year.
Eugene Kraft
Chairman
Development Manager’s Report / Paul FeaseyThe Development Manager’s Role
Some 2 or 3 years ago the need to attend to Signpost’s overall development was recognized by the Trustees and I was asked to take on the Development Manager’s role. This was in addition to running our Tendring facility. More recently we have been successful in securing funding to keep us relatively secure in the medium term. As the Chairman has stated in his report we are now in a position to implement our Business Plan which is designed to promote our long term sustainability. Securing funds and appointing a new Manager to run Signpost Tendring are the first steps.
Sustainability is the current concern of many voluntary sector agencies at this time. When we consider Signpost’s history many of us will remember several episodes where our very survival hinged on a successful bid. This compromises our sustainability. The current economic climate means that our services are as important now as when Signpost was formed in response to the high unemployment of the mid 90’s. The loss of our service would have a severe impact on the communities we serve.
The Business Plan
So what is this Business Plan and how does it address the issues outlined above?
There are three main strands to the Plan: Expansion, Income Generation and Organisational Systems.
Expansion: We are very effective at supporting communities in deprived areas. There are many areas with deprivation and employment needs. We have evolved considerable skill in addressing these issues and our services are needed in many other communities. Greater size will give us access to larger contracts as well as more Centre Managers working on their local centre funding. For us, financial safety lies in diversity of income.
Income Generation: Appropriate funding is a prerequisite of both continued and future operations. Currently Centre Managers do all of the fund raising as well as service delivery. Development of our fundraising capacity will contribute to sustainability. The Business Plan aims to retain and develop the Managers’ fundraising talents but with the addition of a central team that can pursue larger contracts and support individual centres as required.
Organisational Systems: Our current systems have evolved through the contracts in which we have been involved and our funders’ needs. We are good at this type of admin which is just as well, as increased diversity of funding will lead to increased admin complexity. Currently, we are a small organization with the advantage of flexibility that our size brings. Once Signpost is larger, our current systems will need to develop in order to cope.
So the Business Plan has the potential for significant changes that are ultimately in the interest of our future beneficiaries both in the medium and longer term. Whilst delivering this Plan will be a challenge for Trustees, Staff and Volunteers. It is important to do this without compromising the values and personal touch which are an integral part of Signpost.
Paul Feasey
Development Manager
Centre Manager’s ReportSignpost Greenstead / Alf Mullins
Visitor Numbers
Visitor numbers continued to increase with nearly 6,000 visits in the year 2010-11 although the number of new visitors fell by around 13%.
Centre Activity
Russell Green from Colchester Borough Council's Community Team has initiated a Work Club on Monday mornings which is proving very popular. We are keen to ensure they continue when Russell ‘steps aside’. Our facilities are still being used by Citizens Advice Bureau for weekly drop-in sessions and by the Library for their Homework Club. We have recently set up a page on Facebook as a first step in joining the social networking community.
Projects
Flexible Routeways has come to an end, the final analysis of job outcomes has not yet been completed but is likely to be around 40% - an excellent achievement. The Future Jobs Fund programme finishes in September and again the success rate has been higher than anticipated, with over 50% of the first intake going on to gain employment, enter further education or begin apprenticeships.
Funding
We are grateful for Colchester Borough Council’s continuing support for our Greenstead centre and it was satisfying to note that we were mentioned in their city status bid.
Networking
I continue to attend meetings of Colchester Works, SAINT community group for St Andrews and the Haven Project.
Staff and Volunteers
Katie Watkins was retained on completion of her Future Jobs Fund contract and has been assisting Teresa with the Flexible Routeways administration. We have had two further employees under the scheme - Samantha Gale who completed recently and David Burne who is still with us at the time of writing. Tricia Norris who was Advisor and Mentor for the Future Jobs Fund programme left us in May to take up fostering – we all wish her well. Teresa has gained the Manual Bookkeeping Skills award and Katie the Health & Safety in the Workplace certificate. Jon is keen to take an active role in fundraising and has attended funding workshops. Alan has remained as a regular volunteer, whilst Andy and Sarah have both entered further education, whilst occasionally volunteering.
I would like to express my gratitude to all the staff and volunteers for their hard work and dedication throughout the year and to the Trustees for their continuing help and support.
Alf Mullins
Centre Manager
Centre Manager’s ReportSignpost Tendring / Paul Feasey
Centre Activity
This year has seen a drop in the number of New Visitors in Tendring although the number of times each visitor Repeat Visits remains consistent. This is largely due to our working on the Flexible Routeways project where more time was spent with each individual rather than a short time with a number of people.
Project Work.
The Outreach Project continues at Clacton and Harwich Libraries delivered by Jon Rees and Cilla Beirne. There is no funding specific to this project but it is considered so important that we continue to deliver it out of reserves. Always oversubscribed, this project enables us to reach many people who are unable to get to SPT
The Flexible Routeways Project for Intraining Ltd has occupied much of our efforts over this period. This has been a successful project. Putting real resources at the disposal of our beneficiaries has been a very effective way of supporting people into worthwhile employment.
Funding.
For some years now the Fair Share Fund managed by the Essex Community Foundation has been the bedrock of SPT funding. This Source of revenue is now at an end. However, SPT is well supported by the Big Lottery and Henry Smith funding described elsewhere. These monies have and will make a significant difference to the lives of our beneficiaries.
Staff & Volunteers.
We have become a well established team over the past few years; Bob Martin continues to do a good job while Cilla Beirne has been working both as an advisor and an administrator, carrying much of the Tendring admin load for the Flexible Routeways project.
Our volunteers (Roy Sobanja, Kriss Moore, Graeme Burrell and Alan Ames) continue to be a valuable resource, helping us to deliver services and making a real difference to our visitors.
So it is with mixed feelings that I report that, after eight years, I am handing over the reigns at SPT to Diane Boyd. Diane comes to us from NACRO, she has a good track record and considerable experience. I am confident that she will prove a real asset to Signpost in the years ahead. To find out what I will be doing please read my Development Manager’s report elsewhere in this document.
Finally I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trustees, Staff, Volunteers and our Partners for their help and support over the past eight years.
Paul Feasey
Centre Manager
ACCOUNTS IN HERE
Signpost Resource Centres for the Unemployed
Trustees, Staff and Volunteers
Chair / Eugene KraftTrustees / Rev. Bryan Snaith
Alderman Mary Frank
Kenneth Clarke
Chris Profitt
Richard Thomas
Signpost Tendring,
Unit 5, Jaywick Enterprise Centre,
Lotus Way,
Jaywick,
Clacton on Sea
Essex. CO15 2LU / Paul Feasey
Bob Martin
Cilla Beirne
Graeme Burrell
Roy Sobanja
Kriss Moore
Alan Ames
T: 01255 688683 / F: 01255 688685 / E:
Signpost Greenstead
First Floor, the Library,
Hawthorne Avenue,
Greenstead,
Colchester,
Essex. CO4 3QE / Alf Mullins
Teresa Anthony
Jon Rees
Sarah Nevard
Alan Dobson
Andy Allen
Tricia Norris
Alan Green
Katie Watkins
T: 01206 861800 / F: 01206 861802 / E: