syneryy theatre project Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 May 2023 1111 lliii "A(XiVLWZ' 17102r2024 CCWPANIES HOUSE A15 #111 Brixton House. G.1 Carlton Mansions, 387 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8GL Company no: 04219146 Reg'd Charity no: 1088692 Synergy Theatre Project Contents Page Tnjstees, Report 3-12 Independent Examinerfs Report 13 Statement of Finanaal Activities 14 Balan￿ Sheet 15 Statement of cash flows 16 Notes to the Fnanoal Statements 17-21 Synergy Theatre Project Trustees, Report for the year ended 31 May 2023 The Board of Trustees. presents its report and independently exam1r￿d financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2023. Reference and administrative details Trustees: Keshina Bouri (Ctrchair) Paula Hamimon {￿chair) Tyrone Paul Alison Porter Ihsan Rahim Cliona Roberts . Deborah Samuel Jonathan Smith (resigned April 2023) Gaby Sumner Catherine Tr￿mbOrroW Company Secretary: Esther Baker Company number: 04219146 Registered Charity number: 1088892 Synergy staff: Artistic Diredor General Manager Leaming & Engagement Manager (Adults) Leaming & Engagement Manager (Young Peop￿) Esther Baker Jennie Mcclure Kit Wthington Sian Henderson (matemity leave until April 2023) Danielle Baker & Alesha Pryce (matemity cover) Karf Smith Leaming & Engagement Assistant New Writing Manager DeveloFYnent Manager Neil Grutchfield Julie Shaw (until January 2023) Nisha Oza (appointed June 2023) Registered office: G.1 Carlton Mansions 387 Coldharbour Lane Lwdon SW3 8GL Independent Examlner: Robert McGinty Cintra Coley Avenue Woking GU22 78T Bankers: Triodos Bank NV Deanery Road Bristol BS15AS The trustees present their annual statutory report together with the consolidated financial statements of Synergy Theatre Project for the year eTrJed 31 May 2023. The financial statements comply wth the Charities Act 2011. the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Arts'des of Associatw)n. and AccountiTrJ and Reports'ng by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Prath'ce applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance wilh the Financial Rewrting Standard for Smaller Ent￿e5. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES History Synergy Theatre Project was founded in 21￿. soon after Esther Baker a Buder Trust Award for her pioneenng WDrk wth theatre in HMPS Do*￿vIeW and Wandsworth. Over the 23 years since the company vrds fomed. Synergy has develop&J a programme of arbstic work that seeks to build a bridge from prison to Social reintegration, prevent young peop￿ from entering the Griminal justice systern, and inspire thange by capturing the imagination ar￿ affecting the feelings, behaviours and ath't￿e$ of participants and publi¢. Vision Synergy believes that theatre can be transfomiative. thange perceptions, and OFen LP new possibilities towards a more positive future. We live in a vthere some of the most disadvantaged are over-represented in the criminal justi￿ system and are MO￿ likely to suffer social exclusion. Our vision is to work through tt)eatre tovrdrds a fairer world where those within or at risk of entering the criminal justice system can discover altemate pathvrdys. desist from rJiffle. and become an integral and meanirvJful part of society. Missio Synergy seeks to create a grourKI-breaking. interrelated programme of artistic work vthich hamesses the energy. instincts. and lrfe eXperien￿S of those Y￿ work V•ilh- pnsoners, ex- prisoners, young offenders, and yourvJ people at risk of offending - gives tr￿M a voice and, in doing so, their dignity back We want to inspire change by capturing the imaginatK)n and affecting the feelings, behaviours and attitudes of parb'cipants and public, whilst doing our part to influence the aits and criminal justice sectors tthvards systemic thange. Our work Our work provides practical opportunities which develop benefiaaries. skills. capabilities and resilience, builds a bridge from prison to social reintegratV3n. provides vital support to rehabilitation, and seeks to prevent young people from entering the criminal justi￿ systern. Our overall airn is to support desistance from crime. VIÈ do tris through.. Producing high quality theatre and film across prisons. mainstream theatres and schcols that uniquely brings together professional artists wrlh prisoners and ex-prisoners to create and perform urgent and auihentic work. representr'ng unheard vol￿$ on the stage.. Offering theatre-based training for prisoners aThJ ex-prisoners through Synergy Studio with its growirKJ focus on skills accreditation, progression routes. aTrJ pathways into education. training and employment: Challenging mind-sets and offering altemate pathways for young people at risk of offending through Young People's Programme of projects and productions that utr'lise the life experience of trained ex-prisoner facilitators" Offering ex-prisoner led roleplay through Synergy Services which provides training services for resettlement agencies and an effective and targeted way to contribute to systems change within the criminal justice a￿na. Public benefit The trustees have referred to the guidance in the Chanty Commission's general guidance on public benefit wthen reviewing the aims and objeciives and in planning future activities. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE What sy￿e￿Y is doing is amazingl Director, Creative Circle Awdrds Over the last year, and in ts midst of the worst cost-of-living crisis in half a ￿ntury after emergirvJ from the pandemic and enforced lockdtrwns. Sy￿rgY has remained resilient and continued to offer a range of Creative engagement opportjnities vthile piloting and delivering new prograrnmes in response to these challenges and producing acclaimed artistic work with partnering organisations, sw)ported by longstanding and new funders. These crises continued to have a devasL*ing effect on the be￿fi￿arieS of work and irnpaded severely on t￿1r wellbeing. In view of this. Synergy embarked on 'Comeback Comedy,, a ￿1>year programme of activty in both the prison estste and the community focusing on Covid recovery through comedy. prc*noting positi've outcomes for mental w￿l1t￿lng, social connections and building ￿$111ÈnCe. For Y(￿ng beneficiaries, w￿ successfully piloted our Young Siud*) initi'ative. offenng ongoing opportuniti'es for rJeative training, work experience and mentoring. In teryns of engagement during the year, Synergy ￿r)rked wtth 243 prisoners and ex-prisoners through our range of ￿urse$, perf0mlan￿. V￿rk experien￿ and employment opportunits'es and reached prison audiences of 430. Through our pn)gramme for young people in mainstream education, young people at risk of exclusion andlor offerKling and those within Ihe criminal justice system. Synergy engaged over 2.500 through perfonnance and activity, 301 of vthom took part in workshops includiTrJ 146 young people at nsk and young offeThders vho took part longer-tenn and beswke projects. thile continuing to navigate the challenging landscape. our y￿rk was shortlisted for the 2022 London Youth Awards. and our short film. Dues. exploring the issue of county lines was screened as part of the Chicago Children's and British Urban Film Festivals in November 2022. In July 2023 Synergy received three 2023 Creative Cirde Awards (Gold, Silver and Bronze) for a promotional film about our Y￿rk devebped through ￿ Media Trust PRODUCING He Said She Said should be s8en as a clarion call arrtl is a play that as manyyvung people as possibl8 should see. * * * * * Theatre V*ekly As a result of his work on one of our p￿ViouS ex-prisoner invitational courses wth Soho Theatre, one of our writers of promise was commissior￿d by Paines Plough to write One Off. play exploring the relationship beiv•een a prisoner and a night duty prison offi￿r he never sees. We are hugely proud to have ctrproduced the play with Paines Plough and Live Theatre in Newcastle in November 2022. or￿ Off received 4-Star reviews in regional and national press induding The Guardian and The Stage. the latter describing it as°a powerfully affecting, deeply hUM￿e production": htt '.IlvNM.live.o .ukAvhats-onlone Followng the success in spring 2022 of He Said She Said, our young people's touring production by spoken word artist Magero Ots'eno-magero, revived the show after securing support again from John Lyon's Cultural Capital Fund. Using diatyue. verse and music, the play explores the impact of social media on youth Violen￿ and crime and proved hugely popular with young audienos. After a twtrweek tour to sthools and PRUS across London from February to March. reaching over 1,300 young people and engaging them in accompanying Q&4s and workshops. we perfomed daily a5 part of the inaugural Schools Week at Kiln Theatre, reathirvJ a fvrther 9)5. Having piloted our Young Studio programme the￿ and also delivered a course for adults, this further strengthened collaborative relationship y￿th the venue, engaged new aUdIen￿S arKI met our aim to maximise our touring work for young people. In terms of commissions. Evan Pla￿Y delivered tsfets, a timely new play whK* holds a mirror to the crisis in social c2re by examining our ageing prison populalion. Synergy is in conversation with a number of venues over c￿PrOduC1n9 the play in 2024. Synergy also supported the ongoing development of DisAble Me, a new play aboul living with disability by a beneficiary emerging from a series of Soho Labs, in addition to Penned Up by Danusia Iwaszko, inspired by her extensive experien￿ of teathing playwriti'ng for Synergy in prisons. Synergy collaborated in the previous year on a National InstitLrte for Health Research (NIHR) funded study with King's College London {KCL) explonng the experience of cancer patients. This resulted in CarKer Cells. a short by Evan Pl￿Y written in response to the NHS Trust's findings from the research. The findings are due to be published in The Lancet arKI the film screened at the House of Lords in May 2024. LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT Synergy Studio I have ￿￿ntlY come off anti4*pfftssants. having been on them fr>r foury8ars. I genuinelyput my improved rnenlal health partly on being fortunate enO￿h to aC￿sS this cou￿8. Comeback Comedy prison course parts'¢ipant The yearfs ath'vity began with the laund) of 'Comeback Cornedy.. our national competition and call-out for 10-minule comedic plays. supported by a number of comedy playwriting courses and broadcast of recorded video tutorials through prison T+/ netrA￿rks to provide essential tools aTh encourage entries. This programme of work. supported by Comic Relief Walkers Smiles Fund, marked the first time that Synergy has used comedy as the basis for its scriptrwriting ts)urses which prodU￿d some highly positive outcomes arKI vtsre participants discovered a freedom to tackle difficult subjects through humour in a new Y￿Y that was liberatiNJ and light. The programme also I0￿sseS on improving mental health aThJ wellbeing and feedback indicated a 92Yo improvement in partiapants, mental health at the end of propcts. Our competition wnners, event at Soho Theatre in March ￿MPriSed the winning scripts perfomied by professional actors. During ￿ year V￿ have experienced s<)me outstarKling V•ork from participants, particxjlarfy the high standard of scripts SUbm￿ed and the perfO￿nan￿ project using Road by Jim car￿ght. This project Choi￿ of script h￿hlIghted the impact of poverty on mental health, leading to addiction and depression. It felt parts'culady pertinent being perfomed by a group of individuals impacted significantly by the cost-of-living crisis. The project also eslablished a new relationship with Chelsea Theatre, a communty-based venue offering competitive tharity rates for fijture work, and our wider Studio programme has strengthened SYnerg￿s partnerships over the last year, increased our repertoire and netsvork of induslry professionals. In collaboration with partners. Morfey College. Sara Putt Asso¢rates, Soho and Kiln Theatres and The Lot, Synergy delivered 14 courses both within the prison estate at HMPS Belmarsh, Highpoin( Littlehey and in the community ranging from Introductions to Acting. Playwriting. Comedy scrip￿riting and Workshop Facilitation to Advanced Playwriting and family-focused projects. Engaging wth families proved especially signtficant and we received much feedbad( expressing gratitude for the posits've impact that working vAlh Synergy had had on their family member in prison or outside. At some er&of-course sharings family members stocé and expressed very emotionally how they feli hope for the future of the respective participants and would support and encourage them to continue their engagement viith us. In temis of supporting benef￿aries into further training. work placements and progressi￿ into work, particular highlights during the year indude.. 13 VKJrking with Synergy to support delivery of our young people's programme: Five gaining acting arKI bad(stage roles on our production, He Said She Saitr. Three ex-prisoners gaining V￿rk with Synergy as role play actor facilitators to deliver training for Catch22 staff on Managing Challenging Conversations and Behaviour, 14 gaining y￿rk with Synergy as cast and crew on a promots'onal film for Synergy Studio, supported by the Media Trust, vthich received three Creats've Circte Awards; Two auditioned for LAMDA. one of whom was awarded a scholarship on their Perfomiing Arts Foundats'on course; The writer of One Off subsequently on commissK)n Orange Tree and Live Theatres arKI developing projects with BBC and Film Nation. Two working regularly as professional actors, artother as a film extra, a fourth as a stage-hand with Connections Crew. and three gaining V￿rk as crew at Brixton House; TV￿ gainirKJ acting roles on an infomiation film about prisoners and oral health for Dental Public Health arKI the Primary Care Instttijk of Dentisty: Three playing roles in The Brigstow Instrtute's short film, Wounds We Keep,. TV￿ supported with subsidised pla￿S to tske part in an exiemal pla￿ting group. One w0￿1ng in script development at Neffiix and seed-commissioned by Defibrillator. One Covproducing GoiTrJ for Gold, winning the 2023 Fuse Intemational Best of Brighton Fringe Theatre Award,. Best Production. Producer and Male Lead at the 2023 Black British Theatre Awards. In addition, Synergy's New Vlriting Manager has corresponded vAth provpjed mentoring and one-to-one dramaturgy for 27 prisoner and ex-prisoner writers, resp)rKling to their plays at every stsge of develowient. Follov•ing on from the Advanced Playlvriting Invitation group all nine partiupating vniters received further dramaturgical meets'ngs with directors, delivering full length plays and re￿Iving further professional development advice. Synergy pathered for the fifth consecutive year on the Stage Play category of the Koestler Awards. Cir￿lating the 28 entries to a range of readers for shortlisting and judging by a panel with wntten feedback sent to each entrant and the offer of future scnpt development from our New Writing Manager. The winning plays V￿re celebrated at script-in-hand readings by professional actors at HMP Wmott and tre Royal Court Theatre in November. Young People's Programme Its given herconfiden￿ and the athlty to make new fiiends it has also helped with anxiety. I've noticed that Sin￿ doing course Stre s more detem7ined ft> succeed in Irf8 it's given heran alternati￿ which is ha￿ to find b￿n9 fmm a faiThly that don't have privi18ges. Parent of a Young Studio member The year began w¢th the culminabon of a serie5 of screenirKJs of our short film. Dues. %thich focuses on county lines together with accompanying V4r>rkshops to explore the issue in greater depth. The film. which Synergy made in the previous year. was screened as part of the Chicago Children's and British Urtkgn Film Fests'vals in November 2022, enabling tKJth greater and wider geographical reach. Dues has STrn￿ been uploaded to our V*Èbsite as a free resource to accompany our education pack containing Info￿ation around grooming, recruitrnent and exploitation and sNJnposting to support wider leaming around county lines. Synergy continued working through embedded relationships with partners. INoodbridge. The Helix and Saffron Valley Collegiate PRUS. delivering longer-teTm Creative projecis in response to the revival and tour of our theatre production. He SaKI She Said, using SFK)ken v￿rd, acting and filmmaking. The play encourages young people to think abwt issues relating to youth crime including social media, gaTrJ Violen￿ and grooming. Partner feedback noted high levels of students. often very disengaged. engaging fijlly with our projects and maintaining high retention rates. Staff comments indLKled. "Synergy a￿ayS manages to engage our leamers and they look foNMrd to sessions. and. °rt offers Ihem something different that they don't leam in lessons.. 80% of the young people reported that their confKlence levels had increased, and staff ststed that taking part in the projects had made ￿1r students feel more positive about their leaming with one teacher commenting, Yhree of the participants felt positive enough to have joined the perfonning arts dub at school as a result of their grovmg Confiden￿ on the Pfojecr. AtterKlance and retention rates similarly exceptional ai YOI Isis v4here y￿ delivered a comedy Scriptsvriting course as part of our Comebath Comedy prc*Jramme, particularfy with one ng known to prison staff as the least likely to engage positively in education. The course gamered highly favourable feedback from one of the prison ofricers V*ho commented. "To have that many guys in a room together. and for there to be no major incidents during the vthole course, vrfas impressive The guards were all s￿ptiCal to start with... but the fact they engaged the whole time, they tumed up each week and there wasn't any incidents really says something about what you do.. One of ts participants, dyslexic and permanently exclud•d from school 12 years earlier, entered his script and won wr competition. HavirYJ recently been released, we will provide ongoing vrriter development supporL Our online one-ttrone VK•rk contsnues to be highly effective and engaged 13 young people at risk of offending during year, induding a cohort at Park Lane Primary at a thallenging wint of transition to sewndary sthool. These creats.ve one-t(>￿eS appeal directly to the most vulnerable young people who may struggle in group environments, have SFrf)radic school attendance or simply benefft from more individualised work. En(*of-project sharings celebrate participants, athievements together with peers, staff and Pamily members arKI carers. One parent commented, "My daughter has had a wonderful tsme given the opportunity to work with Synergy over the last c(￿PIe of months arKI has grown in confidence so much.. Project activity over the course of the year has had the follown9 impacts: 80% of the participants demonstrated shifts in attitudes t¢)wards ¢rime', 80% of young people reported that they had leamed a new creative skill. improved their communication and increased their Confiden￿.. 70% of young people requested to be referred on to fijrther creative projects. In addition to our group and one-￿one *Drk. Synergy was approathed by sara￿n5 High School to deliver a day of participatory w)rkshops using He SaKI She Said as a stimulus as part of their School Arts Week ￿ Odober. Young Studio Losing his place at college caused my son lo get into trouble wrfh too much time on his hands. So, the opportunity to worf( with Syne@y canje at the perfect timé and changed the landscape for him. He wai￿{ his focus and put his eneffJyinto sorn*thing mally positive which he y8ams to continu8. Parent and beneficiary on his son's M)rk experience on Road The pilot of our Young Studio. follov•ing the fomiat of our suC￿ss￿l Synergy StLKlio model for adult beneficiaries. included the delivery of three group projects to engage young people at risk who have previously taken part in our programmes delivered in PRUS and YOTS or creative online one-to-ones. SupFQrted by Nabonal Lottery ReachiTrJ Communities, activity had been focused mainly in Harrow where have longstanding partnerships. but we extended the programme to Lambelh where Synergy is tAsed. This enabled us to deepen our connections in the borough and engage with youth organisations not previously aware of our work and from om we can take referrals for future projects. The first of these group projects took place at Kiln Theatre in summer 2022 and explored themes of cultural differences, individuality aThJ Communty and ￿lMinated in a celebration of monologues. spoken word, rap and music. The projed had a significant impact on the group. working wth a smaller number allowed the team to focus more of the young people's individual talents and find ways for them to exp￿SS themselves. T￿¥ of participants went on to join Kiln Th8atre's Young Company. and all members have been receiving irvjividual support fro Synergy's team in looking at palhways and finding further creative opportunities. Alongside our perf0rnan￿ projert Road, we We￿ able to offer work experience to a young person - and son of a beneficiary- Ytho had been cautioned by the police but expressed particular interested in stage management. He worked as part of a professional stage management team on the intensive fvA>week rehearsal period and perfOMan￿$. he was responsible for props, marking up Suipts arKI liaising y￿th actors on a day-ttrday basis. The stage manager he shadowed with was lull of praise for his V￿rk ethic and his ability and we intend to offer him futher W￿rk ￿ our 2024 ywng people's touriryJ production. SYNERGY SERVICES Seeing th8 change in SO￿ of the partiapants 0￿SuCh a short gives m8 tremendous pleasuTr and rnminds me why I choose to do thepb I do. We need more opportunilies to engage with pmiects such as Synergy, the benefits of these proFcts a￿ ￿allY tangible." Leaming & S￿lIs Manager, HMP Wayland In terms of the comfnissioning of our Wofk and follobmng the slow opening up of the prison estate in 2022. Synergy secured six commissions for course delivery during the reporting period at HMPS Highpoint and Littlehey as Y￿11 as HMPS Belmarsh and Brixl¢)n, estsblishing new contractual relats'onships. Presenting a modest stsrt to rebuilding both this area of our work and our stream of eamed incJ)me. successful delivery at the establishments has Sin￿ resulted in further interest from these and others induding HMPS Gartree and Wlayland. During the course of the year. Synergy was commissioned to provide actors for the c￿ation of infomatsonal films" one conceming the DfE's reading framework and the other for the Dental Public Health and Primary Care Insts'tute of Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London to improve the oral health of communty ￿lUMets. We were commissioned again by CAPA Global Education NelN40rk's London Centre to collaborate on a devising project over three months with their intematicfflal students in response to Synergys woth and its beneficiaries. lived experiences, ￿lmInating in perf0mlan￿S of eath grr￿p,S wY)rk in December. Synergy was also commissioned by Catth22 to deliver programmes of role play trainiro for their staff with our ex-prisoner faalitators on communication and interpersonal skills focusing Managing Challenging Conversations and DealirvJ with Inappropriate Behaviour. ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT We can't thank you enough for this amazing inteThention. Teacher, Omiiston Latimer Academy Synergy undertook an EDI audit. led by Ngozi Lyn Cok of GLT Parlners. in the p￿ViC￿$ year and this actively supported our drive to recruit new board members and ¢ommibnent to ensuring greater diversity in our govemance. induding individuals of the global majority and those with lived experience of the criminal justice system. to better reflect the communilies we engage through our y￿rk. Alongside our own call-ou( we worked with BoardLead. in partnership with NCVO and Trustees Unlimited. to identify potents'al trustee ¢2ndidates from the corporate sector. In September 2022. we y￿1cOMe￿ four new trustees from a diverse range of backgrounds wtth diverse skills and experience indudiro legal and corporate. We subsequently planned a programme of tfdining with GLT Partners. engaging both staff and trustees. ￿[ch offered pra¢tical sessions looking at EDI concepts (protected characteristics. interseciionality and anti racism). unconsrious bias. and inclusion involving discussion around gender and sexuality. In terms of Ihe funding landscape. we are a¢thly aware that trE environment is fier￿lY competitive. Synergy appointed a new Development Manager who took up the post in June 2023, relieving pressure on both the Artistic Director and General Manager while providing near full-time capauty for the first time in Synergy's history and scope to invesbgate new sources of funding to diversify our incc)me further with a Y￿V to strerothening organisalion's lon￿te financial sustainability. FUTURE PLANS Th8 pla￿S raw intensty, its barbed hun￿Ur, its Gharartets. mix ofbnitality and vulnernthlity, the hot blood GOu￿l￿g thmugh its veins and its sense of despair infvsed ults'n￿teIY with a shot of hope make this- well, a oneaoff. Briti'sh Theatre Guide on Ore Off During the coming year, and with our strategic aim to inueasing our producing output in mind, we have a number of commissions coming to fruition and have recendy introduced a dynamic group of artistic assooates- eovo global majority and female idents'fying- in order to bring greater diversity in programming decisions and facilitate a￿sS to ott*r creative partners and theatres in order to open Opportunities and raise sts are allocated to each grant SUPFrf)rted project. Grant prepayments represent donations allocated to ongoing projects scheduled for completion in subsequent reporting period{s). The chanty commences virtually all of its projects after obtsinirKJ and receiving grant funding. This means that the charity has historically always maintained high levels of liquidity. The salaried personnel, contracted performers and professionals are fundamenlal to the continued delivery of projects arKI also obtaining grant funding. The charity expends all grant income on the relevant projects and their strategy is to build up reserves fr(Mn the unrestricted inccxne it generates, largely from fees, and meet our target of 6 months, Costs. However. ts level of reserves held, and what should be the ideal level held for the charity. will be kept under constant review in the coming year. The TNstees are of the view that the tharity is a going concem and have determined that there is no material uncertainty that casts doubt on the charity's abilrty to conts'nue as a going Gon￿m. Tn￿tee5, responsibilities in ￿latiOn to the financial statements The charity trustees (who are also ihe directors of Synergy Theatre Project for th8 purposes of company law) are responsible for preparirvJ a trustees, annual report and financial ststements in accordance with the applicable law and United Kingdom Accountir#J Stsndards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practio). Company law requires the trustees to prepare financtal statements which give a true and fair view of the stale of affairs of the charitsble company at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for that period. In preparing those firkgncial statements the trustees are required to.. select suitsble accwntsng psicies and then apply them consistently: observe the methods and prinaples in the Chanties SORP,. make judgments and estimates that are reasonab￿ and pnjdent. state ￿ether applicable UK Accounb'ng Standards have been followed, subject to any material dePartU￿S disdosed and explained in the financial statements.. and prepare the financial staternents on the goiThJ concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will contiNe in txjsiness. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrty of the charity and financial infonnation induded in the charity's website in accordance wrth legislation in the United Kingdom goveming Ihe preparation and dissemination of finanaal infornation. The trustees are responsible for rnaintsinirKJ proper accounliryJ recy)rds vthich disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the finanaal position of the tharitable company and enables them to ensure that the financial ststements comply V#ith the Companies Act 2CQ6. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the chantable company and heno for laking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Members of the Board of Directors Members of the Board of Directors. are directors for the purposes of company law and trustees for the purposes of chanty law. ￿ served during the year and up to the date of this report are set ¢Jut on page 3. Approval These accounts are prepared in %cordance with the speual provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 20C6 relatin9 to small companies and constitute the annual accounts required by the Companies Aca 20C6. Approved by Ihe Board of Directors on 15 February 2024 and signed on their behalf by: Paula Hamilton Director and Trustee Alison Porter Director and Trustee 12 Independent examiner's report to the members on the unaudited accounts of Synergy Theatre Project I report on the financial statements of Synergy Theatre Project lor Ihe year ended 31 May 2023 which comprise the Slalement of financial aclivilies. Balance Sheet and Statemer4t of cash flows with the related notes set out or7 pages 17 to 21. Respective responsibilities of trustee5 and the independent examiner As described on page 12 the charity's Irustees. who are also Ihe directors of Synergy Theatre Project for the purposes of company law. are responsible for Ihe preparation of the accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kinpdom Accounting Siandards, and they consider that the company is exempt from an audit under section 14412) ol the Charities Act 2011 2nd that an independent examination is needed. The charity's gros.s income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualified lo undertake Ihe examinalion by being a qualified member of Ihe Inslilule of Chartered AccoL¢nlanls in England and Wales. Having satisfied myself that the charily is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination. il is my responsibility lo.. examine the accounts under se¢lion145 of the 2011 Act- lo follow tho procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section14515)Ib) of Ihe 2011 Act and.. lo slate whether particular mallers have come lo my atlention Basis of independent examiner's report My examination was conducted in accordance with the General Dire¢lion5 given by the Charity Commissioners. An éxamination includes a review of the accounling records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with these records. 11 also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as Iruslees concerning any such matters. The procedures Undertaken do not provide all Ihe evidence that would be required in an audit arKI consequently no opinion is given as to whether Ihe accounts present a 'lrue and fair view, and the report is limited lo those matters sel out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In connection wilh my exaTninalion. no maller has come lo my allenlion (1 } which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any maler481 respect the requiremenl5-. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006. and lo prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requiremenls of section 386 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of Ihe Sialemenl of Recommended Practice.. Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been mel-. or (2) to which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Robert McGinty, FCA Chartered Accountant Cinlra Coley Avenue Woking Surrey GU22 7BT 15 Fobruary 2024 13 Synergy Theatre Project Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 May 2023 Note Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds Total 2023 Total 2022 Income: OonatiOll5 Income fmm chanlable actiVit￿s." Admission charges Coronavirus Job RelentK)n Scheme Fees Theatre lax relief 18.533 372.775 391,308 383.227 1.483 1.483 3.038 47,041 49,050 12.773 1.412 49.050 12,773 1.412 Investment income 137 Total Income 372 775 433,443 Expenditu Cost of raisifMJ furKIs ExperKliture on charitable arAivities: 34.964 34.964 337.811 399.286 40,109 361,290 61,475 Total Expenditure 372.775 434 250 401 399 Net Incomel(expenditure) for the year 21,776 21.776 32,044 Reconclliation of funds Total Funds brought forn¥aril 194.258 194,258 162.214 Total funds carried forward 216 034 194,258 The stalement of indudes all gains and losses for the year. All income and expenditure is from corrtinuing activiknes. 14 Synergy Theatre Project Balance Sheet as at 31 May 2023 Note 2023 2022 Currenl Assets Debto Bank A¢¢ount Total Current Assets 23.048 297,801 320.847 42,550 310,564 363,114 Current Liabilities Crediior5 due wrihin one year Net Current Assets 104,813 158.856 194 258 Net Assets 216.034 The funds of the charity: Unre5tri¢ied income funds 218.034 194,258 Total Charity Funds 216.034 For the year endirKJ 31 May 2023 the company wa5 entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Aci 2CK)6 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordan￿ with sedion 476 of Companies Act 2006. The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the A with respect to a¢xounting records and for the prepar*ion of acunts. These accounts have been prepared in accordano the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small ￿mpanieS regwne. The notes on pages 17 to 21 form part of these accounts. Approved by the trustees on 15 February 2024 and sigrRd on their behaff. Paula Hamilton Director and Trustee Esther Baker Company Secretsry 15 Statement of cash flows for year ending 31 May 2023 2023 2022 Cash provided by operating activili8S Interest incorne Change in cash in the year (14,1751 54,429 137 54,S66 112,763) Cash at the tRginning of the year Cash at the end ofthe year- bank a￿￿nI 310,564 297.801 Reconciliation of net movement in funds lo n•1 cash from operating a¢tivilies 2023 2022 Net income for the year perthe financial statement Deduct inleresl Decrease Cincrease) in debtors Increase (decrease) in creditors 21.776 (1.412) 19.504 {54,043) 32.044 (137) (42.550) 65.072 Cash provlded by opernting a¢tivlties 14.175 54.429 16 Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2023 1. Accounting policies The prinapal accounting ￿li￿e$ adopted. judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows.. a) Basis of preparation The financial statements have been prepared under the historic cost convention V4fjth items initially recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note. The finanaal ststements have been prepared in accordan￿ with Accounting and Reporting by Charities". Statement of Recommended Pradice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reports"ng Standard in the UK and Republi¢ of Ireland (FRS 102) {effecbve1 January 2015)- (Charib'es SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting StsrKlard applicable in the UK and Rewblic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 20C6. The tharity constrtutes a wblic benefft entity as defined in FRS 102. bl Preparation of accounts on a going concem basis The charily has a sound financial position and maintains regular contact with its principal donors. The trustees have consmdered the requirement that the financial statements should be prepared on a going concem basis. ¢) Income recognition All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income. there is sufficient certainty of re￿Ipt and so it is probabk that the income NMII b8 received. and the amount of income receivable can be measured relrdbly. Donations and interest on funds are recognised vthen Ihey are received. Restricted Grants and Donations re￿iVed in advan￿ of performance or provision of other spectfied seNice is defe￿ed until the criteria for in(x¥ne recognitK)n are meL d) Donated services Donated seNices are recognised as inc(xne when the charity has control over the itern. any conditions associated with the donated item have been met. the re￿Ipl of the economic benefit from the use of the item by the charity is probable and that econ¢)mic benefit can be measured ￿lIablY. Ckn re￿IpL donated services a￿ recognised M the basis of the value of the gift to Ihe charity whith is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services of equivalent e¢4)nomi¢ benefft on the open market.. a Corresponding amount is recognised in expenditure in ￿ period of the receipt. e) Interest receivable Interest on funds held on deposit is induded when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity: this is usually UFrt)n notifiCat￿n of the interest paid or payable by the Bank. Q Fund accounting Unrestricted or general fvnds are available to SFEnd on activities that fvrther the purposes of the charity. Restricted fuThJs are income vthich the donor has specified are to be used solely for a specific project or area of the TNsts ¥￿Ik. g) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT Irrecoverable VAT is tharged against the expenditure heading for which it was incurred. Liabilities are recognised as expendtture as swn as there is a legal or constructive obligation Committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that setttement y￿11 be required and the amount of the obligation Can be measured reliably. 17 Expenditure is classified under the followirvj activity headings: costs of raising funds indude salaries of staff assoc4ated with generating donated income Expenditure on tharitsble activities are the Cost artistic produth'ons, leaming and engagement. training Serrfi￿S and ywrvJ people's projects undertaken to further the purposes of the charity. h) Allocation of support Costs Support costs are those functions that assist ttie of the tharty do not directly undertake charitable acts'vities. Support costs incI￿Je back office costs, personnel payroll and govemance costs which support the Trusts development programmes and activities. These ￿$tS have been allo¢2ted befvthn the cost of raisirKJ furKJs and expenditure on charitable activities. The basis on ￿ttiCh support and govemance costs have been allocated are set out in note 5. i) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation Individual fixed assets ojsting more than £5,0￿ are capitalised at cost Depreciation is charged from the year of acquisth'on on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life of four years. j) Debtors Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. PrepaJYnents are valued at the amount prepaid. k) Cash at bank Cash at bank represents such accounts arKI instrurnents that are availab￿ on demand or have a maturity of less than three months at the date of ￿ acquisition. l) Creditors and provisions Creditors and provisions are rectsJnised Nthere the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of furKls to a third paty and the amount due to setue the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. m) Pensions The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pensK)n charge represents the amounts payable by the (xmpany to the fund in the year. n) Funds structure The substantial majority of incorne is from grants from other tharitable trusts. Other sour￿5 of income are fees from workshops. performances and courses as well as Theatre Tax Relief and donations. Restricted furKls are lunds used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by Ihe drxor or trust deed. The￿ is a restricted fund for eath donor. Unrestricted income funds comprise those funds %*thich the trustees are free to use for any purpose in furtherance of the charitable objects. Unrestn'cted funds indude designated funds where the trustees, at their discretion. have created a fund for a specific purpose. 18 2. Donations Unrnstri¢ted . Restricted Funds Funds Total 2023 Total 2022 AB Charitable Tnjst Arnold Clart Communty Fund Arts Council Ertglan BBC Children in Need Cheslerhill Family Twsl Cily Bndge Twst Comic Relief D'oyly Carte Charitable Trust Field Famity Charitable Trust Garfiebj Wleston Foundation Greater London Authority Henry Smith Charity IronrTh)ngers' Company John Lyon's Chariiy Lloyds Bank FourKlation National Lottery Communily Fund.. RC London 8nd South East Region Peter Sowerby Foundation Pi¢kwell Foundation Rayne Foundation Young Hamw Foundation". 8uik18ack Better Young Harrow Foundation.. sup￿rting the Arts in Harmw othe Accruals & deferred inrA)rne carried foThvaril 18.000 18,000 15.000 1,000 28,767 32.800 soo 66,530 3.196 3.196 33,626 500 500 64.687 4.000 64.687 4.000 25,000 46,500 40.000 9.180 34,500 33.000 25.000 25.000 40,000 35.000 35.583 35.000 35.583 43.825 43.825 25.000 9,167 5.000 2S.000 8.000 25.000 8,000 8,000 8.1)00 33 2,092 34.358 372.775 34.358 391308 9.591 383,227 3. Expenditure on raising funds Unftstricted Restricted Funds Funds Total 2023 Total 2022 Staff costs 34,964 34.964 40,109 4. Expenditure on ¢haritable activities Artistic Leaming & Productions Engagement Training Services Young People Total Production fees Facilitator fees 44,777 44.777 102,444 42.605 199.080 10,380 81.786 26.395 83.831 4,371 5,120 35.538 other costs Support costs Govemance costs 10.800 35.522 1,853 4,744 247 74.983 3,909 176,383 10.555 119.396 19 5. Support & Governance Costs. Support Govemance Total Basls of Allocation Staff cost 157.719 6,046 163.765 Staff time General Office 41.361 1.586 42,947 staff time Fees 253 253 Govemance Accountancy sep4ices 2,495 2.495 Govemance 199.080 10.380 209.460 6. Employee$ and Staff costs and remuneration of key managemenl personnel and Trustees The charity Conside￿ the direCtorth￿ee$, Artist￿ Direclor and General Manager to be key managemenl personnel. No trustees received any ￿rnuneratK)n in ￿pecI of theFr sen1￿eS in Ihe year (2022: niD, neither We￿ they reirnbuf5ed expenses during the year (2022.. nil). No employee eamed over £60,000 during the year. The total remuneration ofthe key management personnel was £80.990 (2022.. £84.366). Staff cost duriw the year were 2023 2022 Salaries and wages Social security Pensions 180,636 13.694 4.399 193.938 12.863 4.119 The average nurnber of fU￿tIMe emph)yees during the yearwas 5.7 (2022: 5) 7. Debtors 2023 2022 Grants receivable Other debto 3.196 19.850 7.500 42.550 8. Crnditors due wilhin one year 2023 2022 Tax & sodal security Trade cRJilo Grant prepay￿￿nts 5.375 15.770 83.668 5,813 46,470 1Cé.573 9. Analysls of movement in funds At Incoming Outgoing 1 June 2022 At 31 May 2023 Restricted funds: Donations Total rnstrided funds 372.775 372.775 (372.775) 1372,7751 Unrestricted funds: General furKis Total unreslricted f￿d$ 194.258 83.251 83.251 216,034 Total funds 194.258 456.026 434,250 10. Analysis of assets betvrni funds General Restricted funds funds Totsl funds Current assets Creditors due within one year 237.179 (21,145) 83.668 320,847 (83.668) (104.813} Total net assets 216.034 216034 21