Dunnikier Park Community Golf Trustees’ Annual Report th
Year to 30 November 2023
16th February 2024
Contents Chairman’s Introduction
1
Charity Trustees
2
Trustee Recruitment and Appointment
2
Structure, Governance and Management
3
Our Objectives and Activities
3
Strengthening Physical and Mental Health & Wellbeing
4
The Power of Park Golf for all Ages and Abilities
4
Park Golf – A Game for the Young ……
5
….. and a Game for the Not so Young
7
Some of our Visiting Groups in 2023
8
Highlighting our Achievements
9
Financial Review
11
Our Policy on Reserves
12
Donated Facilities and Services
12
Future Plans
12
Chairman’s Declaration
12
Independent Examiner’s Report
13
Our Just Giving Page
Back Cover
Volunteering Opportunities with DPCG
Back Cover
Charity Contact Information Dunnikier Park Community Golf Scottish Charity Number: SC051184 Address: c/o Dunnikier Park Golf Club, Dunnikier Country Park, Dunnikier Way, KIRKCALDY, KY1 3LP Telephone number: 01592 261599 Email address: dpcomgolf@gmail.com Website: https://www.dpcomgolf.com Facebook: DPCG – Dunnikier Park Community Golf (https://www.facebook.com/ParkGowf)
Press Officer Bruce Fegen, email address: dpcomgolf@gmail.com
Front cover: Picture drawn by Kara, one of our novice primary school park golfers.
Chairman’s Introduction It’s my great pleasure to report on what has been an amazing year for Dunnikier Park Community Golf’s work with local communities. While Year 1 was all about getting the building blocks in place and making an exciting start, Year 2 concentrated on expanding the reach of park golf to even more support groups, schools, care home residents and families in our local community. To say we were blown away with the level of community engagement achieved during 2023 would be an understatement. We more than doubled the number of park golf games played from just over 400 to over a thousand. Over 250 school pupils, from six primary schools, played park golf for the first time, with 30 pupils competing for the first park golf trophy, with Dunnikier Primary School taking the honours. Seven care homes joined our Care Home League, with 4 events held over the summer. We set up a 6-hole park golf course in Capshard Primary School. But this report is not about increased numbers, it’s about capturing the positive impact on people’s physical, mental health and wellbeing. It’s no accident that in the last six months, park golf has featured in Sportscotland’s SportFirst on-line publication, local newspapers and on BBC Sounds, BBC, and STV, with Scottish Golf soon to release coverage of our work with Phoenix Futures and Care Homes in their upcoming docuseries. All of this would not have been possible without grant funding from The Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund and Our Lives Matter Short-Term Community Grants, in addition to Arnold Clark, the Fife Golf Partnership and JustGiving donations. But it’s people that matter, and our success comes from the engagement of the many community groups who are now regular visitors and our friends – together with the support of our partners Active Fife, Fife Voluntary Action, Fife Golf Trust, Business Gateway Fife, my fellow Trustees, our group of committed volunteers, and Dunnikier Park Golf Club. I am very grateful to you all. Martin Christie, Chairman
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Charity Trustees as at 30th November 2023 1. Chair: Martin Christie. Retired, chartered accountant. Experienced in leading and managing business transformation and performance improvement. 2. Vice-Chair: Iain Evans. Business Manager, Fife Golf Trust. Experienced in advising businesses, including golf clubs, on governance and business planning best practice. 3. Secretary: Raymond Johnston. Chartered Quantity Surveyor and golf club secretary. Experienced in delivering complex work programmes and all areas of golf club management. 4. Treasurer: Richard Murdoch. Head of Asset Management at a Registered Social Landlord. Experienced in managing budgets and leading teams to achieve strategic objectives. 5. Pauline Randall: Business Consultant. Experienced in optimising the benefits of information technology. 6. Pamela Stevenson: Operational lead for Economic Development, for Fife Council; Chair of the Business Gateway Operational Network and former entrepreneur. 7. Izzy Scott-Trimm: Community Development Team Manager, and Wellbeing Practitioner. Experienced in capacity building of groups and organisations with governance and fundraising, reaching out to vulnerable groups within the community and facilitating activities.
Trustee Recruitment and Appointment All Trustee positions are up for election each year at the Annual General Meeting. Our constitution allows Dunnikier Park Golf Club to appoint one of its Office Bearers to the Board of Dunnikier Park Community Golf. Board members can be appointed to the Board mid-year and the Board was delighted to co-opt Pauline Randall, Pamela Stevenson and Izzy Scott-Trimm to the Board during the year. The constitution provides for up to 8 Trustees. On 30th November 2023, there were 7 Trustees.
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Structure, Governance and Management Dunnikier Park Community Golf’s governing document is its constitution, which sets out its purpose, structure and describes how it will operate. A copy can be accessed here
Our Objectives and Activities Dunnikier Park Community Golf (DPCG) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) registered by The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) on 6th August 2021. We are a non-profit distributing charity. Our charitable purposes are the advancement of public participation in sport and the advancement of health. ●
To advance public participation in sport in Kirkcaldy and the surrounding area through the promotion, alone or in conjunction with others, of participation in golf and other sporting activities and acting as advisors in relation to the development of golf and other sporting activities.
●
To advance health in Fife by the promotion, alone or in conjunction with others, of the benefits of physical activity and provision of assistance in relation to sports-related and healthy lifestyle matters.
To further these purposes, Dunnikier Park Community Golf seeks: ● To support citizenship, community development and community learning through the power of participation in Golf through working in partnership with members of and stakeholders in local communities and professional organisations, to empower individuals to improve their lives and their health and wellbeing. All programmes, projects and initiatives delivered by DPCG will contribute to four key outcomes and areas of focus: ● Raising self-esteem and confidence. ● Building a successful pathway to enjoyable participation in golf. ● Supporting healthier lifestyles, and ● Strengthening community engagement. • To support, where appropriate, disadvantaged or underprivileged children, young people or adults to participate in community sport and community learning opportunities which foster and develop a community spirit. • To do all such other things which further the objectives of DPCG and may be deemed to be charitable.
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Strengthening Physical and Mental Health & Wellbeing Since our inception, we have been encouraging people from the local community to become more active, as a means of strengthening and improving their physical and mental health and wellbeing. We concentrated on groups who wouldn’t normally play sport, so it was important to find a sport that was easy to play, that didn’t need any technical coaching to get started – essentially a ‘plug in and play’ sport that could be played by people of all ages and abilities. We identified a simple, fun golf game played by hundreds of thousands of people in Japan – Park Golf – a game that only requires players using one (mallet-style) club and a ball. We introduced Park Golf to Scotland in March 2022, with Dunnikier Park Community Golf being the first organisation in the UK to be an affiliated member of the Nippon Park Golf Association – the games governing body. In addition to Japan, Park Golf is played in countries such as the USA, Korea, Thailand, Brazil, Paraguay, Denmark and Sweden – and now Scotland!
The Power of Park Golf for All Ages and Abilities From our beginning we have focused on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the community, as we recognised they had been the most affected by social isolation during the pandemic. We wanted to get people out of their homes, having fun and a social chat, playing a simple and safe sport in the open air. In 21/22 (Year 1), we were successful in attracting funding from the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, which provided funding for start-up clubs, balls, insurances etc. We already had ready access to Fife Golf Trust’s 2019 short, 500 yard, 6-hole course, with enlarged holes, which was ideal for playing Park Golf. This year, 22/23 (Year 2), following £7,400 grant support from the Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund through Fife Council and Scottish Government, we continued our engagement with the various support groups from Year 1. These groups included: Alzheimer Scotland, Phoenix Futures (A Drug and Alcohol Support Group), the Salvation Army, Sporting Memories, Nourish Support Centre (for Families with Support Needs), with new groups also coming along, for example, Step by Step, a Cruse bereavement support group. However, we wanted to extend our reach to both younger and older age groups. 4
Park Golf – a Game for the Young ……….. With support from Active Fife Schools, and £8,000 funding through Our Minds Matter Short-Term Community Grants, we were able to purchase sufficient clubs and balls to run an 8-week Park Golf programme between April and June 2023. Over 250 pupils from 6 local primary schools took turns to come along to Fife Golf Trust’s (FGT’s) 2019 course to play Park Golf. Well over 200 pupils playing golf for the first time.
We followed this up with the inaugural Inter-School Park Golf competition on 5th October, with Dunnikier Primary School winning the trophy.
The Dunnikier Primary School team with their teacher, Sean Branley, proudly displaying the Inter-School Park Golf Trophy.
Group photo of the pupils from Fair Isle, Valley, Capshard, Torbain and Dunnikier who competed in the inaugural Inter-School Park Golf Trophy competition.
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One of Capshard’s Primary 6/7 classes having fun playing Park Golf
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……. and a Game for the Not so Young The Community Mental Health & Wellbeing grant also helped us launch our fun Care Home League. With support from Active Fife, we enrolled seven care homes, with over 30 residents and support staff participating in four Park Golf events held during 2023. It was amazing to see everyone socialising, meeting new friends, laughing and having fun playing park golf. Our Care Home League runs once a month during the summer. Should the weather be inclement, we run an indoor session of fun games, so the residents always have something to look forward to.
Kenny: 'Loved it, better than crazy golf. We discovered that golf was more than just a sport; it was a bonding experience, a chance to connect with fellow residents and create lasting memories.' Laura: 'Thoroughly enjoyed getting out in the fresh air. All the volunteers very helpful and always had a smile. Residents laughed throughout the Park Golf.' Pauline: 'Fabulous, the residents really enjoyed themselves, especially Lisa driving the buggy.' Robert: 'Good game, I enjoyed being out, it made a difference to me.' Jon: 'Lots of fun had by Derek, was great that we got to use the buggy.' Shemane: 'We thoroughly enjoyed our experience - staff and volunteers were helpful and friendly - 5 stars.' 7
Some of our Visiting Groups in 2023
Step by Step (Cruse Bereavement)
Phoenix Futures
International Women’s Group
Ingolstadt Golfers
Boreland Curling Club
Nourish Support Centre
The Salvation Army
Ingolstadt 60th Anniversary Delegation 8
Highlighting Our Achievements 1. REGULAR PARTICIPANTS and VISITORS ● Increased the number of visiting groups, and more than doubled our total footfall to more than 1,000 visits. ● Hosted several visiting parties, including an Air Cadets Squadron, Kirkcaldy Probus Club, Ingolstadt Town-Twinning Delegation, Fife Council’s Community Learning and Development Team, English for Speakers of Other Languages Group during International Women’s Week, Boreland Curling Club, Sporting Memories, Nourish Support Centre, and Step by Step (Cruse Scotland). ● Supported fundraisers for the Scottish Air Ambulance Service and the Kirkcaldy Foodbank (helping the latter to raise more than £1,000). ● Walk-ups were introduced during the school summer holidays. Even though the weather was less than kind, over 50 families joined in the fun, raising around £220 for our funds. ● Welcomed the return of the Fife Golf Invitational event, which brought together businesses playing a Texas-scramble event on Dunnikier Park’s 18hole course alongside a Park Golf event played by teams from local support organisations and Capshard Primary School – a truly inclusive golf event! ● A civic delegation from Ingolstadt had a Park Golf taster session while across celebrating the 60th anniversary of town twinning between Kirkcaldy and Ingolstadt. ● David Torrance MSP came along to try Park Golf, or Park Gowf as we call it. ‘’ I had a shot of Park Gowf at Dunnikier Park Golf Club this week and it's safe to say I won’t be giving up my day job anytime soon The club is a great resource in Kirkcaldy. and I can absolutely recommend Park Gowf as an activity for people of all ages and abilities to try out.’’
NEW PARTNERSHIPS ● Worked with Active Fife Schools and Fife Golf Trust to instal a short, 6-hole Park Golf course in the grounds of Capshard Primary School. We loaned them park golf clubs and balls allowing all pupils in the school to play Park Golf anytime they want as part of their PE curriculum. ● Set up a pilot in partnership with the Friends of Craigtoun Country Park to instal a short 6-hole Park Golf facility in their large putting green area. We loaned clubs and balls and supported the installation of the holes. The pilot ran from late summer to October. Following evaluation, a larger Park Golf course is to be introduced from Spring 2024. 9
3. MEDIA COVERAGE ● During 2023 our media coverage was simply amazing. Our engagement with the local community in strengthening health and wellbeing massively caught the attention of all sections of the media: o Rachel Stewart, a presenter from BBC Sounds, came along in June to meet and chat with our regular groups. The 25-minute podcast can be found here o Fife Today published an article on our Chairman, Martin Christie, on The Joy of Park Gowf o STV News at Six covered the benefits of playing Park Golf for dementia sufferers Jimmy and Kenny enjoying Park Gowf o Scottish Golf featured our support for Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation and Care Home residents in its docuseries to be released in the Spring. o Sportscotland’s Sportfirst article on Park Golf o BBC Reporting Scotland reported on the health benefits of playing golf o The Nippon Park Golf Association included an article and a picture of us in its September NPGA 2023 News magazine, celebrating Park Golf’s 40th birthday.
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Financial Review The Trustees would like to record their appreciation to the Scottish Government, through Fife Council and Fife Voluntary Action for the project grants received. The important work we do to support physical and mental health and wellbeing in the Fife Community would not be possible without such financial assistance. The Our Minds Matter project supported the purchase of 100 clubs and balls from China. The clubs are 3 different sizes, enabling us to engage with primary school children from Primary 2 upwards. The Community Roll-Out project funded the expansion of Park Golf to more community groups, including the setting up of our Care Home League. All our activities, including the important cups of tea/coffee biscuits after the round, are provided free of charge. Participants have the option, if they wish, to donate towards our running costs.
Abstract of Accounts Payments
£
Receipts
Opening Bank Balance 1st December 2022 OUR MINDS MATTER (OMM) PROJECT Equipment 8,156 COMMUNITY ROLL-OUT PROJECT Costs (Note 1) 7, 555
2,655
OMM Small Grants Fund
8,000
Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund Donations Walk Ups
7,400
15,711
1,733 228 17,361
Closing Bank Balance, 30th November 2023 Note 1: Park Golf Costs Travel expenses Park Golf hospitality Equipment Insurances Website, marketing etc TOTAL
£
4,305
£ 610 1,000 2,903 969 2,073 7.555 11
Our Policy on Reserves The accounts show that the charity’s accumulated reserves at 30th November 2023 were £4,305. None of the reserve carried forward is ring-fenced for any specific purpose. However, the Board is keen to always maintain a minimal reserve of £3,000 to ensure at least one year of core operational costs (insurances and club replacement clubs/balls) and any unforeseen contingencies can be met.
Donated Facilities and Services Dunnikier Park Community Golf is extremely grateful to Fife Golf Trust for courtesy use of its 2019 course and, when required, free buggy hire to assist disabled park golfers who otherwise could not take part.
Future Plans Our first 2 years’ activities concentrated on establishing a solid platform on which to build the further progression of Park Golf. We now have groups of all ages and abilities regularly coming along to Fife Golf Trust’s 2019 course to play Park Golf. Our next stage of development is developing strong partnerships with other organisations to enable Park Golf to be played elsewhere in Fife, and perhaps further afield. Starting in Spring 2024, Craigtoun Park is to offer Park Golf, following a successful pilot in October 2023, and we hope to announce more locations during 2024. We also aim to discuss partnership working with health and social care professionals towards setting up referral arrangements, where people can be pointed towards playing Park Golf as a route to improving their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Looking like another busy year!
Declaration Signed on behalf of the charity trustees:
Martin Christie, Chairperson, 12th February, 2024 12
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Our Just Giving Page We have a Just Giving page where people can donate to our running costs of providing Park Golf free to local support groups. If you would like to donate, please use the link below. All donations are very gratefully appreciated. https://www.justgiving.com/dpcomgolf
We are looking for more Volunteers! Have you got what it takes to make a real difference to the lives of others? Dunnikier Park Community Golf is growing fast and we need more volunteers. Registered as a charity since 6th August 2021, our passion is to encourage members of the community, of all ages and abilities, to have fun playing golf. All our activities have four key outcomes: ● Raising self-esteem and confidence. ● Building a successful pathway to enjoyable participation in golf. ● Supporting healthier lifestyles, and ● Strengthening community engagement. Our lead activity is Park Golf – a simple one club/one ball sport – which originated in Japan in 1983. Having brought the game to Scotland, we proactively engage with people who face life challenges – people who would not normally play sport – to boost their confidence and sense of health and wellbeing by playing and socialising with others. Participants include clients from the Salvation Army, Alzheimer Scotland, Phoenix Futures, Sporting Memories, Step by Step, the Nourish Support Centre etc. We’re based at Fife Golf Trust’s 2019 course at Dunnikier Park in Kirkcaldy. We’re on an ambitious expansion programme focussing growth on local schools and support groups, and we are looking for volunteers mainly to host these activities. No previous golf experience is required, as training will be given. We work with vulnerable groups and children, so all volunteers are expected to undertake PVG checks, complete 2 on-line modules on Safeguarding in Golf, and complete an Emergency First Aid course. Your commitment as a volunteer is only 2 hours a week, on average. Our weekly sessions run from 10.30 to 12.30 Monday to Thursday and 12.30 to 2.30 on a Friday. Further information is available from our website: https://www.dpcomgolf.com If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, please get in touch. We will be happy to meet to explain the role of a volunteer and discuss the work of the charity in more detail. Please email your interest to dpcomgolf@gmail.com