BCDA Annual Impact Report 2022

BDCA
is a dynamic community-led
charity that has been serving the
residents of the London Borough of Newham -
and beyond - since 1998.
We support a diverse cross-section of our local
community, working with people of all ages,
cultures and backgrounds.
We have a positive impact on local lives through
a wide range of services and activities
designed to bring people together and provide
opportunities to connect with neighbours;
improve their health and wellbeing; access the
support they need; learn new skills; give back to
their community; and celebrate life!
CONTENTS
About Us...........................................................3
A Word from our Chair..........................4
2022 Highlights...........................................5
The Year in Numbers............................6
Our Volunteers............................................7
Community Support.............................. 8
Children and Families.........................10
Over 65s......................................................... 12
Youth.................................................................14
Sports and Fitness................................16
Community Garden.............................18
Valued Partnerships........................... 20
Finance...........................................................22
Looking Ahead.........................................23
Thank you!....................................................24
Christmas celebration 2021!
2 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

ABOUT US
Spring sunshine in the Community Garden
Our Vision
For Newham to be a thriving
community where everyone feels
connected,valued and fulfilled!
Our Mission
We work to break down barriers,
bring people together and build
people up
Our Motto
Changing lives and transforming
our community!
Our Values
INCLUSION
Every person is a valued member of our
community. We care for and support each other
by celebrating diversity, challenging prejudice,
breaking down barriers, building bridges and
broadening horizons – for everyone!
CELEBRATION
We adopt an attitude of thankfulness – even
in the midst of life’s disappointments and
challenges. We celebrate our community‘s many
strengths, efforts and all of our achievements,
however small. We see Newham as a place of
potential and possibility!
EMPOWERMENT
We encourage everyone to be the best they can
be. We support people to overcome the barriers
which stop them fulfilling their true potential,
and we partner with them to build a strong and
resilient community.
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 3

A WORD FROM OUR CHAIR
Practising problem-solving at Bonny Downs Nursery
“For us at Bonny Downs, there’s no such thing as CAN’T.”
David Mann
I tell my granddaughter, “There’s no such thing as
CAN’T.”
When she says, “I can’t do that”, I try and help her find
a new way to tackle her challenge and more often
than not, she CAN. Even if she really can’t, she learns
so much from trying to explore options, break barriers,
build bridges, and push boundaries.
Many of us face seemingly impossible problems that
we CAN’T cope with. But there’s no such thing as
CAN’T. With support from each other in our community,
we CAN cope and often we CAN overcome challenges
we thought were impossible.
Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of
committed people CAN change the world - it’s the only
thing that ever has.”
For us at Bonny Downs, there’s no such thing as CAN’T.
Our amazing team of staff, volunteers and residents
continually focus on what we CAN do with what we’ve
got and what we CAN do to get what else we need.
Thank you for walking with us on this journey as we
change the world, one small step at a time.
David Mann
Chair
Bonny Downs Community Association
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2022 HIGHLIGHTS
I am extremely proud of what we’ve managed to
achieve as a community and at BDCA this past year,
despite facing huge challenges with recovering from
the pandemic and the growing cost-of-living crisis.
Here are some highlights:
REBUILDING THE COMMUNITY AFTER
LOCKDOWNS
We put into action what we learned from our
consultation with over 400 residents: that they
desperately wanted activities to bring the community
back together. We therefore worked hard to resume
face-to-face activities and focus on celebrations that
contribute to a sense of community, belonging and
togetherness. Highlights include our Interfaith Garden
events, Family Hub cultural celebrations, Children &
Families parties, Over 65’s socials and Community
Support shared lunches.
TACKLING THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS
We have grown our community support offer by
launching a Food Club, where for a low entry fee,
residents can choose the items they need most at low
prices. The launch of our CommuniTEA Café offers a
warm space for residents to enjoy free hot drinks with
their neighbours. We’ve added pension credit advice
to our advocacy service for Over 65s. We also continue
to offer food parcels, debt advice, a uniform bank, and
toys for families at Christmas, all of which comes with a
friendly welcome.
EXPANDING OUR CHILDCARE OFFER
We launched our new Social Enterprise Nursery in
response to the growing local need for childcare. Like
with any new venture, it has challenges but I’m proud
of the determination and hardworking team spirit that
pulled together to provide a safe, loving and stimulating
environment for children. As one parent told us, “I’m so
happy that my son enjoys his days in nursery, and I love
the environment. Thank you to everyone working to
make his days beautiful and happy!”
This year we also celebrated 10 years of our After
School Club and holiday care provision! Rated ‘Good’
by Ofsted, it provides much-valued and high-quality
care for families.
REFRESHING OUR STRATEGY TO BE
FUTURE-READY
This year we refreshed our charity’s strategy using
what we’ve learnt from the pandemic and reflecting on
Newham’s future needs whilst helping our community
to recover and rebuild. You can read more about this on
page 23.
I want to give a heartfelt thank you to our partners,
funders and supporters, and above all our staff,
trustees and volunteers. Working together has helped
us do better at BDCA and to make a bigger impact
within our community.
As per our new strategic plan there is no better time
than now for a ‘time of change’ and we are more
determined than ever to continue to work together to
recover, rebuild, reconnect and rediscover joy within
our community!
Sarah Laing
Managing Director
Celebrating World Book Day at Bonny Downs Nursery
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 5

THE YEAR IN NUMBERS
We provided
82,842 HOURS
of BDCA-led activities and
services for our community
Local residents visited
or used our services
26,329 TIMES
2,748 are unique visitors!
We provided full and part-time
employment for around
76 PEOPLE
all at London Living Wages
Over
370 PEOPLE
attended our Food Bank
102 LOCAL
hired our facilities for meetings,
events and parties!
Our gender breakdown was
58% FEMALE
40% MALE
2% OTHER/NOT STATED
The age of our guests ranged
0 TO 98
with a median age of 49!
Our guests speak more than
42 LANGUAGES
FROM AKAN TO YORUBA!
Our guests come
from a range of faith
backgrounds including
CHRISTIAN
MUSLIM
HINDU
SIKH
BUDDHIST
JEWISH
AND NONE
W
HERE OUR GUESTS
COME FROM
6 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

OUR VOLUNTEERS
Enjoying thank you cake during Volunteers Week
We are deeply grateful for our volunteers for giving
so much of their time and talent. From our Family
programmes to our Garden project, our foodbank to
our over-65s activities, our volunteers are at the heart
of everything we do at Bonny Downs. Their skills and
passions hugely enriches our organisation. Thanks
to our volunteers, we are able to better support local
people who truly need assistance.
During National Volunteers Week in June, we
celebrated our amazing volunteers with cakes and
certificates. But as we come to the end of another year,
we want to say it again: thank you!
Clearing up the Community Garden
“Thank you for the extraordinary love and care you put
into action for your community every day. We couldn’t do it
without you. We love you and we’re so thankful for you!”
Sarah Laing, Managing Director
Meet Sarifa
“I’m enjoying helping people and learning
so much.”
Sarifa was made redundant from her
job. She volunteered to support our
busy office as a way of expanding her
experience, skills, and knowledge
beyond retail so she could have wider
job opportunities.
“I’ve learned a lot here,” says Sarifa.
“For example, I was nervous about
answering the phones but now I can
take a call confidently. And I know how
to use a computer much better now.”
Sarifa also enjoys the social aspect
of meeting so many different people
and assisting them. “I’d be sitting
bored at home if I wasn’t volunteering
here. I’m really enjoying helping
people. And all the staff are so
friendly, I can go to any of them for
help.”
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 2021 - 7

COMMUNITY SUPPORT
HELPING OUR NEIGHBOURS THROUGH CRISIS
Our team of community support staff and volunteers
worked tirelessly to help vulnerable local people
recover from the pandemic, and tackle the mounting
cost of living crisis.
Our weekly foodbank continued to give out emergency
food parcels as well as providing a healthy hot lunch for
visitors – along with the time and space for a friendly chat.
We also launched two new food services for the
community to complement our foodbank. In October
2021, we began a Food Pantry in partnership with St
Barts Church, and in September 2022 we launched the
Bonny Downs Community Food Club.
Like a foodbank, the purpose of both is to support
people who are struggling to afford the essentials they
need. Unlike a foodbank which is a short-term crisis
support, our Food Club provides a regular support
network and longer-term solution that empowers
people. For a low entry fee, visitors get food and
household items they need at discounted prices. Food
is sourced through a mix of items saved from food
waste, donations, and members clubs.
By running these three services, we can now offer people
greater choice and more support in tackling the underlying
causes of the poverty they face. We have qualified advisors
onsite to help attendees with issues, including making
household budgets, tips on managing money and debt
advice. Due to this, and continued high demand generally,
our debt advice centre remained at full capacity.
Our partnership with NEWway in the councilcommissioned
NEWday project continues to provide a
daytime support centre for rough sleepers five days a
week, and specialist housing advice.
This year we received the Health Equity 50 Steps
Award from Newham Council recognising our work as a
community vaccination centre during the pandemic.
.
.
Some of our foodbank volunteers
“I must say from entering
until leaving, I have
never encountered such
enthusiastic and helpful
happy people. For volunteers
they were all fantastic.
Many thanks from a happy
man.”
Meet Andrew
“If I didn’t have your help, I would be having
bailiffs at my door daily.”
Having lost his job, house
and family, a shell-shocked
homeless Andrew reached
out to our night shelter for
help after being knocked back
by other places. Andrew was
also stressed about his debt of
£39,000. During his stay at the night
shelter, our debt advisor helped
him to explore his options and
declare bankruptcy, which was a
huge stress relief for him. We also
paid his deposit for the shared
accommodation where he currently
resides.
Now, Andrew has gone from
being isolated and embarrassed
to outgoing and deeply engaged
in volunteering for the community.
He volunteers for our night shelter,
foodbank and food club from driving
our minibus, shopping, picking up
donations and stock-taking.
“You helped me move on with my
life,” says Andrew. “Kim helped me
with the debt and resolved it quickly.
I volunteer so much to say thank you
for all the help I got over the last two
years.”
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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
® Our foodbank gave out enough food parcels to
feed 1,792 people
® Our Food Pantry in partnership with St Barts
welcomes a steady stream of around 25 families
® Our new Food Club had demand soar from 22
people at launch to 64 a week within a month
® Our debt centre team provided 438 hours of advice
and information to 79 clients
Irons Supporting Foodbanks 2000kg food
donation
Community Food Club launch day
“I had such a positive
experience I wanted to let you
know how much I appreciated
being able to come… Thank
you to all the volunteers,
staff and donors. I very much
appreciate every single item
I got today.”
A Food Club attendee
“The assistance Kim has
provided to help me resolve
my debt situation was of the
highest quality. Everything was
done in a very professional
manner.”
Debt Centre service user
Support with form filling
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 9

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Reading in the sunshine at Bonny Downs Nursery garden
HELPING FAMILIES GIVE CHILDREN A BRIGHTER FUTURE
A major highlight this year is the opening of Bonny
Downs Nursery. Like our After School Club launched
ten years ago, the nursery is run as a social enterprise.
It offers high-quality childcare at competitive prices,
provides full and part-time employment for local
people, and reinvests any surplus income into services
for the local community. We welcomed our first
toddlers and pre-schoolers in January and in April
babies under 2 years old joined us.
Our weekly Family Hub continues to support parents
raising children on very low income. Many attendees
are recent arrivals in Newham, including refugees
and asylum seekers, who benefited from information
on areas such as immigration, form filling and
volunteering as well as access to practical support
such as a kids’ clothes bank. Equally importantly, this
service provides a safe space for parents to make new
connections and friendships. Our regular ‘cook-along’
sessions are a favourite, and many participants grew
in confidence enough to co-lead activities, hosting
celebrations around festivals such as Eid and Onam (a
Keralan harvest festival).
Our three regular, free weekly parents & toddlers
groups remained as popular as ever. Parents have
stepped up to help coordinate sessions such as
Tiny Tunes, our sensory singing class for under-2s.
Our outdoors Tots Go Wild attendees meeting
in Central Park especially enjoyed the beautiful
Summer weather! Family-friendly fitness classes and
conversational English classes also flourished.
Our After School and Holiday Clubs brought respite for
parents and joy to local children over half-term, Easter
and summer holidays. Our GoWild! Summer Scheme
has become a much-valued part of the Newham
holiday calendar, and 2022 was no exception, with
free places made available to families on the lowest
incomes.
Easter Community Celebration
“I love seeing the children having so much fun that when their
parents come to pick them up they don’t want to go home!”
Nargis, our Nursery Deputy Manager
10 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
® We provided 196 hours of fun for young children at our parent
and toddler groups
® 33 babies and toddlers are enjoying our new purpose-built
Nursery
® Our After School Club provided sports, crafts, games and
snacks for 133 children during term time and school holidays
® 208 local children attended our GoWild! Summer Scheme to
enjoy a variety of games, arts, sports, and day trips
Read all about our new nursery at bonnydowns.org/nursery
Guided play at nursery
Summer fun at GoWild!
Celebrating Onam
“If I did not have the After School Club and Holiday Service,
I would be unable to work/study”
46% of parents agreed with this statement in our After School Club survey
Meet Nora
“Things are still hard but now I have support
Aand friends.”
Nora fled physical, financial,
and mental abuse only to
find herself alone, struggling
to care for herself and her
baby. Her depression and anxiety
sent her to the GP who offered
a social prescription to attend
Bonny Downs Family Hub.
“Andrea and Stacey welcomed
me like they knew me already,”
Nora said. She was given the
support she needed such as
donated clothes and referral to
counselling. “Andrea helped me
get school uniform for my son at
a time when I would have had to
spend my food budget on the
uniform and go hungry. When I
first came to the Hub, I was always
crying. Now, I’m always laughing.
My confidence is up, and my
mental health always improves
when I come to Family Hub. My
son is also much more sociable
and happier since he attended the
Summer Scheme.”
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 11

OVER 65s
BRINGING ZEAL TO LATER LIFE
After the Covid disruption of the previous few years, our
Over 65s members took advantage of opportunities to
come together again as a community.
Our weekly coffee morning was buzzing again, while
the sports and fitness activities such as Chair-based
Exercise and Music & Movement attracted strong
attendance. We were also able to relaunch Bowls, a
perennial favourite that had been suspended due to the
pandemic.
We took every chance to celebrate together too.
Highlights included an intergenerational Jubilee event
with local families, a Summer Staycation at our community
centre, and a Spring into Friendship event in March to
compensate for a Covid-cancelled Christmas party!
We hosted an exciting and varied programme of day
trips to help our older neighbours get out and about
beyond Newham. This included a seaside trip to
Brighton, a boat trip in Bedfordshire, and a nostalgic ride
on the Bluebell Steam Railway in Sussex.
Our 1-1 advocacy service supported local older people
with information and advice on a wide range of personal
issues, from benefits and energy bills to housing
and mobility. With the cost of living crisis in mind, we
launched a new information drive on Pension Credit too.
Our befriending project, launched at the height of the
pandemic, continued to support lonely and vulnerable
members of the community, and it is especially heartwarming
to see many volunteers and befriendees
forging long-lasting friendships.
Bluebell Railway trip
“I am happy that you came to see me at home. I now have a
stairlift and can stay where I am living now.”
Baljit benefited from our Over 65s Advocacy Service
Meet Beryl
“I wouldn’t have known what to do if it
hadn’t been for your help.”
Ex-florist, Beryl, 75, lost her
husband in October 2021.
Whilst grieving, she had
to borrow money to pay
for his cremation and stressed
about how to notify officials of
his death.
Our advocacy service helped
Beryl with all the necessary
admin of informing the state.
Her advocate also applied
for benefits such as Pension
Credit and Funeral Payment
which enabled her to pay back
her loan.
Like many elders in the
community, Beryl had not
gone back to normality
following the Covid
lockdowns. However,
after getting the support
she needed, Beryl started
attending our weekly arts and
craft club. She now feels more
confident and has become
more outgoing.
12 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

“After being at home for so long with severe mobility problems
unable to get out, it is such a pleasure, with the help of Dial-a-
Ride and lovely friends at Bonny Downs, to now be able to enjoy
meeting people on Coffee Mornings.”
Val attends Over-65s Coffee Morning
“You’ve also helped me to deal with stress outside of the actual
issue you supprted me with, for which I’m grateful.”
Rosemary benefited from our Over 65s Advocacy Service
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
® 323 people aged 65+ joined our activities and
services
® We provided 116 hours of chatting over tea and
coffee
® Our advocacy service supported 142 older people
tackle their personal challenges
Chitchat over Coffee Morning
® 16 volunteers provided over 97 hours of
befriending support
Spring into Friendship event
Over 65s befriending
“I feel less stressed after using the Advocacy Service”
90% of service users agreed with this statement in our
Over 65s Advocacy Survey
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 13

YOUTH
Youth playing footy
Gym session at Youth Club
EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE TO DISCOVER THEMSELVES
Our expanded youth project in collaboration with the
Newham Youth Empowerment team and our partners
at The Renewal Programme has flourished since it
launched in Spring 2021. We provided local young
people aged 9-19 years old with positive activities
6 days a week to steer them away from crime and
antisocial behaviour, and help them to instead grow in
confidence, find new friendships, and learn new skills.
Regular activities included:
• Four weekly outdoor sports sessions, with activities
including football, basketball, and archery
• Three weekly indoor drop-in chillout sessions, with
activities ranging from crafts to gaming and table
tennis
• A weekly gym session with a personal fitness trainer
and top equipment such as bench press, rowing
machine and workout bikes
• Support to help local young people with their
studies and CV writing, including online and face to
face GCSE tuition in partnership with Peppo
• A monthly mental health and wellbeing workshop
Additionally, we organised special trips such as
trampolining at Flip Out, enjoying the seaside at
Margate and trying out archery at Fairplay House.
Budding artists at the Youth Hub
We established a group for LGBTQIA+ young people
where we offer advice, support and mentoring.
Members also volunteer with the youth cub by helping
set up sessions, assisting in the kitchen and supporting
other young people. They also feedback as a forum to
help shape the activities in the youth club and organise
fun events such as a Halloween party.
This Summer again, we recruited and trained young
leaders aged 15-22 years to help us plan and deliver
the GoWild! Summer Scheme as part of our annual
leadership development programme. This provided
young people with paid work, volunteering, and
accredited sports leadership qualifications.
“Being able to express my
queer identity and get
advice has helped me feel
accepted”
Youth Club Member
“I enjoy my time during the
Summer Scheme and feel it’s
important for life skills and
it’s helpful for job interviews
in the future”
Young Leader
14 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
® We provided 954 hours of regular youth club
sessions attended by 625 young people
® 70 young people benefited from over 270 hours of
free online and face-to-face tuition to help with their
studies
® 41 young people benefited from paid work,
volunteering experience and/ or leadership
qualifications through our leadership development
programme
Youth club making music
Youth club making playing pool music
“I wanted to join a gym, but it wasn’t something my family
could afford so youth club has allowed me to increase my
fitness and confidence and help release some mental stress
through exercise.”
Youth Club Member
Meet Janilson
“I have transformed mentally and physically
through the Youth Club gym and activities.”
Janilson began his weight loss
journey as he wanted to improve
his health and have opportunities
to try more things. He attended
the weekly gym and football sessions
at our youth club, and enjoyed the
challenges.
“The youth club has made a massive
difference in my life,” says Janilson.
It enabled him to make new friends,
learn new skills and improve his
confidence as well as shed the
weight. “I think that my journey would
have been way harder if it wasn’t
for the youth club. My weight loss
was possible because of the gym,
football sessions and all the other
activities I do here.”
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 15

SPORTS & FITNESS
GETTING LOCALS MOVING
Our playing field and multi-use games area were
fully booked this year despite the disruption of earlier
lockdowns. A wide variety of community groups and
local clubs used our facilities for football, cricket and
other activities including men, women and non-binary
people of all ages and fitness levels.
We continued to offer an extensive programme of
organised sports from Aerobics to Zumba– including
our ever-popular Walking Football for over-40s and a
fully-subscribed weeknight ‘Footy & Friends’ session for
younger players.
Various sports, from non-contact boxing to basketball
and archery to table-tennis, featured regularly on
our youth calendar for ages 9 to 19 years. We further
expanded our programme for local women, with several
sessions timed around work and school runs to reflect
the pressures of managing a busy family life. These
included two dance fitness sessions, as well as an
evening women’s fitness session, and a lunchtime yoga
session to which mums can bring along their babies.
As always, our Over-65s made the most of the
opportunity to keep fit and active, with Chair-based
Exercise and Music & Movement classes being
favourites. We were able to restart indoor bowls and
continue the darts sessions too!
Aiming sharp in Darts
“The beautiful Zumba work out is absolutely great – both the
dancing and the teacher. Thank you so much for giving us such a
lovely work out class.”
Zumba participant
Meet Trina
“It gives me something to do and keeps my mind
active, otherwise I’d be sitting at home watching
TV all day.”
Trina, 78, is a carer for her
husband whose health
deteriorated last year. Now
unable to go out with him for
socialising, Trina attends Bonny
Downs Chair-based Exercise and
Pilates classes as a way of keeping
herself healthy and socialising with
friendly neighbours. Trina fractured
her shoulder last year and believes
the exercise sessions helped her
heal quicker.
“The classes give me something to
get up and get dressed for,” says
Trina. “Because of lockdown we’ve
just got so used to staying at home
in our comfy clothes. So this gives
me a reason to get dressed and go
outside.”
She also enjoys the fact that after
the exercise classes she can sit in
the CommuniTEA Café and have a
natter over a hot cup of tea. “They’re
so nice and welcoming here, I don’t
feel the need to leave immediately
after the class.”
16 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

” Walking football has
made a massive difference
to my confidence and
fitness. I’m much more
outgoing and community
minded now.”
Bob
“Amar helps everyone who
attends to succeed at
Pilates… the sessions have
really helped me to recover
strength after pregnancy
and after a back injury”
Olivia
Walking football
Zumba
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
® 102 clubs and community groups made great use of our
facilities available for hire at competitive rates
® 338 local people joined a BDCA-led sports or fitness session
® An average week typically saw us running at least 16 hours
of sports and fitness activities
® Our youth members played 201 hours of sports while older
neighbours enjoyed 160 hours of being active
A return to Bowls Pilates Family friendly yoga
“I attend Pilates and Fitness classes, a great way to keep in
shape both mentally and physically. Good bunch of ladies who
make me feel loved and welcome”
Attendee
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 17

COMMUNITY GARDEN
Luscious greens growing in our Community Garden
CONNECTING THROUGH NATURE
Our Grow Together Be Together Community Garden is an
urban oasis for locals to relax, socialise with neighbours
and boost their wellbeing. Our twice-weekly gardening
sessions attracted a diverse group of local volunteers,
who learned many practical skills from weeding to
propagating and had opportunities to take fresh food
from harvesting.
At our family-friendly Saturday sessions, children were
able to get stuck into a variety of fun, educational and
sometimes messy activities! The garden also played
host to several visits from the children at our After School
and Holiday Clubs and new Nursery, who learned about
the changing seasons and the importance of caring for
our environment. Our local primary schools also used
our garden as an Outdoor Classroom for their children’s
environmental education.
The garden continued to serve as a space for adult
education and training too. Our partners at NEWlife made
great use of the space once again by offering weekly
employment training workshops for homeless and
ex-homeless people, with several going on to find new
volunteering and employment opportunities.
With the pandemic receding, the garden really came
into its own this year as a place of celebration for the
community! Some of our favourite events included
Christmas and Easter celebrations, a Jubilee party and an
Equinox party, usually with free refreshments, crafts and
games, and family storytelling. Meanwhile, our Bonny
Downs Church partners filled the garden on Sunday
mornings during the summer months with the sound
of singing, prayer and laughter and our Skills Enterprise
partners filled it with colours for Holi!
“I love it here. It’s been
a place of peace for me. I
struggled after my mum died
of covid. But I come here and
use my skills, outside in this
delightful space and it helps
me to carry on.”
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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
® 162 locals joined us for over 200 hours of community
gardening
® The garden hosted 18 hours of employment training for
vulnerable adults
® Over 100 people celebrated Easter together in the
garden alongside a giant bunny!
® Thanks to the hot summer, we saw record harvests of
tomatoes and cucumbers, which were given out to the
community
Flying kites in the Community Garden Christmas Celebration 2021 Getting colourful during Holi
Meet Andrew
“The garden makes me feel useful.
Coming here makes me happy.”
Andrew had a successful career
as an installation engineer,
but health issues made him
unable to work for the last
five years. The deterioration in his
health left him feeling isolated and
lonely. His doctor directed him to
our community garden via social
prescription.
“My mobility was really bad for a
while which made me not even
want to leave the house at all,” says
Andrew. “I started to find it hard to
make myself even go outside.”
The garden provides Andrew with
many things to do that suit his level
of fitness and mobility. “The raised
beds are perfect for me as I can
reach everything easily and I can sit
down while I am planting, weeding
or harvesting the veg we grow. This
year’s bumper crop of tomatoes
was fantastic. I loved the Chocolate
Cherry Tomatoes we grew in the
polytunnel”
Andrew now feels connected to
his local community and a part of
something good. “If I’ve had a bad
week and not really seen anyone,
coming to the garden and having
a chat really makes me feel better.
It’s a lovely group of people and
it’s good to have a laugh with
everyone.”
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 19

VALUED PARTNERSHIPS
WORKING TOGETHER FOR OUR COMMUNITY
BDCA remains committed to taking a partnership
approach in our work. We know that we are ‘better
together’, and communities thrive when we work
together for them.
Our guests that use our services benefit from the
expertise found in other charities and organisations.
For example, our foodbank, which has re-joined the
Trussell Trust, is also part of a GLA funded programme,
‘Advice in Community Settings’. This partnership
approach allows us to triage those coming to the
foodbank for direct support from specialist agencies
such as East End Citizen Advice, Mary Ward Legal
Centre, Refugee and Migrant Forum for East London
& Essex, and Community Links. This partnership works
towards our aim that no one should need the use of a
foodbank, by accessing support that is ‘More than Food’
and tackling the wider issues causing the poverty that
they face.
We have enjoyed providing corporate volunteering
opportunities. Our friends at Amazon, Mastercard
and ExCel London helped transform our community
spaces and hosted a beautiful Christmas Lunch for our
community.
We have strengthened existing partnerships and
built new ones. We provided services through
contracts with the London Borough of Newham and are
particularly proud of our youth provision in partnership
with the Renewal Programme. We are grateful to our
friends at Irons Supporting Foodbanks who regularly
donate pallets of goods for our foodbank. Our newest
partnership with Cadent Gas Ltd and Morrisons Energy
Services enables us to help struggling Newham
families navigate the cost of living and fuel crises this
winter.
These are just some examples of the amazing
partnerships we have been lucky to forge this year.
Other organisations we have partnered with include
Ascension Community Trust, ALTEL, Bonny Downs
Baptist Church, Theatre Royal Stratford East and
many more. We are so thankful to all our partners for
supporting our work for the community.
Our teamwork approach has been recognised. BDCA
was named Community Group of the Year at the
East London Community Heroes Awards 2022! This
prestigious award honours groups that exemplify what
can be achieved when people work together.
Bill Hill
Charitable
Trust
Angie Allgood
Co-Director
20 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022

WHAT OUR PARTNERS SAY
“We’re very grateful for our ongoing partnership
with Bonny Downs. It’s particularly helpful and
beneficial for our young members to have a facility
to play football on a Sunday and call it their home
ground. I am forever grateful to Deepa, Mark and
Kevin for assisting with my countless requests. We are
proud to partner with them on providing football to
the youngsters within the East Ham community.”
– Suhail Vawda, Chairman,
Central Park Allstars Football Club
“We’re very proud of the work and support we’re
able to give back to Newham and its local community.
Bonny Downs Community Association is one of five
main charity partners we help throughout the year,
including undertaking initiatives such as serving a
special Christmas lunch for everyone as we did last
year. The impact of the pandemic continues to be felt
by many people, so it’s important we look after one
another and our communities, and we look forward to
continuing this.”
– Natalie Sykes, Sustainability Manager,
ExCeL London
“I have great confidence in the team at
Bonny Downs. They are outward looking, and
have deep experience of tackling hardship in
Newham.”
– Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham
“Our partnership with Bonny Downs continues to
be a fantastic experience. It was apparent from the
very first time we worked with them that they play
a vital role within their community, and we feel lucky
to work with them. As a local theatre it’s incredibly
important that we reach out to our communities,
and our collaboration with Bonny Downs has resulted
in the co-creation of a bespoke programme of work
including workshops, theatre trips and opportunities
for socialising and creating together.”
– Flo Paul, Head of Learning & Participation,
Theatre Royal Stratford East
“It has been amazing to work more closely with BDCA
over the past year, in particular our joined-up work
with the foodbank. We have always been impressed
by the quality of services at BDCA and their approach
to putting people first. By working in partnership,
we’ve not only been able to have a bigger impact in
Newham, but also learn from them to develop our
own services and organisation as a whole.”
- Hannah Tulloch, CEO,
Ascension Community Trust
“BDCA provides a vital lifeline to many locals,
including members of the South Indian diaspora
in Newham. We were pleased and relieved that
their timely intervention during and following the
Pandemic eased the pressure on the MAUK services
that we struggled to maintain with just volunteers.
“We are very proud to be working in partnership with
Bonny Downs Community Association for the Centres
for Warmth project. Through their commitment,
passion, and trusted presence in the local community
- BDCA’s role in the partnership is invaluable. Although
we provide the funding and resources, BDCA’s delivery
ensures that residents in Newham can access and
receive the essential advice about energy efficiency, gas
safety and wider areas of support. They are a pleasure
to work with, inspiring, and we look forward to our
future together as we aim to make a difference in
Newham.”
This year we used Flanders Field for our Platinum
Mela celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee, which
attracted 4000-plus residents. We are grateful to
BDCA for the venue and the assistance from their
excellent staff. We are confident that BDCA will
continue to utilise their venues for events that unite
communities.”
- Sreejith Sreedharan, Secretary,
Malayalee Association of the UK
– Lucy Nembaware, Project Coordinator,
Morrison Energy Services working on behalf of Cadent Gas
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 21

FINANCE
This past year has seen us emerge gradually from
the Covid pandemic and move straight into the Cost
of Living crisis, making it another tough year for our
community. This meant it was challenging for BDCA’s
finances too. Like other charities, we have worked to
respond to changing needs and soaring costs, while
grants have become even more competitive, and our
earned income recovered slowly from the pandemic. At
the start of the financial year, in April 2021, restrictions on
venues had only just been lifted.
Despite this, BDCA’s income to 31 March 2022 remained
strong, at the same level as last year, and we ended the
year with a very slight surplus. This means we still have
reserves to help us weather the difficult times ahead.
We are in this position thanks to the generosity of our
supporters and our existing and new grant funding
partners. We are very grateful to them all.
During the 21-22 financial year we were able to build
an extension on The Well, after Covid delayed the
construction, and one of our major achievements of
2022 was finally opening our beautiful Social Enterprise
nursery in January! This is an acknowledged risk in the
current climate, which we will monitor closely. We have
a great team of local staff who we are proud to employ
at the London Living Wage, and a growing number of
children enjoying the top-quality care you’d expect
from BDCA’s Children & Families team!
INCOME 2021-22
This year our funds totalled £1,266,578. Here’s where they came from:
Gifts & Legacies
£62,220
National Lottery
£331,801
Investment income
£42
National Lottery
£331,801
Gifts & Legacies
£62,220
Investment income
£42
Government grants
£58,204
Government grants
£58,204
Charitable
foundations
£244,885
Charitable
foundations
£244,885
Admin Fundraising
Our total expenditure was £1,221,211. Here’s £22,262
Minibus how £98,616 we used it:
£18,624
Garden
£23,474
Well
£48,366
Garden
Volunteering
£23,474
£15,687
Volunteering
£15,687
Well
£48,366
EXPENDITURE 2021-22
Minibus
£18,624
Admin
£98,616
Fundraising
£22,262
Governance
£6,491
Governance
£6,491
Earned income &
contracts
£569,426
Earned income &
contracts
£569,426
Children & Families
£317,098
Children & Families
£317,098
Youth
£227,216 Youth
£227,216
22 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022
Elders Over 65s
£80,077 £80,077
Sports Sports
£104,782 £104,782
Community Poverty response Support
£258,518
The summary accounts have been extracted from BDCA’s annual accounts and trustees’ report, a full copy of which can
be obtained by contacting us at info@bonnydowns.org or downloading from the Charity Commission website.
The auditor’s report on the accounts was unqualified and so was the auditor’s statement under S.496 Companies Act
2006 in respect of the trustees’ and directors’ reports. .

LOOKING AHEAD
The BDCA team at Staff Stay Day
We are proud to present our new five-year strategic
plan! Going forward, staff across our whole charity will
be working towards our JEDI aims:
JOY!
Our neighbourhood is still reeling from Covid-19 and
struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis. But
after all the health anxiety, financial strain, job losses
and lonely lockdowns, our community desperately
needs help to rediscover joy. BDCA will try our best to
bring healing and hope after all the pandemic pain. Our
volunteer appreciation events, coach trips and interfaith
celebrations were cancelled throughout Covid but we’re
making up for lost time and are excited to organise
parties and trips throughout 2023!
EQUITY
We recognise the need to face up to the injustices
present in our community so that all residents can
thrive. BDCA is committed to supporting those suffering
hardship and will keep providing free support services
such as: debt surgery; distributing essentials (food,
clothes, toiletries) for people experiencing poverty; safe
spaces for young people at risk of becoming involved
with crime; support centre for adults experiencing
homelessness; advocacy for digitally excluded Over-
65s; support group for newly-arrived migrant mums;
sports/ gardening groups/ community lunch for those
who are often left out because of economic barriers.
DIVERSITY
BDCA will continue bringing diverse residents together
until Newham is a place where everyone feels
connected, valued and fulfilled. Over the coming year,
we will work on raising awareness of our free services so
even more neighbours from different walks of life can
join in and make friends. We will keep partnering with
Faith Leaders and advisors from Stonewall to welcome
people from all faiths and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Our Stepping Up programme will train up another
35 local young people into community transformers.
We will also use affirmative action in our hiring and
promotion procedures to recruit team members from
under-represented groups.
INNOVATION
Although our social enterprises were badly hit by the
lockdowns, we will be innovating more ways to earn
our own money through ethical businesses. We are
already reducing our grant reliance and providing local
jobs through our nursery, after school/holiday care
and hiring out our facilities. We will keep consulting our
neighbours to identify opportunities for other services
that help address unmet local needs and boost our
charity sustainability at the same time. Finding creative
ways to become more self-sufficient will be vital going
forward.
Despite the challenging times we’re working in, we
are more committed than ever to fulfil our mission of
breaking down barriers, bringing people together and
building people up across Newham. Bring on 2023!
Jessica Craig
Co-Director
BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 - 23

THANK YOU
We are so grateful to all our employees, volunteers, trustees, funders,
partner organisations, donors, and neighbours. Your generosity and support
enable us to carry out much-needed work for our local community.
We also now have 34 BDCA Buddies who donate monthly to our work. Thank
you to Anthony, Bill, Craig, Deborah, Ellen, Harry, James, Jess, Jo, Katherine,
M, Michaela, Minh-Hung, Neil, Nicola, Pamela, Sarah, Sharon (x2), Sian, Sue,
Susan, Vicky - and eleven other Buddies who wish to remain anonymous.
We also want to say thank you to everyone who supported our Cost of Living
Crisis appeal this summer, which exceeded our initial target within 48 hours
and raised £12,320 plus Gift Aid!
.
To donate to our work, please visit
localgiving.org/BDCA
To read more about giving monthly as a BDCA Buddy, please visit
bonnydowns.org/giving
THANK YOU TO OUR TRUSTEES
David Mann (Chair), Michala Dobiasova (Vice Chair), Brian Dexter (Treasurer),
Deborah Crawford, Ifeoma Okuwudili, Nigel Brook, Tricia Jones,
,
THANK YOU TO OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Sarah Laing (Managing Director) and C0-Directors
Angie Allgood, Jessica Craig, Philippa King,
Sulthana Begum, Tracey Pease
CONTACT US
Find us on
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
bonnydowns.org
0208 586 7070
info@bonnydowns.org
Bonny Downs Community Association
Registered charity no 1071625 and registered company limited by guarantee no 3625785
24 - BCDA ANNUAL REPORT 2022Registered office: The Well Community Centre, 49 Vicarage Lane, London E6 6DQ