Traddodiadau Cerdd Cymru / Music Traditions Wales (trac) Limited
(A company limited by guarantee)
1. Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
Traddodiadau Cerdd Cymru / Music Traditions Wales (trac) Limited
Reference and Administrative Details
Trustees
Prof. James Blythe (chair) Dr Hugh Jones (treasurer) Elisa Morris Ywain Myfyr Dr Stuart Robb Gwenno Roberts Secretary D KilBride
Registered Office
Gorphwysfa Chapel, New Road, Skewen SA10 6YF Company Registration Number 4106014 Charity Registration Number 1085422
Independent Examiner
Frank S Lachman & Co 31 Fairview Way Edgware Middlesex HA8 8JE
2. Trustees' Report
The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Commencement of activities
The charity is a charitable company and was set up on 10th November 2000 when it took over the assets and liabilities of the former "trac". It became a registered charity on 7th March 2002.
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, its memorandum and articles of association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. Members of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charitable company in the event of winding up.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
Members of the board, who are directors for the purpose of company law and trustees for the purpose of charity law, who serve during the year and up to the date of this report, are set out above. The minimum number of trustees required is three with no maximum. The trustees are appointed by the members at the Annual General Meeting or otherwise appointed by the Trustees where there is a vacancy.
Induction and training of new trustees
All new trustees receive information on their obligations and responsibilities as trustees and receive a full induction to the charity's aims and objectives. Training is made available on trustees' roles and responsibilities as required.
Organisational structure
During 2024 - 2025, the full time Director, appointed by the trustees, managed the day to day operations of the charity. We re-budgeted in order to employ a Marketing and Communications Officer and a Community Engagement Officer funded from project income. Both positions are part time. A team of freelance staff provided the delivery of activities.
Objectives and aims
The charity's principal activity is as a Folk Development Agency for Wales. Its objectives are to increase awareness, understanding and confidence in the music, song and dance tradition within Wales; and to raise awareness outside Wales of traditional music activities taking place, and to create links with other organisations and participants throughout the world.
Charitable activities
Activities during the year under review are recovering from the Arts Council of Wales’ (ACW) decision not to include us in their multi-year funding arrangements, which ceased both funding availability and all options for face-to-face activity apart from one whole organisation planning session in December 2023.
Trac Cymru's work to represent and develop the traditional folk arts of Wales carried on, with staff continuing to work from home and meetings of staff and Board moving online.
Recruitment & Staffing
We engaged Megan Cox to take on some additional administrative work as a freelancer. Our marketing manager left in June 2024. Our team now consists of a full-time Director and four part-time staff to the equivalent of 2.5 full-time posts.
Arts Council Wales’ Traditional Music Review
We led and successfully tendered to conduct the Arts Council of Wales Traditional Music Review in partnership with Tŷ Cerdd.
International work
In partnership with Tŷ Cerdd we led an Artist Development Project called Road 2 WOMEX 2024 bringing a cohort of Welsh delegates to WOMEX in Manchester.
We continued to serve on the board of the European Folk Network, a pan-European network with 163 members. Trac Cymru is a founder member, after considerable planning and negotiations with partners in the UK and Europe. This year’s annual Conference was held at Kaustinen Folk Music Centre, Finland.
We continue to co-ordinate the Pan World Indigenous Music Network in partnership with Matariki Cultural Foundation based in Aotearoa : New Zealand.
Cân y Cymoedd
CC is a Heritage Fund supported project examining the relationship between communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot with their built and intangible heritage, modelled on When Lancashire Sings developed by DeBrocas Education and Lancashire Libraries. Following a three-year award of £206,000 we are delivering in both counties. This work is being delivered by Jordan Price Williams our Communities and Education Officer and freelancer Antwn Owen Hicks.
Gwerin Ifainc
This strand brings together youth engagement. We delivered two residential events (Gwerin Gwallgo and Gwerin Iau at Canolfan yr Urdd Glan Llyn, a peripatetic series of one day events with a number of Local authority Music Services and a presence in partnership with Menter Caerdydd’s Tafwyl over 2023-2024 and continuing onwards into winter of 2025.
Ambell i Gân
Following repeated representation from the Welsh public to run song-based activity, we ran Ambell i Gân, a residential singing event at Plas Caer Deon. It was our first, successful attempt at running events without subsidy of any kind.
Online Resources
Trac Cymru continued to offer an information service to the public and to the traditional music sector, including a directory of performers, tutors and instrument makers, and online resources for learning traditional songs and music. We commissioned Meg Cox to redesign our website using Squarespace’s platform to offer a more integrated online experience and begin to offer direct trading opportunities. Work continues to monetise our digital assets.
Eisteddfod Genedlaethol
We shared a space with Clera and Cymdeithas Dawns WErin Cymru at the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol to engage the public.
Partnerships
Notable partnerships in 2024-5 - Tŷ Cerdd, Wales Arts International, TRACS, Creative Wales, Musicians Union, Focus Wales.
3. Reserve policy
The results of the charity are shown in the statement for financial activities. The trustees have a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in fixed assets (the free reserves) held by the charity should be between 3 and 6 months of expenditure. The present level of reserves available to the charity is minimal as we rebuild a solid financial footing for our future.
4. Principal funding sources
In 2024-25 Trac Cymru continued to benefit from Arts Council for Wales project funding up to the end of the financial year, plus Heritage Lottery Project Funding. Additional funding was gained from grants from Anthem and Tŷ Cerdd. The organisation was awarded £50,000 from the Welsh Government’s Arts Jobs Protection Fund. This was augmented by a small amount generated by Mari Lwyd kit and book sales.
5. Assessment of our trading position
We continue. The previous two financial years required a complete shift in how we work and where we see ourselves. We have survived the immediate shock of having our funding withdrawn and managed to raise sufficient income to continue to provide our services without the need for redundancies or closure. We have raised a mixture of project funding, core funding and fees that allow the Charity to continue its work. We have received a 3-year Heritage Lottery award of £206,000 which is mainly project fundingWe continue to apply to ACW and other funds for project grants, and these applications will include appropriate core funding support.
The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on ......23..December...2025 and signed on its behalf by: -------------------Dr J W D Blythe ~
Dr J W D Blythe Chair