The Bircham Centre Charity held its Annual General Meeting in late April, which provided the Trustees with an opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months and set out their aims for the year ahead.
The past year has seen us enhance and extend our community involvement. An important element of that development has been the funding gained through the Norfolk Community Foundation to allow the Community Engagement Worker role to continue for another two years. This has allowed us to involve more and more members of the community in activities such as the weekly Crafternoons and the after-school board games group.
We have also been able to provide help and support for different sectors of the community with regular visits from advice sources such as Age UK Norfolk.
Maintaining our lovely building continues to be a financial challenge and the past year has seen a number of windows repaired or replaced and some bright new signage to help people navigate around our spaces. The next year will see us continue that work and, in particular, improve the accessibility of our garden space.
Of course, the Bircham Centre is hugely reliant on its volunteer supporters: the last year has seen new Trustees and Volunteers join us, and the appointment of our new Chair of Trustees, Tina Pashley. We will continue to try to recruit more trustees, associate trustees and volunteers throughout the year ahead and would love to talk to anyone who would be interested in joining our merry band!
Finances over the past year have been tight but thanks to grant support we have been able to achieve most of our objectives. We are delighted to confirm that we have just been awarded a grant from the Norfolk Offshore Wind Farms Community Fund from RWE, through Norfolk Community Foundation. This grant is for projects focused on Nature and Green Spaces and allows us to implement a programme of outdoor activities for all ages.
All of the above puts us in a great place to take on the opportunities and challenges of the year ahead. We will continue to work hard to be the heart of our community. Tina summarised our purpose as “to gather the community together in a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported.” This means ensuring that everyone in Reepham has a chance to benefit from the building and the activities, whether that’s grabbing a bargain in the charity shop, Monday community coffee mornings, regular Fixery sessions, children’s clubs, bridge, getting help and support, or simply enjoying our beautiful garden.
