Foreword

We started the year with the opening of a new day service building.  Thanks to everyone who contributed to funding, designing and building it.  It adds to the range of facilities that QE2 Activity Centre can offer visitors.

One of our committee members retired this year and had this to say:

I’ve been a member for nearly 20 years & have always enjoyed the experience. I should like to congratulate you on the immense & ongoing progress that the Centre has made over the years. The enjoyment & interested participation of your clients & the hard work & dedication of your staff always speak volumes. Very well done.

We are now looking forward to 2020 and seeing how we can develop opportunities for people to visit and make use of the QE2 Activity Centre

Phil Oates

Manager

QE2 Activity Centre provides activity opportunities for people with additional needs in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving conditions of life.

QE2 Activity Centre provides activity sessions and day services for people with disabilities and their families and carers. 

QE2 Activity Centre is a registered charity

Finance

Full details are provided in our Report and Financial Statement for the Year End 31 March 2019

Income

Incoming resources                                               £332,119

Grants & donations*                                             £184,280

Investment income                                                £        601

TOTAL                                                                       £517,792

Expenditure

            Cost of providing charitable activities              £376,950

            Governance costs                                                  £  19,828

            TOTAL                                                                       £396,778

*includes restricted funds for Gold Day Service Building

Staffing

The QE2 Activity Centre staff team comprises Phil Oates (manager), Kerry Lees (senior instructor), Marie Poore (day service manager), Caroline Southgate (GreenHouse day service co-ordinator), Tracy Puttock, Stuart Blakeledge, Jackie Swann and Mira El Khaddamova (day service co-workers), Oli Carr (instructor), Jen Pearce (secretary) and Simon Rex (cleaner).

In October we said goodbye to long serving staff member Nick Cann who has moved on to manage a centre in Surrey.

Activity provision

During 2019 QE2 Activity Centre provided around eight thousand adventure activity experiences for visitors with additional needs and their carers

Each week we have around 40 bookings from local special schools, care homes, other day services and individuals.  These groups visit each week throughout the year, giving the opportunity for participants to develop skills in these activities.

Visitors took part in a variety of activities including:

  • Motorboat trips, canoeing and kayaking on the Hamble River
  • Orienteering, bushcraft and nature study in the Country Park
  • Zipwire, ropes course and team problem solving
  • Recreational tree climbing
  • Indoor climbing, archery and rifle shooting

Day service provision

During the year QE2 Activity Centre provided over 4000 day service places for adults with learning disabilities from Southampton and Hampshire. 

The day service provides a person-centred programme with activities designed to promote work and living skills.  This includes regular trips out into the community (e.g. swimming, library visits and food shopping) and many on site activities, including sensory, exercise and craft sessions, as well as gardening and catering.  Service users provide hospitality for the regular Parents’ Café as well as assisting with the monthly newsletter.

There was a sailing holiday on the Le Havre Pilot Cutter Jolie Brise; and another to Sandy Balls at Fordingbridge, for less active participants.  These holidays gave participants the opportunity to put into practice independent living skills they have learned while at the day service.

QE2 Activity Centre offers day services for adults with learning disabilities. 

Five dedicated day service staff, supplemented by activity staff, provide this service enabling up to eighty people per week to attend.  Activities are designed to help team members develop independent living skills and work skills, through a combination of onsite gardening, catering and domestic activities supplemented with a healthy dose of outdoor pursuits.

Community

Community is important to QE2 Activity Centre, we like to get involved and we like to involve others! 

Early in the year the Mayor of Eastleigh visited to perform the opening of our new day service building. 

Our local MP Mims Davies also visited in the Spring to find out more about the work of the Centre.  After a look around the new facilities she took a Questions and Answers session from a group of our day service users.

Over the years many local companies have supported the Centre through carrying out community volunteering days.  This year we have been concentrating developing a sensory garden adjoining the new day service building and refencing the Centre grounds.  In this we have been helped by staff from Office of National Statistics, Zurich Insurance, HSBC and Estee Lauder. Thanks!

Local web design company Steadfast Collective have been working on a new website for us, which will be live soon at www.qe2activitycentre.co.uk. Steadfast chose QE2 Activity Centre from 50 local good causes who applied.

Our local Tesco stores adopted QE2 Activity Centre as one of their bags for Life charities and we also had generous donations from Masonic Lodge Southampton 394 and Inner Wheel of Hamble.

The QE2 Activity Centre display team were out this year at Growfest, Royal Victoria Country Park, Lowford Community Centre, Southampton CC Learning Disability day, various schools and Tesco Bursledon.

In the summer a team from QE2 Activity Centre took part in a sponsored run helping raise funds for Naomi House.

QE2 Activity Centre team members have, once again, done their bit to help keep River Hamble Country Park tidy by going on litter picks and helped it to develop by planting 400 trees.

Acknowledgements

  • thanks to all the staff who work so hard to make every day special
  • thanks to all the volunteers and committee members who give their time, effort and energy
  • thanks to the grant making trusts who have contributed to our Gold Building appeal
  • thanks to all the local companies who have made donations or given their time to support QE2 Activity Centre
  • thanks to Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council and Eastleigh Borough Council for their continued help and support
  • thanks to all the parents, carers and care workers who support our visitors
  • most of all, thanks to everyone who has visited QE2 Activity Centre this year to take part in activities, holidays and day services

QE2 Activity Centre

River Hamble Country Park

Pylands Lane

Hedge End

Southampton

SO31 1BH

Registered charity no 1165893

Telephone 023 8040 4844

Email [email protected]

Website www.qe2activitycentre.co.uk