A huge thank you to everyone who was able to attend the AGM on Wednesday – it was so lovely to see some of you there and help us share some of the key moments of 2025 as well as our current position.
We were delighted to welcome Herjeet Vass from Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) who came to present the Safe and Sound Award. This is a quality assurance award designed to recognise good governance in the charity sector. Our thanks go to the Trustee team for all their hard work ensuring we met the criteria.
Although as always with our BMSTC community we were able to celebrate together in our achievements, it was also a time to reflect on the challenges we continue to face.
Although we have seen some improvements to our income this year, we are still facing a deficit. Treasurer Dave Dyer presented his financial report for 2025, whilst also sharing our current financial position and a number of measures the charity have taken to make cost savings including a staff pay freeze and the proposed reduction in staff pension contribution.
Vice Chair Anna Harris delivered the Chair’s Annual Report, reiterating the challenges we continue to face.
“Whilst we have so much to be thankful for, we know we continue to face ever more challenging times. Our focus now must be on sustainability and securing the future of the Centre.
We are increasing our focus on applications to trusts and foundations, while continuing to explore new opportunities and different sources of income.
We cannot stress enough how important your contributions are to ensure we can continue to provide our services.
If you are able to increase your regular donation, even by a small amount, it will make a genuine difference. Regular donations are particularly valuable because they provide us with a more reliable source of income and help us plan for the future. “
There is no doubt that we have some challenging times ahead, but we also have an extraordinary community around us. Together, we have built something very special here. With your continued support, generosity and help in opening new doors for us, we can make sure the Centre continues to be here for the people who need us, both now and for many years to come.
For a full version of these presentations please see the reports in full below.
Your donations really are vital to keeping the Centre running. If you’d like to change the way you support us and make your donation as a standing order then please do set this up with your bank or ask the team for further details. You can also set up a Direct Debit for regular donations on our website.
Thank you so much for your support!
