CLAS CHAIFVS AND OFFICERS. ANNUAL REPORTS 2025 The following were Trustees/Committee Members in 2025: Chair Treasurer Member5hlp Secretary Asslstant to Art & The Letter Exhlbltlon Festlval Dlrertor CL45 Alfiliated Groups Officer AGM cO￿d(nator CASB Chair Admlnistrator Archlvlst Webmaster an HodBklnson Jenny Wholl Me8 Chapman Jeffrey Baifey Donna Deeks 8arbara Alldred Sarah Walker Joste Brown Dave Cowan Alison AILin Mapet Eniiquez Trustee I Trustee 2 Trustee 3 Trustee 4 Trustee 5 Trustee 6 Trustee 7 Trustee 8 Trusteè 9 Trustee 10 Trustee 11 Soclal MedSa Soclal Media A55iStant Festlval Dlrector Editorlal Board Lenka s￿0k Mercy Kun Janl¢e Mcclelland aalre Tomlins C(H>Pted I co.opted 2 Co-opted 3 Ctsopted 4 Art & The Letter offi￿r$ Julle T*lant Ex offl¢lo The Aims and Oblèrtfves of the Soclety shall be to advance the educatlon of the publlc In the practlce, appreclatlon, and the use of all forms of calli8Yaphy and lettedn8 art The Trustees have regard to the8uidarKe on publlc ￿ntfft tssued by the tharlty Comm15sSon when exerclslng thèlr powers and duties to whith the 8uldance is relevant. These objective5 have been ful￿ met by plann0r￿ and hold1￿% events and Inthtlves open to both members and non-members of the Society. Oetalls of the CW Constltutlon are shown on thè website at h content loads 2025 li ctAS-Constitution-2019-as-at-180319-v2. df General Admlnlstratlo CLAS has GDPR, Privacy & Cook￿$ pollcles In plKe and Isacce551ble to the publk onlint or upon request. Volunt••rs & V•cancl•s We are always happy to take expre95ions of Intere5tfor anyfuture vacancies. Expressions of Interest can be sent to Sue Hod8klnson by email ch las.co.uk or vta our webstte www. las.co.u vol Mana ment Commlttee Re orts Thank you forjoining u5 at Re8enYs Univerw for 2026 CLAS Creatlve. Whlte keen to spend the day absorbing all the creatwity on offer, we are also mana8in8 the admini5tTrtNe slde of CLAS to present reKWt5 and a¢count8 to vote on constltutional Chary. and appolnt our trustees at an AGM. l am espeaalw pleased to welcome new volunteers for election to the Management Committee as Chairof CASB, Treasurer and Administrator. CW depends on its volunteers for tts plans and futu￿. FestNal came back with a bang In 2025 and places for 2026 are going fast. 2027 is already well in hand. The Management Committee hs planningto put more ￿ll(leS In place in linewith regulations governing charttles, followlngthe gUIdan￿ of the (harity Commissfj¢)n and our ffinancial auditor. In AGM business this year we are p￿Senting a comprehensive rewew of the CLAS Constrt￿1On to update its terminolo8y and streamline it to refflect how CLAS works ioday. As in recent years, CLAS have sent out AGM packs With these report5 and propositlons by emall. and so you will have had a thance to read through th￿ in advance of the meeting. Pmted pac&5 are available to members who do not have email addresses. Ist year. and slnce, I heard many people say h¢)w Inspiring tly found the whole day. Our eoordinaior and organlser. Sarah Walker, loves a party and has e￿1￿ herself. There is so much to browse through and enloy -from demonstratlons, and chats, to displays of all kinds of work. to celebratin8 successful completlon of Cer￿ficateS and Diplomas. The CASB team will show you students, work to inspire you. Please do believe that one daythis could be you. There Is 8 wealth of material and onllne trainingto help you. The Chaii of CASB report wlll hi8hlight thls. Thls yearour Fireslde Chat Is wlth Rose 8riskman-our Chan￿ to ￿arn about the Paper Collections at the London Museum and how they are preser4ed. Y¢)u can al$0 catch a live kwjdcast hosted by Laura Edralln with Judlth Porch. a new CLAS Fellow appointed In Au8U5t 2025. We are luth to get a close look at Judlth's work and set the otrtcome of her unusual creatlve tethniques. Also last year. Uz Barrow wa5 appolnted a new CLAS Fellow In November. Liz 15 one of our Oemonstrators too. showing how she does Creative Versals. Alon851de thls Liz Is bringing the work that lead her to Fellowshlp. We applaud l>)th of them for the standard of thelr stunnln8 calll8raphy and decorative skllls. attaining thbs very highest achievement. Our 5e¢ond Demortstrator ofthe day15 Oavld &mons. dIs￿aYIng hls amazlng m￿￿ern Calll8raphy and polnted pen skllls. And we are delighted to have Celia ￿$ter. FCLAS. as our Fellow In Residence 5howcasin8 a spread of her fabulous work. Ifyou dare lof course yw dol. come and lern a mark on the CLAS Creat￿e 2026 banner, gulded by Mary Noble, FCL4S. and work on our collaborat1ve.￿8 8n￿h Strokes,. Art & the Letter allows one entryfree of char8e. encompasslng beglnneTS to profe5$1onals, members and non. member5. The exhibltlon at Re8ent's Unwerslty indudes the thance for comments provlded by three Fellows, the excitement of potentialty bein8 selected for a spedal award or the days, members, cholce and entry Into the Brian Walker Prlze craw. If you co51ect an entry after 4pm. please do not 80 wlthout slgnlng the list to show you safely ha￿ it. It l5 a matter of 8reat anxletyto the organisefs if they think a pl￿ 15 missin8. Exhlbltlon5 abound- If you dldn't get to see Show and Telv by Gwyneth Hlbbett and Dawn Ablgall as It travelled the country, do make SU￿ you catth It here. Mlcrofictlon a5 a genre tells stories usln8 few words and often wlth a wry twlsL The afternoon ends, after the wesentation of certrf￿tes and prlzes. vffjth our keynote speaker Cherrell Avery fvin8 us a keenly antlcipated lecture on'metal Et¢hin& and her work in the V&A Collertlon. Thi5 brings mv second year as Chalr to an end and l extend my slncere thanks to everyone on the two maln cornmlttees 1Mana8erT￿ffl and CASBI and 5UlTrcomMrtt￿ who have 8lven MÈ thelr support, a(fvite and dedlcatlon. There will be a vacancy in the Editorial Team for a comm￿s￿)nI￿A Edltor. We need someone to come forward to shadow the lune EdBe i5SLte and take over from October. We will need volunteers to make themselves known this yearto look ahead to or8anising Festival 2028 and beyond. FeS￿ra1 2026 is the ideal pl￿e to undersland its iMFKjrtan￿ in the CLAS calendar rfyou haven't been before. We are always happy to take expression5 of Intere5tforanyfuture ¥￿a￿le& Pleasè email me as chair@das.co.uk or vla our¥￿b$￿te TPJlTh.das.co.uv￿lUnteerln6 Sue Chalr Treasurnr-jerny Whol FlnancFal Rèport 2025 In my final year as Treasurer. l am glad to ￿ iTryear svrplus of U5.015 for 2025, a srgnificat)t increase from last year. Receipts were £88.047 compared to £70,621 in the prevlous year, an increase of £17,426. Paymerhts for the year were E73.032 3 decrease of £3,897 from 2024. The in-year positi￿ for 2025 of a surplus of £15,0151s s*nificant increase frorn the In-year FX)sftion in 2024 The total resour￿ as at 31 Dec 2025 are £1￿,474. Thiswill enable aASto continue to meet its d)aritable objertives and allow lor flUctUa￿onS in le￿[pts and payments. Summary Posltlon 2024 R•celpts Payments 5urplu5lloss 88,047 73.032 15,015 70.621 76,929 17.426 3.897 21,323 Funds avallable as at 31 December 2025 are £IIXJ474 an Increasè of £IS.015 being th* In-year sun)lus Funds Avallable Change Bal blhvd In-year Bal c/fwd 85,459 15,015 I(KIA74 91,767 ,308 85A59 ,308 21,323 15,015 8al•no Sh••t 2025 21)24 (￿n￿• Cash at Bank Curmnt accounts Deposit accounts 28,333 70,IiS 15,$42 67,241 82,783 550 83.333 2.125 85,459 85A59 12,791 2,874 15,665 -223 15422 -426 15.015 ISX115 Paypal Total Cash Stock Total Assets Nei Assets 327 T15 I￿874 IIX>,474 Recelpts & payments for the year are shown TrnAppendlx The In-yearsurplus rs lar8ely duè to havTr￿ a better up take and along wkh Festival 2025 coverlng ore costs. New paying mèmbers have offset non-rÈnewals by a galn of 33, b￿Ing membèrship fees. Expendriure has decreased due to a reduction of the cost of produclng & posting The Edge as we drop from 4 issues to 3 a yeaf, rea5sessmet7t of Diploma. Certificates and LibE(knline has resulted In nKffe costs being met by Income. FestNal 2025 0￿5 were almost covered by receipts. 2tr25 ¥7 In¢omeVarlance Voluntary Income (Membership Fees & Donations) Balance Payments for 2025 Festprdl Festival Deposlts Festival Payments Exhibltion 2024 Net I.LK12 Increased Membership 14.564 No Festival in 2024 £1.667 Increased e* booklwfor 2026 Festtrdl -18.701 No Fest￿al in 2024 SW No Exhibition in 2025 IrKreased liveonline B￿kin￿5 and no new COUTse 10,030 developmentfees Member Service5 Bank charges/Feesllnvellment Income linterestl 1,896 Increased Charges. Reduced Interest Rates 4.823 Redu￿ from 4t0 3 pUbl￿￿onS 1.578 Slight cost reduction -lJ75 Several smaller varian￿5 CLAS CreathelAGM oihèr £21.322 Our accol￿ts package Xero¢¢ntlnuesto work well with Gocardth Dirert detiit payments syndn8 automadcalty. A'Pay Nov/ link on membership remlnder emails ha5 made it a k)t easierfof members to pay by card through PayPal, (Members do not need a PayPal account to do thisl. New members and renewin8 members can pay via the websrte along wth Festival, CLAS Creative, Uveonline and Certrficate ptyment5. 1 hope cheque payin8 members wlll consider using thls option. Tryi￿& to find a bank to pay cheques in of queuln8 for ages In a Post office is very time consuming and the bank ch¥8es very costly. Dlrect deblt or bank transfer remaln our preferred payment option over theque The Sumup card paYn￿t m¥hine has contlfiued to in¢rease sales atthe CLAS Cre8tlve and at Fe5tlval. Zoom contSnues to be a very useful tool. enablln8 Liveonllne ¢lasse5 and removing the need for the Management committee to travel for meetin85. thus savin8 money. Padlet contlnues to be a 8reat asset to the Online courses. We V•)iuid Ilke to thankjo Sheehari who contlnues to be ¢yJr Independent Examiner. A summ•y ofthe balance theeL payments and re￿Ipts ¥AII be 5ubmltted tothe thaT￿Y Commlsslon. Jennyvtholley Treasurer Curreni membèrship is 862 Including 28 Free Members. Soclal Medla and Webslte posts continue to brlng In new members and we are especialty grateful for the nurnbe￿ our tutors Introduce. There is nothin8 like the personal touch to underfire the frlendllness of aAS and our promotion of the letter1￿8 arts In all its forms. New members brin8 a deli8htful enthuslasm and l enjoy hearin8 of thebf SU￿SseS In the frequent cOrrW￿denC¢ I receive- Trncluding tea￿th￿IlY skllled thrfstmas cards. Thankyoul Megchawan Membership Secretsry Tut(Ks and Talkers- NA)n Mason TheTut(ws &Talkers r￿artd Interacti￿ map on the CLAS webslte are scheduled for revision in 2026. An email requesting updated inforn)ation was rirculated to all currenttutors In January 2026. Accrethted Tutors- Llz Barr￿* Thi5 year CiAS has welcomed two new Auredfted Tutors-jane Jenkin5 and Julia Baxter. Many con8ratulatlons to both. I the streamlineil drKuments for theTutor Acrle￿rta￿"￿ applK3tlon process have now been updated on the websffte. Certmcate of Calligraphy-Aryla Banks Since the pwous AGM-there have been a totsl of 42 entries, with Aft￿ed Pen Uncials and Copperplate as the most popular stripts. The st3ThJard has been high wtth the number of Distlnctions outstripping CommerKled and Meri There were a total of S entraes from abroad, wrth 3 from at-r5skyouwttts In 5in8awre whose entry fees CW sponsored. HavtnB the three assessor5 for the November Certrficate submission has workèd well. Sharing the tssk means it becomes less onerousltimtrcon5uming forthe asses%ys, and also that an extra person ts not requlred to assess work by an assessorfs student. There Is no si8nlficant extra cost to CLAS. as the number 01 entries assessed remains the same. The Moderation by Mary Noble tt)ok place In January. with no queries to. or disagreements with the three Asses50rs. Last years, fees increases arè bellw monltored to ensureth* ￿ highèr postage costs are being adequately covered. The Certrficate of Calli8raphy Adrninlstrator. An8ela Banks. has mu4ed house and her new detalls have been put on the *tbsite. LlveOnllne- ￿eJ3r1dra ￿¥kIl transfer their t0arw)thero￿ff￿. Currently. the booking fees for CLAS membets i￿ £95 lorfour-5esslon ctyJrs¢s and £SOfor tWQ.5esslon course5. For non-membe￿tht fees are £120 forfrwr-session ¢ourse5 and £65 lor ¢wo-session cour3es. Forthe Ba5 Teachlng Skillsthe fees are £94 for members and £120for M)nllmembers. Courses from September to Oecember 2025 Htstorical Decorated Letters- 9 students Formal ￿a11C- 11 students Gothlt Cur5ivtr Batarde- 12 students Modern Versals- 10 students CopperplatÈ- 9 students Italic Capitals- 10 students Foundational-5 students Embossed and Cth Letters- 15 students CreatNe Calllgraphic Project for Christmas-6 students Baslc Teachln¥ Skllls- 9 Students Total member5.' 82, total Th)n.members: 14 Courses from January 2026 Roman Capltsls- 6 students Gothlc Black LetteT-8 students Angled Pen Uncial- 6 students Pointed Pen t)ecoratitsn5- 12 students Rustic Letters-6 students Total members.. 33, total nofvmembers.. 5 As CoU￿eS of subjects other than just the Certlflcate stripts have been successful, Liveonline will endeavour to offer a wider range of subjects. both to attrart new membefs and to SUPPOrt those who wish to use other associated 5kFlls in theirwork. However. 8wJ talligraphic skills will still be encouraged sinothey are the bosts of all ourwork A new Zoom account with two Users to allow the S&40fficerto hostcourses as well. is pendlng a decision. Liveonlirte continues to USÈ Eventhrite as a b)okit¥ system Promotion ol Li¥eOnlint courses ￿MaiNst0 be via ￿181 the Lib*OnlinÈ Administrator and the tutors themselves, but we would like to encourage tutors and members alike, to promote any CW courses vla theirown social media Ou￿ets. Access to Padlet knards and recordin85 is provided fortwo month& A new Communication pro￿dure has been recently implerr*nted. to improve students. understandlng of h(A¥to usethe pad1￿ boards and to avoid can￿lationS after links to the Padlet tthrds are sent out Speualist S￿11$ Aw3rds-Ann Mason The kn¥eOnline SSA In Altematlve TOOLS conduded in Summer 2025 The Llveonline in Copperplate commenced in September 2025 and wlll run untll September 2026. The Colour and Texture SSAwa5 deli¥*￿d at Festival 2025. Partiupants have until 28 March 2026 to submit work for aSseS￿lent. submi55ton numbers are not yet confirmed. The Uveonline SSA in Bookbindlng commenced in January 2026 and will Nn untll January 20Z7. Su55ex Scribes are turrenth undertaking the W In Afternat￿eT00ls wfth Rachel Yallop. Assessment Is expected to tske place In June orjuty 2026. At CLAS Fe5tiwal 2026, Jtisie Brown will deliverthe SSA In Tradlllonal Skllls. A knveonllne Ssl in Heraldry is plaNRd fly Auiumn 2026. Natlonal Diploma- Yvonne Holmes 2025 saw the reeeSpt of the folh)wlng Dipbma entrles: Foundatlon le4el-4 candidates- 3 modular and I full entsy Intermediate lÈvel-6 candidates- 4 mcdular and 2 fv11 entrfes A￿anCed level-2 candidates- 2 m¢xIu￿r entrtes Asucossful assessment day was held In July, zl Highnarn and many thanks go to the assessors Ilosle Brown, Mary Noble and Ma￿aret MorKznl and helpe(s {Ywe Holmes, Gary Hdmes and Jean Chamberfalnl who helped to make the day go sm￿thIY. The Dlplorna entrfes resutted in 3 ¢andklates at Foundation level, I candidate at Intemiedlate level, and 2 candldates at Advanced level. Cerdficates have been Issued and some wlll be presented he￿, for those attend tht CLAS Creative Day. Throu8hout the year. a rt¥iew was made of the costs invofved In runnlng the Diploma by the Clploma Officer, CASB Chalrand CLAS Treasurer. As a resulL a proposal was put forward to the Management Commlttee to irtrease the costs per module to £35 each, and to ¢han8e future entries so that they would all be on a modular basis but wlth the optlon to submlt all module5 In one year candidates wlsh to do 9). Thls was approNEd by the MC, and the wèbsite was updated. Close mon￿oring of costs will continue throu8hoirt the next couple of years to asses5 the Impart of the Increase. finantially and also In terms of the number of applKations recefved. Forthe second year runnin& the￿ were CLLStoms woblems when returning candidates, workto the Aepubloc of Ireland. Fortunately. a work amufid was arranged and packa8es were successfully recÈlved by candldates but onty after several weeks of problerns. As a result the MC has a8reed that the return of work to ¢andidates fmm Irtland must be arranged by the eandklate themsefves. Currently there are no eFrtrles from Ireland for 2026 IMJt any candidateswho enrol wlll be made aware of the %tyatKNI. To date, Yvie has re¢eNed one entryforthe DSpioma at Foundatlon level, which Is from Greece. Fell¢)wthip- Rathel Yallq) The display at last yearfs CLAS Creati¥e Included work from 15 Fello￿￿ and there was a lot of varfety whith Clear￿ demonstrated the dhwse talents or our esteemed Fellows. Mlchela Antonello klndly received the work and brought it to the venue for dt5plawn8. Not hawn8 a fixed therne for thi5 yearfs display, has rÈceived a positive reaction. Two rnembers have Suc￿$SfUl￿ been accepted a5 Fell￿ overthe past six months. Judith Porch had her assessment at the Festival in A￿8￿5[ and thls worked very well as 3ssessOrswe￿ attendin8 the Festival anyway. This wouks be a good q)tlon to consider in futuretoo. Liz Bafrow had her assessment in Lorthn in De￿Mber. Michela Ajrtorello kind￿ volunteered her house for the process. J￿eT member is currently at the mentor stage. The intended Videos of infomwl thats With Fellows-to raise their profile to the membership. have not yet been recorded, but the hope ss that these will be carried out over the next few months. The Fellowship aP￿ication form and assessment trfteria have been amended to now allow forthe subrnission of4 pieces of WO￿ Corn￿ed more than S years preViLMJ￿v, instead of two. Charitible ActSvities CLA5 has 5UPPOrtÈd 3 youn8 Students from SlnBapore who wlshed to enter forthè Certificate of Calligraphy. 50 CLAS paid their entry fees and return pcBtaEe. CASB has fomiÉd a small working group to set up a 8uryAries System. whith wlll offer payment of courses. entry fees or mentodng- in an efft>rt to support encourage entries for the Diplomas. More information wlll be forthcomi￿ laterthis year. Several calligraphy books were sent to a prtsoner who has been benefitting from CLAS'S free torresponderE￿ course. Designer As the￿ a￿ now three people involved wlth de5ignin8 and produdng publicatlons for CLAS. thrs category no longer remains with CASB. In fu￿re it will be.... CASB PUblI￿￿On$ TutorAccTeditatlon documents have all been upjated and ￿acert on the w•b51te The Fellowshlp applicatlon document and assessment crlteria have recently been amended. General Wendy Harris has had to step down as CASB Admlnlstrator and Annie Jackson has kindly taken Over thls roje-we ale Very 8rateful for Wenty5 contrlbutlons and to Annie for her assistante so far. Liz Barrow wlll now be tskln8 the CASB Chair. whilejosle ￿1[ swap roles with her, to become the Tutor Accredhatlon Offiter. Josie would like to extend her heartfelt thanks to the CASB team, past and present for thelr klndlygNen hard work. expertise. enthusiasm and Mendship. CASB has made great strldeg In recent years. and it Is due entl￿ty to thelr unsiintinggeneroslty. losle Brown CASB Chalr CLAS AfflIFated Groups- Bartxrn AHdr8d There are tuffently 36 Affil4*ed Groups Type A- 27 (with Publlc Liabiltty Insuran￿) Type B- 7 Iwithout Public Liabllity In5urancÉl CLAS Spe¢lal Interest Groups-CopFerplate Spe¢ial Interest Group and Llttle Bookmèker5 Two Groups d15banded. thè Cabin Crew and Noble Calli8raphers and we have two new8roups. A CLAS logo. specifically forAffiliated Groups ha5 been created. along wlth a shnple Itcencefor Its use. Little Bookmakers, our newestSIG orrdnlsed by Jean Gray. have had two 5uccesshJl book Swaps In 2025 and all images of the books were dlsplayed on a PAOLET board set up for thl58roup to interact which means all members ofthegroup seethe books that have been ueated. A Health and Safety Policy and Risk As￿$ment which are requi￿ by our Insurers and the Charlty CommissÈon are bein8 addre55ed wf(h new poltces created al￿ old ones updated. All Affiltated Groups have been sent a °Safe Practice in Wo¥k5hops" infomiation sheet ak)ng wtth a Pro F(*ma Risk Assessment Sheet. A more detailed Risk AsseSS￿nt Policy for *tykthops whkh ctweTS unusual tools and situatlons is available on request. Newsletters and the sharin8 of Fnr*)M￿ion at<¥rt daw and events contlnueto be clruAated to groups on a regular basis. io Thank you to all ourAfftiated Groups ar￿ Special Interest Groups who continue to support CL4S by providing a rith varietyof lfvPerson and Zocth work51ws. Exhibitlors and other calll8raphit events. Barbara Aldred CLASAffi1￿ed Groups Officer Edltorfal Bowd-clalfe Tomll Claire Tomlln5 has been the CommssM)nirvd Edtordurfjng 202512026. Working inrtialty with Nadia Chln as Desi8ner on the June and October 2025 issues. Annie jackson wa5 Copy Edrtor on the June l&sue with Simone Chalkey becomln8 the Copy Editor for the October 2025 and February 2026 Issue> AlSrtairTLLYNthh t￿k over from Nadia and deS￿ned the February 2026 Issue. Change ￿ Inevttable In these roles. Fortunately. gjsan Healty and Dwg Idams remaln In t￿1r roles. the EDGE readers and artide atjthors have been pleased wth the printed illustrated artKles whl¢h Is rea$5urfn8. It always tskes tlme to searth for new artlcles, so we welcome your promptlng us for new relevant and preferred artldes. aalre Tcrfnllns CommIss￿l￿ Edthr l am pleased to preseni my second Sou'al Media Officerfs report lor CLAS, covering the perlod from MaTth 2025 to March 2026. Thls year has been one of tonsolrdatlon and rteady progress, With a clear focus on stwcture and on bulldlna su5talnabbe foundatlons for our soclal medla strategy. Having settled Into the role, my work thlsyear has centred less on experlmentation and more on dè¥eknpin8 rellabk system5 that support CLAS'S events. communications. and long-temi V￿lbIl￿y. A¢hbevements and A¢tl¥ftles CNer the past yÈar, the prlmary fotys has been on 5tructurin8 our social medla output and Introduclng eater clarity around how, when. and whywe posL Below is a summary otthe areas I have concentrated on durlng this perlod. l. Soclal Medla Structure and Plannlng. I have been de¥elop(ng è clearer social rnedla calendar, introduclng set postformats for CLAS'S kn actNities and annual e¥￿ts. This has helped create 8reateT conslsten¢y across platforThL% while making content easkr to ￿an and manage in advan￿. 2. E¥ent-Focused Content. For major CLAS events, I h3ve been establishing clearer guidante around p)st strudure and messa8in& induding Instructions on how to create enga8ln8 and Informative jsts. TIMS approach is intended to supp)rt both visibllity and under5tandln8, partlculady for members engag1￿ with CLAS onllne. 3. Content Woftlln8 ond En8a8ement. I Con￿nUe to test and reflne wordin& tone, and structure to better suit OUT audience. While this remains an on80ing process. IIKreased engagement across our platforms suBgests thata more siructured and intentional approach to conterlt is proving effectlve. Process O(Kumentat*)n. AlongsKle publishir8 content, I have been docufflenting worthows and processes behlnd the scenes. Introjucing stnKture not onty to what we Sha￿ public￿, but a￿0 to how content Is createil and managed. has been particularty helpful for conslstency and contlnulty. Collabor*K)n with the Commrttee Social media at CLAS ts very muth a cdlaboratr¥e efforL Throughout the year. I have liaised cli)sely with other ommittee members to erfjurÈ ourcommunications are allgned wlth wider organisational activity. Thls ha5 been invaluable in refinin8 tontent, planning ahead, and ensuring that our online presen￿ accurately reflects the work ofthe society. li As th15 marks my second year in the role. I feel I fully setded irrto the position and gained a clearer understanding of how Social media can best setrve CLAS. The progress made this year ha5 t)een steady and practical, WFth a focus on strengthening foundations rather than introducing further changes. Estsblishing elear structure online, alongsrde documèntirrg processes intemally. Is helping to create a more coherent and sustainable approach to SLxial media- one that can ti)ntinueto evolve over time. LooklnB forward, the priotlty will be to continue refining this structure. Improvtng ¢larlty around key tommunications. and building on the system5 alreaol in placè. This will SEtPkWt a soclal media presen￿ that remalns mnsisten¢ Inf￿rnatIVe. and aligned wtth CLAS'S thned ath4it¢es. I would IFke to thank the committee. volunteers, and mÈmbefS fortheir cwperation and encouTaBemeTht over the past ye3r. your input and sUPPOrt have been essentlal. and I k>ik fop*ard to continuin8 thls work In the year ahead. Lenka Snook 5oclal Medla Offlcer Web5h- M•pel E￿￿￿?1 General Webstte Updates ar*d Improvements Evènt and Uveonllne course pages were Lydated thr￿ts￿tthe year so that Informatlon remalned current. Additlonal update5 were made as needed to ccfftcl or refresh content at70ss the webslte. Key Learning and Teaching pa8es. lfi¢ludln8 the Certfficate of Calligfaphy and the National Diploma of Calligraphy, were uwlated to make Infonnatlon clearer and easier to tsnderstand. CLAS AGM Packs from the past fve years were added to the wèbsite for easy refeonce, alongside other CLAS Temis and Conditiors and Policies. A new pagè forthe Little Book Spedal Interest Group was created, bri￿Ing t￿ether Infornia￿On about thè troup and Its book swaps. The Festival of Calll8raphy landlng page and payment pa8e were updated to Iwrpr¢M th• Ixxjkins expertence. Web51te Refresh Summary A website refresh was compthd in resportse to the IrKre3se In content and adivity slncè the pr￿ouS redeslgn. The aim was to rnake the websme easier to Use and easlerto n￿gate. whlle keeplng It ¢on515tent wlth the established CLAS look and feel. The main menu was s¢mplffied 50 that Important a￿a$ such as Group5, Events, and Learnin8 and Teachlng are easler to find. Education content wa5 ieor8anised to better refiert the different needs of learner5 and tutors, and infomiatSon about Groups was brought tQ8etherto make it morÈ vi5ibtre and aetessible. Web51te content was revlewed to ensure It w&% acaJTrte, up to d*e, and cleartywrttten. Information that had pr￿0￿$￿ only been aVaiL7￿ In printed materfals or PDF doojments was added to the website where possible. wfth support from relevant committee members. The website footer was also updated so that polkles and other important Infommtion are e&s￿rt0 find and ¢learfy presented.The refresh was CO￿eted ahead of the opening of regi5tratbrm for CLAS C￿atiVe, with no additional costs incurred. Webs5te Hosting Migrntion UFrflate Following the move to a F￿¥￿bSite h05tiw¥ 13 May 2024. the servi￿ has remalned stable and reliable. The prwder has been helpful and resrthsfve when SVPF*Nt ha5 been needed, Including 8sslstir$8 With page updates and resofvin8 Ocra￿o￿al Ser¥1￿ intemiptions. 12 Mapet Ennquez Wèbmaster CLAS Festfv312026 The dlrectOTS are pleased to ￿port that prep3fdtions for Fesllval 2026 are W￿[1 In hand. We will bejolned by Suzie 8eringer IUSAI. Josie Brown IUKI, GayrK* Goffe ILJKI. Judith Porch IUKI and Loredana Zega ISI) as tutor5, and eight ofthe ten work%hops on offèr habE already sold We currentty have 82 reglstratlons, Indudin8 17 firrt-time FestP4al dele8atr* The Radcliffe Confe￿ntr CÈntre at the UniverSFtyof WarvAck wlll host our event-we have been moved from the Scarman Centre due to buildlng works-and we lookforward to wekomln8 both familiar and new faces in August. CLAS Festlval 2027 Preparations for FestNal 2027 h￿e begun well: tutors arml the venue have been booked, CLAS Fellow Helen Scholes has begun the bft)chtsre design. The Festival 2027 brothure wll be Induded In the O¢tober 2026 Issue of The Ed8e, and onllne re8i5tr3tlons wlll open on October 16th ljonna Oeeks and Janke Mcaelland CIAS Fe5tfr4al Dlrector5 R•port fromthe AGM Coordln*or-S•Trh Wthr The AGM 2025 was held on *b March 2025 at Re8enVs Unl¥etsity LoThJon and saw a record attendance of 229 re815tered participants. gJrpassinB prevlous year$1217 in 2024, 178 in 2023, and 135 In 20221. The action-patked programme created an excitinB and thoroughty enjoyable day. Glorious sunshlne added to the atmosphere, allowing attèndees to make the most of networklng Opp￿UnItoeS in the gardens. Doors opened at 09.30. WTth 8uests Wek0￿ ty compllmentsry tea. coffee, and biscuits. Followlng the AGM, the programme moved Into full swln8 Wrth Tessie CoolTrng and Jen Thomp50n demonstratin8 thelr speclallst Calligraphy skllbs and exhiblthng their fabulous work. Cherrdl Avery FCLAS, the Fellow In Residence, showcased her digltal letterfnfj te¢hnlques U5in8 an Apple Pentil and iPad. The Flieslde Chat wtth Eleanor Wlnters, titled Vhere I Ilove Beeffj Where l Am Golnq... My Journey as o Calligrapherf, was very well attended. Eleanor aLs0 brou8ht a 5elertton of her beautlful mlnl books, which were displayed In the Knapp Gallery. The afternoon lerture by Susle Lelper."AIIAbout the8ook."from Editortoscribeto Mukerf.waseoually en8a8ing and hl8hly s￿cesSfUl. Throu8hoLrt the day, attendees had time to ylew the physKal and digltal Art and the Letter exhibition5, as well as the Fellow exhibrtion featurin8 a wonderful disptay of artwork Participants also enjoyed shoppin8 ftsr CLA branded ttems, calligraphy materia15. and book5 fromthe Yake and Donate, tsble and the various popup shops. The 4th Art and The Lètter hybrid exhlbltion was this year, wlth a positfve outcome and Increased porbcipation corn￿red to last year. We had a total 0153 entrie5 Wtth 51 physlcal exhlbfts and 49 digital exhlbits lin 2024- 33 physlcal exhiblts and 31 digital exhibits) wmprising ol entrie5 from a variety of locatlons across the UK, Ireland, France, Turkey and Ukralne. Categories thls year induded.. I. LET THE LIGHT POUR IN by Lemn Sityay- Most Popular 2. THE ART OF CELMC CALLIGRAPHY-thiwd m05t w)pular 3. COLOUR OF THE YEAR FOR 2025-'Firture DusY-Second nJ)st popular MUSICAL GALLIGRAPHY-The Rhythm ofthe Pen- Least w)pular Prize Winners 13 Members c1￿1Ce Wlnnerof the Dttsl Artand the Letter Exhlbition 2025-Tth"ana Hneniuk Member5 Choice Winner of the Physlcal Art aNI the Letter Exhibttion 2025-Jan Sambell Most Promlsing Beginner- Cathy Jenknns Most Promising Beginner Runner-up-AJ)drew Eastwood M05t Technically Skllled- Carole Thomann Most Creative- Inerid Hill Highly Commended- Davld Slmons and Elai￿ Gillin8harn Brian G. Walker Prize-vanessa Peter5 Sarah Walker AGM and A&TL c￿OrdInatOr Ar¢hl¥15Ys R•port-Allson Allab) Regular updatin8 of rtwrds such as certlficate and diploma rewlts aThJ indextngthe Edge has contlnued, as has the tatslo8ulng of other ph￿C8[ and digf(al items. and re5pondiry to enqulrles. includin8 on particular past events and developments as needed to Snfomi Mzna8ement Commlttee dlscussions. 14 ## **Treasurer – Jenny Wholley** ## **Financial Report 2025** In my final year as Treasurer, I am glad to see in-year surplus of £15,015 for 2025, a significant increase from last year. Receipts were £88,047 compared to £70,621 in the previous year, an increase of £17,426. Payments for the year were £73,032 a decrease of £3,897 from 2024. The in-year position for 2025 of a surplus of £15,015 is significant increase from the in-year position in 2024 The total resources as at 31 Dec 2025 are £100,474. This will enable CLAS to continue to meet its charitable objectives and allow for fluctuations in receipts and payments. **==> picture [452 x 77] intentionally omitted <==** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Summary Position 2025 2024 Change
£ £ £
Receipts 88,047 70,621 17,426
Payments 73,032 76,929 3,897
Surplus/loss 15,015 6,308 21,323
**----- End of picture text -----**
Funds available as at 31 December 2025 are £100474 an increase of £15,015 being the inyear surplus **==> picture [452 x 227] intentionally omitted <==** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Funds Available 2025 2024 Change
£ £ £
Bal b/fwd 85,459 91,767 -6,308
In-year 15,015 -6,308 21,323
Bal c/fwd 100,474 85,459 15,015
Balance Sheet 2025 2024 Change
£ £ £
Cash at Bank
Current accounts 28,333 15,542 12,791
Deposit accounts 70,115 67,241 2,874
98,448 82,783 15,665
Paypal 327 550 -223
Total Cash 98,775 83,333 15422
Stock 1,699 2,125 -426
Total Assets 100,474 85,459 15,015
Net Assets 100,474 85,459 15,015
**----- End of picture text -----**
Receipts & payments for the year are shown in Appendix A The in-year surplus is largely due to LiveOnline having a better up take and along with Festival 2025 covering more costs. New paying members have offset non-renewals by a gain of 33, boosting membership fees. Expenditure has decreased due to a reduction of the cost of producing & posting The Edge as we drop from 4 issues to 3 a year, reassessment of Diploma, Certificates and LiveOnline has resulted in more costs being met by income. Festival 2025 costs were almost covered by receipts. ||**Income Variance**
**2025 vs**
**2024**
**Main Driver:**
Voluntary Income (Membership
Fees & Donations)
1,002 Increased Membership
Balance Payments for 2025
Festival
14,564 No Festival in 2024
Festival Deposits
£1,667 Increased early bookings for 2026 Festival
Festival Payments
-18,701No Festival in 2024
Exhibition 2024 Net
5,838 No Exhibition in 2025
Member Services
10,030
Increased LiveOnline Bookings and no new
course development fees
Bank charges/Fees/Investment
Income (interest)
1,896 Increased Charges, Reduced Interest Rates
Edge
4,823 Reduce from 4 to 3 publications
CLAS Creative/AGM
1,578 Slight cost reduction
Other
-1,375Several smaller variances
£21,322|| |---|---|---| Our accounts package Xero continues to work well with GoCardless Direct debit payments syncing automatically. A ‘Pay Now’ link on membership reminder emails has made it a lot easier for members to pay by card through PayPal, (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 has continued to increase sales at the CLAS Creative and at Festival. 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 continues to be a 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. Jenny Wholley Treasurer **==> picture [452 x 687] intentionally omitted <==** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)
Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison
Year ended 31 December 2025
RECEIPTS Notes Jan - Dec 25 Jan - Dec 24
A Voluntary income
Subscriptions
Non Gift Aided 14,855 14,725
Gift Aided 18,690 17,678
Gift Aid Tax Credit 1 4,433 4,208
37,978 36,611
Donations
Non Gift Aided 10 366
Gift Aided 0 10
10 376
Total Volunary Income 37,988 36,987
B Charitable Activities
Festivals
Fest' of Calligraphy 25 2 14,564 4,397
Fest' of Calligraphy 26 6,064
20,628 4,397
AGMs
AGM 24 0 2,655
CLAS Creative 25 10 3,780 540
CLAS Creative 26 775 0
4,555 3,195
EXHIBITION
Exhibition 2024 3 348 8,424
348 8,424
Member Sevices
Art & The Letter 48 5
Specilalist Skills 1,515 2,915
Certificate fees 4 1,500 2,305
Diploma fees 5 993 1,003
Liveonline Courses 6 13,964 5,085
Tutor Accred' fees 25 25
18,045 11,338
Total Charitable Activities 43,576 27,354
C Fund generating activities
Affilated Groups' PLI 7 1,969 1,811
Sale of goods 1,258 360
Total Fund generating activities 3,227 2,171
D Investment income
CAF interest 382 244
CC Interest 0 805
COIF interest 2,874 3,060
Total Investment income 3,256 4,109
Total Receipts for the year 88,047 70,621
Payments for the year 73,032 76,928
Net of receipts /(payments) 15,015 -6,307
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS) Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison Year ended 31 December 2025** |**Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)**
**Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison**
**Year ended 31 December 2025**|**Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)**
**Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison**
**Year ended 31 December 2025**|**Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS)**
**Receipts and Payment Accounts with prior year comparison**
**Year ended 31 December 2025**| |---|---|---| |**PAYMENTS**
**A Charitable activities**
Art & The Letter
CLAS Academic Standards Board
Certificate fees
Specialist Skills
Copying & printing
Depreciation
Diploma
Edge
Edge postage
Fest' of Callig 23
Fest' of Callig 25
Fest' of Callig 26
Exhibition 2024
Free calligraphy courses
CLAS Course Development
Liveonline Courses
PLI (CLAS) insurance
Regional Day
Stationery
General Expenses
RAG Bursaries
**Total Charitable activities**
**B Fundraising costs**
Goods for resale
Affiliated Groups' PLI premiums
**Total Fundraising costs**
**C Costs of generating voluntary income**
**_Bank charges & Fees_**
CAF
PayPal,Sumup & GoCardless
Evenbrite Fees
**_Internet, Postage etc_**
Internet - Other
Postage
Presentations
**Total Cost of generating vol income**
**D Governance costs**
AGM 24 exp
AGM 25 exp
AGM 26 exp
Management Committee mtgs
**Total Governance costs**
**Total Payments**
Receipts for the year
**Net of receipts/(paymens)**|**Notes**
246
502
96
0
2,504
2,137
950
1,920
34
181
0
0
1,202
1,934
11,164
13,093
9,299
12,194
0
245
19,268
567
573
259
14,173
**8**
225
75
0
3,815
7,230
5,500
711
711
0
0
38
50
0
1,518
0
100
**53,799**
**58,713**
426
25
1,949
1,878
**2,375**
**1,903**
89
75
1,022
845
1,156
303
**2,267**
**1,223**
**9**
1,672
2,145
917
664
308
372
2,897
3,181
**5,164**
**4,404**
0
8,431
**11**
7,978
3,477
**12**
3,716
0
0
**11,694**
**11,908**
**73,032**
**76,928**
88,047
70,621
**15,015**
**-6,308**
**Jan - Dec 25**
**Jan - Dec 24**|| |||**1,903**
**1,223**
3,181
**4,404**
**11,908**| |||**76,928**| |||**-6,308**| |**Notes**
**ASSETS**
**A Cash at bank and in hand**
CAF Current Account
**13**
3,495
CAF Gold
24,706
Revolut Prepaid card
100
Float
32
28,333
COIF charities deposit account
**14**
66,140
Sponsorship for beginners' class
**15**
3,975
70,115
PayPal
327
327
**_Total Cash at bank and in hand_**
**98,775**
**B Other Current Assets**
**Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society**
**Balance Sheet with prior year comparison**
**As at 31 December 2025**
**Jan - Dec 25**|**Notes**
**ASSETS**
**A Cash at bank and in hand**
CAF Current Account
**13**
3,495
CAF Gold
24,706
Revolut Prepaid card
100
Float
32
28,333
COIF charities deposit account
**14**
66,140
Sponsorship for beginners' class
**15**
3,975
70,115
PayPal
327
327
**_Total Cash at bank and in hand_**
**98,775**
**B Other Current Assets**
**Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society**
**Balance Sheet with prior year comparison**
**As at 31 December 2025**
**Jan - Dec 25**|7,094
8,332
0
116
15,542
63,266
3,975
67,241
550
550
**83,333**
**Jan - Dec 24**|7,094
8,332
0
116
15,542
63,266
3,975
67,241
550
550
**83,333**
**Jan - Dec 24**| |---|---|---|---| |Stock of Good for Sale
1,699|1,699|2,125|2,125| |**_Total Current Assets_**
**LIABILITIES**
**C Creditors**
**Total Value of Assets**
**CAPITAL RESERVES**
Opening balance of funds
85,459
Net inflow / outflow of funds for the year
15,015
Closing balance of funds
**Value of funds at year end**|**100,474**
0
**100,474**
**100,474**
**100,474**|91,767
-6,308|**85,459**
0
**85,459**| ||||**85,459**| ||||**85,459**| ## **NOTES TO ACCOUNTS** ## **Year ended 31 December 2025** ## **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. For the year ending 31 December 2025 total receipts were £88,047 and total payments £73,032, giving an in-year surplus of £15,015. In the year 2024, the position for the year was a deficit of £6,308, so a movement of £21,323. Funds available as at 31 December 2025 are £100,474. ## **Statement of Receipts** 1. Gift-aid tax credit claim is made annually in January each year to HM Revenue and Customs for the accounting year ended in the previous December. 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 in 2024 and £14,564 in 2025 a total of £18,961. Related outgoings were £567 in 2024 and £19,268 in 2025 a total of £19,835. The final position was a deficit of £874. 3. For Exhibition 2024 income received was £348 from delayed payment of sales from Dean Clough. 4. Fees for Certificate accreditation assessment of £1500 were received from candidates, with related outgoings of £2,504 5. Fees for Diploma accreditation assessment of £993 were received from candidates, with related outgoings of £1,202 6. Receipts of £13,964 have been received for The Liveonline Calligraphy & Teaching courses and £7,230 has been paid to tutors and hosts along with setting up Padlet and course admin. 7. Affiliated Groups PLI (Public Liability Insurance) of £1,969 represents the contributions from regional groups affiliated to CLAS towards the insurance premium borne by the Society. ## **Statement of Payments** 8. Free calligraphy courses were run this year at a cost of £225 9. 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. 11. CLAS Creative 2025 income received of £3,780 with related outgoings of £7,978 in 2025. The total cost of the CLAS Creative 2025 was £11,456 with receipts of £4,320, giving a final cost of £7,136 12. CLAS Creative 26 expenses of £3,716 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 ## **Balance Sheet** 13. CAF Accounts are historically the main operating and savings accounts for CLAS. 14. 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. 15. 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 in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Name: Joanna Sheehan Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies: IPFA Address: 23 Loweswater Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 3AZ Date: 12 January 2026