THE Association of Teesdale Day Clubs has enough money to keep the organisation afloat until August 2022, the annual meeting was told.
During the coming months, trustees aim to source new funding and cut back on their reliance on grants.
Treasurer Annie Dolphin told the meeting finances during 2020 were more complex than usual due to the higher number of smaller grants and the challenges of the pandemic.
“Income was a jigsaw of Covid emergency grants, standard grants, donations and bank interest,” she said.
The association also furloughed three members of staff from April last year. Ms Dolphin said total income for 2020 was £129,000 against expenditure of £129,415.
The cash balance in December 2020 was £151,222, of which £54,184 was grants earmarked for specific use during 2021. She said the association has £97,038 in its reserve funds, short of its stated aim to cover 12 months’ costs but “enough to give us confidence to enter into 2021 feeling optimistic about the future”.
Ms Dolphin added: “All these figures mean that financially we have managed to remain stable, but we are in almost the same position as at the end of 2019.
“The challenge for trustees in 2021 will be to progress our funding strategy which was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic. This strategy is all about developing a more varied income base which is not as reliant on grants.
“It’s steady as we go, but it is really important not to rely on grants as much as in the past.”
Funders in 2020 included the National Lottery, Durham County Council, County Durham Community Foundation, Garfield Weston Trust, Sir James Knott Trust, Scotto Trust, Catherine Cookson Trust, Wellbeing for Life and Allen Lane Trust.
Donations were also received from Kyle Travel, Teesdale Lions, The Clique, West Lancashire Detectorists and Barnard Castle Rotary Club.
