As board meetings return to in-person events, Projects4Change used our AGM to celebrate the great achievements of the charity and hard work from our staff, during a challenging time, when our services were needed more than ever.

This month, we were pleased to finally be able to conduct our AGM in person, after 2 years of Covid-safe Zoom calls. As Betty’s Hut is the heart of Projects4Change and well cemented into the Cowgate community, it was the ideal place to invite our trustees and workers to celebrate our achievements so far.

It was great to see how much both the charity and the outdoor space have developed and grown in such a short space of time. Betty’s Hut and Garden is a fantastic place for both indoor and outdoor projects, with an outdoor stage/performance area, pizza oven, hammock, wild garden, flower and vegetable plots and a pond in the making. It’s wonderful to see so much life, love and energy poured into a small space, perfectly placed to serve the community it sits within.

Trustees had the opportunity to meet with our project youth workers, some familiar faces as Elisha was one of our first Change Maker Volunteers, and Les and C from the Cowgate community. It was wonderful to hear first hand from them their enthusiasm towards the project and how much benefit they take from being involved.

We celebrated the hard work of our CEO, Kelly and her tireless efforts throughout the pandemic as she navigated multiple lockdowns and the challenges of fundraising and delivering support with limited time and resources.

The AGM was tinged with sadness as we said farewell to our chair, Simon Pinkney, our Treasurer, Jo Nicholson and trustee, Amanda Hall. Thank you for your efforts to date and we wish you well in your future projects.

The change in board prompted a shift around of roles as Amy Coates steps into an interim Chair position and Anisa Ahmed will be our interim Treasurer.

This year, the board’s focus will be on recruiting strong and enthusiastic individuals into key roles and using their knowledge and advice to further strengthen the charities position for future funding and growth.

At three years old, our charitable aims are well embedded into the strategic aims of the organisation, and we will be reviewing our policies and governance to ensure a coherence in our approach from a board, management and worker level.

One thing is for certain, after a tiring couple of years getting through the pandemic and a recent move towards a new ‘normal’ that is sometimes hard to process, the AGM gave everyone in attendance a renewed energy and enthusiasm, alongside a gratitude to our workers for how far the project has in such trickly times.

We’re all excited to see what the future brings and have no doubt it will be spectacular.