REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 03820001 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1077086
Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
for
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Amos Accountancy Limited 31 West Street Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 9DN
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 to 9 |
| Report of the Independent Auditors | 10 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 11 |
| Balance Sheet | 12 to 13 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 14 to 20 |
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | 21 to 22 |
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
In this year we have continued to build on the positive steps made, with new partners, initiatives, and new audiences. The staff team has been stable and extremely well led over the past year and this has fed through to measurably better outcomes. The Trust Board has maintained an effective and diverse number of trustees, giving us stability of governance which is supportive and very committed to the objectives of the Trust. The staffing and Trust Board stability has enabled us to look forward and continue to implement the growth strategy that was developed by us and approved by our funding partners.
The staffing structure remains as last year - a single full-time post of Museum Manager and three part time posts as assistants for collections, volunteers and education. The staff and Trustees work alongside the post holders and our increasingly effective volunteer support.
We thank the officers and members of South Derbyshire District Council (SDDC) for their continued and enthusiastic support over this time, and together we are building a collaborative response to the needs of the community. We are most grateful that SDDC continue to allow an officer and a senior member to join our Board as contributing observers. We have an increasingly good relationship with the local council, the town centre group and the tourist information centre and we are working collaboratively to both programme and advertise each other via, flyers, posters, and the museum What's On guide into the centre of town.
We passionately believe in the contribution Sharpe's Museum can make to local groups, the younger generation, the local economy and to preserving local heritage. I thank all the volunteers, staff, the Trustees, Magic Attic, People Express, South Derbyshire Mines Preservation Group (SDMPG) and our tenant partners (Sweet Caroline café and Louise Mary's Silversmith Workshop) who all help to make 'Sharpe's' happen and we hope will continue to do so. We have recently agreed new tenancy arrangements with both Sweet Caroline café and Louise Mary's Silversmith Workshop for the next few years which we are confident will give both of our tenants and the Trust security and stability, enabling all three organisations to plan productively for the future.
We prioritise the things that both fit in with our values and generate the vital income that helps us to flourish as a museum. We are always very cognisant of the fact that we are first and foremost, a museum. We have been focussing on our strategic and retail plans via our Growth and Development Plan that was widely consulted on and was developed in close consultation with SDDC who, as a result, significantly increased their revenue budget support (which is ongoing until 2028) and additionally awarded the Trust a substantial capital grant last year to support, in particular, the move of SDMPG to part of the Trust's premises. We now have many superb artifacts from the SDMPG collection on prominent display in Sharpe's Pottery Museum and they the members of SDMPG meet weekly in the Museum and join in with us on a number of joint projects, exhibitions etc.
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
Personal Statement by the Chair of the Trust:
"For several reasons, 2024/2025 has been a demanding year for everyone at the Museum. It is to the credit of all the staff, volunteers and especially the Manager that, given the challenges, performance indicators collected as part of our Service Level Agreement with SDDC show that the business continues to thrive. New methods and processes have been introduced while old approaches have been overhauled and updated. I am pleased to report that collectively, the Museum and heritage partners are upbeat and working on a number of different fronts to enhance the experiences offered to all of our visitors. As a consequence I am confident 25/26 will see another increase in the number of exciting activities taking place. Hopefully these will be supported by local companies and businesses as we extend our efforts to recruit these to our cause, but also by virtue of attracting a great deal of attention from artists and larger festival organisers who recognise the potential of utilising our vibrant centre and iconic building as a hub for exhibitions, displays and events".
Peter Tunnicliffe, September 2025
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
a. Objectives, mission, and vision
Our vision is to continue to develop a heritage tourist destination for all audiences to learn, engage and be inspired by the history of the local area, to think about what the local area was, what is it now, and what it can be in the future. We will preserve the past to secure the future.
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Our mission is to celebrate and share the story of Sharpe's and to safeguard our heritage buildings and collections that encompass the South Derbyshire motto of 'The Earth Our Wealth'. Our focus on the environment and a sustainable future links well with current concerns about the future of the planet. OUR VALUES We will promote and invest in activities that: " Are family friendly, inclusive, and welcoming to all visitors. " Entertaining, fun, and interesting to audiences. " Foster local pride and a sense of place in Swadlincote and the region. As a charitable Trust we will be: " Transparent and ethical in the way we operate. " Collaborative and outward looking with the individuals and groups we engage with. " Have an ambitious outlook. " Conscious of our responsibilities to the community and for the collection. To achieve our vision and mission: " We safeguard our unique building and collections. " We bring alive the South Derbyshire District Council's Motto: "The Earth Our Wealth". " We plan for a sustainable future. " We engage with and inform people. We are Sharpe's Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust, an independent charity established in 1999 to provide a heritage and arts centre in the former Sharpe's Pottery site and Kiln Hovel - a landmark building in the Swadlincote town centre. We strive to work closely with our partner organisations, People Express, Magic Attic Archive and SDMPG, as well as our tenants in Sweet Caroline's Cafe and Louise Mary's Silversmith Workshop. The Museum is Arts Council England Accredited which was renewed in 2020. We are, first and foremost a museum and, according to the 2022 ICOM (International Council of Museums) definition of a museum, we should therefore be: "a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, […] foster diversity and sustainability. […] operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection, and knowledge sharing." This definition helps to guide our vision, mission, and values in bringing Sharpe's into the next phase of its development journey. Our vision is to work in partnership with community groups to engage in heritage, arts and support inclusive learning and development while promoting health and wellbeing. To achieve this, we will harness the powerful combination of our key assets: our iconic building, our collection and our learning and engagement offer to reach a wide audience. In setting objectives and planning for activities, the trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to public benefit, including the guidance 'Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)'. b. Strategies for achieving objectives. During the financial year 2024-2025 our museum, our shop, the cafeteria, and our play area continued to utilise the revised wayfaring afforded by structural changes. A small commercial rented space occupied by a high-quality local jewellery maker continues to grow, the now firmly established café has grown from strength to strength and has become an important and very busy feature of the local community, and virtual footfall continues to be strong, with new social media platforms reaching new audiences. Our income, other than grant income and rent and voluntary contributions from our partner charities and lease, has seen an increase in sales from artisan makers, while some events have been more successful than others.
We continue to adapt quickly to changes, including the huge increase in energy costs. As a result, we have continued our agreed policy of shortened winter opening hours from December to March to reduce the costs incurred without impacting on the flourishing café or its income. We have now received energy efficiency reports and in January 2025 we had Secondary Glazing and door upgrades installed - this project was funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund (via SDDC) with Match funding provided by East Midlands Airport and is intended to improve the energy efficiency in the museum building.
Sharpe's continues to build its reputation as a museum and visitor attraction. The now firmly established Museum Manager has successfully managed the culture within the larger workforce, developing with skill an inclusive and collaborative place to work for staff, volunteers and Trustees (many of whom are also volunteers in the Museum itself). We continue to support a range of work experience opportunities from local schools and The Burton and South Derbyshire College, with several successful Industry placements.
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
The Trust is strongly focused on maximising the income that we can get from others who will make use of our superb facilities so that we can use that income to, as our Mission Statement says: 'preserve the past to secure the future of local heritage'. Plans are in place for continuing the varied music and other performances, including a 'Heritage Weekend' in September (as part of Heritage Open Days) in partnership with Magic Attic, People Express, SDMPG and SDDC. We continue to offer a wide range of activities for children and families and for other 'events' to take place in our iconic spaces, not least the 'Kiln Hovel'. This year our facilities, most notably the Glaze Room, have been frequently used by our local MP for a range of meetings, including hosting Ministerial Visits (Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for Defence amongst others), holding 'surgeries' and other events.
The building is difficult to heat and after an Energy Efficiency audit, we know that there are measures that we can put into place to improve the efficiency of our site - some simple, and some more complex and costly. We have established a Finance Task and Finish Group to identify what savings can be made in energy and other costs and what further opportunities there are to increase income and secure additional grant funding. A substantial application to the Arts Council is in preparation as the 2024-2025 financial year ends.
c. Main activities undertaken to further the Charity's purposes for the public benefit.
The number of formal education visits has stabilised this year as schools find innovative ways to circumvent the rising costs of transporting large groups of children. We continue to work with local schools to develop our Formal Education offer and this continues to include an outreach element that will help ensure that schools can access our museum and its collections in a more efficient and convenient manner. A Trustee and a volunteer have delivered talks to the Melbourne Local History Society, one on South Derbyshire during the Napoleonic Wars and the other on the Development of the Pottery Industry in South Derbyshire.
We have also continued the successful collaboration with local artist 'Shore Things by Karen' to develop creative workshops for adults, children and families using Sea Glass found on beaches around the country. These relaxing and creative workshops have been a continuing hit with all ages and we will continue to develop them based on our visitor feedback.
We are still working with Louise Mary (a local jeweller based on site at Sharpe's) to help us run 'Art Club' sessions on Saturday mornings monthly. These continue to be very well received and we look forward to developing these sessions further.
Further activities:
" Pottery Workshops o We have welcomed Andy Mason for two more Introduction to Raku workshops o Our ever-popular Clay Play continues to attract a wide range of audiences
" Ghost Hunts o We have hosted a series of Ghost Hunts throughout the year with both private parties and commercial paranormal investigators hiring the museum galleries.
" Festival of Words
o We acted as a key venue for the Swadlincote Festival of Words event in March including musical performances by Five in Harmony and a talk from Richard Felix.
" Art Club o We continue to inspire and engage young people with our monthly Art Club sessions run voluntarily by partner and local Silversmith Louise Mary
" Schools
o Our school engagement continues to grow and we are seeing an increase in enquiries and school visits - we are optimistic for 25/26 that we will reach even more schools and build on our existing schools' programme " Visitor Numbers
o Our visitor figures show increased footfall through our doors - Many of these visitors have been converted into retail customers with 819 shop transactions completed in this financial year. " Collections and displays
o Our collections assistant continues to maintain our Arts Council Accreditation and cares for our collections to a high standard. We host at least two exhibitions a year to ensure that our collections are accessible to the public and that visitors continue to return and see our dynamic and ever-changing displays.
We have stripped back our evening events offer as these were proving very costly to deliver (in terms of staff 'out of hours' costs and energy costs) and ticket sales were incredibly low. We have however hosted two ghost hunts this year and are receiving further enquiries for these sorts of events going into the next financial year.
Almost every month we host a Bamford's Valuation Day which is consistently well-visited, and we also host Willow Coins on occasion. Craft Markets have also brought in an increased amount of visitors and supported many local makers, some of whom have made it into the shop at Sharpe's as stockists! We are looking forward to 'Derbyshire Makes' early in the next financial year which we hope will become a permanent feature of our 'events offer'.
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Our museum shop continues to develop and we are growing our Maker stockists - we are trying to focus our efforts on Makers and suppliers within the South Derbyshire area and currently have 18 shop stockists including textile artists, illustrators and authors. With the recent redevelopment of the museum shop we are creating a platform on which to celebrate and elevate local makers in the future. Our new 'Reception Area' which will be both more secure and more 'user friendly' should be in place early in the next financial year.
We have supported many students across the academic year including students on six week placements, work experience from local high schools and individuals who simply wanted a summer placement. Between our volunteers and our work experience cohorts, nearly 3,000 hours have been given and opportunities to assist with collections care, marketing, retail and learning have been created.
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
FUTURE PLANS
After years of change, from both the pandemic and from a change in staffing and the move of the Tourist Information Centre, we now have an established and expertly led staff team with a wide range of appropriate skills that will help to continue to establish Sharpe's with a clear vision and goals, building on the foundations left by previous teams. We plan to approach the next few years with ambition and caution, planning thoroughly and evaluating carefully to ensure that we stay relevant and provide a high quality of museum service that is sustainable and will survive and thrive for years to come. We are particularly focused as a Trust Board on securing long term financial stability and, when possible, developing a reserve fund to ensure we are in a position to respond even more effectively to changing circumstances, challenges etc.
The addition of SDMPG to our family, although not without a few teething problems, is now firmly embedded based on good will and excellent personal relationships between Board Members (the Chair of SDMPG is a full Board Member and their secretary is a contributing observer, both of whom contribute fully to the decision making of the Trust, not just on matters relevant to SDMPG). As mentioned previously they now hold their regular weekly meetings in the 'Glaze Room' in the Museum and make good use of the café. Their presence in the Museum buildings (they occupy the first floor of one of the Trust's buildings) has enabled them to make a very welcome and positive addition to the collection and will support our intentions to build an audio/storytelling archive to support the revised story of the museum and engage with the new audiences we have engaged. It will also allow us to develop the strong links with our valued partners and add key elements to our school engagement programmes.
We are delighted to say that as part of the process of accommodating SDMPG and with the support of SDDC funding, we have had built a stable pathway from the building where they store their collection, through a newly constructed gateway, to the museum and Sweet Caroline café.
Sharpe's Museum Shop has great potential to be a source of self-sustaining income. It also has the potential to link with other areas such as Formal and Informal programming, Marketing, and Events. Our shop is already supporting a range of local makers, who stock in the shop on a Sale or Return basis and with 30% commission going to the Museum for every sale. The strong foundation we mentioned last year is enabling us to build and the refurbishment of the shop area, with generous capital funding support from SDDC, will enable this important facility to contribute more to the Trust (financially) and to the community.
Volunteer recruitment, despite the best efforts of the Museum Manager and the Volunteer Coordinator, has been difficult. Our volunteer coordinator has attended several events throughout the year to promote volunteer opportunities, including festivals and volunteer fairs in both Swadlincote and Burton. Many of our volunteers have regular hours each week and filling gaps in the rota is increasingly difficult, especially when large scale or late events are on.
However, we are now in a position to establish more project-based volunteering opportunities, particularly with our museum collections. We strive to encourage volunteers to form our front line team but during quiet periods this role can be rather unfulfilling. We plan to collect feedback from existing volunteers to help us better understand their expectations and to use social media to further advertise volunteering opportunities
Although Sharpe's has a relatively small collection on display, due to the limited display space available, it is a varied and versatile collection that is significant to the South Derbyshire area and provides many themes on which to build a temporary and dynamic exhibition programme. The staff team, with continuing support from partners and Trustees, have ambitions to build a bigger, more significant collection that's built on long term loans and donations, increase the potential for temporary themed exhibitions and make more effective use of some of varied spaces in the museum. An area of continuing concern is the lack of effective weather proofing in the iconic Kiln Hovel. We already make imaginative use of this amazing space but we do need to be very careful to ensure that users are aware of the potential for water ingress through the walls which can, on occasion, be quite serious causing localised flooding etc. We would like to be able to address this whilst maintaining the integrity of the historic structure (the use of lime mortar for example) but estimated costs are extremely prohibitive, not least in the provision of secure scaffolding to provide safe access to the steep and vertiginous walls.
Temporary displays ensure that the museum is dynamic, that Sharpe's will receive repeat visits, and can assist and inform the museums retail offer, public programme and even create opportunities for fundraising events and to recruit regular supporters and members.
Use of new and technology such as VR, AR and XR will also make our collections more accessible and engaging to a wider range of audiences. Exhibitions, collections, and displays can provide meaningful and useful experiences for volunteers, placement, and work experience students. We also have ambitions to support local college and university students by using the building as inspiration, as well as giving them the opportunity to display their work in our unique spaces.
As with all heritage buildings, Sharpe's Grade II listed building has its difficulties. Despite this, access throughout the building is very good. Certain outdated facilities, such as the current platform lift and the toilet facilities, require investment and increasing maintenance to ensure that 100% of our audiences can access the museum and the collections within and that they continue to be safe while inside.
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Like our audiences, volunteers come from all backgrounds and therefore have individual needs that we must adapt to in order to create the optimal volunteer-museum, mutually beneficial, relationships. It is vital that we make our volunteers feel valued. Our volunteer lead is being a great help in this regard
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
a. Constitution
The charity and the group are registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee and was established by a Memorandum of Association on 5th August 1999 (as amended most recently by a 'Special Resolution of the Board' on October 7th 2021) and is also a registered charity (Number 1077086).
b. Methods of appointment or election of Trustees
Originally founder members included local heritage and arts based community groups, a regeneration partnership, and South Derbyshire District Council. Those members initially appointed directors and the Board has since then been augmented by the co-option and subsequent re-election of community representatives. The representation of SDDC is via one councillor as a non-voting representative on the Board together with a designated council officer. Two founder organisations retain the right to nominate directors. These are People Express and the Magic Attic Archive. To this we have now added a statutory place on the Board for SDMPG. Additional directors are drawn from the community to provide the desired range of knowledge and skills for the effective running of the trust's affairs.
c. Organisational structure and decision-making policies
All policy and strategic decisions, including the approval of business plans and budgets, are taken at board level. The full board meets approximately every month. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly (via our active Risk Register) and policies for minimising and managing risk and insurance against insurable risk are in place and regularly reviewed. Any sub-committees or Task and Finish Groups set up do not have executive powers and only make recommendations to the Board for consideration. Very occasionally the Board request the relevant sub-committee or Task and Finish Group to make final decisions within very tight parameters set by the Board in advance.
d. Financial Risk Management
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Group and the Charity are exposed. Those related to the operations and finances of the Group and the Charity and are satisfied that those systems and procedures are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Company number
03820001 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number
1077086
Registered office
Sharpes Pottery Museum West Street Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 9DG
Trustees
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
Company Secretary
I C Bottrill
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Auditors
Amos Accountancy Limited 31 West Street Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 9DN
TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
The trustees (who are also the directors of Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees 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 charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
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there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware; and
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the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees (who are also the directors of the Charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards.
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including their income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
" Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
" Observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP;
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" Make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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" State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
" Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the group will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Group and the Charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Group and 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 Group and the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection fraud and other irregularities.
AUDITORS
The auditors, Amos Accountancy Limited, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 22[nd] September 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
........................................................................ C J Beech - Trustee
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Report of the Independent Auditors to the Trustees of Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
It was agreed at the same meeting that the auditors, Amos Accountancy & Bookkeeping Services, be re-appointment as Auditors for the period until 2026.
Approved by order of the board of trustees on September 22nd 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
C J Beech - Trustee and Chair of the Trust Board
for and on behalf of Amos Accountancy Limited Eligible to act as an auditor in terms of Section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006 31 West Street Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 9DN
Date: 22[nd] September 2025
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
| Unrestricted funds Notes £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 2,399 Charitable activities Grants 56,369 SDDC - Shared Prosperity Fund - EMIAL Community Fund - Other trading activities 2 13,288 Investment income 3 49,680 Total 121,736 EXPENDITURE ON Raising funds 4 1,965 Charitable activities Grants 69,242 Other 75,067 Total 146,274 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) (24,538) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 420,227 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 395,689 |
Restricted funds £ - - 19,496 1,500 - - 20,996 2,084 - - 2,084 18,912 27,933 46,845 |
31.3.25 Total funds £ 2,399 56,369 19,496 1,500 13,288 49,680 142,732 4,049 69,242 75,067 148,358 (5,626) 448,160 442,534 |
31.3.24 Total funds £ 1,834 83,714 - - 11,892 55,398 152,838 92,853 2,742 56,564 152,159 679 447,481 448,160 |
|---|---|---|---|
The notes form part of these financial statements
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Balance Sheet
31 March 2025
| Unrestricted funds Notes £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 8 427,819 Investments 9 1 427,820 CURRENT ASSETS Stocks 10 3,916 Debtors 11 4,086 Cash at bank and in hand 2,555 10,557 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 12 (42,688) NET CURRENT ASSETS (32,131) TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 395,689 NET ASSETS 395,689 FUNDS 13 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS |
Restricted funds £ 40,094 - 40,094 - - 6,751 6,751 - 6,751 46,845 46,845 |
31.3.25 Total funds £ 467,913 1 467,914 3,916 4,086 9,306 17,308 (42,688) (25,380) 442,534 442,534 395,689 46,845 442,534 |
31.3.24 Total funds £ 444,341 1 444,342 - 4,709 41,795 46,504 (42,686) 3,818 448,160 448,160 420,227 27,933 448,160 |
|---|---|---|---|
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The members have not deposited notice, pursuant to Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006 requiring an audit of these financial statements.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
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(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
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(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
These financial statements have been audited under the requirements of Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011.
The notes form part of these financial statements
continued...
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Balance Sheet - continued 31 March 2025
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 22[nd] September 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:
............................................. C J Beech - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, 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 accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
25% Reducing Balance
Stocks
Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, after making due allowance for obsolete and slow moving items.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
Hire purchase and leasing commitments
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
continued...
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Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
| 2. | OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Fundraising events | 6,114 | 4,562 | |
| Retail | 7,174 | 7,330 | |
| 13,288 | 11,892 | ||
| 3. | INVESTMENT INCOME | ||
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Rents received | 39,180 | 39,180 | |
| Room Hire | 10,500 | 16,218 | |
| 49,680 | 55,398 | ||
| 4. | RAISING FUNDS | ||
| Raising donations and legacies | |||
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Trading subsidiary expenses | - | 53 | |
| Support costs | 3,984 | 92,801 | |
| 3,984 | 92,854 | ||
| Investment management costs | |||
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Premises Expenses | 3,981 | 12,671 | |
| Aggregate amounts | 4,049 | 92,853 | |
| 5. | NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ||
| Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting): | |||
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Event Costs | 3,775 | 3,826 | |
| Depreciation - owned assets | 17,919 | 16,882 | |
| Trading subsidiary expenses | - | 53 |
continued...
Page 15
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
6. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2025 nor for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2025 nor for the year ended 31 March 2024.
7.
| COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Unrestricted funds £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 1,834 Charitable activities Grants 55,264 Other trading activities 11,892 Investment income 55,398 Total 124,388 EXPENDITURE ON Raising funds 92,336 Charitable activities Grants 2,742 Other 56,564 Total 151,642 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) (27,254) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 447,481 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 420,227 |
Restricted funds £ - 28,450 - - 28,450 517 - - 517 27,933 - 27,933 |
Total funds £ 1,834 83,714 11,892 55,398 152,838 92,853 2,742 56,564 152,159 679 447,481 448,160 |
|---|---|---|
continued...
Page 16
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| Improvements Freehold to property property £ £ COST At 1 April 2024 322,613 1,569,009 Additions - 34,269 At 31 March 2025 322,613 1,603,278 DEPRECIATION At 1 April 2024 91,667 1,358,979 Charge for year 6,452 8,738 At 31 March 2025 98,119 1,367,717 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 March 2025 224,494 235,561 At 31 March 2024 230,946 210,030 9. FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS MARKET VALUE At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 March 2025 At 31 March 2024 There were no investment assets outside the UK. 10. STOCKS Stocks 11. DEBTORS Amounts falling due within one year: Other debtors |
Fixtures and fittings £ 156,118 6,886 163,004 154,054 2,389 156,443 6,561 2,064 |
Computer equipment £ 10,975 336 11,311 9,674 340 10,014 1,297 1,301 31.3.25 £ 3,916 31.3.25 £ 1,752 |
Totals £ 2,058,715 41,491 2,100,206 1,614,374 17,919 1,632,293 467,913 444,341 Listed investments £ 1 1 1 31.3.24 £ - 31.3.24 £ 2,375 |
|---|---|---|---|
continued...
Page 17
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
| Notes to the Financial Statements-continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 11. DEBTORS - continued Amounts falling due after more than one year: Amounts owed by group undertakings Aggregate amounts 12. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade creditors Social security and other taxes 13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS At 1.4.24 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 420,227 Restricted funds Restricted 27,933 TOTAL FUNDS 448,160 Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 121,736 Restricted funds Restricted 20,996 TOTAL FUNDS 142,732 |
31.3.25 31.3.24 £ £ 2,334 2,334 4,086 4,709 31.3.25 31.3.24 £ £ 42,248 42,246 440 440 42,688 42,686 Net movement At in funds 31.3.25 £ £ (24,538) 395,689 18,912 46,845 (5,626) 442,534 Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (146,274) (24,538) (2,084) 18,912 (148,358) (5,626) |
|---|---|
continued...
Page 18
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Comparatives for movement in funds
| Net | ||
|---|---|---|
| movement | At | |
| At 1.4.23 | in funds | 31.3.24 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds | ||
| General fund 447,481 |
(27,254) | 420,227 |
| Restricted funds | ||
| Restricted - |
27,933 | 27,933 |
| TOTAL FUNDS 447,481 |
679 | 448,160 |
| Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: | ||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds | ||
| General fund 124,388 |
(151,642) | (27,254) |
| Restricted funds | ||
| Restricted 28,450 |
(517) | 27,933 |
| TOTAL FUNDS 152,838 |
(152,159) | 679 |
| A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows: | ||
| Net | ||
| movement | At | |
| At 1.4.23 | in funds | 31.3.25 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds | ||
| General fund 447,481 |
(51,792) | 395,689 |
| Restricted funds | ||
| Restricted - |
46,845 | 46,845 |
| TOTAL FUNDS 447,481 |
(4,947) | 442,534 |
continued...
Page 19
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued
for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Restricted TOTAL FUNDS |
Incoming resources £ 246,124 49,446 295,570 |
Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (297,916) (51,792) (2,601) 46,845 (300,517) (4,947) |
|---|---|---|
14. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Page 20
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 |
||
|---|---|---|
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | |
| £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS | ||
| Donations and legacies | ||
| Donations | 2,399 | 1,834 |
| Other trading activities | ||
| Fundraising events | 6,114 | 4,562 |
| Retail | 7,174 | 7,330 |
| 13,288 | 11,892 | |
| Investment income | ||
| Rents received | 39,180 | 39,180 |
| Room Hire | 10,500 | 16,218 |
| 49,680 | 55,398 | |
| Charitable activities | ||
| Grants | 77,365 | 83,714 |
| Total incoming resources | 142,732 | 152,838 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Raising donations and legacies | ||
| Trading subsidiary expenses | - | 53 |
| Other trading activities | ||
| Closing stock | (3,916) | - |
| Investment management costs | ||
| Premises Expenses | 3,981 | 12,671 |
| Other | ||
| Wages | 56,462 | 39,249 |
| Pensions | 685 | 433 |
| Depreciation of tangible fixed assets | 17,920 | 16,882 |
| 75,067 | 56,564 | |
| Support costs | ||
| Management | ||
| Licenses & membership | 2,057 | 1,795 |
| Insurance | 6,882 | 5,470 |
| Light and heat | 23,072 | 31,147 |
| Rent, rates and Water | 22,981 | 21,175 |
| Purchases | 3,983 | 9,524 |
| Advertising | 1,585 | 2,208 |
| Cleaning | 934 | 515 |
| 61,494 | 71,834 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
Page 21
Sharpes Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | ||
|---|---|---|
| for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 | ||
| 31.3.25 | 31.3.24 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Management | ||
| Finance | ||
| Computer costs & Telephone | 1,071 | 758 |
| Bank charges | 326 | 127 |
| 1,397 | 885 | |
| Information technology | ||
| Training | 282 | - |
| Human resources | ||
| Office Expenses | 1,689 | 1,816 |
| Governance costs | ||
| Event Costs | 3,775 | 3,826 |
| Accountancy and legal fees | 4,589 | 4,510 |
| 8,364 | 8,336 | |
| Total resources expended | 148,358 | 152,159 |
| Net (expenditure)/income | (5,626) | 679 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
Page 22