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← Calligraphy And Lettering Arts Society

2024-12-31-accounts

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Saturday 8th March 2025 9.30am - 4.30pm Regent’s University London ‘27 CREATIVE Please read ahead of the meeting and retain for reference. If you are attending the AGM U please bring your copy with you as there will only be a limited number of copies available

PROGRAMME ~~a~~

*The AGM morning session is limited to members only. Registered non-members and friends are invited to attend the other exciting activities throughout the day.

ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE ~~ee~~

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CLAS AGM - BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA

10:15am Tuke Hall

  1. Housekeeping

  2. Minutes of AGM held 2[nd] March 2024 (vote for approval)

  3. Matters Arising

  4. Annual Reports

  5. a. Chairman

  6. b. Treasurer, including Statement and Adoption of Accounts (vote for approval)

  7. c. CLAS Academic Standards Board Report

  8. Proposals (vote for approval)

  9. Election of Officers

  10. Any other Business

1 HOUSEKEEPING

Please ensure mobile phones are turned off, or on silent during the meeting, presentations, and lecture.

Please respect each other’s comfort zones.

If you have entered Art & The Letter, or the Fellows’ exhibition, please remember to collect your packaging and artwork at the end of the day. Photos of exhibits only after 1pm to allow people to view the work more easily. A reminder that the Business Meeting section is for CLAS members only.

2 MINUTES OF AGM HELD 2[ND] MARCH 2024 (VOTE FOR APPROVAL)

A copy of the Minutes of the AGM held on 2[ND] MARCH 2024 are shown in Appendix A

A vote will be taken for the Approval of these Minutes

3 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES OF THE AGM HELD ON 2[ND] MARCH 2024

4 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT

Copies of the Chairman’s and Officers’ Annual Reports are shown on pages 4 to 16 of this document. The Chairman, Treasurer and CLAS Academic Standards Board Chair will feedback to the meeting.

5 PROPOSALS

6 ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Officers are elected to serve for three years. Elected Officers become Trustees of the Society under the Charity Commission’s rules.

Nomination for Trustees from AGM 2025

  1. Chair

  2. Treasurer

  3. CLAS Academic Standards Board (CASB)

  4. Festival Director

  5. AGM Coordinator

  6. Exhibition Officer

  7. Membership

  8. Affiliated Groups Officer

  9. Administrator

  10. Archivist

  11. Webmaster

Sue Hodgkinson Jenny Wholley Josie Brown Donna Deeks Sarah Walker Jeffrey Bailey Meg Chapman Barbara Alldred Dave Cowan Alison Allan Mapet Enriquez

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Co-options

  1. The Edge Claire Tomlins 2. Social Media 1 Lenka Snook 3. Social Media 2 TBC 4. TBC TBC

Ex-officio Officers / Other Management Committee specific roles

  1. Art & The Letter Organiser Julie Tallant

NB. Co-options and ex-officio members are appointed by the Management Committee

7 ANY OTHER BUSINESS

AFTER THE AGM, DELEGATES AND GUESTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THE ACTIVITIES FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. THE FIRESIDE CHAT WITH ELEANOR WINTERS WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE AUDITORIUM AT 12NOON – PLEASE ARRIVE BY 11.55AM

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CHAIRMAN’S AND OFFICERS’ ANNUAL REPORTS 2024

The following were Trustees / Committee Members in 2024:

Management Committee

Chairman Susan Hodgkinson Trustee 1 Treasurer Jenny Wholley Trustee 2 Membership Secretary Meg Chapman Trustee 3 Exhibition Officer Jeffrey Bailey Trustee 4 Festival Director Donna Deeks Trustee 5 CLAS Affiliated Groups Officer Barbara Alldred Trustee 6 AGM Coordinator Sarah Walker Trustee 7 CASB Chair Josie Brown Trustee 8 Administrative Secretary Dave Cowan Trustee 9 Archivist Alison Allan Trustee 10 Webmaster Mapet Enriquez Trustee 11 Social Media Lenka Snook Co-opted 1 Assistant Festival Director Janice McClelland Co-opted 2 Editorial Board Claire Tomlins Co-opted 3 Art & The Letter Officers Julie Tallant Ex officio

Structure, Governance and Management

The Society is constituted by a Deed of Trust agreed by the Charity Commission. Membership is open to all over the age of 18 who support the aims of the Society.

Within the membership are Honoured Fellows who are calligraphers and lettering artists of high attainment and others of experience and high repute who have made a significant contribution to calligraphy and lettering; Fellows who are calligraphers and lettering artists who have achieved a high level of technical competence and have been successful when submitting their work for assessment; students in full time education who pay a reduced subscription; Honorary Members who are honoured by invitation; and Group Affiliation for Local Calligraphy Groups who wish to affiliate to the Society.

The Society is run by the Management Committee, which is the decision-making body with decisions being taken by majority votes. The 2024/25 Management Committee was made up of 11 Trustees, plus 3 co-options, all given specific roles and an additional ex-officio member with the specific Art and the Letter remit.

Co-opted and ex-officio members of the Management Committee are voted in by the Trustees of the Society. The Management Committee appoints the members of the CLAS Academic Standards Board (CASB) which meets twice a year to oversee all educational aspects of the Society and submits proposals to the Management Committee for approval.

The members elected to the Management Committee at the AGM are Trustees of the Society. They may be approached by the Chairman to take a specific position on the Committee, or they may have volunteered. On becoming Trustees, they are acquainted with Charity Commission’s documentation on their duties and responsibilities, as well as the Society’s management documentation. The Trustees of the Management Committee are proposed, seconded, and elected by ballot at the AGM meeting in March each year at which the quorum is one twentieth (5%) of the membership. Election to the Committee is for three years. Potential

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Trustees are often co-opted to the Committee prior to their election so that they may become familiar with the operation of the Committee.

See Appendix C for a full list of members with specific roles for 2024. It is also recognised, and greatly appreciated, that so many of our members volunteer their time and skills in many ways to make CLAS a vibrant and active society.

Objectives, Activities and Achievements

The Aims and Objectives of the Society shall be to advance the education of the public in the practice, appreciation, and the use of all forms of calligraphy and lettering arts.

The Trustees have regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission when exercising their powers and duties to which the guidance is relevant.

These objectives have been fully met by planning and holding events and initiatives open to both members and non-members of the Society.

General Administration

CLAS has GDPR, Privacy & Cookies policies in place and is accessible to the public online or upon request.

Volunteers & Vacancies

There is a vacancy in the Editorial Team for a Copy Editor as Annie Jackson is stepping down from her position - Annie will provide training and mentoring through the production of the summer edition of ‘the Edge’.

We are still looking for a volunteer to take over CLASnews from Jan Sambell.

We are always happy to take expressions of interest for any future vacancies. Expressions of interest to me by email please chairman@clas.co.uk or via our website www.clas.co.uk/volunteering

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Management Committee Reports

CLAS Chairman – Sue Hodgkinson

Thank you for joining us at Regent’s University for 2025 CLAS Creative. This is where we showcase our creative side, while managing to briefly present reports and accounts, vote on any constitutional changes, and appoint our trustees at an AGM. The CLAS AGM packs with these reports were sent out by email. Printed packs are available to members who do not have email addresses. Committee members are here, please take the chance to chat with us.

One of my highlights in 2024 was visiting our touring exhibition ‘Letters Hand Made’ in all four venues – London, Wells, Shrewsbury, and Halifax. I hope that you join me in admiration and thanks to the exhibition committee who organised, set up and took down four times. Their report gives us sensible recommendations about what went well (a lot) and how to avoid some pitfalls. This has been such a solid experience for them all and what they did is well-documented to help another group in future.

CLAS Creative is where you can catch up with fellow letterers, get inspiration from all the displays, and browse the wonderful calligraphy supplies to buy. Don’t forget our Take and Donate table. And do go to see the work done by those taking part in our CLAS educational programme. This is the heart of our work and CASB administers all those courses that help you achieve Certificates of Calligraphy, Specialist Skills Awards and Diplomas. Josie will report on that later.

The Art & the Letter 29th Hybrid Exhibition is open all day – but don’t forget to vote in time before all the presentations after lunch. We are having a Fireside chat at noon with Eleanor Winters discussing ‘Where I Have Been, Where I am Going… My Journey as a Calligrapher’. An excellent chance to get to know Eleanor who is one of our tutors at Warwick in August. Our Demonstrators are Tessie Cooling – on gilded lettering, and Jen Thompson - on book making. Our Fellow in Residence is Cherrell Avery, FCLAS, on digital lettering. The afternoon ends with a lecture by Susie Leiper, FCLAS, ‘All About the Book: from Editor to Scribe to Maker’.

It is a pleasure to welcome the Little Book Special Interest Group, joining as an affiliated group, our second SIG. Some of our groups continue to be part of CLAS by changing status to micro group – we can offer discounts to support you. Please reach out to Barbara if you need advice or would like to find a mentor to help if you are interested in volunteering in a society.

Tim Noad’s commemorative piece honouring 30 years for CLAS is back on display, partly because we have not yet finished being 30. Stretching the birthday celebrations, August sees us back at Warwick for our 30[th] Festival. We are delighted to be there again after a gap last year. Some classes are already sold out, some have spaces.

Looking at Tim’s work reminds us to reflect on what we have done in 2024 and thank again all those who have worked so hard for CLAS over the years, particularly to remember Sue Cavendish who died in January 2025. From the beginning, her skills and organisational knowledge were a driving force. Sue worked as the administrator of CLAS and later as the editor of the Edge until her retirement in 2018. She helped set the foundations of what we are today. We would like those who knew her to send in their memories of her for an article in the Edge .

And that brings me to the Edge . We are faced with ever-increasing postage costs that soak up membership fees. We could keep putting fees up but we must also face the fact that producing four magazines a year is a relentless schedule for our volunteer editorial team. We have concluded that, to continue offering articles that inspire and teach you about so many aspects of calligraphy, we must reduce the number of magazines to three per year, in June, October and February. The emailed CLASnews will provide updates on courses and other matters.

Our webmaster and social media officer work closely together to help us promote CLAS and calligraphy in general. Their expertise and guidance this year has put us on a strong footing to communicate effectively what we are doing. We are also exploring taking part in a podcast series ‘The Life of Letters’ – our guest speaker Susie Leiper will feature in the first series from March 2025. CLAS is planning to join in during a later series in the autumn.

This completes my first year as Chair, and for many of the committee who are new to their roles. I must say they have settled in wonderfully. CLAS would not be moving forward without them and everyone else who does so much to support what we do. But remember we need volunteers to continue that work. Thank you to all of you in the management committee, CASB members, subcommittees, volunteers, tutors, Fellows, and members.

Treasurer – Jenny Wholley

Finance Report 2024

The in-year position for 2024 was a loss of £6,308, a marginal increase from last year. Receipts were £70,621 compared to £68,915 in the previous year, an increase of £1,706. Payments for the year were £76,929 an increase of £1,769 from 2023.

The in-year position for 2024 of a loss of £6,308 is in line with the in-year position in 2023.

Summary Position
2024 2023 Change
£ £ £
Receipts 70,621 68,915 - 1,706
Payments 76,929 75,160 - 1,769
Surplus/Loss 6,308
-		 6,245
-		 63

Funds available as at 31 December 2024 are £85,459 a decrease of £6,308, this being the in-year loss.

Funds Available
Bal b/fwd
Current Year		 2024
2023
Change
£
£
£
91,767
98,012
6,245
-
6,308
-
6,245
-
63
Bal c/fwd
Capital and Reserves		 85,459
91,767
6,308
Balance Sheet
Cash at Bank
Current Accounts
Deposit Accounts
PayPal
Total Cash
Stock
Total Assets
Less Creditors		 2024
2023
Change
£
£
£
15,542
36,714
21,172
67,241
53,182
14,060
-
82,783
89,895
7,112
550
1,423
873
83,333
91,318
7,985
2,125
539
1,586
-
85,459
91,857
6,398
0
90
-
90
-
Net Assets 85,459
91,767
6,308

The detail and notes are shown in Appendix B

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Despite costs continuing to increase across the board especially postage overseas, we remain in a good place financially. A balance of £82k will support a full year of expenditure and allow for fluctuating receipts.

Our 30[th] Anniversary Exhibition was a great success, and we fell well within the £10k budget that was ring-fenced with net expenditure totalling £6162 taking into account invoices and bills from 2022 to 2025, the remainder has been put back into general funds.

An analysis of each venue of the Exhibition including online sales and expenses is shown below.

Venue Cost Income Profit/loss
Gallery101 £1,362 £2,245 £883
Wells £1,117 £918 -£199
Shrewsbury £2,696 £485 -£2,211
DC £2,197 £1,186 -£1,011
£7,372 £4,834 -£2,538
General Transactions £8,328 £4,704 -£3624
£15,700 £9,538 -£6,162

Income & costs include Hire, set up, mileage, parking, PV & transport pertinent to that venue. The sales would have been a lot greater at Shrewsbury, given the visitor numbers, had we had local support to sell the Catalogues and Postcards.

Our accounts package Xero continues to work well with GoCardless Direct debit payments syncing automatically.

The revamp of our website a has made paying by card through PayPal so much easier, (Members do not need a PayPal account to do this). New members and renewing members can pay via the website along with Festival, CLAS Creative, LiveOnline and Certificate payments. I hope cheque paying members will consider using this option. Trying to find a bank to pay cheques in or queuing for ages in a Post office is very time consuming and the bank charges very costly. Direct debit or bank transfer remain our preferred payment option over cheques.

The SumUp card payment machine helped increase sales at the AGM and the Exhibition.

Zoom continues to be a very useful tool, enabling LiveOnline classes and removing the need for the Management committee to travel for meetings, thus saving money. Padlet is another great asset to the Online courses.

We would like to thank Jo Sheehan who continues to be our Independent Examiner.

A summary of the balance sheet, payments and receipts will be submitted to the Charity Commission.

Membership – Meg Chapman

Current membership 842 including 31 Free Members.

The constant updating by the Social Media and Website officers has made a huge impact on bringing in new members and the current upward trend is exciting. The enthusiasm of new members is both delightful and heartening and all are encouraged to join local societies if they do not already belong which is beneficial to both parties.

We try to maintain a helpful and amiable relationship with new members with frequent correspondence which can only enhance the friendliness of CLAS and promote their appreciation of all our efforts.

CLAS Academic Standards Board – Josie Brown

Tutors and Talkers - Ann Mason

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Accredited Tutors – Liz Barrow

Certificate of Calligraphy – Angela Banks

LiveOnline – Alejandra Gonaldi

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very well received by students and tutors and are available for two months after courses have finished, then archived for future reference by CASB.

Specialist Skills Awards – Ann Mason

National Diploma – Yvonne Holmes

Fellowship – Rachel Yallop

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Charitable Activities

Designer – Nadia Chin

CLAS Affiliated Groups – Barbara Alldred

Affiliated Groups (AG)

There are 36 CLAS Affiliated Groups

5 Affiliated Groups are Micro Groups ie they have 12 members or less in their group.

Special Interest Groups (SIG)

There are two Special Interest Groups :

The Little Book Special Interest Group is our newest group and is led by Jean Gray a longstanding member of NWCA and a passionate bookmaker who has volunteered to run this online group . To date there are 29 members of the group. There will be two book swaps each year and the first book swap will take place in April.

7 groups have taken advantage of a 50% discount to groups who have 50% of their members also members of CLAS

Groups continue to share Newsletters, Exhibition Information, Courses and useful information for me to circulate.

The new interactive map has made it easier for anyone looking for a local calligraphy group to attend and our Social Media Officer continues to promote our Affiliated Groups and Special Interest Groups.

During 2024 four of our Affiliated Groups, South London Lettering Association, Mendip Calligraphy Group, Shropshire Scribes and Calderdale Calligraphers volunteered for their group to host the CLAS 30th Anniversary Exhibition. The groups varied in size of membership from small to those with a healthy membership. All put in a huge amount of effort especially in promoting the Exhibition and stewarding which is an essential part of any Exhibition and this help and support was greatly appreciated by the

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Exhibition committee. Visitors to the Exhibition particularly appreciated the work of the stewards as seen in the comments in the Visitors Book.

Editorial Board – Claire Tomlins

During 2024/2025 Jane John was the commissioning editor with Claire Tomlins taking on this role for the February 2025 issue. At the same time the designer changed from Helen Scholes to Nadi Chin.

Four issues of the Edge were delivered to members during the year. Jane commissioned 3 editions which included articles in:

Thank you, Jane and Helen for all your hard work in organising and enabling the publication of the Edge . All editions are an interesting read.

Although the Editor and Designer changed, fortunately Annie Jackson (Copy Editor) and proofreaders Susan Healy and Doug Adams continued with their roles. This teamwork and shadowing of Jane for the editing role, enabled the learning curves to be overcome and the February 2025 issue to be published on time. This issue is aiming to increase the range of membership readers. Articles include: a new calligraphers online search for calligraphy teachers and her resultant approach to calligraphy drills; the renowned calligrapher Ann Hechle’s Figure of Speech website; and nibs, fountain pens and calligraphy.

It always takes time to search for new articles, so we welcome you prompting us for new relevant and interesting articles. Please email editor@clas.co.uk to discuss your article idea further.

Social Media – Lenka Snook

As the new Social Media Officer for CLAS, I am pleased to present this report covering the period from March 2024 to March 2025. It has been an incredibly dynamic year for our social media platforms, reflecting the creativity of our calligraphy and lettering arts community. This report outlines our achievements, the challenges we’ve faced, and our plans for continued growth.

Achievements and Activities

Over the past year, CLAS has experienced an active and engaging presence across our social media channels (Facebook & Instagram). We successfully highlighted various events, exhibitions, workshops, and member contributions, ensuring that our platforms remained informative, inspiring, and connected to our wider community.

Key highlights include:

The Importance of Social Media

In today’s digital world, social media is more than just a communication tool; it’s a gateway to global engagement.

For CLAS, social media allows us to:

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Publishing well-researched posts is crucial because:

Collaborations with Committee Members

Our social media success is a team effort, made possible through close collaboration with the CLAS committee. Each member plays a key role, offering insights and guidance that have been especially valuable during my initial months in this position. Their support has helped shape our content, making sure it stays relevant, engaging, and aligned with CLAS's mission.

Future Goals

Looking ahead, our focus is on enhancing the quality and diversity of our content. To achieve this, we are actively seeking a video/photo editor to join our team. This role is essential for:

The past year has demonstrated the power of social media in connecting, educating, and inspiring our calligraphy community. As we move forward, our goal is to continue this momentum, enhancing our content, growing our audience, and supporting the CLAS mission. Thank you to all committee members, volunteers and artists who have contributed to our social media efforts. Your support and collaboration have been key to our success, and I’m genuinely grateful for the dedication and effort each of you has shown.

Website – Mapet Enriquez

Website Redesign

The objective of the website redesign project was to develop a modern, user-friendly platform that effectively communicates CLAS's mission, highlights opportunities for skill development through the Learning and Teaching programmes, and encourages both individual and affiliated group memberships.

The website now features a user-centric design with an intuitive interface and easy navigation, enabling visitors to quickly access information on membership, workshops, events, and resources. The design incorporates CLAS’s established branding, ensuring consistency and familiarity for users. Clear navigation menus have been implemented, allowing users to easily find relevant content.

Additionally, the website is fully responsive, providing a seamless experience across all devices, from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones.

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The redesign was successfully completed in time for the transition to a new website hosting provider.

Website Hosting Migration

The purpose of the website hosting migration was to secure a reliable, scalable, and cost-effective solution that accommodates current and future requirements while addressing the limitations of the previous hosting arrangement.

The migration to a new hosting provider was successfully completed on 13 May 2024.

Other Website Improvements

Acknowledgements

A heartfelt thank you to Anne-Marie Delaney for her invaluable contributions to the website and her support in ensuring a smooth transition. Sincere appreciation is also extended to everyone who contributed to information gathering, provided feedback, and shared kind words during the website redesign and host migration process, as well as after the website was launched. Your input and support have played a valuable role in the project's success.

CLAS Festival - Donna Deeks and Janice McClelland

CLAS Festival 2025

The directors are pleased to report that preparations for Festival 2025 are well in hand. We will be joined by Mark L’Argent, Jan Mehigan, Mary Noble and Toni Watts (UK), Eleanor Williams (USA) and Carry Wouters (BE) as tutors, and three of the ten workshops on offer have already sold out.

With the help of Lenka Snook, whose social media posts have reached a greater audience than we have before now, Mapet Enriquez, who designed a fresh and streamlined web page and registration process and Nadia Chin, who created an eye-catching brochure, our registrations are running ahead of Festival 2023’s at this point—including 14 first-time Festival delegates.

The Scarman Conference Centre at the University of Warwick will again host our event, and we are looking forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces in August.

CLAS Festival 2026

Preparations for Festival 2026 have begun well: tutors and the venue have been booked, and the brochure design process has begun.

Report from the AGM Coordinator – Sarah Walker

The AGM 2024 was held on 3 March 2024 at Regents University in London. There were 217 registered participants in total (an increase from 178 in 2023 and 135 in 2022) and the feedback received was extremely positive, all members seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the day and the 30 Year anniversary celebrations.

Positive feedback was received all round regarding the action-packed programme and the organisation. Attendees particularly appreciated the supply of tea & coffee, not to mention the anniversary cake. The additional ‘Royal Room’ fireside chat with Tim Noad and Ewan Clayton was a huge success. Nicky Garforth’s sessions on ‘protecting the tools of your trade’ also received a lot of interest.

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The morning business meeting commenced with a flash video of CLAS achievements over the past 30 years. Following the AGM, participants were able to visit the CLAS Help Desks and seek advice on CLAS academic activities, tutoring and more.

Joy Daniels and Janet Smith demonstrated their specialised calligraphy skills, and Cathy Stables, FCLAS, was the Fellow in Residence.

Attendees also had time to view both the physical and digital Art and the Letter exhibitions, and the Fellow exhibition with a display of wonderful artwork celebrating the 30 Years of CLAS. Participants also had time to shop for CLAS branded items and other calligraphy materials and books from our ‘Take and Donate’ table and the various pop-up shops.

CLAS members also shared special memories on cards of their years with CLAS in this special anniversary edition.

To conclude the day, Paul Antonio gave an engaging demonstrative lecture on ‘3500 Years of the Western Alphabet’ In addition, Paul demonstrated ‘Fraktur’ throughout the afternoon.

Report from The Art & the Letter Coordinator – Sarah Walker

The 28th Art and the Letter exhibition was held on 2 March 2024, during the AGM 2024. It was the third hybrid exhibition to be held, with a positive outcome, although there were fewer participants compared to last year’s 45 entries. It was concluded that this was probably due to the slight clash with the 30th Anniversary exhibition.

30 pieces were received for the physical exhibition and 31 pieces for the digital exhibition. Most entries were from the UK, with 2 entries from Ireland, 1 from France and 1 from Switzerland.

The only negative feedback received was that the artwork should be displayed higher up on the display boards. Additional display boards have been purchased to accommodate this request.

Categories 2024

Prize Winners

Archive – Alison Allan

Regular updating of records such as certificate and diploma results and indexing the Edge has continued, as has the cataloguing of other physical and digital items, and preparation of paper items for

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digitising. Work is also being undertaken on cataloguing and preserving archive material from the late Peter Halliday, the first Chair of CLAS.

LETTERS HAND MADE: The celebration of CLAS’s first 30 years – Jeff Bailey

Our Letters Hand Made travelling exhibition was successfully undertaken between April and November 2024. We visited four venues (London, Wells, Shrewsbury and Halifax) and several thousand people – including many CLAS members – came to see it.

If you were not able to come along you can still buy the catalogue (which shows all the exhibits) and two sets of postcards (which have a selection of the works on them) through the CLAS website as well as at the AGM itself.

The exhibition showcased the wonderful and varied talents of many CLAS members and the exhibits (a number of which were sold) were a delight to see. Any exhibition on this scale involves a lot of planning and organising, and a great deal of work for the organising team comprising Jeff Bailey, Barbara and Bob Alldred, Gwyneth Hibbett, Janice McClelland, Mary Noble and Jenny Wholley.; it was at times challenging but also a lot of fun, and the many lovely and supportive comments in our Visitors’ Book and the way in which the exhibition was received by the visitors generally made it all worthwhile.

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Minutes of the CLAS AGM meeting held on 2[nd] March 2024

APPENDIX A

Registered Charity No: 1046526

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society held at Regent’s University, London on Saturday 2[nd] March 2024 at 10.15am

The Chair welcomed delegates to the 2024 CLAS AGM and officially opened the meeting at 10.20am.

A video was shown at the beginning of the meeting highlighting the work and membership of CLAS over 30 years and as an introduction to the forthcoming travelling exhibition.

1. Housekeeping

Present :

Chair Tony J Woodhams Treasurer Jenny Wholley

Members of the Management Committee and Members of the Society.

Apologies for absence were received from Ruth Sutherland and Freddie Quartley.

217 member delegates were recorded in the register.

Tony introduced the order of the meeting and events available to delegates after the business part of the meeting.

2. Minutes of 2023 AGM

There were two corrections to the names listed in the Presentation section of the 2023 AGM minutes.

There being no further amendments and following the proposal by Mary Noble, seconded by Gail Mitchell, a vote was taken by show of hands with the vast majority in favour of accepting the minutes of the last AGM held on 4[th] March 2023 and were agreed as a true and correct record of the meeting.

3. Matters Arising

No questions were raised and there were no matters arising from the previous AGM minutes.

4. CLAS Chairman and Officers’ Annual Reports

A full version of the Chairman and Officers’ Reports for 2023 had been previously circulated to all members by email (using the Mailchimp service). Additional copies were available from the front of the lecture hall.

a. CLAS Chairman’s Report

Tony read the Structure, Governance and Management of the Society from pages 6 & 7 of the AGM pack. Tony highlighted some of the key points from the Officers’ Reports.

Tony’s term as CLAS Chair will end after the AGM and he will be succeeded in the role by Susan Hodgkinson. Susan will take the Chair for the afternoon session.

No questions for the Chair were raised.

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The accounts had been circulated to members in the AGM booklet prior to the meeting. No questions were raised by the audience and following the proposal by Gwyneth Hibbett, seconded by Alejandra Gonaldi, a vote was taken by show of hands with the majority accepting the accounts as published and no objections. Jenny recorded her thanks to Jo Sheehan in her role as the Independent Examiner,

For Membership Fees, Jenny encouraged members to consider the use of electronic payment methods (direct debit, bank transfer or credit/debit cards through the PayPal account) rather than by cheque wherever possible.

No questions for the Treasurer were raised.

c. CASB: Josie Brown

Josie highlighted the following points from the published report:

Accredited Tutors – Josie introduced Liz Barrow as the new Accredited Tutors Officer.

Specialist Skills Award – the new hybrid Colour and Texture SSA, with Jan Mehigan and Mary Noble, is now incorporated in the course schedule. The course will start in March 2024 with assessment in September 2024.

National Diploma – Josie welcomed Satvik Garg as the new Diploma Administrator.

Marketing / Social Media – Josie is trying to recruit an experienced volunteer to help in this area - to spread the message to those who don’t already know about or engage with CLAS and calligraphy.

New courses for Teaching Skills – ‘Basic Teaching Skills’ and ‘Teaching Online’ are proving to be popular and are available to book via the website.

No questions for the Josie (CASB) were raised.

Management Committee Report

Full copies of the Management Committee reports were available in the AGM booklet.

5. Proposals

There were no proposals for the membership to consider.

6. Election of Trustees and Officers

All Officers are elected to serve for three years. Elected Officers become Trustees of the Society under the Charity Commission’s rules.

Following the proposal by Rachel Yallop and seconded by Michelle Goulder, the following were voted in “enmasse” as Trustees of the Society by a unanimous vote of hands. The Trustees along with co-opted and exofficio officers form the CLAS Management Committee. The co-options will take place at the first Management Committee meeting after the AGM.

Trustees
Chairman Susan Hodgkinson
Treasurer JennyWholley
Membership MegChapman
Exhibition Officer Jeff Bailey
Festival Director Donna Deeks
CLAS Affiliated Groups Officer Barbara Alldred
AGM Co-ordinator Sarah Walker
Webmaster Mapet Enriquez

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Archivist Alison Allan
CLAS Academic Standards Board(CASB) Josie Brown
Administrative Secretary Dave Cowan

Co-opted and ex-officio members of the Management Committee as well as sub-committees are voted in by the Trustees.

7. Any Other Business

Tony invited items for ‘Any Other Business’ from the panel and audience. None were recorded.

Tony recorded his thanks on behalf of everyone involved in organising and attending the AGM.

There being no further business, the Chairman closed the business meeting at 10.25am.

2024 Programme Highlights

The programme continued in the auditorium at 12noon with Tim Noad and Ewan Clayton. Tony hosted ‘The Royal Room’ chat with Tim and Ewan who shared their experience in designing the royal cyphers.

Tony also asked delegates and visitors to return to the auditorium and be seated by 1.55pm for the afternoon session to re-commence at 2pm – for the presentations and the afternoon lecture by Paul Antonio.

2024 Presentations

Susan Hodgkinson welcomed delegates back to the auditorium and opened the afternoon session, at 2pm, in her role of Chair and asked Josie Brown to proceed with the presentations.

Josie invited Tony Woodhams to the stage and a presentation was made to him on behalf of the Management Committee to recognise the end of his term of office as Chair of CLAS.

CASB – Accredited Tutor

CASB – Heraldry SSA

Art and the Letter

Presentations for the Art and the Letter submissions were made as follows:

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The Brian G Walker Prize

The Brian G. Walker Prize was awarded to Clare Taylor.

2024 Afternoon Lecture

Susan introduced and welcomed Paul Antonio to the stage to deliver the afternoon lecture on the subject of ‘3500 Years of the Western Alphabet’ In addition, Paul demonstrated ‘Fraktur’ throughout the afternoon.

Following the engaging presentation, Susan thanked Paul on behalf of the members and guests.

There being no further business, Susan closed the AGM at 3.30pm.

20

Year Ending 31[st] December 2024

APPENDIX B

Receipts and Payment Accounts with Prior Year Comparison

NOTES TO ACCOUNTS Year ended 31 December 2024

Accounting basis

Cash accounting method has been adopted as the basis for reporting from the year 2017 onwards. The figures in the financial statements represent the receipts and payments made during the year. Receipts and payments in relation to events taking place in a different accounting year are noted under the relevant headings.

Prior Year Adjustments

In 2023 an adjustment was made in respect of subscriptions paid early. However, the consequences of making this adjustment caused a discrepancy in the funds available and the brought forward balances. The 2023 position as shown in these Financial Statements now records the correct values. The closing balance of funds in 2023 is £91,767, whereas it was reported to be £91,942, a difference of £175. This is not material.

Statement of Receipts

  1. Gift-aid tax credit claim is made annually in January to HM Revenue and Customs for the previous reporting period. The two components in the claim are the tax credit due on the subscriptions from members who are taxpayers and have made a gift-aid declaration, and on sundry donations to CLAS that have been gift-aided.

  2. For Festival 2025 income received was £4,397 with related outgoings of £567. There was no Festival in 2024.

  3. For Exhibition 2024 income received was £8,424 with related outgoings of £14,173. See treasurers report for total Exhibition spend which shows us well under £10K budget. The remaining ring-fenced funds transferred to general funds.

  4. Fees for Certificate accreditation assessment of £2,305 were received from candidates, with related outgoings of £2,137.

  5. Fees for Diploma accreditation assessment of £1,003 were received from candidates, with related outgoings of £1,934. A new venue for the assessments had to be in London which incurred more costs. A review of Diploma income vs costs is underway.

  6. Receipts of £5,085 have been received for The Liveonline Calligraphy & Teaching courses and £5,500 has been paid to tutors, hosts along with setting up Padlet and course admin.

  7. Affiliated Groups PLI (Public Liability Insurance) of £1,811 represents the contributions from regional groups affiliated to CLAS towards the insurance premium borne by the Society.

Statement of Payments

  1. Festival 2023. There were late additional costs of £245.

  2. Free calligraphy courses were run this year at a cost of £75

  3. Costs for “Internet and Others” include the fees for maintaining the Society’s website, and the purchase of a Pro-Zoom Licence with televised storage capacity for launching the Liveonline courses. Zoom also is used for the quarterly Management Committee meetings. Along with Mailchimp for the emails and Padlet for LiveOnline classes.

  4. AGM 24 income received of £2,655 with related outgoings of £8,431

  5. AGM 25 expenses of £3,477 represent the deposit and travel and subsistence costs for the management committee, helpers and speakers for the AGM gathering and deposit for the venue, Regent’s Conferences & Events, Hyde Park

21

Balance Sheet

  1. CAF Accounts are historically the main operating and savings accounts for CLAS.

  2. CC Bank Fixed term deposit account was closed as their rules had changed due to Trustees residing out of the UK, it was reinvested in the COIF & Gold accounts.

  3. COIF deposit account is the main account for holding funds due to slightly higher rate of interest earned on the deposits compared to holding funds with the CAF accounts. Attempts to find better interest rates still come to nothing.

  4. CLAS sponsorship for beginners of £3,975 represents the balance after sponsorship of free courses of £375 were taken up in 2021. The fund is set up to assist beginners in taking part in calligraphy courses.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. The accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. The accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. The accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Name: Joanna Sheehan ~~_~~ Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): IPFA ~~BS~~

Address: ~~a~~ Silver Howe Marlborough Grove Ilkley LS29 8QE

Date: 22 January 2024 __

22

Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS) Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison Year ended 31 December 2024

Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024		 Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024
RECEIPTS
Notes
A Voluntary income
Subscriptions
Non Gift Aided
14,725
Gift Aided
17,678
Gift Aid Tax Credit
1
4,208
Donations
Non Gift Aided
366
Gift Aided
10
Total Volunary Income
B Charitable Activities
Festivals
Fest' of Calligraphy 23
-
Fest' of Calligraphy 25
2
4,397
AGMs
AGM 23
-
AGM 24
10
2,655
AGM 25
540
EXHIBITION
Exhibition 2024
3
8,424
Member Sevices
Art & The Letter
5
Specilalist Skills
2,915
Certificate fees
4
2,305
Diploma fees
5
1,003
Liveonline Courses
6
5,085
Tutor Accred' fees
25
Total Charitable Activities
C Fund generating activities
Affilated Groups' PLI
7
1,811
Sale of goods
360
Total Fund generating activities
D Investment income
CAF interest
244
CC Interest
805
COIF interest
3,060
Total Investment income
Total Receipts for the year
Payments for the year
76,928
Net of receipts /(payments)
Jan -		 15,096
16,790
4,401
36,611
36,287
330
24
376
354
36,987
36,641
16,630
4,397
16,630
2,075
390
3,195
2,465
765
8,424
765
745
-
2,100
1,252
2,815
11,338
6,913
27,354
26,773
1,789
606
2,171
2,395
614

233

2,259
4,109
3,106
70,621
68,915
75,160
6,308
-
6,245
-
Dec 24
Jan - Dec 23

23

Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS) Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison Year ended 31 December 2024

Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024		 Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024		 Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024		 Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024		 Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2024
PAYMENTS
Notes
A Charitable activities
Art & The Letter
502
CLAS Academic Standards Board
-
Certificate fees
2,137
Specialist Skills
1,920
Copying & printing
181
Depreciation
-
Diploma
1,934
Edge
13,093
Edge postage
12,194
Fest' of Callig 22
-
Fest' of Callig 23
8
245
Fest' of Callig 25
567
Exhibition 2024
14,173
Free calligraphy courses
9
75
CLAS Course Development
3,815
Liveonline Courses
5,500
PLI (CLAS) insurance
711
Regional Day
-
Stationery
50
General Expenses
1,518
RAG Bursaries
100
Total Charitable activities
B Fundraising costs
Goods for resale
25
Affiliated Groups' PLI premiums
1,878
Total Fundraising costs
C Costs of generating voluntary income
Bank charges & Fees
CAF
75
PayPal,Sumup & GoCardless
845

Evenbrite Fees

303
Internet, Postage etc
Internet - Other
10
2,145
Postage
664
Presentations
372

Total Cost of generating vol income
D Governance costs
AGM 22 exp
-
AGM 23 exp
-
AGM 24 exp
11
8,431
AGM 25 exp
12
3,477
Management Committee mtgs
-
Total Governance costs
Total Payments
Receipts for the year
70,621
Net of receipts/(paymens)
Jan -*		 Notes
Jan -		 Dec 24
Jan -		 Dec 23
443
-
1,773
2,629
383
-
1,920
14,450
10,009
2,080
20,197
1,138
-
1,250
682
-
46
1,347
634
-
58,713
255
1,861
1,903
109
642
-
1,223
1,980
915
419
3,181
4,404
83
7,786
3,398
-
11,908
76,928
69,005
6,308
-		 57,712
2,116
752
3,315
4,066
11,266
75,160
6,245
-

24

==> picture [452 x 502] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society
Balance Sheet with prior year comparison
As at 31 December 2024
Notes Jan - Dec 24 Jan - Dec 23
ASSETS
A Cash at bank and in hand
CAF Current Account 13 7,094 3,543
CAF Gold 8,332 12,645
CC Bank 14 - 20,465
Revolut Prepaid card 116 61
15,542 36,714
COIF charities deposit account 15 63,266 40,345
Exhibition Fund 3 - 8,862
Sponsorship for beginners' class 16 3,975 3,975
67,241 53,182
PayPal 550 550 1,423 1,423
Total Cash at bank and in hand 83,333 91,318
B Other Current Assets
Stock of Good for Sale 2,125 2,125 539 539
Total Current Assets 85,459 91,857
LIABILITIES
C Creditors
Membership over/prepayments - 90
Total Value of Assets 85,459 91,767
CAPITAL RESERVES
Opening balance of funds 91,767 98,012
Net inflow / outflow of funds for the year - 6,308 - 6,245
Closing balance of funds 85,459 91,767
Value of funds at year end 85,459 91,767
----- End of picture text -----

25

CLAS COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

APPENDIX C

Management Committee Team Members 2025/6

Chair Treasurer CASB Chair Festival Director AGM Co-ordinator Exhibition Officer Membership Secretary Affiliated Groups Officer Administrative Secretary Archivist Webmaster

The Edge Social Media TBC Art & the Letter Organiser

Sue Hodgkinson Trustee 1 Jenny Wholley Trustee 2 Josie Brown Trustee 3 Donna Deeks Trustee 4 Sarah Walker Trustee 5 Jeff Bailey Trustee 6 Meg Chapman Trustee 7 Barbara Alldred Trustee 8 Dave Cowan Trustee 9 Alison Allan Trustee 10 Mapet Enriquez Trustee 11 Claire Tomlins Co-opted 1 Lenka Snook Co-opted 2 TBC Co-opted 3 Julie Tallant Ex-officio

CLAS Academic Standards Board (CASB)

Chair & Representative on MC CASB Admin Secretary Diploma Chief Assessor Accredited Tutors Officer Live Online Administrator Diploma Administration Officer Certificate of Calligraphy Officer Fellowship Application Officer Specialist Skills Award Officer Tutors & Talkers Officer Standardisation Officer Designer

Josie Brown Wendy Harris Josie Brown Liz Barrow Alejandra Gonaldi Yvie Holmes Angela Banks Rachel Yallop Ann Mason Ann Mason Gaynor Goffe Nadia Chin

Editorial Board

Commissioning Editor, the Edge Designer, the Edge Copy Editor, the Edge Proof-reader, the Enge Printer Liaison CLASnews

Claire Tomlins Nadia Chin impending vacancy Susan Healy, Doug Adams impending vacancy impending vacancy

26