## **THE DOUGLAS CENTRE TRUST** ## **REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024** Charity Registration Number 1047038 Company Registration Number 3057887 ## **Douglas Centre Trust** ## **Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31/12/2024** ## **The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31/12/2024** ## **Objects of the Douglas Centre Trust:** The Douglas Centre Trust was established by a charitable trust deed on June 8[th] 1995. The objectives of the Trust are: - To promote the ideals of lifelong learning in the arts and maximise the potential of the arts to further personal and social development - To ensure equality of opportunity and access to the facilities - To reflect in its programme and activities the rich diversity which is manifest in the community at large - To endeavour to give access to the very best contemporary artistic practice. - Trustees are required to participate in an induction and training programme at the start of their term. ## **Employees:** The Douglas Centre Trust has no employees ## **Review of Activities:** The activities of the Trust are described in full in the Chairman’s report. ## **Trustees:** The Trustees who served at 31/12/2024 were: Jeremy John Thorn Barbara Jane Thorn Ian Robert Davies Phillip John Cooper Joan Matilda Scriven Andrew James Keane Chika Ripley Registered office - The Cornerhouse, 116, Douglas Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 7SB Working name - The Cornerhouse Charity number - 1047038 Company number - 3057887 Reporting accountant – Tim Lucas 10 Presbury Road New Malden KT3 5AH 1 ## **Review of the Financial Position** ## Asset Cover for Funds The Trust’s assets are held as short-term bank deposits. These are sufficient to meet the trust’s immediate obligations. ## Reserves Policy and Risk Management The Trust reviews its reserves and risk policies routinely as part of its management of the Charity’s operations. The Trust identifies the biggest risk to its activities as the withdrawal of the virtually free premises. To address this, it continues to negotiate the agreement with the Parochial Council which sets out the noncommercial nature of the provision of the premises. The other significant risk is an interruption to day-today activities which would impact on income whilst requiring continued meeting of outgoings. The Trust considers that it needs to be able to meet these outgoings for a period of at least six months to enable it to manage such crisis. The experience of the pandemic reinforced our view that this was a sensible course. It therefore will continue to reserve £12,000 to meet basic cost commitments for six months. ## TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. The charity trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to: - - Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; - Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; - Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - State whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; - Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## SMALL COMPANY PROVISION This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. Approved by the Trustees on and Signed on its behalf by 2 J J Thorn Trustee ## **Douglas Centre Trust Chair's Report for 2024** 2024 saw a continuance of the process I reported on last year and the year before the gradual reduction in the impact of the COVID pandemic. Income finally surpassed pre-COVID levels and audience numbers have now surpassed those of 2018 and 2019. Fuel costs remain a challenge. Expenditure increased substantially, focusing on maintaining the building, investing in new equipment to improve standards, efficiency and resilience, including improved heating, LED lighting and gantry equipment. Almost all of this work was carried out by volunteers, including an encouraging number of new people. Our reserves have continued to rise, putting us in a strong position to meet future needs in maintenance, investment, emergency resources for unexpected events and meeting the growing needs of the local community. 2024’s Panto, a key element in our income, had good audience numbers. Other in-house activity produced positive results. We now intend to invest in infrastructure as a key priority. There was an expansion in our visual arts work and the trend of bringing in children and families for events, aimed specifically at them, continued. Once again, we participated in the Surbiton Literary Festival and Black History month events. A wide range of regular hirers represented local schools, colleges and charities. The diverse nature of the community was also reflected in attendees at the film club and in our Singalong initiative for sufferers of dementia and their supporters. Comedy featuring locally and nationally known performers was again an important part of our offering. Poetry, both through our own poetry group and from visiting poets, including Roger McGough, was a strong feature. Folk music continued to expand and to draw large audiences. All in all it was a highly successful year. We are now embarking on a number of changes to management and governance structures. Once again we owe a debt of gratitude to our willing and resourceful volunteers, to our generous landlords, St Matthews Church, to our inspector of accounts, Tim Lucas and to our outgoing Treasurer, David Itcovitz. Jeremy Thorn Chair of Trustees April 2025 3 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner"s Report Report to the On accounts for the y￿r ended 31M2n024 Charfty no.: 1047038 C(wnpany year e￿1￿1 31112r2024. )mpany for the purww of company I?￿). you are responsible for the to audited for this year undw Part 16 of the 21J)6 Act and are 81igible fr I￿le&￿ ex￿IndI10n. I report in respert of my exarnination of your char￿$ accourts as Gatried out ur##er se¢AK￿ 145 of the Chaiiti"e8 Act 2011 2011 A(fj). In carryiNJ out my exarnination. I have foll(h¥ed the Directiorts given by the Charity Commission (undw section 145(5)(b) of tr 2011 Ac Independent I have comwed my examination. I rA)nfimi that no material mattw3 have amlnorfs Stateme￿ come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that Companies Act 2006. or • Ihe accounts do not v*th relavant ac(xxmtiNJ rnquireff* under accounts give a kn and fairf VI￿ wfuch is not a matter considered as part of an indeperKlent examination" or SORP (FRS102). with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in orts to enable a woper urKlerstsndiThJ of the acxounts to be reached. s￿￿ed. 27106r2025 (11 any): Section 8 Disclosure Cknly c(xnpkte rf the exarna￿r need5 to huhlum material matters of corKwn guidan￿ fry examiner5). NIA cOn￿lIdat•d *l•m•nt ol Fknandd ActMtI• For th• Y•v •nd•d 31 D•c•mb•r 2024 1kn8trlcl•d R•strictod Totsl 2024 Totsl 2023 Box Office 28.046 22.033 660 2.583 33,875 28.046 22.033 660 16,328 20.196 tk>n•tsn$ & Fufftd Raisiig Bank Inleresi 2.583 33,875 1,442 27,187 Bar Takng$ c*laneous Incon Grnnts 6,000