2025-06-30-accounts - Millgate Arts Centre Limited

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS REPORT

EARTO THE BOARD OFUE DIRECTORSDIRECTORS OFOF MILLGATEMILLGATE ARTS CENTREARTS CENTRE LIMITEDLIMITED —ON THESAE UNAUDITED FINANCIALPINANCIAL STATEMENTSSTATEMENTS FORFOR THE YEARTHE YEAR ENDEDENDED 30%30 JUNEJUNE 20252025

It is the responsibility of the directors to ensure that Millgate Arts Centre Limited has kept adequate accounting records, and to prepare statutory accounts that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of Millgate Arts Centre Limited. You consider that Millgate Arts Centre Limited is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year. ;

It is our responsibility to examine the accounts and to state whether any matters have come to our attention.

An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the company and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in ; the accounts, and seeking explanations from the directors concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ;

In connection with our examination, no material matters have come to our attention which gives us cause to believe that in any material respect:

° adequate accounting records were not kept e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records e the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

We have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

This report is made solely to the board of directors. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept Or assume responsibility to anyone other than the board of directors for our work or for this report.

OGDEN & PARTINGTON Chartered Certified Accountants

Office 3, Falcon Business Centre, Victoria Street, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 OHB.

27" October 2025

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MILLGATE ARTS CENTRE LIMITED

(Company Number 06126132 and Charity Number 1119394)

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30 th 2025

The Directors present their Annual Report and financial statements for the year ended June 30[th] 2025.

Reference and administrative details

The company is a company limited by guarantee and as such has no share capital. The company was incorporated on the 23[rd] February 2007 and the charity was first registered on the 24[th] May 2007. The liability of the members of the company, which is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, is limited to £10 per member in the event of the company being wound up while they are a member. Trustees/Directors represent the various groups who make up the work of Millgate Arts centre.

Directors - June 2025

We have 12 directors in total and currently have 3 vacancies moving forward.

Adrian Barass	Saddleworth Film Society
Sandy Hawkins OBE
Roger Hinchliffe	Saddleworth Concerts Society
Duncan Jackson
Mirriam Lawton
Andrew Mann (Chair of MAC directors)
Verity Mann
Luke Settle
Ian Shepherd
David Plowright
Phillida Shipp	Delph Community Association
John Tanner

Anne Wright MBE (Ex officio) President

Officers

Chair of MAC Directors Andrew Mann Company Secretary: Sandy Hawkins Company Treasurer: Duncan Jackson

Members

The register of Members maintained by the Membership List Coordinator, which includes
the Directors as listed above,
Life Members as listed below and
representatives from some or all of - the Delph Community Association; Saddleworth Concerts Society; Saddleworth Civic Trust, Saddleworth Film Society and the Saddleworth Parish Council

Life Members –

Elizabeth Hardie; Margaret Hill; June Holmes; Tricia Kenworthy; Ian Perks; Patricia Redshaw; Edwina Rigby; Andrew Rigby: Ian Shepherd; David Shipp; Jill Smith; John Shore; John Tanner; Anne Wright, John Hankin, David Plowright and Pauline Walsh

Company Number 06126132 Charity Number 1119394 Principal and The Millgate Arts Centre Registered Office Stoneswood Road Address Delph Oldham OL3 5DY Bankers Santander Bank Bridle Road Bootle Merseyside L30 4GB Independent Examiner Phil Mushing, Ogden and Partington, Falcon Enterprise Centre, Victoria Street, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 0HB

Principal objectives and policies

The key objectives of the charity are:-

to advance public education in the Arts and to present plays of high quality and in a variety of periods and styles.
to manage the Millgate Arts Centre, Delph as a cultural and social amenity for Saddleworth.
to promote an interest in drama by any appropriate means.

To further these objectives, the Charity

fosters the use of the Millgate Arts Centre as a cultural, social and educational amenity for all people in Saddleworth and as a community centre for all people in Delph and in Saddleworth in general.
protects and preserves the Millgate Arts Centre as a building of architectural and historic importance.
fosters and preserves the name of “Saddleworth Players” in the presentation of plays. The charity acquired the assets, but subject to the liabilities, of the charity known as Saddleworth Players. The new company has the same charitable objectives as Saddleworth Players and the name “Saddleworth Players” has been preserved for play productions.

Background

The Millgate Arts Centre building is a prominent feature in the village of Delph. It houses a theatre, a bar, a bar lounge and a library. Part of the building was let by Oldham MBC to the former Saddleworth Players for use as a theatre. In 2005 when it became known that the library was to be closed, interested parties came together to form the “Millgate Centre Steering Group”,

to consider the future of the whole building. As a result of this initiative and following detailed negotiations, all parties agreed that to secure the future of the building for the community of Delph, the only way forward was to establish a new charity and company known as the Millgate Arts Centre.

Oldham MBC, who currently owns the freehold of the building, granted a 30-year full repairing lease of the whole building, including the library, to the new company/charity at a peppercorn rent (this lease now expires in 2039). Under the auspices of the Millgate Arts Centre the Delph library is now separately managed and staffed by volunteers from the Delph Community Association.

Structure, Governance and Management

Directors of the Company

The Company currently has 12 directors (with 3 vacancies) who were appointed because of their wide range of considerable skills and experience in managing large scale organisations and delivering projects/ initiatives on time and on budget. They consist of people with experience in such areas as senior management, project coordination, arts and theatre management, architecture, engineering, building maintenance, IT, finance, law, administration, human resources, marketing and community consultation. There are representatives from Saddleworth Players, the Film society and the Concert society and local government.

The directors are responsible for managing the business of the company and charity and making policy and main funding decisions, with the day-to-day management of the Centre being carried out by a Management Committee .

The powers and functions relating to the charity’s object of presenting plays and promoting drama is delegated to a Saddleworth Players Operations Team .

We also currently have a Buildings Strategy Group that meet to discuss the repairs that are needed to various parts of the structure. They need to find contractors, get estimates and plan repair dates.

Directors are kept fully informed of issues by reports from the committees and through directors who serve on these groups. The Management Committee meets every month to deal with the day-to-day affairs of the society and the Millgate Arts Centre building, and deals with issues such as finance, building maintenance, advertising, membership, lettings, health and safety etc. Our sincere appreciation is extended to the Committees /Groups for their advice and support throughout the year.

Members of the Charity

Members include the people of the memorandum who were the first members of the charity, together with all persons who were members of Saddleworth Players at the date of incorporation and anyone on the list of Members/Subscribers at the time the AGM is called. New members are vetted and approved by the Management Committee on behalf of the directors. Furthermore, under the Articles the following local organisations are members of the charity – Delph Community Association, Saddleworth Concerts Society, Saddleworth Civic Trust, Saddleworth Film Society and Saddleworth Parish Council. There are currently 484 members of the charity. Oldham MBC also appoints an Officer to be a named contact, currently Councillor Kevin Dawson, to ensure that consultation and liaison is maintained as the Arts Centre develops.

Staffing and Volunteers

We have currently one employee who works part-time as bar coordinator. A cleaning company is also brought in to ensure that the building is clean and Covid safe.

The organisation and management of the company/charity and all the activities of the Centre are undertaken by a large team of volunteers. The directors are very grateful for the efforts and support of these volunteers which ensures that the full facilities of the Centre are made available to the local community.

Achievement and Performance

Business review

The directors are responsible for ensuring that an effective risk assessment policy is in operation. Action is being taken to identify all potential risks and a formal policy and risk register has been produced and this is updated and reviewed every six months by both the Management Committee and directors.
Financial controls and systems are regularly reviewed by the Treasurer and board of directors together with an annual budget and strategic plan. Ongoing reviews by the directors ensure that financial performance is in line with the approved budget.
Insurances are regularly updated to ensure that risks are sufficiently covered. Public appeals are ongoing and other fundraising initiatives increase the level of funds needed for building projects and ongoing maintenance /running costs.
MAC is a member of the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO).
The centre provides a barrier free environment, including a ramp access to the theatre.
We continue to raise monies for the ongoing development of the Centre.
The Management Committee and Production Committee continue to operate effectively and deliver in their areas of responsibility. A newsletter is circulated to Members on a regular basis. Friends of Millgate Arts Centre are kept informed by letter or email as required of developments and progress.

Responsibilities 2024-2025

Role	Leader	Support
Finance	Duncan Jackson	(leaving us in July2025)
Company secretary, Safeguarding coordinator, Subscriptions secretary	Sandy Hawkins
Buildings Manager	Ian Shepherd
Publicity manager, Membership Coordinator, Data protection	Andrew Mann	Sam Al Hamdani, David Ebden, Richard Wallis, Martin & Val Kavanagh
Saddleworth Players Operations team	Andrew Mann	Secretary: Alayne Whitworth Play Selection: Verity Mann, Carol Davies, Mark Rosenthal, Pauline Walsh, Props: Siobhan Ebden Technical: David Plowright Stage/Set: Chris Bannatyne Costumes: Verity Mann Stage Manager : Sue Borg
Newsletter Coordinator	Verity Mann

Bar manager	Luke Settle	Elizabeth Southall
Technical Coordinator	David Plowright
Stage/Set Coordinator	Chris Bannatyne
Front of House Manager	Vacant
Library Coordinator	Caitlin Barrass
Venue Hire	Sharon Bannatyne (leaving us in July2025)	Mike Clegg
Sponsorship Manager	Vacant
Charities coordinator	Miriam Lawton (leaving us in July2025)	Mike Clegg
Play Reading group	Maurice Reid

Officer’s Reports 2024- 2025

Reports have been received from officers/volunteers, and the directors are pleased to present them as follows, to give a flavour of our work.

Chairman of Directors 2025 Andrew Mann

I’m delighted to be chair of Directors for a two-year period in 24/25 and 25/26 season, as we go through a significant period of change with some amazing volunteers involved in our community theatre.

We have a very clear purpose: to advance public education in the Arts and to present plays of high quality and in a variety of periods and styles, to manage the Millgate Arts Centre as a cultural and social amenity for Saddleworth and to promote an interest in drama by any appropriate means. This purpose is used as a guiding rod in how we steer ourselves.

The best measurement of success against our purpose is the number and quality of shows and the number of audience members ( which is a good indication of quality) .

By all measurements we have grown both of these measures:

141 shows in 2024/25 season vs 100 in 2019
The 5 shows of Saddleworth Players regularly selling out
51 vs 27 Panto shows rolling into the new year, with 90%+ audience attendance
Film Society attendances up
National Theatre Live Films sell out shows, with 4 already added for 25/26
Concerts Society in their 50[th] year and attracting more attendees and added 5th show remembering Roger Tanner in January

Extra venue hire shows (Simon & Garfunkel / Stax of Soul / Saddleworth Musical Society/ ActOne Panto / In my Shoes who are all coming back this season )
Fundraising shows like The Audience / murder mystery / poetry nights ‘Words in the Heather’

But we also need to focus on the areas that will enable us to deliver our purpose, and these are really under strain:

Maintaining and Developing our Community Theatre Building
Developing and Supporting our Community Theatre Volunteers

1a. Maintaining & Developing our Community Theatre Building

Adrian Barrass has separately given an update on the repair and refurbishment to the stage area in summer 2025 and we have additional plans to develop the bar into a studio theatre and continually maintain our Victorian building.

I’d like to thank the team that’s worked over the summer break ( May to September) to take apart, repair, rebuild then put back together our community theatre: There are really too many to mention them all but particularly a thank you to Bob and the team at Killan’s Builders, Adam at Edge, and our volunteers led by Adrian Barrass: Raad Al-Hamdani Chris Bannatyne, Frank Brown, Peter Dignan, John Lees, Andrew Mann, David Plowright, Patrick Warrington, Mark Acton, Richard Wallis.

1b. FUND RAISING : Commercial Surplus & Building the Future Appeal

We’re funding all this development work through self-generating a commercial surplus through shows ( more panto shows, added NT Live, more venue hire) but also through our centenary appeal ‘Building the Future’

We have ambitious plans to raise £100,000 over the next three years to continue to develop the Millgate Arts Centre as a community theatre.
Our fundraising campaign is called Building the Future, raising funds through to the centenary celebration of Saddleworth Players in 2027. We have a small team focusing on grant applications ( Peter Barham , David Plowright, Andrew Mann). But we need your help us to continue to be the home of community theatre in Saddleworth. Together we will celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2027, as Saddleworth Players was formed in 1927.
With your help, in the Summer of 2025, we repaired and refurbished and modernised the main auditorium stage, which will benefit performers and provide a better experience for our audiences.
Future plans will focus on improving different parts of the Millgate Art Centre building and also further developing our youth group (SPY Theatre) ensuring the younger generation develop theatre skills on and off stage which will secure the future of live theatre.
5 ways to help us to continue to run our community theatre
by making a one off or regular donation,
becoming a Friend of the Millgate – it’s easy to set up an annual donation of £50 or spread it monthly or quarterly.

give a seat your name- Give a seat your name £150 donation ( or £50 a year for 3 years).
Fundraise f or Millgate Arts Centre by seeking sponsors when you take part in races and events, like Saddleworth Santa Dash on 7th December.
simply come and see the shows , have a drink in the bar, buy an ice cream

2. Volunteer Capability

The additional shows have stretched our volunteer capability, and we all needed a good break over the summer. We learnt lots of lessons in the last few years:

We are a community theatre and (mostly) run by volunteers.
We need to work as a team and support each other.
We need to be clear about the specifics and requirements involved in all the roles.
We need to develop and publish a code of conduct / ‘contract’ for volunteers and lead this behaviour as a Management team ( & Directors).
We need to ensure that no roles become ‘too big to fail’ nor have only one person doing it.
The management team (individually and collectively) support volunteers (and ourselves as volunteers), identify when circumstances change (personal, social, work etc.) and when people are struggling. The management team do not ignore these signs but develop a plan to fix it.
We need to make it easier to volunteer- know what you are doing ( have skills and time ) and enjoy doing it.

Following from this we have launched a code of conduct, making it easier to volunteer, getting clear on clarity of roles / descriptions and launching more training days ( Monday of SP show) .

If you are interested in becoming part of the team that delivers on our purpose please contact me on saddleworthplayers@millgateartscentre.co.uk or boxoffice@millgateartscentre.co.uk

Finally, some news of our Treasurer:

I’d like to say a thank you to Duncan Jackson our treasurer for the last six years who has worked tirelessly in the background , guiding us with some sound financial planning, steering us through the fundraising, and managing the money through the big financial investment of repairing the theatre stage. He has been a rock to us all, quietly in the background and he will be missed as he heads off travelling in retirement.

Thank you, Duncan.

So 2024/25 was a great season and we are all looking forward to 2025/26 and our centenary season 2027/28

Financial review 2024-25 Duncan Jackson Treasurer

The 2024/25 season was record-breaking year with a trading income of £154,662. This included subscriptions of £10,599, income from Saddleworth Players £32,055, the Pantomime £18,290, the Box Office £12,432 and the Bar £52,347. There was additional income from the National

Theatre Live screenings of £5,219. This was another fantastic performance and demonstrates that Millgate Arts Centres continues to thrive despite the challenging economic climate.

Total operating costs for the year were £129,852. This included gas, electricity, and water costs of £11,720, bar expenses of £33,433 (made up of bar supplies and wages), plus the annual insurance renewal of £4,221, (over £2,500 saving was made on insurance as we changed our insurance brokers). Other significant overheads included cleaning (£7,804) and marketing (£9,510).

There was expenditure of £39,181 on the on the structural repairs which started in June and completed in August. A further instalment of £48,000 was paid in August 2025, and the estimated amount remaining is £43,000. OMBC refunded the cost of the asbestos removal (£7,150) in September 2024.

The surplus from operating activities in 2024/25 was £8,130. At the end of June 2025, there was £154,653 in the Millgate bank accounts. After all the expenses for the structural repairs and the insulation/heating work have been made the bank account balance will be reduced to around £40,000.

The Annual Reports and Balance Sheet for the financial year ended 30[th] June 2025 and an audit exemption statement have been prepared and are attached to this Report as Appendix A.

As most of you know, I have stepped down as Treasurer of Millgate after 6 years. I recently stopped working and this means I will not be around as much to deal with the today-to-today activities. My replacement, Diane Clarkson-Wright, is a qualified Accountant with lots of experience working with small businesses, so will be great addition to the team. I wish Millgate all the best and hope to see it continue to go from strength to strength.

Saddleworth Players report 2025 – Andrew Mann

We’ve just had a really successful season with five Saddleworth Players plays that audiences loved. I’d like to thank everyone involved in each of those shows for the time and effort they put into them (over 100 Saddleworth Players). It’s a lot of fun… but still thank you.

Clue directed by Mark Rosenthall-
Haunting Julia directed by Pauline Walsh
The Children directed by Carol Davies
The Rise & Fall of Little Voice directed by Phil McCarthy
Bleak Expectations directed by Verity Mann
Lizzy Darcy & Jane by Joanna Norland directed by Verity Mann.

Working more effectively

We’ve also continued to develop the way we work to develop the capability to deliver even better shows setting up SPOT our Saddleworth Players Operations Team

We have a play selection team and are looking to be more inclusive for
selection of 2026/27 season.

We have leads for all the technical teams (stage, sound & lighting, costumes,
props, stage manager, publicity etc)
We continue to audition shows to encourage and develop new talent- we have
had lots of new people on the stage in 24/25 season and even more in
2025/26 season already cast
We have written and updated job descriptions for all the roles.
Training sessions on Monday of show week for stage manager, props and we
are developing sound & lighting training. We are also leading on Front of
House and Bar training
Investing in the right equipment- we have won two major grants from The
Theatre’s Trust and The Roger Tanner Trust that has enabled up to buy 18
new LED lights including movers / X Y

Get Involved on stage or behind stage- it’s fun

If you’d like to get involved more actively in Saddleworth Players shows

Please contact saddleworthplayers@millgateartscentre.co.uk
Ensure your membership details are up to date.
Ask for a SPOT member in the bar.
Come along to an audition or training session when advertised
Training sessions for 2025/26 season are
Monday September 29th
Monday November 17th
Monday February 9th
Monday April 20th
Monday June15th

A great season is planned for 2025/26

We have a balanced season of farce, thriller, drams, tense comedy and another farce.

Waiting for God, directed by Verity Mann
Nell Gwynn directed by Carol Davies
Once Upon a Time in Wigan directed by Mark Rosenthall
Wait until Dark directed by Jane Tonge
Blue Stockings directed by Sue Borg

We have also had a successful season with Saddleworth Players Youth Theatre (SPY) who meet every Monday during term time,

Buildings report - Adrian Barass

This summer Millgate Arts Centre is making a significant investment in the building to make long term repairs to a building that started off as a cooperative warehouse and shop and has since the 1970s been entertaining the Saddleworth Community.

In 2022 as MAC prepared for their annual panto, they recognised that the backstage of the theatre had suffered significant structural deterioration over many years. Water ingress which was hidden behind decoration had worked its way into all the floor beams and deteriorated them to a point where they would need replacement. The water had also begun to damage main structural steelwork which held up the walls to the theatre and library It was originally feared whole sections of steel would need to be replaced.

Since then, the Millgate team have worked with structural engineers and specialist construction teams to understand the true depth of repair that was required and to build a fund with contribution from all the Millgate events to allow this major project to be delivered this summer.

Over a year of planning including re-scheduled events has given the building team a long period of time this summer, to complete everything planned before we start to bring the theatre back to life in late August in advance of our first performances in September.

A project team was formed, and a quality plan signed off by the management team and Directors, where the objective, scope and timing of the project was agreed. The team then worked with designers, engineers and suppliers to detail the scope and agree costs for the work to be done.

A key meeting in March 2025 confirmed the budget required and the risks that had to be managed. Following final work on the scope and a refinement of costs the Directors were able to sign off the delivery of an agreed scope in May 2025.

In June we have installed more timbers in the ceiling which will tie the roof and walls together more firmly, all this could be done without impacting Delph's Whit Friday activities.

Since Whit Friday the whole of the stage area has been removed, original steel beams have been repaired and painted, and new steelwork is installed.

In late July the most impactful part of the project begins as we had to put temporary traffic lights on The Sound to make the vital repairs to the corroded steel structure we originally feared had to be replaced.

Over a 2-week period from Monday 14th July we shall expose the steel, make repairs, clean and paint it before covering it over hopefully for another 100 + years before we need to look again!

A consequence of the project was that the library had to move temporarily. St. Thomas’s church hall was found as a suitable but small alternative, and the library team -OMBC and volunteers managed a seamless move to St. Thomas’s ahead of the construction work. They will move back in August.

The theatre finally comes back together over early August as we install new electrical circuits and for the first time, radiators and insulation in the backstage area to keep our performers warm in the winter.

It’s been a massive contribution from the whole of the Millgate Community just to get our major project in place, and we are very grateful to the Delph Community for the understanding as we make vital improvements for our theatre for the future.

We will hold a grand reopening of the whole building on Saturday September 13[th ] 2025 10am-1pm so people can see the works, book a ticket, or collect new season leaflets, as well as visit the library.

Membership – Andrew Mann

We’d like to say a big thank you to Sharon Bannatyne who has been the venue hire coordinator for the last two years. She’s stepping down but not away.

We need you to get involved. We need members to be actively engaged in the running of all elements of Millgate Arts

Centre, either on stage, backstage or in the bar or front of house. What skills do you have?

We have several roles that we’ll be advertising as part of the management team, (Front of House Coordinator and Venue Hire Coordinator) and we always welcome volunteers to support the running of the theatre. Please ask at the box office or bar to offer your support on saddleworthplayers@millgateartscentre.co.uk

Keeping in contact

We have maintained an update through SPNews regularly on email as PDF, or as paper copy to those members without email access. Please give us feedback on what you think. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram and join Saddleworth Players at Millgate Arts Centre group on Facebook.

We have made good use of our membership database to keep members connected: please let us know if you have moved or changed contact details. If we don’t know we can’t keep in touch.

New members have joined over the last year, using the online sign-up link on the website, as well as coming along to see shows and asking to sign up in the bar or box office. Unfortunately, we’ve also lost members passing away or with ill health, or just not returning to active participation at Millgate

to active participation at Millgate
Membershipon database	Sept 2025
Regular members	477
SPY members	7
TOTAL MEMBERS	484

Friends	43
Friends of Auditorium	105
ActngActve	140
Sound &LightngActve	15
Costume team	11
PublicityTeam	21
PlayReviewers	4
Bar actve	56
FOH actve	63

Publicity - Andrew Mann

Publicity ran for the 24-25 season and is set up for the25/26 season across Saddleworth Players, Saddleworth Concerts Society, Saddleworth Film Society ( & NT Live) SPY, The Panto and external venue hire events. 140 shows in total !

We use external posters, internal posters and leaflets, as well as email and social media. We have built a strong relationship with Saddleworth Independent, Saddleworth Monthly, Oldham Chronicle and Oldham Times.

We are also building the history of shows on the website and there is a team meeting on a Wednesday morning going through the archives led by Carol Davies. If you have old programmes or photos please send details to

saddleworthplayers@millgateartscentre.co.uk

Big thanks you to everyone involved: Sam Al-Handani, Caitlin Barrass David Ebden,

Stuart Coleman Alan Gorst, Val & Martin Kavanagh, Andrew Mann, Michael Powis, Richard Wallis, Adrian Barrass, Gemma and the team at Saddleworth Independent, Mary Booth at Saddleworth Monthly. Also, a thank you to our team of play reviewers: Helen Rigby, John Rigby, Martin Roche. If you are interested in becoming part of the reviewing team ( free tickets to performances) please let me know on saddleworthplayers@millgateartscentre.co.uk

Saddleworth Film Society – Adrian Barass

Saddleworth Film Society had a successful season with a mixture of films which provided interest, entertainment, and curiosity but perhaps not in equal measure!

Special thanks to all our new and long-serving committee members. Without the support from everyone who helps, these events would not happen.

With the mixture of existing subscribers and regular one-off sales, our income covered our costs and we were able to replenish our cash reserves slightly. This will allow us to build funds for future investment in new technology.

The film season was chosen like previous seasons to show ‘new’ films that provide challenge, interest and interval conversation. Our 2024/ 2025 season had films presented in 8 foreign languages (including 2 in Icelandic) and only 1 in English. The availability of films through streaming services means that we work hard to find films that are not free to air through the main streaming services, they may be available to buy or indeed may not be available at all. Our intention was to screen films which provide entertainment but also challenge. We recognize that we are not trying to attract people to watch ‘blockbusters’, but at the same time we need to make the films attractive enough to maintain our subscriber base and ticket sales.

This season Film Society and in particular the projection team have played a key part in the introduction of NT live into the MAC calendar. These have proven very popular, and they have contributed funds into the central MAC account. For each event Film Soc receive a £50 payment from the ticket sales which will be used when required to replace projection technology.

Our ticket prices were unchanged from last year and early indications suggest our subscriber numbers will stay similar to previous years. Our first film of the 2025 / 2026 season, My Favourite Cake is on Monday 15[th] September starting at 7.30pm.

Delph Library - Caitlin Barass

Delph library- downstairs at the Millgate Arts centre, is a great place- warm, welcoming and open for 15 hours every week. With the support of the Delph Community Association (who pay the ever-rising electricity bill) and OMBC (allowing all the library services such as books to be ordered, two computers etc.) the library is a welcoming space and the only part of Millgate open during the day-

Tues- Thursday 2-5, Fri and Sat mornings 10-1, all year round! Plenty of books are borrowed and our computers and printing services are well used. Ever popular is community Scrabble!!

As well as a reading group, meetings, knitting group and Bounce and Rhyme baby sessions weekly as well as children’s crafts seasonally, the space is now sometimes used by SPY the youth theatre group when the film society or another event is on in the theatre.

The move to the room at St Thomas’s Church, to allow for the vital Millgate building works went smoothly. We kept the Millgate presence in the village particularly important to the youngest and oldest generations.

All visitors to the library are recorded including special enquiries or group attendances. We maintain good number of visitors across the week with an average weekly attendance of around 60 people.

Safeguarding – Sandy Hawkins

Our youth group SPY is thriving for young actors aged 11-21. All safeguarding along with Health and Safety procedures are in place. All members who are responsible for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to enhanced Criminal Record Bureau disclosures. Saddleworth Players and the MAC review the comprehensive child protection policy on a regular basis. Copies of the policy are available on request.

Bar report - Elizabeth Southall

The bar made a healthy profit this year and continues to play a key role in Millgate arts centre. There were changes this year as Luke Settle stepped back from being involved in the day-to-day running of the bar and handed this over to Elizabeth, who has a paid position as bar lead. We'd like to thank Luke for all his hard work over the years and for the systems he has introduced which has provided the basis of the bar organisation. We have two other paid staff to assist Elizabeth – Bernadette and Lydia.

The bar has relied heavily on a small band of volunteers who work alongside Elizabeth. We'd like to thank them for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

Play reading group - Maurice Reid

We have had another good year , reading 10 plays as usual and as ever, plays of great variety. I must record my thanks to the Inter Library Lending Service in Oldham and especially to Helen Weddell there who is always most helpful.

St Thomas' church in Delph has provided us with a home when we have not been able to use the Millgate. When we have struggled to source plays , Verity Mann and Carol Davies have sprung to our rescue, allowing us to access the library of plays which they have collected over the years.

Early in the year there was a slight crisis when our main suppliers , Wiltshire Library of Performing Arts, closed down their service. We were able to turn this to our advantage however when we discovered a rich source of play- sets in Lancashire Library and another potential source at Shropshire Library which should keep us going for some years ahead.

We start off next 'year' with 'Cold Comfort Farm' and 'Hobson's Choice' and look forward to a full programme at the Millgate, with thanks to Andrew Mann who has fitted us into your busy schedule. As usual we were able to make a small contribution to The Society's funds at the end of the year.

Directors Appreciation

We are extremely grateful for the commitment given and shown by individuals and organisations involved with the Millgate Arts Centre and for the initiatives and support that is given in so many ways. We could not survive without this enthusiasm and commitment

Policy regarding financial risks and reserves

Box office revenue, bar income and extra income received from events and lettings covers all annual outgoings and provides a surplus which can be utilised by the Arts Centre to further enhance and develop activities. The directors continue to explore other avenues of funding to carry out further refurbishment works and enhance activities even more for the benefit of the community. It is also vital to ensure that adequate funding is obtained to ensure that the library can continue to operate. The directors have a policy on both financial risks and reserves.

Statement of Board of Directors’ responsibilities for the financial statements

Company law requires the board of directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of money matters of the charitable company, and of the excess of income over expenditure of the charitable company for that period.
In preparing those financial statements the board of directors are required to:
a)select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently. b)make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
c)state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any
material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

d)prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

They have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the charitable company and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
The board of directors is responsible for keeping proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985 and Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

Approval

This report was approved by the Directors on the 29[th] of October 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Andrew Mann Chair and Director

Sandy Hawkins Company Secretary

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