Quentin Blake Centre
for Illustration
Trustees, Report and
Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2023
Registered CompanyNumber
04484943
Registered CharityNumber
1095210

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Contents
Ch&ir's Introduction
Trustees, Report
5-39
Reference and Administrative Det&ils
40-43
Independent Auditor's Report
44-49
Consolid&ted statement of financial activities
50
Consolid&tedbal&nce sheet
51
Consolid&ted statement of c&sh flows
52
Notes to fin&nci&l st&tements
53-62

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Chair's introduction
In the pages that followwe record and celebrate the range and
bre&dth of activities undert&ken in 2023.
4 We &re nowwell onthe wayto est&blishing & permanent national
"?' centre for illustr&tion at the New River He&d herit&ge site. At
the start ofthe year. thanks to & development grant from The
National Lottery Heritage Pund, we commenced a further phase
of design, activity and business planning. informed by extensive
consult&tion. In M&rch 2024we receivedthe welcome news that ourdelivery
applic&tion hadbeen successful, takingus to 85% of our c&mpaign target and ne&rly
90% of capital costs.we plantobegin on-sitework laterthis year.
I immensely gr&tefulto everyone who h&s supported us to date, including. the
Architectur&l Herit&ge Fund. Quentin Blake, The BAND Trust, Charity Bank, City
Bridge Found&tion, Clerkenwellward CIL &wardedby loc&1 Councillors, the Ro&ld
D&hl Story Company and Dahl family. Foyle Foundation. Garfield Weston Foundation,
G&tsby Ch&rit&ble Foundation, Robert Gavron Ch&ritable Trust, Islington Buildings
Preservation Trust, the Kusum& Trust. Wolfson Foundation, Rich&rd and J&cqueline
Worswick, &nd & growing number of philanthropists, trusts and loc&1 supporters.
Ple&se
et in touch if ou &re &ble to hel
Another important initi&tive in 2023 was the launch of National Illustration Day. The
in&ugur&l event attracted over 300,000 social media impressions (including
engagement from 60,000 Inst&gr&m accounts alone) and coverage on BBC R&dio 4's
flagship Tod&y Progr&mme. We welcomed over 600 people and sever&1 schools to a
POP-UP Studio in Islington's Angel Central shopping centre, where we shared the
outcomes of illustr&tion projects created with four local community groups and
invited guests to create their own celebr&tory illustrations.
Collabor&tion and visibility in our local area is increasingly important as we appro&ch
the openingof the Centre andwewere delighted to play our part in initiatives such as
the winter lights switch on and the Islington Summer Reading Challenge.
We continued to sh&re original works by Quentin Bl&ke and Raymond Briggs &round
the country, in exhibition tours that visited 10 venues. We &lso begajn adding

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
fascinatingbut h&rd-to-access illustration collections to a new online resource,
generously supported by John Ellerm&n Foundation. We launched this with
Jacqueline Ayer's evoc&tive Thai-inspired drawings and textiles, &nd Jo
Brocklehurst's depiction of punks, clubgoers and dancers from the 1980s onwards.
Online workshops, courses and talks reached 500 illustr&tors, while 59 teachers took
p&rt in online continuingprofessional development (CPD) sessions. We also worked
directlywith 1,100 pupils across 15 schools, demonstr&tingthe immense benefits of
illustr&tion for classroom learning and communicatio
Our charity exists forillustr&tion, so it is crucial th&t we can outw&rdly articul&te
what illustration is and why it matters to all of us. At the start of the year we
coll&bor&ted ￿th Studio AKAto create & 90-second filmthat explains just that. Well-
received by illustr&tors &nd &udiences alike, it has attracted over 88 hours of vie￿ng
time.
As the film s&ys. "illustration is not just a nice dr&￿n￿. it's an essential p&rt of our
langu&ge. It tells stories that move us. change us or help us see from someone else's
perspective. It tells uswhat to do and what not to do in &n inst&nt. It helps usto
explore everything from outer sp&ce to our own cells. imagine pl&ces and things that
don't exist and make them & reality, understand details andmake sense of the bigger
picture."
Th&t's why illustration - and our &mbition to establish a permanent n&tion&l centre
for it- is so import&nt.
I am indebted to our founder Quentin Blake, whose vision &nd generosity h&ve
underpinned the charity since its inception, andto all our dedicated Trustees,
committee and &dvisory panel members. staff and freelancers. I would especi&lly like
to mark the contribution of Tracey Joy Harrison, who has stepped down as a Trustee
since our 2022 Annual Report. and I am delighted towelcome MuneshM&ht&ni, P&m
R&ynor &nd Stella Toonen to the Board.
To &ll our supporters, partners and friends Iwould like to express myth&nks.As a
charity that receives no ongoing public funding, and must generate IOO'A of its income
everyyear, we couldn't do it withoutyou!
John K&mpfner, Chair

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Report of the Trustees
The Trustees (who are &lso directors of the chaTrity for the purpose of the Comp&nies
Act) present their annu&l report together￿th the financial st&tements of Quentin
Blake Centre for Illustrationforthe ye&rthat ended on 31 December 2023. The
Trustees confirm that the &nnual report and financial statements of the comp&ny and
the gTOUP complywith the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the
comp&ny and the group's governingdocument and the provisions ofthe Statement of
Recommended Pr&ctice- Accountingand Reportingby Charities: SORP, which is
&pplic&ble to charities preparingtheir accounts in accordance with FRS 102.
Blake C
for lllthtion
@ Valeiitiiia ZILlllllO
Visitors on the New River Headviewingplatfornl dllringour
open day &t New River Head &% part of Open House FesLival 2023

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Vision, mission and values
Illustr&tion is fundamental to human communication, progress and understanding. It
tells stories, propels activism and conveys life-saving inform&tion.
Quentin Bl&ke Centre for Illustration is the UK'S first and only cultur&l org&nis&tion
dedicated to illustr&tion.
Ourvision is aworld in which:
Everyone can communicate through illustration
Everyone c&n explore and ch&llenge the imagery around them
Everyone can use illustration to examine the way we live &nd work, past, present
and future
To &chieve thiswe:
Ch(zmpion - we find, share and support the development of origin&l, diverse &nd
innovative illustration and illustrators
Connect- we drawpeople ￿th different backgrounds. ages and interests to the
visu&l arts vi& illustration's connections to literature, socio-political themes,
curriculum learning &nd hobbies
Unlock- we provide people. especially those who are young an(Vor marginalised
by society, with tools to share stories and ideas and explore herit&ge through
illustration
Strengthen- we t&ke steps to s&fegu&rd our future &nd grow our impact
Our &ctions and behaviours &re underpinned by.
Curiosity
Compassion
Equity
Relev&nce
Rigour
When we are true to our v&lues:
We are imagin&tive and unafraid to think and do things differently
We h&ve a positive impact on others and on the world &round us
We meet people on theirterms. design activitieswith them, value their
enjoyment and support their growth

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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Everyone knows theybelong and feels our organisation belongE to them
@ Valentin& Zunino
Visitors en￿gingwith &n illustration actI￿tYat 8community landseapingco-development drop-iffj hostred &t New RiverHeadin
Jllne 2023

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Quentin Blake Centre at New
River Head
In 2019, with the support of founder Quentin Blake. we purch&sed the le&se for New
River He&d, & complex of disused l&h_ and 19th_century industrial herit&ge buildings
set within one &nd & half &cres of land in Clerkenwell.
Thanks to investment from The N&tional Lottery Heritage Fund, grants from trusts
and found&tions, and philanthropic support, New River He&d will be restored &nd
repurposed. As the national centre for illustration, it will feature four gallery sp&ces, a
dedic&ted learning studio, project base, c&fé. shop and public gardens.
The new Centre will offer:
exhibitions revealing original illustrations from around the world
a dedic&ted gajllery for Brit&in's best-loved illustrator, Quentin Blake
relaxed, creative. free to enter spaces (indoors and outdoors) for drawing,
making. le&rning &nd reflection
projects and events with schools. families and community groups
courses and workshops for illustr&tors
The Quentin Blake Centre ￿11 be &vibr&nt place where everyone feels welcome: where
the displays are relatable, everythings accessible and everyone's stories and ideas
matter. It willwelcome more th&n 90.000 visitors ayear, multiplyingits re&ch many
times over through nation￿de tours and participatory projects.

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
@ V&lentina Zllnino
Visitor in thewindmill Base dllringouropen day at New River Head &s partof Open House Festiv￿ 2023

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Exhibiting exciting and original
practice
Exhibitions
We shared four touring exhibitions at ten venues across the UK and Irel&nd.
experiencedby over 200,000 people.
Baymond Briggs: A Betrospective
61.934attendeesat twovenues:
The Bowes Museum, Barn&rd C&stle: 12 November 2022- 26 February 2023
Cambridge University Library. 26 April- 26 August 2023
We continued our tour ofRaynzondBriggs."A Retrospectiue, which shares never-
before-seen original &rtwork from BriggB's own personal archive to reve&1 the origin of
the iconic titles that havebecome literary classics and intern&tion&l phenomena. With
origin&l &rtwork from books including his poign&nt picture book The Snoujman (1980)
and pioneering graphic novelBthel&Ernest (1998), the exhibition celebrates Briggs
as an exceptional draughtsperson, typographer and storyteller. At Cambridge
University Library, 98% of visitors enjoyed their visit. 94% felt interested or inspired
and 94¥, learned somethingnew.
-one ofthe best exhibitions I'ue uisited in a long time... perfectly curated. Beautifully
displayed, the right amount ofaccompanying text and oueraZI a uery enjoyable
experience-
'Loued it alZIISo mouingl Wasn't expecting to be so emotional. Really loued theparts
about his actiuism and all the social commentary within his work-
Exhibition visitors
io

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
41
Cambridge University
Preparation forRaymondBriggs"ARetrospectiue ezbibition at Cambridge Universityp&per conserwation studio.
Quentin Blake: Illustrating Verse
59,561 attendees at twovenues &nd an estimated 7,500 attendees at one further venue:
Weston Museum: 4 March- 3 June 2023
Aberdeen Art G&llery: 8 July- 17 September 2023
Lighthouse, Poole: 29 September 2023- 6 Janu&ry 2024
Quentin Bl&ke has been writing and illustrating poetrythroughout his 60-year career.
Many of his own books feature rhymes &nd songs. and he h&s coll&borated withwriters
includingmichael Rosen and Roald Dahl.
As well as artwork for popular nonsense poems like The Owl (znd thePussy-cat, the
exhibition fe&tures previously unseen works from Bl&ke's archive - surreal
illustr&tions for Sylvia Pl&th's TheBed Book and mischievous cats for T. S. Elliot's The
Songofthe Jelzicles.
li

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Sketchbooks &nd rough drawings give a rare insight into Bl&ke's writing and design
process, &s well as the creation of characters for Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory.
This exhibition features original illustrations courtesy of Quentin Blake.
']￿Y third time at the exhibition. Iloued deluingin deeper to study Angelica Sprocket's
Pockets'and thejoy that is 'JklrMagnolia'"
Exhibition visitor
O Aberdeen Art Gallery
Installation ￿eW from QuentinBlok¢Illustrating Verseat AberdeenArt Gallery
Quentin Bl&ke: Book Covers
53,061 attendees at twovenues and & further estimated 2,000 &ttendees &t one further
venue:
H&verhill Arts Centre, Suffolk: 16 February- 18 March 2023
Aberdeen Art G&llery: 8 July- 17 September 2023
Red Line Book Festival, South Dublin Libraries and Arts: 2- 30 October 2023
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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Quentin Bl&ke's c&reer illustratingbooks begaJn over 60 ye&rs ago with his covers for
p&perb&ck fiction. Since thery he has created hundreds of designs for everything from
liter&ry cl&ssics to his own picture books.
This exhibition features 60 of Blake'sbook covers from the 1960s to the present: from
mid-century Penguin paperb&cks to finely-crafted speci&l editions. First editions are
shown alongside reproductions of original artwork from Bl&ke's archive that show
how he combines typogr&phy, dynamic layouts and his unique way of dr&wing to
create pl&yful designs. The exhibition offers a high-quality visitor experience without
the display of original &rtwork, whichh&s enabled usto open ourtouringprogramme
to partners who do not have the infrastructure in place to manage original works.
'We were reallypleased ujith exhibition, our firstprofessional one (It the arts centre. Our
customers were delighted to see solnethingdifferent and as Quentin Blake is so beloued
they were excited to see the work ofsuch a famous artist. In conjunction with the
exhibitiorn uje ran s07ne draujingujorkshops and arhibited the artwork ujithin the arts
centre. The result ujas happy children and a buzzy, busy atnzosphere-
H&verhill Arts Centre
a Penguin
Officers
and Gentlemen
Unconditional
Suffender
Men at Am
E¥•lyn
EMI
nW*u
Evelyn Waugh book covers @ Qllentin Blake and Penguin Random House. photogrnphbyJusLin Piperger
M&terial from Quentin Blak£'Book Gouer&
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Collections
Collections Online
In December 2023 we launched our new Collections Online platform. The free-to-
access resource en&bles usto add information and images of objects to & searchable
d&t&b&se and &s cur&ted stories on an ongoingb&sis. We l&unched with two private
collections from the estates of artists Jacqueline Ayer and Jo Brocklehurst. making
available more th&n 200 objects that were not previously &ccessible to the public.
'So interestingand fi•eshl"
'So glad you are showinglJo Brocklehurst'sl ujork. It's the best and certainly doesn't get
enough exposure folloujingher unti￿elY death-
Online visitors
Generously supported by John Ellerm&n Foundation.
Collectkon5
for Illustration
QucntLn Bl&kocollcction
Akn)ii¢ collcctioii.s
Dive into the history of illustration with digital material from museums. archives and
personal colleotions. Explore stories about illustrators and search our datab&8e to find
process drawings, posters. books and more.
Our work
with
collections
We've just begun uploading collections from across the UK &ndwill be addingjllore
very soon.
This resource is generously funded bythe John Ellernlan Foundation.
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
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Collections Man&gement
In workingthrough RIBA stages 3 to 4 we have developed our specification and pl&ns
for the exhibition galleries &nd art store at the new Centre. Arts Council Engl&nd's
M&n&ger of Security &nd Protection assessed our plans. delivering& report and
series of recommendations for our infrastructure and operations th&t will en&ble us to
meet Government Indemnity Scheme standards.
As part of our National Lottery Herit&ge Fund development phase, we developed
series of policies and procedures form&n&gingworks lo&ned to us for exhibition at the
Centre. These include collections access. care and information policies, &ll ofwhich
will ensure that we m&n&ge the works in our care to museum st&nd&rds.
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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Answering what is illustration?
In collabor&tion with BAPTA &ward-￿nn1llg Studio A￿, we made an &nim&ted film
to answer the question: wh&t is illustration? Charting illustr&tion from prehistoric
cave dr&wings to soci&l medi&, the film was nomin&ted for the AOI World Illustration
Awards and was a winner of the 2023 Kyoto Global Design Awards (KGDA).
What is illiistration? Cl Studio AKA forQiientin Blake Centre for lllustration
A still from the &nimatioTh. What is illustration?
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
New Biver Adventurers
We commissioned cultural heritage specialist Dr Angelina Osborne to research the
New River 'Adventurers', the 29 founding investors in the New River Company. Dr
Osborne's report confirms th&t most of the New River Comp&ny's founding investors
were profiting from investment in burgeoning colonial projects and privateering
(st&te-s&nctioned piracy that commonly led to the possession of enslaved people &nd
the products of the l&bour of ensl&ved people). We published Dr Osborne's report in
December 2023 with illustr&tions by Cat O'NeiL and it will inform interpretation at
the site.
New RiverAdventurers @ Cat Oweil
A Commissioned illustration bycat Oweilto support Dr Osborne's Tepor¢ NewRiverAdventurers
New River Head Viewing Platforjn
In June 2023 we acquired the portion of land to the east end of New River Head
known &s the Viewing Platform,. We cleaned the site and inst&lled new planting and
seating, courtesy ofthe Myddelton Square Association. The site offers cle&r views of
the 19th centuryp&rts of New River Head as well as the Metropolitan W&ter Board
building, &nd we installed new interpretation panels to give context to these
surroundings &nd information on our plans for development. These were illustrated
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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byNin& Ch&krab&rti. We partnered with the Amwell Societyto open the pl&tform to
the public each weekend. The Viewing Platform will eventu&lly form part of the
accessible pathwayto the south ofthe site.
W*4.
Interpretation panelsillustratedby Nin8 Chth&b&rtion the New River Head viewingplatfoTm
Preparing to exhibit at New River Head
Progranlllling
Supportingthis and our interpretation of New River Head's heritage, we created a
comprehensive interpretation strategy for the Centre, &rticul&tingproject themes.
key mess&ges, interpret&tion principlesand le&rningoutcome& Pl&ns are comprised
of:
temporary exhibitions programme across two gallery spaces (the Co&1 Stores
and First Floor Engine House gaJlleries)
& permanent gaJllery dedic&ted to Quentin Blake's archive
the Engine Room, a fre&t(F&ccess space th&t provides an introduction to the
subject of illustration
a series of installations th&t interpret the impact of the DTew River He&d site
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
a series of outdoor heritage interpretation panels describingthe history of New
River Head
We developed an outline temporary exhibitions programme forthe first two ye&rs of
the Centre opening, includingboth historic and contemporary illustration.
Gallery Design
We &ppointed exhibition design studio All Things and graphic design studio
WolfeH&ll to develop designs for our Quentin Blake Gallery and Engine Room, &s well
as a r&nge of flexible graphics and display furniture for tempor&ry exhibitions in the
Coal Stores G&llery and First Floor Engine House G&llery. They developed designs to
RIBA st&ge 3.
All Things
Imp￿SSIon of Engine House Galleriesatthe new Quentin Blake CentTe for lllustration
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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What's next
In 2024we will undertake a progr&mme of audience research to test our outline
temporary exhibitions programme for the Centre. We will confirm this programme
and begin our rese&rch and development phase. We will develop our object lists &nd
interpret&tion for the Engine Room and Quentin Bl&ke G&llery, and work with All
Things and WolfeH&ll to develop gallery designs to RIBA st&ge 4.
We will fin&lise the specifications for the Centre's exhibition galleries and art store
&he&d ofthe completion of RIBA stage 5. ensuringthat these meet the
recommendations given to us byArts Council England's Manager of Security and
Protection.
We will continue research into New River Comp&ny shareholders and their business
activities from the mid-17th century onwards. supported by University of Leicester.
We will &dd further material to Collections Online, includingworks by politic&1
cartoonist Abu Abraham, book illustr&tor Janina Ede and posters produced forthe
Empire Marketing Board.
Our touring exhibitions programme will visit four further venues:
RaymondBriggs."A Retrospectiuewill be shown at Ditchling Museum of Art + CrafL
Quentin Blake.'Book couers￿lI be shown at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum,
Oxfordshire Museum and The Atkins Building in Hinckley.
These tourswill conclude in 2024. We willbegin scopingforp&rtnervenues for new
exhibition tours in mid-2024. with delivery of touring exhibitions resuming in early
2027.
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Nurturing talent, innovation
and diversity
Adult I￿arning
In 2023 the &dult le&rning programme delivered 24 activities, made up of:
2 x 4-week online courses
7x 10-week online courses
9 x online workshops
2 x online talks
2 x on dem&nd video replays of online talks
I x in-person panel discussion at NewDesigners
I x in-person site tours for Falmouth University Students
A tot&1 of 856 illustr&tors participated - an increase of 220 (34.6'A) people against
2022. Most events continued to take place online.
620A of p&rticip&nts were new to Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
87% would recommend usto & friend
87% of respondents would definitely attend agajin
15% of p&rticip&ntsjoined from London, 53Y from acrossthe UK and 32% from
intern&tion&l locations
Courses and workshops continuedto offer & mixture of established topics t&ughtby
our longst&ndingteam of freelance illustrator-educ&tors: cre&ting fiction and non-
fiction picture books, designinggraphic novels and illustrating fashio
'Igot enough time and space to deuelop my ideas, in a supportiue enuironment. My
skills definitely improued-
Introduction to Creating Picture Books participant
"This course Luas brilZiantlIt exceeded my expectations in giuingme the confidence and
skills to tell my story."
Graphic Novelyour Life participant
Building on the popul&rity of our Industry Insights events. we piloted & new event
c&lled'Illustr&tion First Moves,, aimed at illustration students, recent graduates.
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
emerging illustrators and c&reer-changers lookingto self-le&rn the fundament&ls of
illustr&tion &s & commerci&l practice from the expertise of a variety of industry
professionals, includingillustr&tors and agents. Offeringfour hours of content, it
re&ched 247 emerging illustr&tors, includingthrough group screenings at higher
education institutions and through repl&ys. We also progr&mmed and delivered an in-
person panel discussion loc&lly for'New Designers'_ an annual Islington-b&sed show
for n&tion&l creative gr&du&tes.
'Brilliant selection ofspe(zkers that are current and reZeuant.-
'RealZy nice to haue accessiblepricing for tickets.-
"TheLGBTQ+ representation was awesome."
Illustr&tion First Moves participants
The Tllustr&ting Places, panel-discussion style webin&r invited four guest illustr&tors
to highlight the positive social impact that illustration can h&ve on people &nd public
sp&ces. Panellists shared examples of their work sp&nningmur&l painting. ￿ld
drawingw&lk& interactive sculpture and l&rge-sc&le &nimation, and explored themes
of community, n&ture. science, spiritU￿lty. heritage, radical histories and &nti-racist
activism.
'Iresearch illustration in urban space as a socially enguged artisticpractice. Iam also
an illustrator and urbanist, soIwant to knouj more abouthow the artists manage the
struggles ofworkingoutside and dealing with c0￿MUnIties. It ujas a really interesting
and wellput-togethereuent. The work ofthe inuited artists all talked to each otherand
it ujas uery informatiue (znd clear.-
Illustr&ting Places participant
A new'make A..., workshops offered & larger c&p&city. reducedprice point and lower
time commitment, offeringmore entry-level opportunities for beginners &nd reaching
a wider audience. Content represented & wider r&nge of illustration techniques
including lithography, coll&ge and comics, offeringcle&r and &chiev&ble outcomes in
fun and inform&1 learning environment.
"Very accessible and good to use eueryday nzaterials-
"This was agood formula because itgaue me somethingtangible euen thoughIin not in
the field, it's notp(zrt ofan ongoing deuelopnzent, itjust gaue me a chance to try
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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somethingIadmire from the outside. Similar workshops that ujork as one-off forays,
ujouzd be gre(zt for me.-
'M&ke A...'workshop p&rticip&nts
We continued to build on the access improvements made in 2022 by offering
concession rate tickets and payment plans, pilotingpay-wh&t-you-can and repl&y
tickets, trialling daytime slots to support caring responsibilities, and redesigning
slides to improve accessibility. 210A of p&rticip&nts who completed ev&lu&tion &nd
monitoring forms told us they have/identify as having a dis&bility, an increase of 5%
from the previous ye&r.
What's next
We are exp&nding provision of existing courses and developingnew shorter courses
with & lower price pointto meet demand. We are also developinga strand of larger
sc&le talks that complement and support curatorial themes. workingwith external
p&rtners to ensure representation and attract &wider audience.
Alongside the development of exhibition plans for the new Centre. we will plan our
adult learningprogramme ready for opening.
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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Community and family
engagement
Pilot projects with conununity groups
Between March and August 2023 we delivered four pilot projects with local
community groups and illustr&tor-educ&tors, enabling us to build relationships with
loc&1 &udiences and test different ways of working. These co-developed projects
culminated in & community exhibition at Angel Centr&l &s part of our Nation&1
Illustr&tion D&y celebrations. The projects and relationships formed will feed into
future projects.
@ Lindsey Glen
The Peel Instituteartistparticipants atthe Community
celebration event in November 2023
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Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
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Building on our existing relationship with The Peel Institute, Grace Holliday worked
with & group of older adults, cre&tingclaypl&ques and freest&ndingp&per pieces &s
well &s & map of the New River. There were &tot&l of 210 instances of engagement
across 15 sessions.
LJ
v￿entin& Zunino
Artist participants from The Peel Institiite's gTollpworkingwith clay duringa session with illustrator
&nd edueator Grace Holliday
Illustrator Jhinuk Sark&r worked ￿th Islington Mind's M2M (Mother to Mother)
peer-support groupwhich comprises mothers of mental health service users, many of
whom are experiencingtheir own challenges &s a result. They explored a range of
printing techniques including colloidal and cy&notyping, incorpor&tingtheir own
photogr&phs &nd textile workto create &'river' of images. There were 135 inst&nces of
engagement duringthe 15 sessions. Ossi Ron, services m&n&ger at Islington Mind, s&id
th&t the project WaS'7neaning￿z. and gaue the u30￿en stability ofregular engagement
- something to ujork on and look forward to"whichw&sveryimportant to them.
25

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
8P*
@ Valentina Zunino
An artist participant from Islington Mind's M2M Imotherto Mother) gTOUP experimenting
with C￿nOtYpe printingduringasession with illllstrdtor and educator Jhinuk Sarkar
For the other two we partnered with arts and community organis&tion All Change.
Illustr&tor Lily Ash S&kul& worked with Inspire, & group of young parents. Inspired by
the idea of 'Rest', they and their children created ch&r&cters and brought toys to life
through &nim&tion. and the fin&1 film was soundtr&cked by their commun&1 poem.
There were &pproximately 48 instances of engajgement &cross the project. Al&
Als&raii worked with the B Creative group of youngwomen &ctivists &ged 16-25. The
group wrote individual poems and illustrated them usingAl&&'s &n&logue-to-digital
techniques, en&blingthem to learn digital &rt skills. There were approximately15
instances of engagement across the project.
'IfeeZ thatIenjoyed Zooking back at old me7nories (zndjust appreciating the little
detailsjust makes me so happy...I'ue reallypushed myselfso much and tried something
that s out ofmy comfortzone"
All Ch&nge/Inspire project particip&nt
26

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Open House Festival 2023
We welcomed 350 guests to an open d&y at New River He&d &s p&rt of Open City's
London Open House festiv&lon 16 September. Visitorswere invitedto t&ke a self-led tour
of the site to le&rn &bout the site's fascinating heritage, see &rchitectur&l pl&ns and
models. and meet the &rchitects and Centrete&m to hear about our plans.
f¢
Photos @v￿entIna Zunino
Water aecess Cover spotter sheet @ Toya W&lker 2023
A￿sitOr at our open d&y8t New River Head &% p8rt of Open House FesLival 2023
Illustr&tor Toya Walker created & family'spotter trail, to help our younger visitors
n&vigaJte the site. F&milies particulaTrly enjoyed identifyingthe different water access
covers. There was also a consultation activity where our visitors could tell us wh&t
they thought of our wayfinding illustrations.
@ Valentina Zunino
What do these symbols mean to you? Testingour wayfindingillusLr&tions
at our open day atNew Rivei. Head &8 part of Open House Festiv￿ 2023
27

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Pop Up Events
We worked with loc&1 partners to deliver five f&mily events, reaching & total of 205
people. Highlights included & session &tthe Museum ofthe Order of St John in August,
exploringbotanic&l illustration techniques inspired bymedicin&l plants in their
garden, led by illustr&tor Toy& Walker. Glow in the Angel, & community winter light
switch-on event, saw familes working together to create lanterns designed by Jhinuk
S&rk&r. Lily Ash S&kula led two family sessions &t St Luke's Community Centre and
Isabel Benavides led a session at PinsburyLibr&ry.
@Lindsey Glen
Partieip&nts joined us for a family Se&￿ort at St Luke's Conmiunitycentre.
The first N&tion&l Illustration Daytook place 24 November 2023. A partnership with
Angel Central shopping centre provided us with an opportunity to engajge families and
shoppers with illustr&tion activities over three days in our pop-up sp&ce. Images were
sc&nned and added to our online gajllery andtothe walls of the shop. 581 people
engagedwith the Centre team, discoveringmore &bout ourplans for New River Head
and enjoyingthe opportunityto illustrate their celebr&tions. National Illustration
D&y 2023 was m&de possible through the generous support of the John S Cohen
Found&tion.
28

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Il.
NATIONAL
Quentin Blake Centre
for Illustration
Nifty50Digital
Visitors to the Qiientin Blake Centre for Illustration pop-up Studioon
National Illustr&tion D&y 202& Angel Centr2J in IslingLon.
What's next?
In 2024 we will cement existingrelationships and build new links as we progress
towards openingthe Centre. New projects include a four-week digit&l &rts project with
Holborn CommunityAssociation. ledbyAla&Alsar&ii. as part of their Roots/Routes
theme. Loc&1 community groups￿11 also be engaged, co-developing outdoor play
opportunities and family interpretation.
We will &lso be undertaking family &ctivities with the Museum of the Order of St John,
Little Angel Theatre, Westminster Abbey and Whitecross Street Party, helpingus to
plan programmes for the future Centre.
29

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
ELnpowering young illustrators
through their schools
School projects
Our in-person, in-school illustration offer continued to engage pupils in 2023 through
bespoke workshops designed to bringthe classroom curriculum to life. Nine schools
engaged with us from Islington, Camden. Haringey and Essex.with atotal of 608
pupils representing & 10.5% increase on 2022.
Longer-term, multi-session projects allowed schools to experience different
techniques, workingtowards & larger coll&bor&tive piece. Across five days &nd nine
classes (270 pupils), H&rgr&ve Park students worked ￿th Grace Holliday to develop
their mark-makingskills. 20 pupils from Regent High School and the Poetry Society
wrote poems on the theme ofbe&uty &ndworked with Julie Vermeille to illustrate
them.A further seven schools (286 pupils) engaged online usingour Let's Illustr&te
resources, distributed free via the Islington Council's Ilxll cultural educ&tion scheme.
As part of National Illustration Day, the Centre offered free sessions to schools within
a mile of Angel Central, &nd 180 children from six classes (out of & possible nine) took
p&rt. Key St&ge One cl&sses from Myddelton Primary and Thornhill Primary School
helped us to pilot & new sessionbased on Quentin Blake's storyAngelica Sprocket's
Pockets. & sensorytale brought to life by storyteller Olivia Armstrong. which takes
children on &n imagin&ry walk alongthe New River. Key Stage Two pupils from St
Mary's CE Prim&ry School took part in'meet the Illustr&tor' sessions with Grace
Hollid&y, where they explored aspects of Grace's textile illustration techniques,
designed their own typogr&phy and created & patchwork from their finished
illustr&tions.
30

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
IIIWl-•
@ GT2Le Holliday
Pllpils at HargTave Park experimentingwith mark making
35 te&chers attended an online National Illustration Day CPD with Toya Walker and
LilyAsh Sakul& with a recordingandresources made &vailableto &ll schools vi&the
Centre website.
"Gettingchildren to druw is an e7notional barrier, so it would be great to see artwork
and do actiuities that takeyou on a step by stepjourney.-
Focus groupteacher. March 2023
Further and Higher Education
In October, we took part in & Speedview event at New City College, meeting25 16-18
year olds from & variety of courses including Media Studies and Tr&vel and Tourism
for careers conversations and mock interviews. These events provide students with
industry insights and opportunities to hone their communic&tions skills.
We h&ve contributed to seminars for MA Illustr&tion courses at UAL C&mberwell and
Royal College of Art. thinking &bout expanded illustration practices &nd community
illustr&tion. Twenty students from Falmouth UniVersit￿S BA Illustr&tion course
31

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
enjoyed &tour of New River Head in March. In October London Metropolit&n
University's MA Interior Architecture students took New River Head as the
inspir&tion for & project with Tower Hamlets secondary art students &nd their own
practice. Theyvisited the site. developed activities￿th illustr&torAla&Als&r&ii to
deliverto the school students, and had an online Q&A session about the Centre as part
of the process.
Across the ye&r this resulted in 269 instances of engaJgement ￿th the further and
higher education sectors.
What's next?
We are further testingonline CPD to supportthe Centre's touringprogr&mme,
initi&lly with Rugby Art G&llery and Museum. Le&rnings from N&tion&l Illustr&tion
D&y will inform this year's activities, with & focus on providingteachers with the tools
to engage students &cross the curriculum.
We will continue to consult with teachers to inform our future progr&mmes. We will
alsobe buildingrelationshipswith local te&cher trainingproviders and school
alliances to develop partnerships with the Centre for early career teachers, upskilling
them and developingtheir confidence with usingillustration as & teaching &nd
le&rningtool.
We will be workingwith Islington Council's World of Work progr&mme &nd Inspire
Education Business Partnership to talkto secondary and further education students
about c&reers in illustration and the cultural sector. taking part in events &nd careers
panels.
32

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
Developing a sustainable
business and operating model
A new home at New Biver Head
At the end of 2022 we received confirmation of & Stage I development grant from The
National Lottery Heritage Fund. This enabled an in-depth, comprehensive
progr&mme of work, encomp&ssing architectural. gallery. landscape &nd IT/AV
infrastructure &nd &ccess design, as well as activity, interpretation, conservation,
management and business planning.
A successful Round 2 Heritage Fund applic&tion was submitted. bringing a further
£3.75mn of investment into the project. Combinedwith a further £2mn of grants and
philanthropy secured duringthe year. we are now at 85'A of our target.
In 2023 we received £541,000 in revenue income to support our ambitions for the
future Centre. £41.000 of income was generated from rental of New River He&d for
filming.
Notable philanthropy in support of progr&mmingincluded:
- the continued support of the John Ellerman Found&tion forthe creation of our online
collection, showc&sing the history of illustration with digit&l m&teri&l from museums,
archives &nd personal collections, sharingthe under-told stories of a diverse group of
illustrators
- A multi-year pledge from the Barbara and Philip Denny Trust to support the Centre's
in&ugur&l illustration commissions, embracing a range of illustration pr&ctices &nd
supporting illustr&tors through major commissions
- A gr&nt from Google Arts & Culture to create & series of illustration articles,
exploring often overlooked illustr&tions that are vibrant and ingenious ex&mples of
creative visu&l communication (to be publicly launched from spring 2024)
Our Illustration Angels supporters programme continues to grow, supporting our
annu&l progr&mme ofwork.We're pleased to h&ve also relaunched the Quentin Blake
Centre for Illustration Friends programme this ye&r. We're gr&teful to the many local
residents and illustr&tion fans who contribute.
33

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
An auction of newworksby Quentin raised nearly£250.000 to support the Centre
while it prepares to begin work onthe New River Head projec( with thanks to
Bonhams for facilitatingthe sale.
People and facilities
Quentin Blake Centre employs 14 people in 111 full-time-equiv&lent roles. A generous
grant is enablingus to expand fundr&isingc&pacity, both to complete the c&mp&ign
and to ensure we h&ve sufficient revenue fundingto deliver our progr&mmes at the
new Centre.
An office has been establIshed￿thin the communicationsbusiness L&nsons in
Farringdon, & short walk from the New River Head site, enabling hybrid working and
in-person meetings.
In April Nicholas Durbridge completed his long tenure as a Trustee, although we &re
grateful th&t he h&s rem&ined & V￿Ued member of the Capital Projects and Finance
Committees. Tr&cey-Joy Harrison &lso stepped down due to a move oversea& we thank
her for her support and input. Mel&nie Johnson joinedthe Bo&rd in M&rch &nd an
open recruitment process &lso s&wthe appointment of Munesh Makhani, P&m Raynor
&nd Stell& Toonen who join inApril 2024. A structure of sub-committees and advisory
p&nels brings different perspectives to the leadership of the charity &nd we &re
gr&teful to all who generously give their time.
We continue to develop our recruitment and employment practices to attract &nd
support diverse c&ndid&tes. Me&sures include online open evenings, anonymised
shortlisting, large-print packs and the option ofvideo &pplic&tions for some roles,
adv&nce questions where &ppropri&te for the role, fair lead-times for presentations
&nd gu&ranteed interviews for disabled applic&nts or those from under-represented
herit&ge who meet minimum criteria forthe role.
What's next?
With planning &pprov&l in place, we are working on securing the final funds for our
camp&ign and begin construction works this year. Alongside the capital works, a
progr&mme of community engajgement will begin solidifying current relationships
while fostering new neighbourhood relationships.
34

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees Report
fortheyearended 31December 2023
We will continue to consult and engagewith local residents on pl&ns forthe new
Centre, both to minimise disruption during construction &nd to ensure & strong sense
of welcoming. ownership and belonging.
.1
u Vaientina Ziinino
Visitors l(K>king &t plans forthe new Quentin BlaJte Centreforlllustration in the WindmillB2se duringouropen day &t New
River Head as part of Open House Festival 2023
35

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
for the year ended 31 December 2023
People
Peter Finem&n
Founder Trustee
Judy Gibbons
Quentin Blake
Larissa Joy
Trustees
Martha Kearney
PeterAndrews
Colin McKenzie
D&lw&rdin B&bu OBE
Axel Scheffler
Peter B&rron
Richard Bawden
Artistic Progranllne Advisory
Panel
Samantha Colt
Marion Deuchars
Sarah Culshaw
Ellie Head
Ellie Head (Trustee)
Mel&nie J. Johnson
Peter Nencini
John Kampfner (Chair)
Ligaya Sal&z&r
Munesh Mahtani
Yimiao Shih
P&m Raynor
Annie W&rburton
Stell& Toonen
Joy Yamus&ngie
Cl&udia Zeff (Deputy Chair)
M&ggie Yang
Cl&udi& Zeff (Trustee)
Ambassadors
Quentin Blake
Capital Project Sub-comnllttee
Anthea Carver
Peter Andrews (Ch&ir, Trustee)
Jeremy Carver
Lauren Child
Lauren Child
Alan Cook
Sar&h Culsh&w
Nicholas Durbridge
Nicholas Durbridge
Peter Finem&n
36

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
for the year ended 31 December 2023
Jenny Higham
Jacqueline Worswick
John Kampfner (Trustee)
Cl&udi& Zeff (Trustee)
Cl&udia Zeff (Trustee)
Nominations cOnll￿ttee
c0nllllu￿c￿tl0lls Advisory
Panel
D&lwardin Babu (Trustee)
Richard B&wden (Trustee)
Peter Barron (Trustee)
S&m&nth& Colt (Ch&ir, Trustee)
Sophie Brendel
M&rion Deuchars (Trustee)
John K&mpfner (Trustee)
John K&mpfner (Trustee)
Ch&rlotte Sidwell
Cl&udi& Zeff (Trustee)
Claudia Zeff (Trustee)
Finance Committee
Richard Bawden (Ch&ir,
Trustee)
Nichol&s Durbridge
Clive Hinds
John K&mpfner (Trustee)
P&m Raynor
Fundraising Board
Peter Barron (Chair. Trustee)
Sam&nth& Colt (Trustee)
Anne-Louise Fisher
Mel&nie J.Johnson (Trustee)
John Kampfner (Trustee)
37

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
forthe ye&rended 31December 2023
Supporters
The Buffini Chao Foundation
Finem&n F&mily Trust
The Golden Bottle Trust
John S Cohen Foundation
Myddelton Square Associ&tion
The Philip and Irene Toll G&ge
Foundation
With thanks to all of the Centre's supporters,
past and present, includingthose who prefer to
remain anonymous and those not listed he￿.
Together, their support represents a significant
contribution to the work of the Centre,
championingillustration for all.
statutory funders
Clerkenwell Ward Councillors via
the Islington Community
Infrastructure Levy
The National Lottery Heritage Pund
Indi￿dUal donors
B&rbar& Bannister
Peter and Juli& B&rron
Gr&ham and Joanna B&rker
Richard and Carolyn B&wden
Quentin Bl&ke
S&m&ntha Colt
S&rah Culshaw
Peter D&rr&h
Nicholas andLinda Durbridge
Mich&el and M&rgaret Fowle
Judy Gibbons
Jenny Higham and Ed Naylor
Bella Ho&re
Patrick J&nson-Smith and Anne
Louise Fisher
Melanie J. Johnson
John K&mpfner and Lucy Ash
Mike Kirk
Sir Richard Lambert and Harriet
Murray-Browne
Dave &nd Lisa Mason
The John Murr&y Family
Paul and Anne Nurse
Eliz&beth Pryce
Caroline Royds
Dai Smith and Susan Gostick
Paul Thornton
Tnists, foundations and coMpa￿eS
The B&nd Trust
City Bridge Trust
Fantastic Peach Foundation, Roald
D&hl Story Company and Dahl
f&mily
The Foyle Foundation
G&rfield Weston Found&tion
G&tsby Ch&ritable Found&tion
Islington BuildingPreserv&tion
Trust
Kusum& Trust
Robert Gavron Charitable Trust
The Wolfson Poundation
CHK Found&tion
Google Arts & Culture
Heritage of London Trust
John Ellerm&n Found&tion
The Barb&ra &nd Philip Denny
Charitable Trust
TIOC Foundation
Triad Foundation
Amwell Society
Atkin Ch&rit&ble Found&tion
38

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
forthe ye&rended 31December 2023
Richard andJacqueline WorS￿ck
Cl&udia Zeff &ndJohn Brown
House of Illustration Founders
Sir Quentin Blake
Susan Bre&ley
John &nd Amanda Burley
Anthe& C&rver
Rebecca E&stmond
The Robert Gavron Ch&rit&ble Trust
Lord Gr&ntchester
Lariss& Joy
Joann& Lumley OBE
Sir Alan and L&dy Parker
Jeremy S&cher
Cl&udia Zeff &nd John Brown
39

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
forthe ye&rended 31December 2023
Reference and Administrative Details
Method of appointment or election of Trnstees
The m&n&gement of the company &nd the group is the responsibility of the
Trustees who are elected &nd co-opted under the terms of the Memorandum and
Articles of Association.
Company Registered Number
04484943
Ch&rity Registration Number
1095210
Registered Office
75 Maygrove Ro&(L London, NW6
2EG
Company Secretary
M&rtin Saunders
Auditors
Goldwins Limited, 75 Maygrove Road, London, NW6 2EG
Bankers
HSBC, City of London Branch, 60. Queen Victori& Street, London, EC4N 4TR
40

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
forthe ye&rended 31December 2023
stnicture, govern&nce and Jn&nageJnent
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is registered as & ch&rit&ble company
limited by gu&r&ntee (charity number 1095210) andwas set up and is constituted
by & Memorandum ofAssoci&tion on 09107/2002.
Ch&ritable objects
The objects ofQuentin Blake Centre for Illustration are to educate the public in
the &rt of illustr&tion, in particular by owning, man&ging and operating & space
open to the public for the displ&y &nd study of the works of illustrators &nd
associated pictures. drawings, sketches and illustr&tions, works of liter&ture,
artefacts and objets d'art.
We h&ve referred to the guidance contained inthe Charity Commission's general
guidance on public benefit when renewing our aims &nd objectives and in
planning our future activities.
Beserves policy
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration's unrestricted reserves at 31 December
2023 were in deficit £117,985 (2022unrestricted reserves £77,889). The Trustees
are concerned to maintain adequate level of reservesto en&ble Quentin Blake
Centre for Illustr&tionto carry out its charitable objectives. The Trustees
consider th&t there is adequate &ssur&nce that Quentin Blake Centre for
Illustr&tion can fund operating deficits now &nd arising in future years. More
detail is provided in note l(b) on goingconcern.
Bisk ll￿n￿gement
The Trustees have reviewed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and
systems have been established to manage those risks. While this cannot provide
absolute assurance, the trusteesbelieve that the steps t&kenwill en&ble Quentin
Blake Centre for Illustrationto pursue its objectives.
No material uncert&inties that may cast significant doubt about the ability of the
charity/ comp&ny to continue as a going concern have been identified by trustees.
41

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
forthe ye&rended 31December 2023
statement of Trustees, responsibilities
The Trustees (who are also directors of Quentin Bl&ke Centre for Illustration for
the purposes of company law) are responsible for prep&ringthe Trustees, Report
and the fin&ncial statements in accordance with applicable law and United
Kingdom Accounting St&nd&rds (United Kingdom Gener&lly Accepted
AccountingPr&ctice).
Comp&ny l&w requires the Trustees to prep&re financi&l statements for e&ch
financial year. Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financi&l
statements unless they are satisfied that they give & true and fair view of the state
of &ff&irs of the charitable companyand ofthe incomingresources and
applic&tion of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charit&ble
comp&ny forthat period. In preparingthese financial statements. the Trustees
are required to:
Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.
Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
Make judgements and estimates that &re reasonable and prudent:
Prepare the fin&ncial st&tements on the going concern b&sis unless it is
in&ppropri&te to presume that the charitable comp&ny will continue in
oper&tion.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records th&t are
sufficient to show and expl&in the ch&rit&ble company's tr&ns&ctions &nd disclose
with reasonable accur&cy at any time the fin&nci&l position of the ch&ritable
company &nd enable them to ensure that the financial st&tements comply with
the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguardingthe &ssets of
the charit&ble company and hence for takingreasonable steps forthe prevention
and detection of fr&ud and other irregularities.
Bemuneration of key management personnel
The principles and guidelines relatingto staff pay and remuner&tion are
reviewed &nnu&lly by members of the Finance Committee ￿th recommend&tions
to the board. There &re annual staff appr&isals for all Quentin Blake Centre for
42

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Trustees. Report
forthe ye&rended 31December 2023
Illustration staff and any adjustments or changes to staff terms &nd conditions of
employment or p&y are recommended to the bo&rd by the Director.
Disclosure of information to auditor
Each of the persons who are Trustees atthe time whenthis Trustees, Report is
approved has confirmed that:
So f&r &s th&t Trustee is &wa￿e, there is no relev&nt &udit inform&tion of
which the charitable coMpan￿S auditor is unaware, and
th&t Trustee h&s taken all the steps th&t ought to have been taken &s
Trustee in orderto be aw&re of anyinformation needed bythe charitable
comp&ny's &uditor in connection ￿th preparing its report &nd to establish
that the ch&ritable comp&ny's auditor is &wa￿e of that information.
Auditor
A resolution for the re&ppointment of Goldwins as &uditor of Quentin Blake
Centre for Illustr&tion for the ensuing year ￿11 be proposed &t the forthcoming
Annu&l General Meeting in accordance with section 495 of the Companies Act
2006.
This reportwas approvedbythe Trustees on 09 April 2024 and signed ontheir
beh&lf by John K&mpfner, Chair.
43

Independent Auditor's Report
To the members of
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Independent Auditor's
Report
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Quentin Blake Centre for
Illustr&tion for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the
St&tement of Financi&l Activities, the B&l&nce Sheet. st&tement of c&sh
flows and the related notes. The financi&l reportingframework that has
been &pplied in their preparation is applic&ble l&w and United Kingdom
Accounting St&nd&rds, including Financial Reporting Standard 102:
The Financi&l Reportingstandard applicable inthe UK &nd Republic of
Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Opl￿on on f￿ancIal st&teJnents
In our opinion the fin&ncial statements:
give a true and f&ir view of the st&te of the ch&rit&ble company's
&ff&irs as at 31 December 2023 and of its income and expenditure
forthe year then ended:
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom
Gener&lly Accepted Accounting Practice: and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the
CompaniesAct 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in &ccordance with International St&nd&rds on
Auditing (UK) (ISAS (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under
those st&nd&rds are further described in the Auditor, s responsibilities
for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We &re
independent of the Charity in &ccordance ￿th the ethical requirements
th&t are relevant to our audit of the financial st&tements in the UK,
including the FRC, s Ethical St&nd&rd and we h&ve fulfilled our other
ethic&l responsibilities in &ccord&nce with these requirements. We
44

Independent Auditor's Report
To the members of
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
believe th&t the audit evidence we h&ve obtained is sufficient and
appropri&te to provide & basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financi&l st&tements, we have concluded that the
trustees, use of the goingconcern basis of accounting in the prep&ration
of the financi&l statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed. we have not identified &ny
material uncert&inties relatingto events or conditions th&t, individually
or collectively, m&y cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to
continue &s & going concern for a period of at least twelve months from
when the financi&l statements are &uthorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect
to goingconcern are described inthe relevant sections of this report.
other information
The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other
inform&tion comprises the information included in the &nnu&l report
other than the financial statements and our auditor, s report thereon.
Our opinion on the fin&ncial statements does not cover the other
inform&tion and. except to the extent otherwise explicitly st&ted in our
report, we do not express any form of assur&nce conclusion thereon.
In connection ￿th our audit of the fin&nci&l st&tements, our
responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider
whether the other inform&tion is materially inconsistent with the
financial statements or our Itnowledge obtained in the audit or
otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such
material inconsistencies or apparent material misst&tements, we &re
required to determine whether there is & material misst&tement in the
financi&l statements or a material misstatEment of the other
inform&tion. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude th&t
there is & m&teri&l misst&tement of this other information, we are
required to report that fact.
45

Independent Auditor's Report
To the members of
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undert&ken inthe course of the audit:
the information given in the trustees, report (incorpor&ting the
directors, report) for the financial year for which the fin&nci&l
statements are prepared is consistent with the fin&nci&l
statements: and
the trustees, report (incorporatingthe directors, report) have been
prepared in accordance with applicable leg&1 requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Ch&rity and its
environment obt&ined in the course of the audit, we have not identified
material misstatements in the Trustees, Anllll￿ Report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the
Comp&nies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if. in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns
adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not
visited byus; or
the financial st&tements are not in agreement with the accounting
records and returns; or
cert&in disclosures of trustees, remuneration specified by law are
not made: or
we have not received all the inform&tion and expl&nations we
require for our &udit.
Besponsibilities of the trustees
As explained more fully in the Trustees. Responsibilities St&tement, the
trustees (who are also the directors of the charit&ble comp&ny for the
purposes of comp&ny law) are responsible for the prepar&tion of the
financial statements and forbeingsatisfied that they give a true &nd fair
46

Independent Auditor's Report
To the members of
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
view and for such intern&1 control as they determine is necessary to
enable the preparation of financial st&tements that are free from
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In prep&ring the fin&ncial statements, the trustees are responsible for
assessing the Charity's ability to continue as & going concern,
disclosing, as applicable, matters related to goingconcern &nd usingthe
going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to
liquidate the Charity or to cease operations, or h&ve no re&listic
alternative but to do so.
Our responsibilities for the audit of the financi&l statements
Our objectives &re to obt&in reasonable &ssur&nce about whether the
financial statements &s & whole are free from m&teri&l misstatement,
whether due to fraud or error. and to issue an auditor, s report that
includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assur&nce,
but is not & guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS
(UK) will always detect a m&terial misstatement when it exists.
Misst&tements can &rise from fraud or error and are considered
material if, individually or in the aggreg&te, they could re&son&bly be
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis
of these financial st&tements.
Irregularities, including fraud. are instances of non-compliance with
laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our
responsibilities, outlined above. to detect m&teri&l misstatements in
respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our
procedures &re capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud &re
set outbelow.
In ident1￿"llg and assessing risks of m&terial misstatement in respect
of irregularities. including fraud and non-compliance with laws &nd
regulations, our procedures included the follo￿n￿.
We enquired of m&n&gement, which included obtaining and
reviewing supporting documentation. concerning the charity's
policies &nd procedures relatingto:
47

Independent Auditor's Report
To the members of
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Detecting, evaluating. and complyingwith l&ws and regulations
and whether they were aware of any inst&nces of non-
compli&nce;
Detecting of the risks of fr&ud and responding whether they
have knowledge of &ny actual or suspected fr&ud;
We obtained an understandingofthe legajl and regul&toryframework
th&t the ch&rity operates in. focusing on those laws and regulations
th&t h&d & m&teri&l effect on the financial statements or th&t h&d
fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our
professional and sector experience.
We performed an&ly6ic&l procedures to detect any unusual or
unexpected relationships that may indic&te risks of material
misstatement due to fraud.
Bec&use of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we
will not detect &ll irregul&rities. including those le&ding to & material
misstatement in the fin&ncial statements or non-compli&nce with
regul&tion. The risk is also greater regarding irregul&rities occurring
due to fr&ud rather th&n error. as fraud involves intention&l
conce&lment, forgery, collusion. omission or misrepresent&tion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financi&l
statements is loc&ted on the Financial Reporting Councili s website at:
[www.frc.org.uV&uditorsresponsibilitiesl. This description forms part
of our auditor's report.
48

Independent Auditor's Report
To the members of
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charit&ble coMpan￿S members, as
body, in &ccordancewith Chapter 3 ofPart16 ofthe Comp&niesAct 2006.
Our &udit work h&s been undertaken so that we might state to the
ch&rity's members those matters we &re required to state to them in &n
auditor's report &nd forno otherpurpose. Tothe fullest extent permitted
by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other th&n
the ch&rity &nd the charIt￿S members as & body. for our audit work. for
this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Anthony Epton (Senior StatutoryAuditor)
for and on beh&lf of
Goldwins Limited
St&tutory Auditor
Ch&rtered Account&nts
75 Maygrove Road
West H&mpste&d
London NW6 2EG
10 September 2024
49

**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities** 

## (incorporating an income and expenditure account) **For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

|**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**Note**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**Income from:**<br>Donations and legacies<br>**3**<br>**666,650**<br>**407,014**<br>Charitable activities<br>**4**<br>**-**<br>**132,356**<br>_Other trading activities:_<br>Trading activities<br>**-**<br>**47,238**<br>Investments<br>**5**<br>**-**<br>**21,558**<br>**Total income**<br>**666,650**<br>**608,166**<br>**Expenditure on:**<br>_Raising funds:_<br>Voluntary income<br>**-**<br>**156,487**<br>Trading activities<br>**-**<br>**5,455**<br>Charitable activities<br>**123,452**<br>**642,098**<br>**Total expenditure**<br>**6**<br>**123,452**<br>**804,040**<br>**543,198**<br>**(195,874)**<br>Net gains / (losses) on investments<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**7**<br>**543,198**<br>**(195,874)**<br>Transfers between funds<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**Net movement in funds**<br>**543,198**<br>**(195,874)**<br>**Reconciliation of funds:**<br>Total funds brought forward<br>**3,928,003**<br>**77,889**<br>**Total funds carried forward**<br>**4,471,201**<br>**(117,985)**<br>All of the above results are derived from continuing activities.<br>There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above.<br>The attached notes form part of these financial statements.<br>**Net income / (expenditure) before net**<br>**gains / (losses) on investments**<br>**Net income / (expenditure) for the year**|**2023**<br>**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>**1,073,664**<br>**132,356**<br>**47,238**<br>**21,558**<br>**1,274,816**<br>**156,487**<br>**5,455**<br>**765,550**<br>**927,492**<br>**347,324**<br>**-**<br>**347,324**<br>**-**<br>**347,324**<br>**4,005,892**<br>**4,353,216**|2022<br>Total<br>Funds<br>£<br>1,993,631<br>117,245<br>79,493<br>2,617|
|---|---|---|
|||2,192,986|
|||97,501<br>14,418<br>594,592|
|||706,511|
|||1,486,475<br>-|
|||1,486,475<br>-|
|||1,486,475<br>2,519,417|
|||4,005,892|
||||



50 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Balance sheet As at 31 December 2023** 

|||**Group**|Group|**Charity**|Charity|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**2023**|2022|**2023**|2022|
||**Note**|**£**|£|**£**|£|
|**Fixed assets:**||||||
|Tangible assets|**10**|**3,657,740**|3,501,071|**3,657,740**|3,501,071|
|Investments|**11**|**-**|-|**1**|1|
|||**3,657,740**|3,501,071|**3,657,741**|3,501,072|
|**Current assets:**||||||
|Debtors|**12**|**128,315**|419,780|**438,516**|811,683|
|Cash at bank and in hand||**1,797,875**|1,354,905|**1,727,096**|1,231,044|
|||**1,926,190**|1,774,685|**2,165,612**|2,042,727|
|**Liabilities:**||||||
|Creditors: amounts falling due within one|**13**|**(58,742)**|(64,864)|**(58,701)**|(64,846)|
|**Net current assets**||**1,867,448**|1,709,821|**2,106,911**|1,977,881|
|**Liabilities:**||||||
|Creditors: amounts falling due after one|**14**|**(1,171,972)**|(1,205,000)|**(1,171,972)**|(1,205,000)|
|**Total net assets**||**4,353,216**|4,005,892|**4,592,680**|4,273,953|
|**Funds**|**15**|||||
|Restricted funds||**4,471,201**|3,928,003|**4,471,201**|3,928,003|
|Unrestricted funds:||||||
|General funds||**(117,985)**|77,889|**121,479**|345,950|
|**Total funds**||**4,353,216**|4,005,892|**4,592,680**|4,273,953|



The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part15 of the Companies Act 2006. 

Approved by the trustees on 09 April 2024. and signed on their behalf by: 

**John Kampfner Chair of Board of Trustees** 

## **Company registration no. 04484943** 

The attached notes form part of the financial statements. 

51 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Consolidated Statement of cash flows For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

|**Note**<br>**Cash flows from operating activities:**<br>Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities<br>**17**<br>**Cash flows from investing activities:**<br>Interest/ rent/ dividends from investments<br>Sale/ (purchase) of fixed assets<br>**Cash provided by / (used in) investing activities**<br>**Cash flows from financing activities:**<br>Cash inflows from new borrowing<br>Cash outflows from repaid borrowing<br>**Cash provided by / (used in) financing activities**<br>**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**<br>Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year<br>**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**<br>**18**<br>Change in cash and cash equivalents due to exchange<br>rate movements|**2023**<br>**£**<br>**21,558**<br>**(165,736)**|**2023**<br>**£**<br>**620,176**<br>**(144,178)**<br>**(33,028)**|2022<br>£<br>2,617<br>(207,013)|2022<br>£<br>1,411,323<br>(204,396)<br>(305,000)|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**1,000,000**<br>**(1,033,028)**||-<br>(305,000)||
||||||
|||**442,970**<br>**1,354,905**<br>**-**||901,927<br>452,978<br>-|
|||**1,797,875**||1,354,905|



52 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

- **1 Accounting policies** 

## **a) Basis of preparation** 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 2015) - (Charities SORP FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. 

The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note. 

## **b) Going concern** 

In 2020 Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration raised a £1 million loan facility from Architectural Heritage Fund to cover the costs of obtaining planning permission for the redevelopment of its new site at New River Head and its operating costs while doing so. In July 2023 the London Borough of Islington granted planning and listed building consent for the proposed redevelopment . In June 2023 an increased loan facility of £1.98 million was secured from Charity Bank, £1 million to repay Architectural Heritage Fund, with the balance to be made available on reaching certain fundraising targets. Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration’s ability to fund its accumulated operating deficit at 31st December 2023, and any such deficits arising in future years, and to repay debt is further assured through a generous bequest. Accordingly, the trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the group’s ability to continue as a going concern. . 

In common with many charities, Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration relies upon fundraising events and donations for a substantial part of its annual income. Inevitably, there is some uncertainty in estimating these amounts and, accordingly, the trustees take a prudent view of them when considering the group’s cash flow projections. 

## **c) Basis of consolidation** 

These financial statements consolidate the results of the charity and its wholly-owned subsidiary Quentin Blake Centre Trading Company Limited on a line by line basis. Transactions and balances between the charity and its subsidiary have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements. Balances between the companies are disclosed in the notes of the charity's balance sheet. A separate statement of financial activities, or income and expenditure account, for the charity itself is not presented because the charity has taken advantage of the exemptions afforded by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006. 

## **d)[Income]** 

Incoming resources are recognised in the period in which the group is entitled to receive them and the amount can be measured with reasonable certainty and it is probable that income will be received. Income is deferred only when the group has to fulfil conditions before becoming entitled to it or where the donor or funder has specified that the income is to be expended in a future accounting period. 

Grants from government and other agencies have been included as income from activities in furtherance of the group's objectives where these amount to a contract for services, but as donations where the money is given in response to an appeal or with greater freedom of use, for example monies for core funding. 

- **e) Expenditure** Expenditure is included in the statement of financial activities when incurred and includes attributable VAT which cannot be recovered. 

Expenditure comprises the following: 

- a. The costs of activities in furtherance of the charity's objectives comprise expenditure on the charity's primary charitable purposes as described in the trustees' report. 

- b. The costs of raising funds comprises the expenditure incurred by the trading company and the charity and consists of salaries, direct costs and overheads. 

- c. Support costs represent indirect charitable expenditure. In order to carry out the primary purposes of the group it is necessary to provide support in the form of financial procedures, provision of office services and equipment and a suitable working environment. Salary costs have been allocated based on staff time. 

53 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **1. Accounting policies (continued)** 

## **f) Tangible fixed assets** 

Assets costing in excess of £250 and with an expected useful life exceeding one year are capitalised. 

Depreciation is charged on these assets at the following annual rates in order to write them off over their estimated useful lives: 

Long Term Leasehold Property Over the period of the lease Fixtures & Fittings 25% straight line Computer equipment 20% straight line Other fixed assets 20% straight line 

No Depreciation is provided for New River Head lease, since the trustees believe it to be appreciating in value. 

## **g) Investments** 

Investment in the subsidiary company is stated in the charity at cost. 

**h) Stocks** Stocks are valued at lower of cost and net realisable value after making due allowance for obsolete and slowmoving stocks. Cost includes all direct costs and an appropriate proportion of fixed and variable overheads. 

**i) Leased assets** Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight line basis over the life of the lease. 

Assets purchased under hire purchase agreements are capitalised as fixed assets. Obligations under such agreements are included in creditors. Charges are written off to the SOFA over the period of the agreement so as to produce a constant periodic rate of charge. 

## **j) Fund accounting** 

The unrestricted fund comprises those monies which may be used towards meeting the charitable objectives of the group and which may be applied at the discretion of the trustees. 

The restricted funds are monies raised for, and their use restricted to, a specific purpose, or donations subject to donor-imposed conditions. 

54 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **2 Detailed comparatives for the consolidated statement of financial activities** 

|Income from:<br>Donations and legacies<br>Charitable activities<br>_Other trading activities:_<br>Trading activities<br>Investment income<br>Total income<br>Expenditure on:<br>_Raising funds:_<br>Voluntary income<br>Trading activities<br>Charitable activities<br>Total expenditure<br>Reconciliation of funds:<br>**3**<br>**Income from donations and legacies**<br>Trusts & Foundations and Individual donations<br>**4**<br>**Income from charitable activities**<br>Exhibition admissions, touring fees and education<br>and event programme<br>**Total income from charitable activities**<br>**5**<br>**Investments**<br>Interest<br>Net (expenditure) for the year<br>Net income / (expenditure) before net gains / (losses) on<br>investments<br>Net gains / (losses) on investments<br>Transfers between funds<br>Net movement in funds<br>Total funds brought forward<br>Total funds carried forward|**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>**666,650**<br>**666,650**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>-<br>-|2022 #<br>2022<br>Restricted<br>Funds<br>Unrestricted<br>Funds<br>£<br>£<br>547,509<br>1,446,122<br>-<br>117,245<br>-<br>79,493<br>-<br>2,617<br>547,509<br>1,645,477<br>-<br>97,501<br>-<br>14,418<br>48,238<br>546,354<br>48,238<br>658,273<br>499,271<br>987,204<br>-<br>-<br>499,271<br>987,204<br>-<br>-<br>499,271<br>987,204<br>3,428,732<br>(909,315)<br>3,928,003<br>77,889<br>**2023**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**Total Funds**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**407,014**<br>**1,073,664**<br>**407,014**<br>**1,073,664**<br>**2023**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**Total Funds**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**132,356**<br>**132,356**<br>**132,356**<br>**132,356**<br>**2023**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**Total Funds**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**21,558**<br>**21,558**<br>**21,558**<br>**21,558**|2022<br>Total Funds<br>£<br>1,993,631<br>117,245<br>79,493<br>2,617|
|---|---|---|---|
||||2,192,986|
||||97,501<br>14,418<br>594,592|
||||706,511|
||||1,486,475<br>-|
||||1,486,475<br>-|
||||1,486,475<br>-<br>2,519,417|
||||4,005,892|
||||2022<br>Total Funds<br>£<br>1,993,631|
||||1,993,631|
||||2022<br>Total Funds<br>£<br>117,245|
||||117,245|
||||2022<br>Total Funds<br>£<br>2,617|
||||2,617|



55 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **6 Analysis of expenditure** 

|Staff costs<br>Pension costs<br>Fundraising costs<br>Retail costs including cost of sales<br>Exhibitions<br>Education<br>IT and website<br>Public Programme<br>Admin and operating costs<br>Premises<br>Marketing and communications<br>Irrecoverable VAT<br>Depreciation<br>Profit and loss on sale of assets<br>Impairment losses<br>Audit and Accountancy<br>Support costs<br>**Total expenditure 2023**<br>Total expenditure 2022|**Charitable**<br>**activities**<br>**£**<br>**278,231**<br>**5,581**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**37,407**<br>**71,903**<br>**-**<br>**1,221**<br>**887**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**|**Cost of raising funds**|**Cost of raising funds**|**Support**<br>**costs**<br>**£**<br>**91,467**<br>**1,811**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**15,396**<br>**-**<br>**190,058**<br>**26,604**<br>**20,575**<br>**5,495**<br>**9,066**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**9,848**|**2023**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**485,502**<br>**9,659**<br>**41,128**<br>**2,743**<br>**37,407**<br>**71,903**<br>**15,396**<br>**1,221**<br>**190,945**<br>**26,604**<br>**20,575**<br>**5,495**<br>**9,066**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**9,848**|2022<br>Total<br>£<br>429,662<br>8,708<br>17,703<br>9,864<br>43,922<br>38,882<br>10,247<br>2,606<br>85,354<br>26,792<br>16,160<br>7,612<br>3,976<br>-<br>-<br>5,023|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Voluntary**<br>**income**<br>**£**<br>**113,147**<br>**2,212**<br>**41,128**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**|**Trading**<br>**activities**<br>**£**<br>**2,657**<br>**55**<br>**-**<br>**2,743**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**||||
||**395,230**<br>**370,320**|**156,487**<br>**-**|**5,455**<br>**-**|**370,320**<br>**(370,320)**|**927,492**<br>**-**|706,511|
||**765,550**|**156,487**|**5,455**|**-**|**927,492**||
||594,592|97,501|14,418|-|706,511||



The increased spend on admin and operating costs in 2023 results from the appointment of consultants funded by a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant. 

Analysis of expenditure Prior year 

|Staff costs<br>Pension costs<br>Fundraising costs<br>Retail costs including cost of sales<br>Exhibitions<br>Education<br>IT and website<br>Public Programme<br>Admin and operating costs<br>Premises<br>Marketing and communications<br>Irrecoverable VAT<br>Depreciation<br>Profit and loss on sale of assets<br>Impairment losses<br>Audit and Accountancy<br>Support costs<br>Total expenditure 2022<br>Total expenditure 2021|Charitable<br>activities<br>£<br>265,441<br>5,391<br>-<br>-<br>43,922<br>38,882<br>-<br>2,606<br>2,981<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|Cost of raising funds|Cost of raising funds|Support<br>costs<br>£<br>81,594<br>1,592<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>10,247<br>-<br>82,373<br>26,792<br>16,160<br>7,612<br>3,976<br>-<br>-<br>5,023|2022<br>Total<br>£<br>429,662<br>8,708<br>17,703<br>9,864<br>43,922<br>38,882<br>10,247<br>2,606<br>85,354<br>26,792<br>16,160<br>7,612<br>3,976<br>-<br>-<br>5,023|2021<br>Total<br>£<br>404,749<br>10,075<br>3,693<br>(40)<br>61,361<br>75,323<br>14,925<br>2,626<br>86,713<br>8,923<br>5,775<br>4,056<br>458<br>-<br>-<br>7,526|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Voluntary<br>income<br>78,174<br>1,624<br>17,703<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|Trading<br>activities<br>£<br>4,453<br>101<br>-<br>9,864<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-||||
||359,223<br>235,369|97,501<br>-|14,418<br>-|235,369<br>(235,369)|706,511<br>-|686,163|
||594,592|97,501|14,418|-|706,511||
||616,105|72,526|1,797|-|690,428||



56 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **7 Net income / (expenditure) for the year** 

||This is stated after charging / (crediting):|**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|£|
||Depreciation|**9,067**|3,976|
||Auditor's remuneration:|||
||Audit fees net of VAT|**5,497**|4,999|
|**8**|**Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel**|||
||Staff costs were as follows:|**2023**|2022|
|||**£**|£|
||Salaries and wages|**449,694**|402,329|
||Social security costs|**35,808**|27,333|
||Employer’s contributionto definedcontributionpensionschemes|**9,659**|8,708|
|||**495,161**|438,370|
||The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension) during the year between:|||
|||**2023**|2022|
|||**No.**|No.|
||£70,000 -£79,000|**-**|1|
||£80,000 -£89,000|**1**|-|
||The total employee benefits including employer national insurance and employer pension contributions of the key management personnel were £92,702|||
||(2022: £88,764 ).|||



The charity trustees were not paid and did not receive any other benefits from employment with the charity or its subsidiary in the year (2022: £nil). Neither were they reimbursed expenses during the year (2022: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2022: £nil). 

## **Staff numbers** 

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was as follows: 

||**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|
||**No.**|No.|
|Charitable activities|**14**|13|
||**14**|13|



## **9 Taxation** 

The charitable company is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes. 

57 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

|**10**<br>**Group Tangible fixed assets**<br>**Cost**<br>At the start of the year<br>Additions in year<br>Disposals in year<br>At the end of the year<br>**Depreciation**<br>At the start of the year<br>Charge for the year<br>Impairment losses<br>Eliminated on disposal<br>At the end of the year<br>**Net book value**<br>At the start of the year<br>**At the end of the year**<br>**Charity Tangible fixed assets**<br>**Cost**<br>At the start of the year<br>Additions in year<br>Disposals in year<br>At the end of the year<br>**Depreciation**<br>At the start of the year<br>Charge for the year<br>Eliminated on disposal<br>At the end of the year<br>**Net book value**<br>At the start of the year<br>**At the end of the year**|**Long Term**<br>**Leasehold**<br>**Property**<br>£<br>3,460,934<br>164,741<br>-|**Fixtures &**<br>**Fittings**<br>£<br>977<br>-<br>-|**Computer**<br>**equipment**<br>£<br>43,594<br>995<br>-|**Other fixed**<br>**assets**<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-|**Total**<br>**£**<br>**3,505,505**<br>**165,736**<br>**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||3,625,675|977|44,589|-|**3,671,241**|
||-<br>-<br>-<br>-|87<br>244<br>-<br>-|4,347<br>8,823<br>-<br>-|-<br>-<br>-<br>-|**4,434**<br>**9,067**<br>**-**<br>**-**|
||-|331|13,170|-|**13,501**|
||3,460,934|890|39,247|-|**3,501,071**|
||3,625,675|646|31,419|-|**3,657,740**|
||Long Term<br>Leasehold<br>Property<br>£<br>3,460,934<br>164,741<br>-|Fixtures &<br>Fittings<br>£<br>977<br>-<br>-|Computer<br>equipment<br>£<br>43,594<br>995<br>-|Other fixed<br>assets<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-|**Total**<br>**£**<br>**3,505,505**<br>**165,736**<br>**-**|
||3,625,675|977|44,589|-|**3,671,241**|
||-<br>-<br>-|87<br>244<br>-|4,347<br>8,823<br>-|-<br>-<br>-|**4,434**<br>**9,067**<br>**-**|
||-|331|13,170|-|**13,501**|
||3,460,934|890|39,247|-|**3,501,071**|
||3,625,675|646|31,419|-|**3,657,740**|



58 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **11 Investments** 

## **Quentin Blake Centre Trading Company Ltd** 

At 31 December 2023 Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration owned the entire called up share capital of 1 ordinary £1 shares in Quentin Blake Centre Trading Company Ltd, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom. 

|Turnover<br>Cost of sales<br>Gross profit<br>Administration expenses<br>Operating profit<br>Interest payable<br>Profit before tax<br>Tax on (loss)/profit<br>Profit after tax<br>Retained earning at the beginning of the year<br>Retained in subsidiary|**2023**<br>**£**<br>**47,238**<br>**(2,743)**|2022<br>£<br>79,493<br>(9,864)|
|---|---|---|
||**44,495**<br>**(900)**|69,629<br>(2,998)|
||**43,595**<br>**(15,000)**|66,631<br>(15,000)|
||**28,595**<br>**-**|51,631<br>-|
||**28,595**<br>**(268,060)**|51,631<br>(319,691)|
||**(239,465)**|(268,060)|



At 31 December 2023, the aggregate of the share capital and reserves of Quentin Blake Centre Trading Company Ltd amounted to £239,464 deficit (2022 - £268,059 deficit). 

|**12**<br>**Debtors**<br>**Due within one year**<br>Trade debtors<br>Amount due from subsidiary<br>Other debtors<br>Prepayments and accrued income<br>**13**<br>**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**<br>Trade creditors<br>Taxation and social security<br>Other loans<br>Accruals and deferred income|**Group**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**34,859**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**93,456**|Group<br>2022<br>£<br>17,015<br>-<br>9,150<br>393,615|**Charity**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**17,578**<br>**327,482**<br>**-**<br>**93,456**|Charity<br>2022<br>£<br>15,958<br>392,960<br>9,150<br>393,615|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**128,315**|419,780|**438,516**|811,683|
||**Group**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**16,031**<br>**9,145**<br>**-**<br>**33,566**|Group<br>2022<br>£<br>5,892<br>20,544<br>-<br>38,428|**Charity**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**15,990**<br>**9,145**<br>**-**<br>**33,566**|Charity<br>2022<br>£<br>5,874<br>20,544<br>-<br>38,428|
||**58,742**|64,864|**58,701**|64,846|



Deferred income of £16,742(2022: £27,586) is included within accruals and deferred income above. 

|**14**<br>**Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year**<br>Other loans|**Group**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**1,171,972**|Group<br>2022<br>£<br>1,205,000|**Charity**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**1,171,972**|Charity<br>2022<br>£<br>1,205,000|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**1,171,972**|1,205,000|**1,171,972**|1,205,000|



Other loans include amounts lent to the charity interest- free by the trustees and a loan received from Charity Bank. The Charity Bank Loan is secured over the New River Head Leasehold Property with interest paid at the Bank of England base rate plus 3.25%. During the year the Architectural Heritage Fund loan was refinanced with Charity Bank with a term of five years. 

59 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

- **15 Analysis of net assets between funds** 

|**Analysis of net assets between funds**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Tangible fixed assets<br>Current assets<br>Creditors due within one year<br>Creditors due more than one year<br>**Net assets at the end of the year**<br>Analysis of net assets between funds - prior year<br>Tangible fixed assets<br>Current assets<br>Creditors due within one year<br>Creditors due more than one year<br>Net assets at the end of the year|**General**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>**32,065**<br>**1,080,664**<br>**(58,742)**<br>**(1,171,972)**|**Designated**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**|**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>**3,625,675**<br>**845,526**<br>**-**<br>**-**|**Total funds**<br>**£**<br>**3,657,740**<br>**1,926,190**<br>**(58,742)**<br>**(1,171,972)**|
||**(117,985)**|**-**|**4,471,201**|**4,353,216**|
||General<br>Unrestricted<br>Funds<br>£<br>40,137<br>1,307,616<br>(64,864)<br>(1,205,000)|Designated<br>Funds<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|Restricted<br>Funds<br>£<br>3,460,934<br>467,069<br>-<br>-|Total funds<br>£<br>3,501,071<br>1,774,685<br>(64,864)<br>(1,205,000)|
||77,889|-|3,928,003|4,005,892|



|**16**<br>**Movements in funds**<br>**Restricted funds:**<br>**Education**<br>**Exhibitions and Gallery**<br>**New Building Fund**<br>**Other**<br>**Total restricted funds**<br>**Total unrestricted funds**<br>**Total funds**<br>Movements in funds - prior year<br>Restricted funds:<br>Education<br>Exhibitions and Gallery<br>New Building Fund<br>Other<br>Total restricted funds<br>Total unrestricted funds<br>Total funds|**£**<br>**-**<br>**44,212**<br>**3,883,791**<br>**-**<br>**At the**<br>**start of the**<br>**year**|**£**<br>**4,000**<br>**15,000**<br>**533,146**<br>**114,504**<br>**Incoming**<br>**resources &**<br>**gains**|**£**<br>**(4,000)**<br>**(14,948)**<br>**-**<br>**(104,504)**<br>**Outgoing**<br>**resources &**<br>**losses**|**Transfers**<br>**£**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**|**£**<br>**-**<br>**44,264**<br>**4,416,937**<br>**10,000**<br>**At the end of**<br>**the year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**3,928,003**|**666,650**|**(123,452)**|**-**|**4,471,201**|
|||||||
||**77,889**|**608,166**|**(804,040)**|**-**|**(117,985)**|
|||||||
||**4,005,892**|**1,274,816**|**(927,492)**|**-**|**4,353,216**|
||£<br>3,200<br>39,125<br>3,386,407<br>-<br>At the start<br>of the year|£<br>-<br>43,125<br>497,384<br>7,000<br>Incoming<br>resources &<br>gains|£<br>(3,200)<br>(38,038)<br>-<br>(7,000)<br>Outgoing<br>resources &<br>losses|Transfers<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|£<br>-<br>44,212<br>3,883,791<br>-<br>At the end of<br>the year|
||3,428,732|547,509|(48,238)|-|3,928,003|
|||||||
||(909,315)|1,645,477|(658,273)|-|77,889|
|||||||
||2,519,417|2,192,986|(706,511)|-|4,005,892|



60 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **Purposes of restricted funds** 

## **Education** 

The fund includes a diverse range of projects, partnerships and commissions targeting specific beneficiaries and participants. These projects include our: 

- Family and accessible family programmes 

- Primary school programmes and projects 

- Pathways programme 

- Illustrators in schools programme 

## **Exhibitions and Gallery** 

## **New Building Fund** 

Donations financed the acquisition of our new permanent home, New River Head in 2019 and professional fees relating to design and development fees. 

## **Other** 

Funding for promoting public relations. 

Funding for online illustration articles. 

Funding for heritage research relating to New River Head, Community Participation, Activity Plan, Business Plan, Conservation Plan and Project Management. 

- **17 Reconciliation of net income / (expenditure) to net cash flow from operating activities** 

||||**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**£**|£|
|**Net income / (expenditure) for the reporting period**|||**347,324**|1,486,475|
|**(as per the consolidated statement of financial activities)**|||||
|Investment income|||**(21,558)**|(2,617)|
|Depreciation|||**9,067**|3,976|
|Impairment loss|||**-**|-|
|(Increase)/ decrease in stock|||**-**|-|
|(Increase)/ decrease in debtors|||**291,465**|(54,411)|
|Increase/ (decrease) in creditors|||**(6,122)**|(22,100)|
|**Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities**|||**620,176**|1,411,323|
|**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents**||||**At 31**|
||At 1 January||Other|**December**|
||2023|Cash flows|changes|**2023**|
||£|£|£|**£**|
|Cash at bank and in hand|1,354,905|442,970|-|**1,797,875**|
|**Total cash and cash equivalents**|**1,354,905**|**442,970**|**-**|**1,797,875**|



- **18 Analysis of cash and cash equivalents** 

61 



**Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** 

## **19 Operating lease commitments** 

Total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows: 

|1 year<br>2 - 5 years<br>After more than 5 years|**2023**<br>2022<br>**£**<br>£<br>**1**<br>1<br>**4**<br>4<br>**241**<br>242<br>**246**<br>247<br>**Group**<br>Property|**2023**<br>2022<br>**£**<br>£<br>**1**<br>1<br>**4**<br>4<br>**241**<br>242<br>**246**<br>247<br>**Group**<br>Property|**2023**<br>2022<br>**£**<br>£<br>**1**<br>1<br>**4**<br>4<br>**241**<br>242<br>**Charity**<br>Property|**2023**<br>2022<br>**£**<br>£<br>**1**<br>1<br>**4**<br>4<br>**241**<br>242<br>**Charity**<br>Property|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**246**|247|**246**|247|



## **20 Legal status of the charity** 

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. Each member is liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 in the event of the charity being wound up. 

## **21 Related party transactions** 

There are no related party transactions to disclose for the year. 

## **22. Post balance sheet events** 

In March 2024 the National Lottery Heritage Fund approved a grant of £3.75 million to fund the redevelopment of the charity's new site, New River Head, into galleries, an educations centre, a café, community gardens and a three year activity plan. 

62