2021-03-31-accounts

Dereham Theatre Company 73[rd] Annual General Meeting, 31[st] May 2021

Present

Welcome to Dereham Theatre Company’s 73rd AGM, I hope this finds you well. We have made the decision to follow the same format as last year, to include our digitally excluded members and remind you that the processes for the AGM remain the same.

For the purposes the Meeting Minutes, all members who indicate their acceptance of this AGM pack to the Secretary will be marked as present.

Apologies

Any members not wishing to respond, will be marked as absent.

Minutes of the 72[nd] Annual General Meeting

A summary of last year’s AGM was circulated with the 2021 AGM pack.

Matters Arising from the Minutes

Received from John Gray 16[th] May 2021:

It was interesting to read who did and did not respond to the paperwork for the 2020 AGM. I thought it rather worrying that some people who are quite central to the Society were listed amongst those who did not respond; 24 voting and 45 not bothering raises questions. I personally feel it is my duty to respond but, with so much paperwork via e-mail, I can see why some might not do so.

Appendix A:

 12 2[nd] paragraph. Just a typo – I think it should read pay not play?

 12:5 It may be worth asking the committee to consider why we have so few members now. Obviously part of the reduction is because there are no shows but a question needs to be asked about loyalty and also about what non-acting members actually get from their membership. Now that there is no newsletter for members it seems essential to be on facebook to be kept in the loop but this is not an option for some. To keep members they must feel valued and, with the Friends scheme folding, there is not much incentive for non-acting members to pay a subscription

 Appendix B: 4 – personally we feel the Green Room should remain being called the Green Room. If Kevin was so involved in this project too it seems

strange to call the room after Ben Francis. As he did so much would it not be more appropriate to award him the Extra Mile award?

Sophie replied on behalf of the Committee directly to John.

Minutes proposed by Sharon Davison & seconded by Sophie Blanks.

Correspondence

Received from John Gray 16[th] May 2021.

I would like to ask that thanks are passed to Heather Neave, Kevin Jude and Helen Bailey for all the time and expertise they have given to the society over the years.

Resolutions

No resolutions have been received.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chairman’s Report

In a strange turn of events, nothing has changed and yet everything has changed over the past year. Whilst we have been unable to rehearse or perform as Dereham Theatre Company, the Management Committee have met regularly throughout the pandemic via Zoom and have done all we can to ensure the Company is in a strong position to resume what it does best.

The most significant change behind the scenes has been to our Treasury, with Julie stepping aside from her role as Treasurer and Sharon becoming our Acting Treasurer, supported by Julie. Over the past few months, Sharon has finally taken DTCo’s banking online and we now have 2 debit cards with our bank account, which will greatly reduce the financial pressures on Committee members who have had to provide upfront deposits for performance rights and other expenditure, for so many years. Sharon has worked incredibly hard to bring us to this point, despite every attempt from Natwest to thwart her efforts, so huge thanks to Sharon for stepping in and to Julie for her ongoing support in achieving this much needed progress.

As Sharon’s report will show, the pandemic has had a big impact on our financial circumstances, but thanks to my Mum (Michele Blanks) who completed the initial government business grant form on our behalf, we have gone on to receive Covid business support funding, which has enabled us maintain our premises, rented spaces and insurances during this financially challenging time.

Due to both financial and practical challenges, we have made the decision to suspend our Friends scheme for the foreseeable future. The Committee agreed that our limited and already stretched resources need to focus on getting DTCo back on its performing feet, which we will not do at the expense of the wellbeing of those who already give so much to the Company. We have already written to all existing Friends to advise them of alternate ways they can continue to support us, including becoming a non-acting member.

We must acknowledge and thank our few members who paid their subscriptions for this past year - your support to the Company has been duly noted. As has the support of everyone who has taken part in one of our regular fundraising events, organised by Helen Cowie, who joined the Committee as a co-opted member for Fundraising, and has more recently also been supporting as Acting Secretary. Helen was also able to secure grant funding for PPE equipment for the Studio, which includes sanitiser dispensers, floor markings and a Perspex screen, to keep us all safe, should we need them once we are back in the Studio.

2021 is an important milestone for DTCo as we acknowledge 30 years of our Youth Company, DOSYTCo. This is a fantastic achievement for our small organisation and we want to take a moment to recognise the many DOSYTCo committee members who have stood over the years (including a large portion of the current main committee) and the many youth members who have passed through the Studio door. Regardless of Committee structures, our youth members continue to be an essential part of DTCo and we will continue to ensure they are given opportunities to learn and develop their skills as members of the Company.

This is also the year that we must congratulate our Vice President, Sue Dupont, on 50 years with Dereham Theatre Company, throughout its various guises. Sue joined for the 1971 production of South Pacific and has gone on to be an advocate of DTCo, both as part of the backstage team – most notably as part of the stage crew team and also as a current Vice President. Sue continues to champion amateur theatre across the region and we would like thank her for the guidance and support that she provides DTCo and will continue to do so as an honorary life member.

We would also like to announce that Kevin Jude is retiring from his commitments to DTCo, which includes his current position as Vice Chairman and resident Stage Manager. We would like to extend our thanks to Kev for his dedication to the Company, serving as a member on both the adult & Youth Committees, in addition to being the man behind the curtain on more productions than I’m sure he’d care to count. As a small gesture of gratitude, we would like to announce that Kev will also be made an honorary life member of DTCo.

Once again, we will not be presenting the Extra Mile Award this year, however I would like instead to highlight the extraordinary amount of

work that has been put into sustaining and planning the Company’s recovery out of the pandemic by the main and Youth Committee collectively.

The forthcoming year will be a reduced calendar of events compared to our previous offerings, however I hope that all our members (regardless of whether payment has been made!) will appreciate the huge amount of work and preparation that will be involved in getting these shows back on stage and I encourage you all to take part or contribute in whatever way you can. We can’t do it without you.

Acting Treasurer’s Report

See separate attachment.

Accounts proposed by Sharon Davison, seconded by Sophie Blanks.

DOSYTCo Chairman’s Report

See separate attachment.

Election of Officers & Committee

Despite the pandemic, the Company continues to be served by a handful of dedicated volunteers who have navigated us through these uncertain times.

In addition to Kevin, Heather Neave is also stepping down from her role as Assistant Treasurer, having supported the treasury through challenging times and serving several stints on the main committee. However we are pleased to say that Heather remains in her capacity as Vice President.

Helen Bailey is also not offering herself for re-election, our thanks to Helen for her contributions to the Committee over the past 2 years.

The remaining Committee members offer themselves for re-election, so following successful nomination the 2021-22 committee is:

Chair - Sophie Blanks Vice Chair – Gary Davison Treasurer – Sharon Davison Secretary – Helen Cowie Treasurer’s Assistant – Julie Hunter DOSYTCo Safeguarding – Lorraine Whitehead

DOSYTCo Membership – Louise Norgate DOSTCo Workshops – Julie Barham Front of House Co-Ordinator – Sue Cashfield Health & Safety- Su Elgood Committee – Pennie Jones Committee – Angela Ludman

For 2021-22 Dereham Theatre Company will operate as one Management Committee, as nominations have not been taken for 2021-22 Youth-Sub Committee officers.

Our thanks also to Claire Findlay for her contribution to DOSYTCo over the years, both as a Committee member and chaperone at workshops and the many productions.

2021 - 22 Productions

Our production calendar for the forthcoming year is going to look different, but still provides opportunities for all our members to get involved in full scale productions, either on or backstage.

As ever, our intentions are subject to Government guidelines and Covid-19 restrictions.

Our next scheduled production is the full Company family pantomime Peter Pan, which will perform 27[th] December – 1[st] January. Auditions are pencilled in for September, the production will be directed by Paul Woodhouse.

Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for audition details.

Following on, will be a DOSYTCo production in its usual Easter Holiday slot in April.

Third time lucky, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is scheduled to perform 4[th] – 8[th] October 2022, with auditions end of May next year, directed by Ben Francis.

12. Any Other Business

Thank you all for taking the time to read our report and please keep an eye on our Facebook page for news of our next fundraising activity, plus any further updates as soon as we know more.

Take care.

Sophie Soto

Chair

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acting Treasurer’s Report

What an unusual year. And the annual accounts are no exception!

I am not sure anyone would ever have predicted Dereham Theatre Company having a set of annual accounts where the ticket income from productions was Nil. Zilch. Zero. But such is the reality of the 2020/2021 financial year. Not a single performance. Not a single penny income through the Box Office.

Account summary

Overall the accounts for this year look pretty good. But we must always be mindful these are only ever a snapshot at a single point in time. And it only takes a couple of large bills to drastically change things very quickly.

As things stand, we have almost £55,000 across our two bank accounts. With some £800 held by the Front of House Team as Petty Cash. We have assumed any remaining bar stock will not be fit for consumption by the time we get back to performing again.

Income

Income from memberships was not as high as we would have liked, but probably to be expected given the lack of production participation we could offer. We also gave those who would normally be an acting member the option to join for the reduced non-acting member fee for one year only.

We consider ourselves extremely fortunate and grateful that we qualified for a number of COVID-19 support grants offered by the

Government/various Local Council initiatives. Equating to approx £21,000 in total. Clearly accounting for the lion’s share of our overall surplus of £24,579.

Helen Cowie and her team of willing volunteers organised a number of fundraising events. Having to diversify and adapt to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. The monthly Zoom quizzes proved a real hit and a valuable

source of income. To supplement the Breckland Lottery and our Chair’s kind contribution of her birthday monies.

Dereham Town Council were also extremely co-operative and allowed us to “roll forward” deposits from cancelled productions to future shows. Plus returned all monies they held on our behalf, with the exception of retaining a £200 deposit for all current bookings. This does, however, mean the outlay for Memorial Hall bookings will be considerable once we get up and running once more.

Interest on our Business Reserve account is now less than 20p per month so we will continue with holding the majority of funds in the current account to ensure these are readily available.

Direct costs

The majority of these relate to Fame.

The COVID-19 lockdown hit just two weeks before the Youth group were due to take to the stage. There had been significant outlay in the previous year’s accounts and, with all the hard work already done, there was still more to pay for costumes, the Director, Musical Director and Choreographer fees. Thankfully we were able to re-coup the majority of costs through our NODA insurance (Shown under Income). Meaning the financial impact was minimal. Not something that will be an option going forward with cover for this type of eventuality now withdrawn from NODA’s latest insurance terms and conditions.

Moving to our new Ticket Source Box Office with its detailed reporting capability thankfully made returning of monies for ticket payments very straight forward.

Expenses

No big surprises.

While owning our own Studio is something many companies are envious of, obviously the bills don’t stop coming in during a global pandemic. Albeit some elements were reduced. Notably the electricity and water bills under Utilities. And cleaning costs.

Connect & Co were our chosen charity to benefit from bucket collections from previous performances (Donation).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Behind the Scenes

Online Banking / Debit Card

Temporary closure of bank branches meant we were unable to continue to pursue getting set up for Online Banking through that channel. Instead having to deal via telephone and online.

While this proved problematic at times, and involved a lot of forms being filled and sent round the various signatories (now updated to be this year’s Treasurer, Acting Treasurer, Treasurer’s Assistant and Chair), I am pleased to say we got there in the end and are now set up for Online Banking. Hopefully a huge step forward with much earlier visibility of bank account activity.

We also now have two debit cards meaning members will no longer have to pay out for things at their own expense and wait to claim it back. Particularly key for larger amounts.

VAT

A couple of years back the Management Committee made the decision to register for VAT.

With income greatly reduced since that decision was originally made, plus the considerable additional workload and expense involved in preparing quarterly returns to HMRC, we have now de-registered for VAT with effect from 28 February 2021.

Friends

Closure of this scheme will unfortunately mean one less income stream in future years. But not necessarily as much as the Income shown in these accounts as:-

• Some bands meant Friends then qualified for “free” tickets, programmes and drinks which essentially had to be funded

• We made considerable savings on postage through not issuing Newsletters and

• Friends have been given the option to support us financially in other ways eg becoming a non acting member, signing up to the Breckland lottery.

Future Plans

In line with tradition, these accounts do not make reference to our Studio as a financial asset.

Plans to modernise the building further beyond the considerable spend in the 2019/2020 financial year had to be temporarily placed on hold but,

with COVID-19 restrictions starting to lift, and a “Bounce Back” grant for £8,000 received in recent weeks, the plan is to make use of this cash boost over the summer months when the Studio is not in regular use for rehearsals, to re-mobilise renovation activity. Starting with internal redecoration and replacing the Studio floor upstairs. Plus clearing out the workshop area to make it in to a more serviceable space. And, more importantly, bringing it completely up to date with the latest fire regulations.

Sharon Davison Acting Treasurer

Dereham Theatre Company Charity Number11042094) Flnan¢lal Statemonts forthe year ended 31 March 2021 AD Accountancy Services Necton

Dereham Theatre Company Income and Expendlture for the year ended 31 March 2021 2021 2020 Income Box Office Fame Friends & Membership5 Friends Adult Memberships Youth Memberships Adverts 56,544 5,445 656 475 465 420 332 5,059 Grants FundraSsing Donations Breckland Lottery Hall Refund Miscellaneous 22,458 1,225 447 1,400 2,841 170 62.761 35,176 Other income Bank interest received 62 35,185 62,823 Dirert costs Youth Forbidden Planet Hidehi Aladdin Fame Shrek Business Affairs Bar costs 43,176 10,121 1,245 13,729 2,216 1,333 2.305 1,062 300 614 201 4,515 75,187 Gross Proflt 30.670 112,3641 Expenses Accountancy Rent Rates 450 1,400 307 1,562 1,057 316 179 34 130 4(14 252 1,500 Insurance 1,548 2,236 868 Cleaning Protective equipment Printing, postage & stationary General admlnistration Repair5 & maintenance Donation5 569 1,522 10,281 985 6,091 19,509 Net Ideficitllsurplus for the year 24,579 131,8731

Dereham Theatre Company ststement of Assets & Liabilities as at 31 March 2021 2021 2020 Current Assets Current Account Investment Account Petty Cash Bar Stock 33,814 21,094 800 8.774 31,084 260 650 55,708 40,768 Current Liabilitie5 Creditors 3,912 Net current assets/liabilities 55,708 36,856

Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees of Dereham Theatre Company Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2021 I report on the accounts of Dereham Theatre Company (Charity No.10420941 which comprise5 Profit and Loss, Statement of Assets and Liabilities and relates note5. Respertive responsibilities of Trustees and Examlner The Charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audlt is not requlred for the year under section 144 of the charities Act 2011 Ithe Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: Examine the accounts (under Section 145 of the Charities Actl To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under Section 1451Sllbl of the Charities Act),. and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent Examiner's Report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items of di5closure5 in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the Statements below. Independent Examiner's Statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention.. l. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements. To keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the charities Act; To prepare accounts which accoré with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met,. or 2. to which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the account5 to be reached. dd￿21 Gareth Darkins FCCA, FMAAT AD Accountancy Services 9 Mill Street Necton Swaffham Norfolk PE37 8EN