Chair’s Report AGM 19 November 2025
HVCA Objectives – Public benefits (as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association):
“the provision of facilities to advance education and promote health and social welfare to improve the conditions of life for local residents.”
Context
2024 – 2025 saw no let-up in the uncertainty in HVCA’s operating environment with the continuance of rising prices, declining public services and general political and economic volatility. New leaders and parties were elected both in the UK and the US, each bringing in new social and fiscal policies, which we expect to impact the communities we serve to a lesser or greater degree.
Bookings have increased but we are still aware of high levels of isolation, anxiety and financial hardship in the community. Thus, we have persevered with our stated strategy – agreed at last year’s AGM – of focussing on the provision of more free or low-cost community events and activities to help bring people together. To that end, we continued delivering our weekly, term-time donations-based Soup Café where attendees are offered a bowl of tasty and nutritious freshly-made soup. These sessions have proved to be very popular and successful, attracting a range of regular attendees and valuable volunteers. We also made plans for introducing a number of new initiatives aimed at older, isolated people under an umbrella programme called Ageing Well. Proposed initiatives include exercise / social activities for people living with Parkinson’s Disease and their partners / carers, a death café or bereavement support group and exercise or activity groups. We also felt that there was a dearth of low-cost or free offerings for teenagers and young adults to help them socialise and improve mental wellbeing, so this is another avenue that we have pursued in the name of community cohesion. The expansion of HVCA initiatives has meant extra work for Emma, Laura and trustees but has given us a clear focus and has improved our visibility and community-building. The ability to consider moving in this direction was only made possible by the recruitment of a second staff member, Laura who, despite only working 21 hours a week, has helped to alleviate the workload and allow us space to be more strategic.
2024/5 Highlights
- Finances:
- Steady performance considering the challenging economic conditions and re-focus towards more community activities. Lack of treasurer placed extra pressure on Emma, who again stepped up to perform / improve most of the bookkeeping and accounting tasks. Whilst moving to Sharesy has undoubtedly reduced much of the tedious administrative processing, the commission paid to them is not insignificant and there has been a drop-off in quality, meaning greater effort on our part. Bearing all this in mind we undertook a brief review of staff salaries and identified that Emma’s salary was considerably below the market average, so the Board took the decision to increase her wage and pay a bonus for the extra Treasurer work.
- HVCA is still withholding rent payments to LBH, with verbal agreement in March 2025 that it was reasonable to have withheld since March 2024, when we were led to believe the new Lease policy would be put to Cabinet. In fact, the policy is still being ironed out, with only a broad concept having been put before Cabinet. Provision has been made in the accounts to backdate rent payments in case Haringey renege.
- Events / Community Activities:
- Monthly Lunch Club – attendee numbers are on an upward trajectory but volunteer numbers still low; only one regular chef but a small number of guest chefs. Lovely atmosphere.
- Soup Café – regular weekly event held in term-time. Freshly-made bowl of soup served with garnishes and bread, Tea/coffee available on request. Donations welcomed. Steady numbers attending and a community forming.
- Crouch End Festival in June 2024 – Several school choirs performed in the Main Hall on Saturday of the Crouch End Festival week, organised by a couple of local resident volunteers. HVCA ran a café for refreshments. Important to be seen as participating in the festival.
- Volunteer Thankyou event in August 2024 – cosy event with Debra and Emma cooking
- Clothing Swap in October 2024 – Well organised by Jackie Sablich and Emma, with a stylist present to help out. Good quality event but low turnout.
- Apple Day October 2024 – Very well-attended and received event, organised by Mary. Several educational and fun activities garnered a lot of local support.
- Green Christmas Fair in November 2024 – well-attended event and successful for most stallholders. Nice atmosphere.
- Infrastructure:
- Emma and Laura have been invaluable assets to the centre, as have all our volunteers. Without their incredible efforts, the Centre would be unable to function and be as successful as it is.
- Centre usage is steadily increasing, with several new users.
- Telephone, Wi-Fi and networking software (Microsoft 365), also monitored security alarm and Sharesy booking systems all bedded in and working well, although the latter requires ongoing monitoring and management to minimise issues and enhance capabilities.
- Suppliers/contracts under regular review: City Housekeeping reinstated as centre cleaning contractor with generally positive outcome but there have been some niggles. Not happy with washroom supplies provider (Citron) – we were going to look to replace at contract end but PHS took over; we have decided to review after a year. Nearly all supplier charges have increased once again.
- Communications:
- Website regularly refreshed; also as part of Newsletter cycle, which is now at approximately 2-monthly intervals.
- Both local volunteer journalists have stepped down from helping with the Newsletter due to moving away from the immediate area and being very busy. Emma now mostly putting the Newsletter together herself. Need at least one more volunteer to write articles and put the Newsletter together.
- Social Media presence maintained and getting a reasonable level of engagement.
- Buildings and Maintenance:
- Utilising awards from the national Community Energy Fund and the Haringey Community Carbon Fund, Scene Connect Ltd carried out a low carbon energy feasibility study, looking at developing sustainable energy solutions for Hornsey Vale Community Centre, Hornsey Housing Trust’s Abyssinia Court and Weston Park School both as individual sites but also with the possibility of some kind of combined solution. The latter proved not to be viable so each f the sites was left with a report outlining the most practical solution for them.
- We finally arranged to have acoustic panels fitted in the Main Hall to improve its usability, especially for older people.
- Aman and other volunteers have been maintaining the building by regularly attending to a multitude of maintenance jobs – electrical, mechanical, plumbing, heating and enhancement.
- Main room re-decoration programme continues, regularly maintaining existing paintwork.
- Regular electrical repair jobs undertaken by qualified electrician (paid).
- Main Hall and other cupboards, as well as outside shed and spaces, regularly cleared/reorganised by Emma and Laura.
- Deep clean undertaken in August 2024.