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Approved at the AGM on 21 June 2012
Routes to Roots has worked with Dorset Wildlife Trust and other local organisations to plan motivational outdoor activities since 2009. They aim to provide one day a week of interesting and worthwhile work in the conservation area over a number of weeks. Our current project is at Holton Lee. Holton Lee covers an area of 350 acres of heathland, saltmarsh, reedbed and woodland, most of which is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Its purpose-built space and natural surroundings provide opportunities for disabled people to host events, participate in the arts, or simply relax and enjoy the environment.
The R2R project started in mid July 2012 and straightaway the guys who went along loved it and showed a real willingness and commitment to be involved.
As a group Routes to Roots was given ‘ownership’ of the Maze, which had been neglected for some time, and so their first task was to do some major tidying up before they could sit down together to think creatively about how to develop it. They were also given the cottage gardens to maintain. These had become massively overgrown and some hard work was needed to clear large areas covered in a thick forest of ferns and bracken.
In this lovely relaxed environment many deep and meaningful conversations have already taken place and trust and relationships are being built.
R2R is very grateful to Holton Lee for giving them this opportunity, and for the warm welcome they give to everyone, and for the generous way they share their facilities and make everyone feel very much at home, which for a homeless person is such a wonderful gift. R2R received Community Development Funding for this project.
Holton Lee has suggested further activities such as building a log shed, making an allotment and planting an orchard. As this project continues into 2013, R2R hopes to be able to offer AQAs, which will add to the guys’ paid employment prospects. Assessment and Qualifications Alliance is an Awarding Body, which offers vocational qualifications in a wide range of subjects.
Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, met R2R volunteers and the guys at the Skinner Street Drop-In on 18 October 2012 during a visit to Poole to see projects, which have been supported by the Community First funding for which he is responsible. Dorset Community First Foundation has funded our Holton Lee outdoor activity project. The visit was filmed by BBC South and shown on the local news that evening.
During his visit the Minister launched Corporate Community Giving – a new kite-marked scheme designed to help companies strengthen their Corporate Social Responsibility interests within a Venture Philanthropy Investment model. Pioneered by Dorset Community Foundation, the scheme aims to connect Dorset companies to the causes that matter to them.
Dorset Community Foundation is a leading provider of donor advisory and grant making services for companies, private individuals, charitable trusts and statutory bodies. The main focus of the Foundation’s work is to provide independent expert advice that enables local companies to achieve their charitable aims.
In November 2012 we received a cheque for £2000 from Ellingham & Ringwood Agricultural Society who run a one-day agricultural show each year.
The Honorary Treasurer Nick Love, a partner at Princecroft Willis, one of our corporate supporters, put forward the case to the Trustees for R2R to receive these funds.
Following the Dolphin Shopping Centre’s choice of Forest Holme as their charity for the next two years, the Friends of Forest Holme Hospice charity opened a second-time-around shop, Secret Wardrobe, on the first floor of the shopping centre in October 2012.
The shop sells high quality donated men’s and women’s clothing and accessories as well as china and glassware.
The charity has kindly agreed to donate any clothes they receive that are not suitable to their outlet to R2R. We can then give items out to our clients or turn them into cash. In a further link between our two charities, our corporate supporter Big Yellow has also been helping Forest Holme by providing storage for their donations.
Forest Holme Hospice Charity supports the hospice and specialist palliative care unit in Poole by raising funds to provide services, which enhance the quality of life to patients with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.
Membership
Whilst the previous year saw a 67% increase in membership the current year just ended has only maintained the numbers we achieved then – rising by just one member. The mix of members has changed with some falling away but with new members arriving on the scene. We are issuing the AGM pack to all previous and existing members and sincerely hope that some of those who have not maintained their membership will now come back to us. We have now made it possible for people to join and pay for membership via our website and we are also offering the possibility of using Standing Orders to make the process more automatic. Efforts to increase the number of people joining R2R will continue.
Changes to the Organisational Structure of R2R
Last year I reported on the proposed changes to the organisational structure. Unfortunately we are still waiting on the Government to finalise their requirements. The Charity Commission has already drawn up draft templates for the official documentation that will be required but final versions cannot be issued until the Government give the go ahead. The Board of R2R have agreed to change to the association model for Charitable Incorporate Organisations as this provides for voting members other than the trustees and is therefore the closest fit to the current Routes to Roots Constitution.
When the Government make their decision, it will be necessary for Routes to Roots to set up and register the new Charitable Incorporated Organisation and then transfer all the workings of the existing charity to the new CIO. When this happens there will be a few changes in the way that Trustees serve and are re-elected, so that only a percentage retire at any one time. This will give greater stability to Routes to Roots. The following provides a brief overview of this new organisational status:
- As a CIO, Routes to Roots will be able to own property, employ staff and enter into other contracts in its own name rather than in the names of the Trustees.
- Members of a CIO may have either no liability or limited liability for its debts.
- Members of a CIO, because they have additional legal protection, must comply with extra regulations.
- As a CIO, unlike a company, Routes to Roots will not have to register with Companies House.
- CIOs will not be fined for administrative errors like late filing of accounts, but some breaches of the CIO Regulations are legal offences.
- As a CIO Routes to Roots will still be required to produce accounts as we do now.
Administration
Finally I need to report that Lynn Foster has retired from her post as Administrator for Routes to Roots. Lynn has been a fantastic colleague and friend. She has on many occasions worked above and beyond the requirements of her admin post and we thank her for all her hard work and wish her a very happy and long retirement. Lynn has not left us entirely I’m glad to say as she will still be volunteering with us and is particularly looking forward to taking on the administration of the Routes to Roots Befriending Scheme when this is launched later in the year.
I now have great pleasure in welcoming Caroline Foy on board with Routes to Roots as our new Administrator. Caroline started with us at the very end of March and managed a brief handover period with Lynn. My thanks now go to Caroline for her hard work in preparing the mailings for the Open House and AGM.
Gabi Sanger-Stevens
Hon Secretary
Routes to Roots
May 2011
Siemens kindly dedicated their annual summer staff celebration at the end of July 2012 to fun activities run by volunteers to raise money for Routes to Roots and The Victoria Education Centre.
They invited us to bring along the Mobile Library van and join them for the afternoon to publicise the great work of our charity and also to collect jeans, trainers and t-shirts that they asked people to bring in.
Rachel Clement, Ben Platts, Alan O’Connor and Dawn Marks from Barclays volunteered with us for a day in July 2012.
In the morning they worked on our new Mobile Library van which was badly in need of some TLC after the heavy downpours of recent weeks/months. There had been some water ingress and there were areas that needed repainting and cleaning up which they helped with.
The afternoon saw them at Big Yellow, who kindly donate storage space to us, where they removed half the contents of the storage unit onto trolleys to release space to put in the two sets of shelving which we had bought.
The Barclay’s foursome split into two teams and competed to see who could get their shelving completed first.
They had lots of fun working out how to put the shelves together – reading the instructions was found to be helpful, as a last resort. There was a lot of laughter throughout.
Once the shelves were ready, they unloaded the trolleys and arranged everything. We now have a much better environment with more space.
Skinner Street URC are great at supporting Routes to Roots, so here’s an opportunity to support them for their 350th Anniversary.
WIMBORNE ORCHESTRA
IN CONCERT for our
350th ANNIVERSARY
SATURDAY 30th JUNE 2012 AT 7.00pm
An evening of
Music, Sparkling Wine
Strawberries and Shortbread!
Adult £7.00 Under 16 £3.50
For tickets, please telephone Mrs H Knapp 01202 632399