2024-05-31-accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements 2023-24

Company registered number: 03095963 Charity registered number: 1049103

Contents

Contents

Report of the Trustees for the year 1st June 2023-31st May 2024

Welcome from our Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Our work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The difference we make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Our Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Our impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Heather’s story – case study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Alfie and Harrison’s story – case study . . . . . . . 12 Focus on Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Jasper and Lauren’s story – case study . . . . . . . 18 The financial picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Conclusion from the CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Objectives and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 What we do and why we do it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Living with sight loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Vision, purpose and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Our work plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Structure governance and management . . . . . . 28 Financial review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Administrative and professional information . . . .35 Statement of Trustees' responsibilities . . . . . . . . .37 Report of Independent Auditors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Statement of Financial Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Balance sheet at 31st May 2024 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Cash flow statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Notes to the Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

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Welcome from our Chairman

Living Paintings Trustees Report and Financial Statements to 31st May 2024

Welcome from our Chairman

The last financial year of 2022-23 was always going to be a tough act to follow, and such unprecedented success brings a host of unique challenges to overcome. As I knew they would, the Living Paintings team delivered.

I’m delighted to introduce another overview of the year at Living Paintings – and what a year it has been!

Last year was transformative for Living Paintings . Through our innovative and unprecedented campaign that brought The Coronation of King Charles III to life for blind and visually impaired children and young people, beneficiaries of our small charity doubled, awareness increased, and our benefit was understood more than ever . With such unprecedented success comes a host of challenges – how do we engage with over 2,000 children who are new to our work to ensure they remain beneficiaries throughout their childhoods? How do we keep up the momentum? Can we even meet the increased demand?

Finding and implementing solutions to these challenges has been the focus of the last 12 months; and, as I always knew they would, the team at Living Paintings delivered .

To help us meet such an increase in demand, almost 1,000 new Touch to See books for blind children and young people have been added to our free library and 80% of those who discovered us during the coronation campaign are now fully fledged library beneficiaries – enjoying our unique range of audio and tactile books and sensory experiences designed to put the visual world at their fingertips.

It’s also a very special anniversary for our charity as we celebrate 35 years of creating accessible books and experiences for blind people of all ages . It’s given us the opportunity to reflect on our achievements over the years, celebrate with beneficiaries and volunteers, and look to the future . During this time it's been touching to hear the stories of blind and visually impaired adults who have been using our service since childhood and how many now use our Touch to See picture books with their own children – whether sighted or visually impaired . Just as sighted parents share their old favourites with their own children, our service has enabled blind and visually impaired parents to do the same in a meaningful way . This simply makes my heart sing .

I do hope you enjoy reading about our incredible work throughout this very special year for Living Paintings .

Cat Bailey Chair of the Board of Trustees

These are excellent achievements – well above what we expected . All credit must go to the staff team and volunteers at Living Paintings for creating an extraordinary service and a community that means so much to so many .

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Our work

Our work

Giving blind and visually impaired children and young people access to the visual world through their fingertips.

Every day, four families in the UK are told that their child is losing their sight . It can be a devastating diagnosis, shattering their perception of parenthood and creating uncertainty over their child’s future . How will they be able to enjoy a bedtime story together? How will they keep up their learning at school? How will they make friends if they can’t join in with the simple things that sighted people take for granted?

These are just some of the questions we hear from families faced with such a diagnosis . With 80% of the information our brain receives reaching us through our eyes, blindness can have a detrimental impact on social and educational development at every stage of their lives . More than anything, parents want their children to feel included in the visual world and to have access to the same opportunities as every other child .

We exist so that no blind child has to miss out on the images that colour and inform all our lives . For 35 years we have been creating unique Touch to See experiences for blind and visually impaired children and young people that bring the visual world of pictures, books and learning to life through touch and sound .

The service we provide is simple yet innovative and impactful . From adapting the world’s best-loved picture books into accessible formats to creating tactile-audio experiences linked to the National Curriculum and a range of interests all youngsters share, everything we create is handcrafted with love from our Kingsclere production studios . Each of our tactile images comes with an audio description that guides little fingers over the raised images, helping youngsters build up a picture in their minds eye and ‘see’ through touch .

Everything in our growing collection of Touch to See books and resources is available to borrow for free from our postal library for blind children, so – no matter their financial situation or location – we can be there for every child, family or school that needs us .

Our Accessible Library

5,000+ 7,000+

blind and visually accessible Touch impaired people of to See books and all ages benefitting resources in our from our free collection . accessible library .

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The difference we make

The difference we make

Jacob , 11, was born with retinoblastoma – a rare childhood cancer . As a baby, he had his right eye removed and has 10% vision remaining in his left . But Jacob hasn’t let his visual impairment hold him back from enjoying his passions – sports and reading .

“ Jacob always loved stories and Living Paintings unlocked so much for him . He loves Harry Potter and their Magical Worlds box set helped him understand what the characters and magical artefacts looked like through touch . The books have also been a huge support at school – helping him keep up with the rest of the class in topics like Vikings or nature. ”

As a lover of sports, Jacob was hugely excited to receive tactile-audio boxsets about the Olympic Games . He said:

“I loved learning about [visually impaired Paralympian] Libby Clegg . That’s going to be me some day!”

Seven-year-old Emily is completely blind, but has some light perception in her right eye . She lives with her aunts Aimee and Val, who loved reading to her as a baby . As she has grown, Living Paintings has helped Emily be independent in her reading .

“ Living Paintings has unlocked her imagination . It’s hard describing things to a blind child, but the raised pictures in their books help so much . It’s a great way of learning and she loves receiving her deliveries from the postman .

She is now starting to learn braille and these special books are essential in supporting her . Knowing Emily – she’ll get there in no time!”

We are now able to read bedtime stories, which you just assume before you become a parent is a given. But having a VI child throws so many challenges at you, along with all the normal parenting ones. It’s nice just to feel ‘normal’ sometimes and being able to read bedtime stories together does that. Thank you Living Paintings.

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Parent
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Our year

Our year

It’s been a busy and exciting year as we’ve faced the challenge of rapidly growing our library of accessible books and resources to meet an unprecedented growth in beneficiaries and demand.

100% growth in child beneficiaries

It’s been a year since we experienced extraordinary growth in our membership following our special ‘coronation project’. We have been delighted that 80% of the children who signed up to receive our free coronation gift have converted into long-term beneficiaries of our library. Since the project ended, we’ve added a further 500 children . We’re now bringing the visual world to life for 4,500 children and young people living with little or no sight .

945 new accessible books and box sets on our shelves

To meet growing demand, we produced and added more books onto our shelves than ever before . They included multiple copies of 13 new picture book adaptations and six new, non-fiction box sets, as well as extra copies of old favourites .

49% more Touch to See book and box set loans

Our library has been incredibly busy this year sending our special books to blind children across the UK . This year’s growth is impressive alone, but it’s a massive 147% higher than just two years ago .

15,000 volunteer hours given

We couldn’t do what we do without the kind support of our volunteers in the production room, library and in the community . Our volunteer workforce grew by 37% this year . Thanks to their incredible efforts we produced an amazing three times more Touch to See books than in any previous year and met the huge growth in demand for library loans .

14,500 lives touched by our service

Our books are designed to be shared with friends and family . We estimate that for every Living Paintings beneficiary, our work touches the lives of two additional sighted family members, friends or peers .

The joy and engagement I see from my pupil with your Touch to See books is priceless. It is unbelievable to me that you remain a free service

Teacher

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Our impact

Our impact

We exist to improve the life chances of children who blind and visually impaired by making the visual world of pictures, books and learning accessible to them.

Every year we conduct a survey with the families, schools and professionals we work with to gain an understanding of how our work benefits the children in their lives . The results speak for themselves; our Touch to See books have a far-reaching impact that helps blind children fully take their place in our visual world . ;

Building confidence

91% say our Touch to See books and box sets have improved their overall confidence .

Supporting young learners

94% say Living Paintings has increased their engagement and interest in learning and school work

Promoting positive wellbeing

81% have improved social skills and find it easier to make new friends .

Raising young readers

88% of our beneficiaries have increased confidence and interest in reading .

Shared experiences

88% benefited from an increase in shared experiences with sighted family, friends and peers .

Trying new things

77% say our service empowers their children to try new physical and social activities .

Living Paintings has made a world of difference to my child. Having tactile and braille learning resources helps her feel included in the world again and brings the topics to life for her. She would be completely isolated in her education without these.

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Parent
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Routine reading

82% of beneficiaries use our books daily or weekly .

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Heather’s story

Heather’s story

Bringing the outside world in wasn’t easy. But to two terminally ill children, it was vital to their happiness and brought joy into their final days.

Heather Wilkinson is a Qualified Teacher for the Visually Impaired (QTVI), supporting families and children . Living Paintings books have become a vital resource for her . When she was supporting two terminally ill sisters who couldn’t leave the house, aged 6 and 8, it became a way for them to experience the things they loved .

“I am forever indebted to Living Paintings as they were supportive from the very beginning . I remember phoning them up and saying the girls liked unicorns . The books arrived the next day with the ink almost still wet . That’s how fast they would work to get the books to these little girls .”

Heather was able to use the raised pictures in the books to allow the girls to follow along with the stories she read and help them see things in their mind that they could no longer see with their eyes .

“The girls used to laugh and loved being able to feel the stories . They both loved nature so I asked Living Paintings for books on the subject. There was one in particular called A Rainy Day by Anna Milbourne which was about a duckling that goes splashing through puddles . We would use the books together and I would splash them with a little water and quack which they found so funny.”

Tragically, both girls succumbed to their illness, but Heather and their parents credit Living Paintings for bringing joy into their lives in their final days and bringing the outside world in to them .

“When the older sister passed away, the younger one held on . She loved the seaside so Living Paintings sent me all the books they had with beaches . I brought them to her with some shells and sand so we could experience summer from her bed .

“I had planned the same for autumn when the seasons changed and I showed up on the doorstep with an arm full of books, leaves and pumpkins only to be told that she had just passed away . The parents were devastated but I could see a bit of joy in their faces when they saw the books . The parents associated the books with the last few months of their girls being happy, and they hold special memories for them .”

“Helpful isn’t the right word to describe Living Paintings . They gave those girls something money can’t buy – a connection to their old lives before their illness. Bringing joy to them in their final months is something that I know their parents will never forget and I’ll never forget the excitement on their faces when I showed up with new books to explore . It was so special .”

Living Paintings helped me bring the world to life for two little girls who couldn’t experience it for themselves anymore.

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Heather
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Heatherfs story

Highlights

Highlights

Bringing the world of Doctor Who to life for blind people

Louis Moorhouse , 23, has grown up with Living Paintings . He joined the library when he was just four years old after losing his sight due to a rare childhood cancer . As he grew, the service helped him develop a love of reading and explore his interests in topics such as music and science . But something was missing – and Louis was determined to change this .

As a lifelong Doctor Who fan, Louis spearheaded a campaign in 2020 to raise the money needed for Living Paintings to produce tactile-audio Doctor Who experiences for blind ‘Whovians’ like himself .

Louis’ campaign captured the hearts of Doctor Who fans around the world and he raised almost £25,000 to help blind and visually impaired people of all ages experience the Doctors, friends, foes and gadgets from the iconic TV series .

In December 2023, after much groundwork and collaboration with the BBC, we released the first two books in our threepart Doctor Who series, coinciding with the show’s 60th anniversary .

Books One and Two take our library members on a journey to meet the first doctor to the ninth, alongside a host of formidable foes . We were supported by a host of fanfavourites reading our audio guides, including Colin Baker , Christopher Eccleston , Peter Davison , Tom Baker , Nicholas Briggs , Katy Manning , Sir Derek Jacobi and Annette Badland .

Our final book in the series will bring members up to date, including the Doctor’s latest incarnation, and will be released in 2024 .

“I'm now able to see, in my own way, the TARDIS, Daleks, Cybermen and so much more. It’s something that money can’t buy.”

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Louis
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Highlights

Celebrating 35 years of Living Paintings

This year marked our 35th anniversary of bringing the visual world to life for blind and visually impaired people of all ages . We celebrated by inviting our volunteers, beneficiaries and supporters to a very special lunch . It was an opportunity to reflect on our impact over four decades, look to the future and give our thanks to those at the heart of our work .

The event included talks by founding Trustee Dani Curtis , children’s writer and parent of a child who benefits from our library, Gemma Stone , and long-term Living Paintings beneficiary and newly appointed Trustee Louis Moorhouse

Audio streaming launched

A first, from Simon & Schuster

This was the year we took the giant leap forward into audio streaming! For many years we have provided our immersive audio guides on CD and USB, but we recognised that offering digital alternatives was well overdue .

As of July 2023, our audio guides are now also available to stream online meaning our beneficiaries can now experience the visual world through touch and sound wherever they may be . Our CDs and USBs also remain available, so our beneficiaries have a world of options for how they access the audio that truly brings our work to life .

For decades we have worked alongside the publishing industry, gaining their support for adapting their much loved picture books into accessible versions that children who are blind and visually impaired can explore through touch and sound. But this year marked a ‘first’.

Top global publisher Simon & Schuster were so touched by our work that they have fully funded an adaptation themselves . With this incredible support, we’re delighted to be welcoming Supertato by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet into our collection !

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Alfie and Harrison’s story

Alfie and Harrison’s story

As parents, we all want our children to have a special bond. When one sibling is blind, finding a shared interest can be a huge challenge

Kelly and her husband Tom were loving parents to two-year-old Harrison when they welcomed their second son Alfie into the world . Kelly always hoped that her sons would be close but when Alfie was diagnosed with rare genetic disorder, Norrie Disease, she feared it would not happen at all .

Norrie Disease affects only 40 families in the UK and causes blindness and hearing problems. Alfie has also been diagnosed with associated autism .

“I really wanted my boys to have a special relationship but there was a point when I was worried if they would be able to,” she says .

Through social media, she discovered Living Paintings – and now credits the charity for giving her sons the chance to find a joint love and share a special bond .

“Harrison and Alfie can’t do a lot together, but this is something really special that they share,” says Kelly . “Harrison was four when we got our first delivery of Touch to See books, and he was so excited to experience them with his little brother . He loved to show Alfie how to feel the raised pictures and braille and they both really enjoyed listening to the stories and following along together . I don’t know who was more excited when we would get a new delivery!”

Alfie is now nine and has been receiving and enjoying Living Paintings deliveries of special books every six weeks for the past seven years .

“Harrison still reads Alfie the stories,” says Kelly. “He’s 12 now but is first to open the box when it arrives and still gets really excited to share them with his little brother . I’m so glad we discovered the service when Alfie was so young as it’s made such a difference to his life and to his brother ."

Having books be a part of her son’s life is something that was so important to Kelly, and she’s thrilled that Alfie took to them as well as he did .

“Autistic children don’t like to sit still for long but when we have one of his special books, Alfie becomes absorbed in it . He follows along with us by feeling the pictures and he loves to share the books with his friends and classmates,” she says .

“We like to choose books relating to topics he might be learning about in school . It’s really useful if his class is going on a trip to the library as it means he can bring one along and participate with everyone else . They enable him to explore on his own and there isn’t much that allows him to do that .”

The fantastic relationship Alfie has with his brother is largely due to these wonderful books. I always send others to Living Paintings – I know their books will be such a great help.

Kelly

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Alfie and Harrison's story 13

Focus on publishing

Focus on publishing

A record-breaking year! Nearly 1,000 new Touch to See books and box sets produced, bringing the world of literacy and learning to life for children who are blind and visually impaired.

13 new Touch to See picture books published

Picture books are so much more than stories . They are vital tools that help children understand the world around them . The pictures and words work together to create magical worlds, inspire confidence, share values and help children make sense of their

emotions . With the support of the children’s publishing industry, we exist so no blind child is excluded from this joy and learning. We’re delighted to share some of the new books and themes we introduced this year .

Exploring nature

We’ve adapted books that bring the great outdoors to life and help blind and visually impaired children explore the changing of the seasons .

That’s my Flower and The Leaf Thief by Nicola Salter and Alice Hemming . . Time to Move South for Winter by Clare Helen Walsh and Jenny Lovie .

Inspirational people

From celebrated figures to everyday heroes, we’re sharing the stories of people who make a positive difference in the world .

Coming to England by Floella Benjamin and Diane Ewen .

Little People Big Dreams: David Attenborough by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Mikyo Noh . Superhero Like You by Dr Ranj Singh and Liam Darcy .

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Focus on publishing

Friendships and feelings

We’re helping blind and visually impaired children cope with new experiences, understand their emotions and find ways to manage their feelings with these fabulous new accessible adaptations .

First Day at Bug School by Sam Lloyd .

Dance with Oti: The Bird Jive by Oti Mabusi and Samara Hardy .

My Beautiful Voice by Joseph Coehlo and Allison Colpoys .

Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival .

Sharing a Shell by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.

Two new adventures from Dapo Adeola

Last year, superstar illustrator Dapo Adeola was inspired to launch a fundraising campaign to bring two of his books to life for blind and visually impaired children and young people . This year, his efforts came to fruition as we released Look Up! – his collaboration with Nathan Byron – and We’re Going to Find the Monster written by legendary children’s author

A huge part of my career so far has been dedicated to producing books that allow as many children from various backgrounds to see themselves reflected in the wonderful and imaginative pages within. But diversity goes beyond who is featured in a book – it’s important that all children are able to access and enjoy them.

Dapo Adeola

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Focus on publishing

6 new Touch to See box sets have been published

Our non-fiction box sets, featuring tactile images accompanied by engaging audio guides, help blind and visually impaired children and young people explore interests, try new activities and feel fully included in learning at school .

My Art and Craft Book

We bring to life six works of art from the Tate Collection through touch and sound to inspire our young blind and visually impaired children to create their own masterpieces using the free art and craft kit that is included . Just like Josiah here, who created his very own version of The Snail by Henry Matisse!

Celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics

To coincide with the Paris ‘24 Olympic and Paralympic games we released two new box sets – Meet the Paralympic Superstars and Get Set Go! Summer Games Celebration. Featuring audio guides from Ellie Simmonds , Libby Clegg and JJ Chalmers .

Doctor Who Parts One and Two

From the first Doctor to the ninth, the Whoniverse comes to life for blind and visually impaired people of all ages . Featuring a whole host of fan-favourites providing exclusive content on our audio-guides .

We’re excited to launch the third and final part in December 2024!

Discovering Rembrandt

Designed for young people aged 11 plus, this box set uncovers the life story of the master painter while exploring 5 of his world-famous artworks . In this immersive Touch to See experience they will discover the atmospheric drama Rembrandt created through brushwork, colour, light and dark . As well as hearing from the man himself, through letters and diaries, as he shares some of the important events that shaped his life .

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Focus on publishing

A special thank you to our readers

Each of our Touch to See books and box sets comes with a very special audio description that guides fingers over the raised pictures. It’s a vital part of our service; bringing everything to life as the children build a picture in their mind .

A huge thank you must go to our friends who have given up their time to record these for us . They receive no payment – just the knowledge that they are bringing the visual world to life for blind children and young people . They include:

Ellie Simmonds , Christopher Ecclestonv , Colin Baker , Libby Clegg , JJ Chalmers , Dr Ranj Singh , Cariad Lloyd , Felicity Montagu , Tom Baker , Annette Badland , Colin Davison , Nicholas Briggs , Lenora Crichlow , Oti Mabusi , Sophie Okonedu , Megan McCubbin , Katy Manning , Sir Derek Jacobi , Tom Percival , Anneka Rice , Adojah Andoh , Chris Jarvis , Mira Morrison , Malorie Blackman , Naomi Ackie .

13 books and box sets in production

Our production team remain busy . Faced with growing demand and more library members than ever before, it’s vital we keep up the momentum; releasing new books across a range of interests and topics .

Coming in 24-25:

Touch to See books:

• Mog’s Christmas

• The Smartest Giant in Town

• The Night Before the Night Before Christmas

• ABC with Percy the Park Keeper

• The Polar Express

• The Three Little Pigs

• Jack and the Beanstalk

Your books help my pupil feel the ‘same’ as their classmates. Words cannot express just how important this is.

• Supertato

• Oscar and the Bird

Touch to See box sets:

• Sport Heroes

Teacher

• Doctor Who Part Three

• Winter Snow Sports

• Magnificent Machines Go Green

Further titles will go into production during the year when they are funded .

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Jasper and Lauren’s story

Jasper and Lauren’s story

Living Paintings books bring so much joy to little Jasper’s life that his mum, Lauren, was inspired to pick up her paintbrush and volunteer.

When Lauren’s 2 year-old son was born, she noticed he had gorgeous white blonde hair . But with Lauren and dad Liam both being fair, they didn’t initially think anything of it . It was only when they noticed a repetitive movement in his eyes that they sensed something wasn’t right .

It was confirmed at Jasper’s 8-week check by a health visitor that he had nystagmus and, after months of hospital appointments and tests, that he had a form of ocular albinism . It means Jasper is severely sight impaired .

“We’re in the process of having Jasper registered as severely sight impaired,” says Lauren “I like to describe his vision as like an old TV . He can tell what things are but not any detail . That’s how I think he sees the world .”

One thing that Lauren and Liam were hoping for Jasper was a love of books . “Liam would always read to my tummy when I was pregnant and so we both hoped that Jasper would love books from the start. However, he just wasn’t interested .”

The family discovered Living Paintings through a support group for children with albinism as well as being introduced to the books through a sensory session with his vision teacher .

“Jasper had only seen flat books or books that just had the textured sections and so as soon as he felt a Living Paintings book, he was like whoa! Suddenly, he could touch the pictures and feel details that he couldn’t see . He loved the books immediately .

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Jasper and Lauren’s story

His first book was one of the Spot books by Eric Hill . He really liked it and got up close to properly examine the tactile pictures . He was around 8 months old when he got his first book, but we could tell this would be a longtime love .”

As Jasper has become more familiar with the Living Paintings books, he has a few he goes back to again and again . “His favourites are still the Spot books,” says Lauren . “He loves animals and now is really interested in birds . He can hear them when we’re walking and always looks up to try and see them flying. Unfortunately, we think he can only likely see a blurry blob in the sky, but we recently had Spot Goes to the Farm in our Living Paintings delivery and it was wonderful to see Jasper really examine the beak and feathers of the hen and chick and for him to finally be able to visualise what a bird might look like .”

And it was during one of these special moments for Jasper that Lauren decided she wanted to help other children unlock their favourite things through raised pictures . Lauren has been volunteering with Living Paintings for over a year now and brings the raised pictures to life by painting them in colour .

“I’ve always been arty and – with it being so personal to us – it seemed like the perfect opportunity to volunteer and give back . I’ve seen what a huge difference it’s made to Jasper, and I love being able to contribute to future books other partially sighted and blind children can enjoy.”

It was a ‘woah’ moment when Jasper could feel all the details that he couldn’t see.

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Lauren
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Lauren is aware that many children who use Living Paintings services may have more limited sight than Jasper, may be losing their sight as they get older, or may have additional challenges to overcome . But most of all, she knows that all parents and children accessing Living Paintings share a desire for there to be accessible reading for all . That has inspired her even more to donate her time to the charity and spread the word .

“Living Paintings books have really inspired Jasper’s reading and engaged him, and it’s ignited a love in books which is something we are delighted about,” she says .

“I’m involved in various support groups with parents of visually impaired children and the first thing I always recommend to them is Living Paintings as it’s such a positive service . Many of these children desperately need some fun and positivity after sometimes a scary diagnosis and so Living Paintings is so important . I’m so glad I can be a part of it .”

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The financial picture

The financial picture

1st June 2023 – 31st May 2024

Where our income came from

Where we spent it

Campaigns and Community	£44,102	Services for Children & Young People	£377,601
Trusts and Foundations	£414,270	Services for Adults	£66,636
The Edward Gostling		Raising funds	£64,482
Endowment Fund	£140,000	Governance	£13,600
Regular Givers	£7,965	Total	£522,319
Legacy	£5,000
Other	£4,378
Total	£615,715

About our surplus/deficit

Thanks to a gift from the Edward Gostling Endowment Fund of £140,000 we achieved a surplus for the year of £93,396 . However, once this amount is applied to the newly established endowment fund for which it was gifted, we experienced an operating deficit of £46,604 which we were able to cover from brought forward funds.

Our Fund Balances at 31st May 2024

Unrestricted Fund: General ‘Cash’ Reserve £234,569 Designated Fund: Property for Charity’s Use £239,937 Designated Fund: Strategic Growth £64,932 Restricted Fund: Special Projects Yet to be Completed £183,127 Endowment Fund: The Edward Gostling Fund £140,000 Total £862,565

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The future

The future

Our rapid growth means we are giving more blind and visually impaired children the visual world at their fingertips than ever before. Our challenge now is to maximise our impact and expand our services. We have a busy year ahead!

Delivering new services

continue to borrow from our library we urgently need to put more Touch to See books on our shelves . Last year we succeeded in meeting our ambitious target of adding around 1,000 new Touch to See books but we have to do this again in order to maintain our growth and impact .

We are currently in the research and development stage for two potential new services. The first of these is a project for 0-3 year olds designed in response to a significant need to further support this age group with a range of resources that help with their foundation years’ development .

Engaging our community

The second is a literature service for children who are 8 years and older . We understand that many beneficiaries of this age have outgrown our picture books and although we have a range of non-fiction Touch to See experiences to explore – we want to continue sharing the love of reading with them .

We are most well-known for our adaptations of illustrated children’s books, but Living Paintings is so much more. Our non-fiction Touch to See box sets help blind and visually impaired children and young people explore new interests and fully participate in learning at school . We aim to diversify borrowing within our membership to increase loans of these box sets by creating more excitement and highlighting the benefits within our communications plans .

Meeting demand

Last year we doubled the number of children who are blind and visually impaired benefiting from our free, postal library . To meet the growing demand they have created as they

My student has had a lot of ‘light bulb’ moments when using the Living Paintings’ books. She made connections with what was being taught in general curriculum lessons, and overall it has been a very positive experience.

Teacher

21

Conclusion from the CEO

Conclusion from the CEO

Our goals remain ambitious – but with the support of our team, volunteers and donors I’m confident our benefit will continue to grow year by year.

In the second year of our growth strategy, I’m delighted to report that we have made great strides in reaching our ambitious goals . It has been a challenge, but in 35 years of working at Living Paintings I have learnt that overcoming these is something we excel at .

Our anniversary has given us pause to reflect. I can clearly remember when Living Paintings was founded around our kitchen table four decades ago . Our library back then was housed in a spare room at our family home .

The achievements in this report make me so proud of how far we have come and the immense impact we have on the lives of blind and visually impaired children and young people, their families and the professionals working with them . But our work is not done . Our goals remain ambitious –with the support of our team, volunteers and donors, I’m confident our benefit will continue to grow year by year .

I’m particularly excited about our research into a new service for infants and, most importantly their parents and carers . There is such a need for a service that is linked to these critical early development stages . While our picture books can create special moments for families to share together, we recognise the need for a service that helps 0-3 year olds make sense of the visual world beyond books and stories .

This is what we’ve always been good at; reflection, recognition and action. It’s this attitude that ensures we can continue to grow, reach new audiences and make an impact for more children and young people living with sight loss .

Camilla Oldland OBE Chief Executive

This is a very special service. We are forever grateful that we can access it so easily. I can see my son engaging with the books more and more as he gets older – and recognising that they are special books just for him.

----- Start of picture text -----
Parent
----- End of picture text -----

22

Objectives and activities

Objectives and activities

The objectives of The Living Paintings Trust, known as Living Paintings, set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association are: “To relieve and educate blind and partially sighted people”

In setting our objectives and planning our activities the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit.

What we do

Living Paintings purpose is to improve the life chances of blind and partially sighted people by making the visual world of pictures, books and learning accessible to them .

We design, create and publish unique Touch to See books that make visual images accessible to blind and visually impaired people . From adapting the world’s best-loved children’s picture books into accessible, tactile-audio formats to creating learning and interest-led resource box sets that can be explored through touch and sound – there is something for all ages in our library’s collection .

Each item in our library comes with an educational, entertaining and atmospheric audio description that guides fingers over the raised images of the topics being explored, helping our beneficiaries build up a picture in their mind . It is this combination of touch and sound that enables our beneficiaries to overcome an element of their missing sight and feel included in the visual world that colours and informs our lives .

Everything we produce is available to borrow for free from our postal library, so no matter where our beneficiaries live or what their financial situation is, we can be there for the families, schools and children who need us .

Why we do it

Evidence from the UK Vision Strategy confirms that sight loss is a major concern in the UK with significant health, social and economic impacts . The RNIB state that there are two million people who are blind or visually impaired and this number is set to grow to 2 .7 million by 2030 .

80% of the information we receive reaches us through our eyes . The impact of this on the lives of blind and visually impaired people cannot be underestimated . Our work aims to help blind and visually impaired people overcome some of the challenges they face as a result of their condition .

23

Living with sight loss

Living with sight loss

Children and young people

26,000 blind and visually impaired individuals are under the age of 18 .

65%

are in mainstream education .

Blind and visually impaired children and young people are more likely to have had their condition since birth

43%

experience bullying due to their condition .

86%

have found themselves excluded from everyday activities by their peers

With the prevalence rate so low, the majority of mainstream schools are unlikely to have sufficient knowledge to meet their specific additional needs.

40%

don’t have friends in their local area

2 in 3 teachers report they lack confidence teaching visually impaired students

1 in 3

local authorities have cut their spending on services for visually impaired children

Adults

85%

of blind and visually impaired people are over the age of 65 .

60% live at the “extremes of poverty” . Around half

of blind and visually impaired adults live alone

20%

are housebound .

50%

feel moderately or completely cut off from the people around them .

3x

more likely to experience depression .

180,000

blind and visually impaired adults in the UK never go out alone (estimated)

2 in 3

working-age adults are not in employment or education

250,000

of those over 75 report they receive little to no help from their local social care services .

24

Our vision, purpose and values

Our vision, purpose and values

Our vision

Children living with sight loss will have the visual world at their fingertips.

Our purpose

To improve the life chances of blind and visually impaired children by making the visual world of pictures, books and learning accessible to them .

Our strategic mission

To reach 10,000 blind children and young people and deliver 10 x the benefit by 2032 .

Our values

Every decision we make is guided by these principles:

• Beneficiaries first: We consider

• Creativity: We challenge the norm and mirror the creativity of our source material in everything we do .

• the impact of decisions on our beneficiary group before anything else .

• Respect: More than just kindness to our beneficiary and stakeholder groups, we welcome new ideas, are respectful of our source material and truly understand the challenges of those we work with .

• Inclusivity: We will ensure that our ‘products’ and output are fully accessible across all departments .

The books are fantastic. I have used them as a blind Mum with a blind child. We have been home educating for Year 6 and the books have been invaluable. Thank you for all the hard work from everyone involved in running the service.

Parent

25

Our work plan

Our work plan

Focus for the next three years

The following is by no means an exhaustive list of our activities for the next three years . However, it provides an insight into some of the work we will be doing under our five strategic pillars as part of our 10 year growth strategy .

Engaging our community

• 1 .1 Build and deliver a refreshed Library Community Communications Plan to include all contacts with our library beneficiaries, aiming to attract, engage and delight our membership .

• 1 .2 Research, monitor and evaluate on an annual basis to ensure our services are relevant, achieving the impact we seek and new developments are beneficiary led. This will help us to create more compelling stories that inspire support .

• 1 .3 Establish a network of forums to support the development of new projects to include experts such as paediatric opthalmologists and those with lived experience .

• 1 .4 Ensure a smooth delivery and returns system for Touch to See resources currently provided through Royal Mail’s Articles for the Blind .

Making picture books accessible

• 2 .1 Publish at least 10 new Touch to See titles per annum each with multiple copies and including subjects aligned with our researched themes such as mental health and well-being, engagement with STEM subjects, support of history teaching as Key Stage 2 and diversity . .

• 2 .2 Research, develop and pilot ‘Foundation Years’ Touch to See resources and support services for parents . This project, aimed at blind and partially children from babyhood to the age of three years, will support physical, cognitive and emotional development in infancy; a time when the foundations for future learning capacity are established and in turn the foundations for lifelong success are created. This is a ‘gateway’ project which enables blind and visually impaired children to gain the optimum level of benefit from the Living Paintings Touch to See as they grow up .

• 2 .3 Research, develop and deliver a service that has stronger relevance to children aged eight and over ; a critical transition point in their literacy development .

• 2 .4 Research, develop and deliver Touch to See Starter Packs for different age groups .

26

Our work plan

Being there for carers

• 3 .1 Research and establish a Wider Support Services Plan . This will encompass essential support to parents. It will tie into our new ‘Foundation Years’ programme, online peer-to-peer support communities for teachers and carers and signpost complementary resources and services .

Making noise

• 4 .1 Pursue a communications plan that ensures that Living Paintings is visible, audible, discoverable and approachable to include:

• becoming a social media powerhouse – 'the most wholesome place on the internet’;

• building a relevant, accessible and recognisable brand identity ;

• becoming the trusted partner and CSR solution within the children’s publishing industry ;

• developing an Ambassador programme

Keeping fit

• 5 .1 Continue to collect and disseminate compelling stories of the impact of our work to inspire support from all stakeholders from donors to volunteers .

• 5 .2 Continue to develop an organisation that inspires, supports and develops the people we need to deliver our growth strategy over the next three years and beyond .

• Trustees – Undertake a skills review and recruit new board members if needed .

• Staff – Pursue a ‘People’ plan that reviews remuneration, retention, development and where necessary recruitment .

• Volunteers and Pro Bono – Provide an excellent experience, including a sense of community and appreciation with regular communications, and events . Recruit and train as needed .

• 5 .3 Create a plan for our hard infrastructure (i .e . premises, equipment and IT) in order to support our growth trajectory whilst ensuring that Living Paintings is a safe place to work . The installation of in-house brailling facility is an example .

• 5 .4 Develop our eco-system of friends, partners and collaborators by instilling high levels of trust and authenticity through all contact made by different departments from publishers through to individual donors .

• 5 .5 Pursue a comprehensive fundraising strategy that provides the income needed to undertake year on year growth and maintain and grow our financial stability according to our reserves policy .

• 5 .6 Explore and trial methods for scaling up of Touch to See book production and the use of emerging technology such as virtual reality to deliver the multi-sensory experience .

27

Structure, governance and management

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

The Living Paintings Trust was formed in 1988 . The Trust was registered with the Charity Commission on 15th February 1989 as a charity . On 31st December 1995, the activities of the charity were transferred to The Living Paintings Trust, a company not having a share capital, limited by guarantee . The company is entitled to those exemptions from UK taxation which are available in law to charities . The Memorandum and Articles of Association govern the Trust .

Administration

The administrative and secretarial duties of the charity are undertaken in our office which is also the company’s registered office. Details of professional advisors are detailed on page 28 .

Trustees

The Trustees are also the Directors of the company. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association at the Annual General Meeting, one-third of the Trustees retire from office, being those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or re-appointment .

Recruitment of Trustees

The responsibility for appointing new members of the Board rests with the existing Trustees . The aim is to ensure that the membership of the Board includes people with varied skills and interests such as business strategy, the charity sector, education, finance, art history, human resources, law and visual impairment and any other expertise which is needed .

The Trustees use their extensive networks to source possible new appointees and their details are brought to and discussed at a Trustees’ Meeting . A potential Trustee is then invited to meet with the Chief Executive and talk with two existing Trustees prior to a formal proposal for an appointment being made .

Induction and training of Trustees

The induction and training process is twofold . Arrangements are made to familiarise a new Trustee with their responsibilities using the Charity Commission’s guide ‘The Essential Trustee’ and the Living Paintings Memorandum and Articles of Association . New Trustees are extensively briefed about Living Paintings’ current position, finances, plans for the future and their expected role . They will meet with members of the staff team and some of the volunteers .

The Trustees have overall responsibility for the work of the charity . They agree on policies, strategies and financial budgets. There is a Management Committee which includes a minimum of two Trustees, currently the Chairman and Treasurer, and appropriate staff members which has the responsibility for reviewing in detail the work of the charity . Progress on policy, strategy, financial budgets and operational issues is reported through the Management Committee to the Trustees on a quarterly and annual basis . The day-to-day operation of the Trust’s affairs is delegated to the Chief Executive .

It’s helped my son talk about his blindness with his peer group, showing his books in show and tell at school and talking about why he has them. He expresses real joy showing them to others around him. He loves listening to the stories, revisiting them often.

Parent

28

Structure, governance and management

Our Trustees

Cat Bailey (Chairman) Creative Director and Founding Partner, PinkGreen .

Shalin Malde (Treasurer) Qualified Chartered Accountant . Senior Commercial & P&L Manager for New Business Development at Vodafone . Previously at BT & PwC .

Corie Brown (resigned January 2024) Visually Impaired . Continuity and TV Announcer, Channel 4 Television . Previously BBC A disability inclusion champion with lived experience of visual impairment .

Jane Burgess Chartered FCIPD, senior HR leader, currently Chief Human Resources Officer at Zero. Previously at Sturrock & Robson Group, Bovill and Shell plc .

Jane Findlay Head of Programme and Engagement, Dulwich Picture Gallery . Previously at The British Museum, Kenwood House and the National Maritime Museum .

David Hall Parent to visually impaired child . Global Client Director, Wiz Previously Microsoft, Tanium, Veritas Technologies and Symantec .

Tina Jetha Strategic Customer Business Executive, Amdocs . Business and technology transformation specialist . Formerly Accenture Management Consulting .

Louis Moorhouse Visually impaired. Freelance audio editor, music producer and mix engineer .

Claire Short Qualified solicitor. Senior Government Lawyer currently with Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as Deputy Director, Nuclear and Fusion Legal Team .

Our volunteers

We could not operate without the support of our dedicated volunteers . It is their contribution of time in helping us produce our books and running our library service that enables Living Paintings to achieve so much .

Our volunteer numbers for the financial year 23/24 amounted to 150, compared with 12 paid members of staff .

Due to the financial complexities of accounting for their invaluable contribution, we do not reflect this in our accounts . However, we estimate that their donations of time and expertise are worth approximately £200,000 across the financial year. They truly are one of our most valuable assets and we are so incredibly appreciative of the support we receive from them .

Our volunteer team undertake a range of tasks, many of which require specialist skills and training . Their work touches every stage of the production process including writing, researching, recording and editing our audio guides, manufacturing our Touch to See books, facilitating the day-to-day running of our free library service, supporting us with our administration and so much more .

As every activity Living Paintings undertakes includes the help of volunteers, they require substantial professional support from our staff team . We go to great lengths to recruit, train and support them . We create a warm, welcoming and sociable environment so that they can appreciate the immense gratitude we feel .

29

Structure, governance and management

Our patrons

We are delighted to continue to benefit from the support of our wonderful patrons:

Dame Jaqueline Wilson (pictured right) is a best-selling children’s author having sold over 10 million books worldwide . She was Children’s Laureate from 2005-2007 .

“I think the very best way to get children to develop a love of books is to share stories with them when they are little . But how can you interest a child in a picture book when they are blind?

The answer is through the touch and sound publications that the awardwinning Living Paintings offer in their free national library – children can feel what The Gruffalo, Winnie the Pooh, and Thomas the Tank Engine are like . And because of their unique design, the books can be shared – everyone enjoying the story together.”

Christopher Lloyd CVO was Surveyor of The Queens Pictures from 1988 -2005 and is a former Curator at Christ Church Oxford and the Ashmolean Museum Oxford .

Sir Timothy and Lady Sainsbury

Sir Timothy is a former MP and Minister of State . He is a former Trustee of the V&A Museum and, alongside Lady Sainsbury, has been a keen supporter of Living Paintings for over 25 years .

Key management personnel remuneration

The Trustees consider the Board of Trustees and the Senior Management Team as comprising the key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling the charity and running and operating the charity on a day-to-day basis . All Trustees give of their time freely and no Trustee remuneration was paid in the year . Details of Trustee expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in notes 9 and 20 to the accounts .

The pay of the Senior Management Team is reviewed annually and is normally increased in accordance with average earnings . The remuneration is reviewed to ensure that it is fair and not out of line with similar roles .

30

Financial review

Financial review

The financial results of the year can be found on pages 42-55.

We achieved an operating income of £475,715 . Expenditure was £522,319 . This gave an operating deficit of £46,604 for the financial year. Additionally we were grateful to receive an endowment gift of £140,000 from the Edward Gostling Foundation .

Income

Our total income this year was £615,715

Received into the unrestricted fund

• Donations and legacies totalling £227,367 . These donations support our core work of operating a free postal library service for a rapidly growing number of blind and visually impaired people across the UK

• Investment income of £4,378 .

Received into the restricted fund

• Donations and gifts of £243,970 . This income relates to the production of new Touch to See books, delivery of our free library service and other specified projects

Received into the Edward Gostling Endowment Fund

• Gift of £140,000 .

We are reliant on donations from grant making trusts to fund the majority of our work and we are grateful to all those who supported us again or for the first time this year. Some of these are listed on pages 33-34 .

Only a small amount of our income is promised in advance, therefore the support of our donors is absolutely crucial to continue our services that have never been more in demand .

Expenditure

This year we spent £522,319 . Budget expenditure for 2024/25 is increasing by approximately 20% to reflect higher operating costs resulting from a 100% increase in beneficiaries and inflationary factors.

Operating deficit

Excluding the gift that was received specifically to create an endowment fund, we achieved an operating deficit of £46,604 for the year . This was covered by funds brought forward from the previous financial year.

Our fund balances at 31st May 2024

• 1 . The Unrestricted Fund of £539,438 compromises:

• £234,569 as a General Reserve .

• £239,937 property and fixed assets for use by the charity – Designated Fund .

• £64,932 Strategic Growth – Designated Fund

For clarity, the Trustee’s agreed todesignate the capital element within the Unrestricted Fund compromising property and fixed assets for use by the charity .

Thanks to the Living Paintings books, she has improved communication and social skills. She is able to discuss the story with other people and this has increased her confidence.

Teacher

The Trustees have set a budget for 2024/25 which predicts a year-on-year increase in income .

31

Financial review

• 2 . The Restricted Fund of £183,127 compromises:

• £103,879 for funded projects that are not yet completed . This mainly relates to the production of Touch to See books, where the production period is between 9 to 18 months .

• £79,248 to the Library Fund . This relates to donations which have been given specifically for various elements of the Library Service, including donations for the provision of the library service in specific geographic areas.

• 3 . The Edward Gostling Endowment Fund:

• £140,000

Reserves Policy

Our Reserves Policy seeks to ensure that a General Cash Reserve is maintained at a level that enables The Living Paintings Trust to manage financial risk and short-term income volatility, allowing us to sustain optimal levels of service, while ensuring that financial commitments can be met as they fall due . The Trustees have therefore defined the Reserves Policy such that a General Cash Reserve of Unrestricted Funds excluding Designated Funds which include fixed assets and any secured loans thereon be maintained equivalent to 6 months unrestricted expenditure against the budget for the upcoming financial year.

The management team proactively work to maintain reserves above the policy threshold through routinely monitoring the funding position combined with the on-going forecasting of anticipated income and expenditure . Should funds fall below defined trigger points, there are clear procedures in place to assess the situation and determine whether mitigating actions are required to recover the position. According to this policy the target General Cash Reserve was £232,354 and we are pleased to report that this has been achieved with a closing General Reserve of £234,569 .

Risk Management

The Trustees have continued to refine our risk management strategy . This has been included in a review of the major risks which the charity may encounter and the establishment and enhancement of procedures to mitigate these identified risks. The principle risk remains that of maintaining current levels of income . Steps that have been taken to mitigate this risk include the establishment and maintenance of a comprehensive database involving weekly, monthly and annual reporting and which drives our fundraising efforts alongside the creation of a fundraising strategy which includes the development of new income streams . Trustees are satisfied that adequate systems are in place to mitigate any exposure to our major risks, in particular financial and operational risks.

32

Our donors – trusts and foundations

Our donors – trusts and foundations

The following is a list of some of the trusts and foundations who generously supported our work over the year.

The Edward Gostling Foundation BBC Children In Need The Underwood Trust National Lottery - Community Fund (Awards for All) The Patrick and Helena Frost Foundation The Will Charitable Trust The Clare Milne Trust The Eveson Charitable Trust The Robert McAlpine Foundation The Cotswold Primrose Charitable Trust The Shoe Zone Trust The Valentine Charitable Trust The R S Macdonald Charitable Trust The Nicky & Eileen Barber Charitable Trust Eastern Counties Educational Trust Limited The Sobell Foundation February Foundation The Souter Charitable Trust The Weinstock Fund The Barbara Ward Children's Foundation The Batchworth Trust The Lawson Trust The Wyfold Charitable Trust William Jackson Food Group Berkshire Community Foundation The Dorothy Hay-Bolton Charitable Trust The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust The Hugh Fraser Foundation Sandra Charitable Trust The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Rees Jeffreys Road Fund The Edward and Dorothy Cadbury Trust The Ogden Trust The Mackintosh Foundation Ulverscroft Foundation The Fence Club Trust Fund Joan Wilkinson Charitable Trust The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust

Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust The Shanly Foundation The Wixamtree Trust Miss W E Lawrence Charitable Trust The Benham Charitable Settlement The Rubin Foundation Charitable Trust The Portishead Nautical Trust The Patrick Trust The Norton Foundation The Alice Ellen Cooper-Dean Charitable Foundation The Vera Outhwaite Charitable Trust The Joseph and Annie Cattle Trust The Lennox Hannay Charitable Trust The William Kenneth Hutchings Charitable Trust Lord Leverhulme's Charitable Trust Sussex Community Foundation The Strangward Trust The Chalk Cliff Trust The Colefax Charitable Trust The Mary Homfray Charitable Trust Suffolk Community Foundation Community Foundation For Buckinghamshire P F Charitable Trust The Mickleham Trust The Bellinger Donnay Charitable Trust Sir John Priestman Charity Trust The Macfarlane Walker Trust The Jenour Foundation Charity Of Charles Clement Walker Herefordshire Community Foundation The Rainford Trust The George A Moore Foundation The Sir James Roll Charitable Trust A W Gale Charitable Trust The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust Cruden Foundation Limited Fight for Sight / Vision Foundation The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust The Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust Carew Pole Charitable Trust W G Forsyth Fund

33

Our donors – trusts and foundations

The Ammco Trust The Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust Cumbria Community Foundation The W . M . Mann Foundation The Rothley Trust The Walwyn Chapman Charitable Trust The Barbara A Shuttleworth

Memorial Trust John James Bristol Foundation Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Community Foundation The John and Susan Bowers Fund The Walter Guinness Charitable Trust Fowler Smith and Jones Charitable Trust (FSJ Trust) Mr and Mrs J A Pye's Charitable Settlement Helen Robertson Charitable Trust Mrs E Y Imrie's Charitable Trust The Norman Family Charitable Trust The Englefield Charitable Trust The Purey Cust Trust CIO The Aylesford Family Charitable Trust Harford Charitable Trust Baron Davenport's Charity Marsh Charitable Trust The Maud Elkington Charitable Trust Ormonde Foundation The De Brye Charitable Trust Laura Elizabeth Stuart Memorial Trust The Ian Askew Charitable Trust The Dumbreck Charity The Gilbert & Eileen Edgar Foundation The Alan Jenkin Stokes Memorial Trust Douglas Arter Foundation The Sir James Reckitt Charity Percy Hedley 1990 Charitable Trust The W E Dunn Trust

The George Ernest Ellis Foundation The Doris Field Charitable Trust The Robert and Margaret Moss Charitable Trust The Stanton Ballard Charitable Trust The Helen Jean Cope Charity Eddie Dinshaw Foundation The Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust The Bartle Family Charitable Trust

Alma Jean Henry Charitable Trust The Louis Baylis Charitable Trust Melton Mowbray Building Society Charitable Foundation

Additionally, we received highly valued gifts made by friends to Living Paintings and beneficiaries. We also received invaluable support-in-kind from organisations, companies and individuals .

To each and every person, group, business, foundation and grant making trust who have supported us this year we extend the greatest of thanks . It is their generosity that makes our work possible .

Camilla Oldland, OBE Chief Executive

The Trustees’ report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 8th November 2024 .

---

Cat Bailey – Chairman Trustee

____ Shalin Malde – Treasurer Trustee

34

Reference and administrative details

Reference and administrative details of the company, its trustees and advisers for the period ended 31 May 2024

Trustees

• Cat Bailey, Chairman

• Shalin Malde, Treasurer

Independent auditor

Critchleys Audit LLP, Park Central, 40-41 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD .

• Corie Brown (resigned January 2024)

• Jane Burgess

• Jane Findlay

• David Hall

• Tina Jetha

• Louis Moorhouse (appointed February 2024)

• Claire Short

• Cat Bailey and Shalin Malde are members of the Management Committee

Trustees appointed

Louis Moorhouse (February 2024)

Trustees resigned

Corie Brown (resigned January 2024)

Company details

Company registered number: 03095963 Charity registered number: 1049103

Bankers

Bank of Scotland The Edinburgh Royal Mile Branch, 300 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2PH

National Westminster Bank 30 Market Place, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5AG

Newbury Building Society 105b Northbrook Street, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 1AA

CAF Bank Limited PO Box 289, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA

Solicitors

Pitmans 47 Castle Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 7SR

Registered office

Queen Isabelle House, Unit 8, Kingsclere Park, Kingsclere, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 4SW

Company secretary

Camilla Oldland

Chief Executive

Camilla Oldland

35

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The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

Notes to the Financial Accounts

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

The Trustees, who are also the directors of The Living Paintings Trust for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) .

Company Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year .

In preparing these 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; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation .

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and 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 hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities .

37

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE LIVING PAINTINGS TRUST

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Living Paintings Trust (the ‘Charity’) for the year ended 31st May 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) .

In our opinion, the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31st May 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law . Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue .

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report .

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon . The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon . Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated . If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard .

38

Financial accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE LIVING PAINTINGS TRUST

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

• the information given in the Trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report and the strategic report prepared for the purposes of company law, is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors' report included within the Trustees' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors' report included within the Trustees' report .

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the Trustees, who are also the directors of the Charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so .

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion . Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists . Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations . We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud . The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below .

39

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE LIVING PAINTINGS TRUST

• the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities, and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

• we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the company through discussions with directors and other management, and from our knowledge and experience;

• we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the Company.

We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence where applicable; and

• identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit .

We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

• making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected, and alleged fraud; and

• considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations .

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

• performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

• tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;

• assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and

• investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

• agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;

• reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;

• enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims;

• reviewing relevant correspondence .

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above . The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of noncompliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any .

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion .

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www .frc .org .uk/auditorsresponsibilities . This description forms part of our auditor's report .

40

Financial accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE LIVING PAINTINGS TRUST

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 . Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose . To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed . CMU hees 22/11/24 Katherine Wilkes (Senior Statutory Auditor) ____

for and on behalf of Critchleys Audit LLP Chartered Accountants

Statutory Auditor

Park Central, 40-41 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD

41

Statement of Financial Activities

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Notes Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds funds funds funds
2024 2024 2024 2024 2023 2023 2023
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
from:
Donations and legacies 3 227,367 243,970 140,000 611,337 241,811 390,161 631,972
Investments 4 4,378 - - 4,378 727 - 727
Other income 5 - - - - 31,432 - 31,432
Total income and 231,745 243,970 140,000 615,715 273,970 390,161 664,131
endowments
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 6 64,482 - - 64,482 50,831 - 50,831
Charitable activities 7 194,608 263,229 - 457,837 137,998 359,731 497,729
-
Total expenditure 259,090 263,229 522,319 188,829 359,731 548,560
Net income/ (27,345) (19,259) 140,000 93,396 85,141 30,430 115,571
(expenditure) and
movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds: -
566,783 202,386 769,169 481,642 171,956 653,598
Fund balances at 1 June
2023
Fund balances at 31 May 539,438 183,127 140,000 862,565 566,783 202,386 769,169
2024
----- End of picture text -----

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities . It is to be noted that excluding the gift that was received specifically to create an endowment fund, we achieved an operating deficit of £46,604 for the year .

42

Balance Sheet

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

BALANCE SHEET AT 31 MAY 2024

BALANCE SHEET AT 31 MAY 2024
		2024		2023
	Notes	£	£	£	£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets	12		239,937		252,931
Current assets
Debtors	13	63,651		88,997
Cash at bank and in hand		587,795		459,149
		651,446		548,146
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	14	(28,818)		(31,908)
Net current assets			622,628		516,238
Total assets less current liabilities			862,565		769,169
Capital funds
The Edward Gostling Endowment Fund	16		140,000	-
Income funds					-
Restricted funds	17		183,127		202,386
Unrestricted funds	18
General Cash Reserve		234,569		223,852
Designated Fixed Asset Fund		239,937		252,931
Designated Strategic Growth Fund		64,932		90,000
Total Unrestricted funds			539,438		566,783
			862,565		769,169

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 8th November 2024

___ Cdh- aide

---

Cat Bailey – Chairman Shalin Malde – Treasurer Trustee Trustee

Company registration number 03095963

43

Cash Flow Statement

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Notes £ £ £ £
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operations 22 130,869 56,453
Investing activities
Purchase of tangible fixed assets (6,601) (38,555)
Investment income received 4,378 727
Net cash used in investing activities (2,223) (37,828)
- -
Net cash used in financing activities
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 128,646 18,625
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 459,149 440,524
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 587,795 459,149
----- End of picture text -----

44

Notes to Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

1 Accounting policies

Charity information

The Living Paintings Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales . The liability of the members of the company is limited by their guarantee to contribute £1 each towards the liabilities of the company in event of liquidation.

The registered office is Queen Isabelle House, Unit 8, Kingsclere Park, Kingsclere, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 4SW .

1 .1 Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019) . The Company is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below .

1 .2 Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Trustees have considered the current levels of cash and unrestricted reserves . The Trustees also note that the charity owns its freehold property, which is unmortgaged . Based on this review the Trustees believe that the financial statements have been prepared appropriately on the going concern basis.

1 .3 Charitable funds

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the company and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the company for particular purposes . The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses and allocated to the appropriate fund .

Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the Company .

1 .4 Income

Income is recognised when the Company is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received .

45

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

1 Accounting policies (Continued)

The recognition of income from legacies is dependent on establishing entitlement, the probability of receipts and the ability to estimate with sufficient accuracy the amount receivable. Evidence of entitlement to a legacy exists when the Company has sufficient evidence that a gift has been left to them (through knowledge of the existence of a valid will and death of the benefactor) and the executor is satisfied that the property in question will not be required to satisfy claims in the estate. Receipt of a legacy must be recognised when it is probable that it will be received and the fair value of the amount receivable, which will generally be the expected cash amount to be distributed to the Company, can be reliably measured .

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the Company which is the amount the Company would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt .

The recognition of income from grants is dependent on establishing entitlement, the probability of receipt and the ability to estimate with sufficient accuracy the amount receivable. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance Sheet . Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred revenue . Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued .

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation .

1 .5 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably .

Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity . Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity . Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources . Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use .

Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities . Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the Company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Costs of generating funds are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds .

Charitable activities and Governance costs are costs incurred on the Company's educational operations, including support costs and costs relating to the governance of the Company apportioned to charitable activities .

Library materials are only of benefit to blind and partially sighted people and therefore are of very low commercial value . As such they are expensed in the year rather than being treated as a capital asset for ongoing use in the charity .

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT .

46

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

Notes to the Financial Accounts

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

1 Accounting policies (Continued)

1.6 Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses .

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

Long term leasehold property 50 years – straight line basis Office equipment 5–10 years – straight line basis Computer equipment 3 years – straight line basis

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.

1.7 Impairment of fixed assets

At each reporting end date, the Company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss . If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any) .

1 .8 Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities .

1 .9 Financial instruments

The Company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the Company's balance sheet when the Company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument .

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously .

Basic financial assets

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

47

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

1 Accounting policies (Continued)

Basic financial liabilities

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest . Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less . If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities . Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method .

Derecognition of financial liabilities

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the Company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled .

1.10 Employee benefits

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received .

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the Company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

1.11 Retirement benefits

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements

In the application of the Company’s accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources . The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant . Actual results may differ from these estimates .

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis . Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods .

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are depreciated over their useful lives taking into account residual values, where appropriate . The actual lives of the assets and residual values are assessed annually and may vary depending on a number of factors . Residual value assessments consider issues such as the remaining life of the asset and projected disposal values.

48

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

Notes to the Financial Accounts

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

3 Income from donations and legacies

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total
funds funds funds funds funds funds
2024 2024 2024 2024 2023 2023 2023 2023
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
-
Donations and gifts 222,367 243,970 140,000 606,337 241,104 390,161 631,265
Legacies receivable 5,000 - - 5,000 707 - - 707
-
227,367 243,970 140,000 611,337 241,811 390,161 631,972
----- End of picture text -----

4 Income from investments

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Unrestricted
funds funds
2024 2023
£ £
Interest receivable 4,378 727
----- End of picture text -----

5 Other income

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Unrestricted
funds funds
2024 2023
£ £
Other income - 31,432
----- End of picture text -----

6 Raising funds

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Unrestricted
funds funds
2024 2023
£ £
Other costs 13,812 15,787
Staff costs 50,670 35,044
Raising funds 64,482 50,831
64,482 50,831
----- End of picture text -----

49

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

7 Expenditure on charitable activities

----- Start of picture text -----
Charitable Charitable
activities activities
2024 2023
£ £
Direct costs
Staff costs 282,782 294,866
Depreciation and impairment 19,595 16,030
Direct charitable expenditure 141,860 175,508
444,237 486,404
Share of support and governance costs (see note 8)
Governance 13,600 11,325
457,837 497,729
Analysis by fund
Unrestricted funds 194,608 137,998
Restricted funds 263,229 359,731
457,837 497,729
----- End of picture text -----

8 Support costs allocated to activities

----- Start of picture text -----
Charitable Charitable
activities activities
2024 2023
£ £
Governance 13,600 11,325
Governance costs comprise: 2024 2023
£ £
Audit fees 10,980 10,500
Legal and professional 2,620 825
13,600 11,325
----- End of picture text -----

9 Trustees

None of the Trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the Company during the year .

50

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

Notes to the Financial Accounts

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

10 Employees

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Number Number
Production 4 4
Fundraising and publicity 3 3
Administration and management 2 2
Library 3 3
Total 12 12
Employment costs 2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries 312,831 297,023
Social security costs 13,799 26,808
Other pension costs 6,822 6,079
333,452 329,910
----- End of picture text -----

The number of employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000 is as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Number Number
In the band £60,001 – £70,000 - 1
In the band £70,001 – £80,000 1 -
----- End of picture text -----

Remuneration of key management personnel

The key management personnel of the charity comprise Trustees and the Senior Management Team . The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £78,169 which includes employer NI and pension (2023: £76,129) .

11 Taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

51

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

12 Tangible fixed assets

----- Start of picture text -----
Long term Office Computer Total
leasehold equipment equipment
property
£ £ £ £
Cost
At 1 June 2023 362,357 75,787 74,259 512,403
Additions - 4,009 2,592 6,601
At 31 May 2024 362,357 79,796 76,851 519,004
Depreciation and impairment
At 1 June 2023 140,051 58,082 61,339 259,472
Depreciation charged in the year 7,262 4,613 7,720 19,595
At 31 May 2024 147,313 62,695 69,059 279,067
Carrying amount
At 31 May 2024 215,044 17,101 7,792 239,937
At 31 May 2023 222,306 17,705 12,920 252,931
----- End of picture text -----

The leasehold premises comprise 2 leases each of 999 years calculated from 29th September 1986 each at a rent of £100 per annum .

13 Debtors

----- Start of picture text -----
Amounts falling due within one year: 2024 2023
£ £
Trade debtors 709 709
Accrued income 56,692 83,526
Prepayments 6,250 4,762
63,651 88,997
----- End of picture text -----

14 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
-
Other taxation and social security 7,081
Trade creditors 8,233 11,184
Other creditors 9,605 5,143
Accruals 10,980 8,500
28,818 31,908
----- End of picture text -----

52

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

Notes to the Financial Accounts

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

15 Retirement benefit schemes

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
Defined contribution schemes
Charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes 6,822 6,079
----- End of picture text -----

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund . The pension cost represents contributions payable by the company to the fund and amounted to £6,822 (2023: £6,079) . At the year end, pension contributions of £2,643 (2023: £2,972) were outstanding .

16 Endowment funds

Endowment funds represent assets which must be held permanently by the Company . Income arising on the endowment funds can be used in accordance with the objects of the Company and is included as unrestricted income . Any capital gains or losses arising on the assets form part of the fund .

----- Start of picture text -----
At 1 June Incoming At 31 May
2023 resources 2024
£ £ £
Expendable endowments
-
Edward Gostling Endowment Fund 140,000 140,000
----- End of picture text -----

17 Restricted funds

The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.

----- Start of picture text -----
Movement in funds Movement in funds
Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Balance Incoming Resources Balance
June 2022 resources expended at 1 June resources expended at 31 May
2023 2024
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
Funded projects 70,548 230,736 (139,376) 161,908 93,920 (151,948) 103,880
awaiting completion
Library fund 101,408 159,426 (220,356) 40,478 150,050 (111,281) 79,247
171,956 390,162 (359,732) 202,386 243,970 (263,229) 183,127
----- End of picture text -----

Funded projects awaiting completion consist of numerous funds of varying sizes covering specific projects in line with the charity's objectives for instance the creation and manufacture of new Touch to See book titles .

The Library Fund comprises multiple donations made specifically towards the costs of providing the Library Service free of charge to blind and partially sighted beneficiaries.

Management accounting procedures quarterly track the movement in each individual restricted fund. They provide the necessary information to ensure that the appropriate balance is held in each account in order to complete the projects and thus meet the restrictions imposed by the donors.

53

Notes to the Financial Accounts

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

18 Unrestricted funds

----- Start of picture text -----
Movement in funds Movement in funds
Balance Incoming Resources Transfers Balance Incoming Resources Transfers Balance
at 1 June resources expended at 1 June resources expended at 31 May
2022 2023 2024
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
- -
Designated 230,406 (16,030) 38,555 252,931 (19,595) 6,601 239,937
fixed asset
fund
- - - -
Strategic 60,000 30,000 90,000 (25,067) 64,933
growth fund
General funds 191,236 273,970 (172,799) (68,555) 223,852 231,745 (214,428) (6,601) 234,568
- -
481,642 273,970 (188,829) 566,783 231,745 (259,090) 539,438
----- End of picture text -----

19 Analysis of net assets between funds

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total
funds funds funds
2024 2024 2024 2024
£ £ £ £
At 31 May 2024:
- -
Tangible assets 239,937 239,937
Current assets/(liabilities) 299,501 183,127 140,000 622,628
539,438 183,127 140,000 862,565
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total
funds funds funds
2023 2023 2023 2023
£ £ £ £
At 31 May 2023:
- -
Tangible assets 252,931 252,931
-
Current assets/(liabilities) 313,852 202,386 516,238
-
566,783 202,386 769,169
----- End of picture text -----

20 Related party transactions

During the year one trustee's parents donated £120 to the charity for general purposes (2023: £nil) .

During the year one trustee was reimbursed expenses totalling £94 (2023: £nil) . These were paid at year end .

54

The Living Paintings Trust Trustees Report and Financial statements to 31st May 2024

Notes to the Financial Accounts

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

21 Controlling party

There is no overall controlling party .

22 Cash generated from operations

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
Surplus for the year 93,396 115,571
Adjustments for: (4,378) (727)
Investment income recognised in statement of financial activities
Depreciation and impairment of tangible fixed assets 19,595 16,030
Movements in working capital:
Decrease/(increase) in debtors 25,346 (59,669)
(Decrease)/increase in creditors (3,090) 8,669
-
(Decrease) in deferred income (23,421)
Cash generated from operations 130,869 56,453
----- End of picture text -----

It is to be noted that excluding the gift that was received specifically to create an endowment fund, we achieved an operating deficit of £46,604 for the year .

23 Analysis of changes in net funds

The Company had no debt during the year .

55

www .livingpaintings .org

/LivingPaintings /LivingPaintings livingpaintingscharity

Queen Isabelle House Unit 8 Kingsclere Park Kingsclere Newbury Berkshire RG20 4SW

Company registered number: 03095963 Charity registered number: 1049103

56