BATH ARTISTS’STUDIOS LIMITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024
The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 January 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity’s constitution, the Companies Act 2006 and “Accounting and Reporting by Charities : Statement of Recommended Practice applicable o charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS102) ” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016).
Objectives and activities
The charity’s objectives, defined in its constitution, are to advance the education of the public in the understanding and appreciation of the arts.
The charity promotes the arts in the community by providing art courses, artists’ studio space and a gallery venue for use by the wider community and by its member artists.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Achievementsandperformance
During the year ended 31 January 2024 the charity ’s offering of in-house courses and workshops continued to expanded beyond those in 2022 .Our weekly term-time bookings for courses in our teaching room saw a big increase in demand with four new tutors renting space for their weekly courses. This increased student attendance to BAS which helped raise our profile and objectives with the wider community.
We had a varied range of exhibitions in our Roper Gallery throughout the year, covering shows by current studio holders, external artists, community group exhibitions such as a show by Thursday Threads which is a local mental-health focused art group, and a show to celebrate International Women ’ s Day.
The charity was still able to support the Bath Spa University residency scheme and we took on two resident artists for the year. Both resident artists have benefited hugely from interaction and collaboration with the current BAS community, and the free studio space and the opportunity to exhibit in the Roper Gallery following their residency.
T he charity’s main showcase event is the annual Open Studios and the 2023 edition was a great success. Public attendance across the three day event was up significantly over the previous year and the weekend gave the public an insight in to the day-to-day work and diverse practices of the charity’s community of over fifty artists.
The charity continues to offer studio accommodation for hire to local arts practitioners at affordable prices, including painters, printmakers, ceramicists, sculptors, textile artists and digital artists.
Financial Review
The results for the period are shown on page[4] of the financial statements.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three- and six- month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding , the trustees will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a company limited by guarantee registered on 21 January 1998.The charity changed its name from Widcombe Studios Ltd to Bath Artists’ Studios Limited on 11 May 2009.
The trustees, who are also the directors of the company for the purpose of company law,and who served during the year were as follows:
Felicity Bowers Ian Harris Krishnaa Shyam Sundar Zoe Woolley Samantha Hickman Ali Bailey
The trustees are elected by members at the Annual General Meeting or by the board of trustees to fill a casual vacancy. Trustees appointed by the board are required to be re-elected at the next AGM.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in thec ompany.
The charity was managed on a day-to-day basis during the year by an Operations Team comprising a Operations Manager and Finance Officer.
There were no related parties’ transactions during the year.
The trustees’ report was approved by the Board of Trustees
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