Charity Reg No: 1124839 POLLYANNA TRAINING THEATRE Report of thc Trustees and Unaiidited Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 POLLYAIYNA TRAI.YING THEATRE Contents of the financial statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 Page Report of the Trustees Independent Examiner's Report Income and Expenditurc Accoiiiits Balance Sheet Annual Report POLLYANNA TRAINING THEATRE ort of the Trustees For tlie Year Ended 31 Marcli 2025 The trustecs present tlieir report witli tlic fiiiaiicial statcineiits of thc cliarity for the yccir cndcd 31 Mclrch 2025. The Irusiees Iiave adopied Ilie provisioiis of Ilic Sialement of Reconiniciidcd Pracllcc (SORP) 'Accounling and Reporting by Cliarities, issued iii mai.cli 2005. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTIL4TIVE DETAILS Registered Charity Number 1124839 Principal address Raiiie14ouse Raiiie St Loiidoii EIW3RL Telephone nuniber 07949 792570 Trustees Ms Joann Condon Ms Amanda Day Ms Kaye Colman Ms Jody Dempsey Ms Aoife Tiglie Independent Examiner Earl & Grey Accountants Suite 14/2G Docklands Business Centre 10-16 Tiller Road London E14 8PX STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE A.ND MANACEMI4 NT Governing document The chai'ity is controlled by its governing documeiit, a deed of trLlSt, and constitutes an unincoiyorated charity. Risk management The trustees have a duty to identify and I"eview the risks to wliich the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reason bl assiirance against fi'aud and error. Approved by order of tlie boai"d of trustees 011.. .aiid signed on its behalf by: Trustee Iiiili'llK'llilc'l)I l.'Illlllllli'i' ,% IIc'i)i)I'l li) Ili( 1'1114lc'(',4 11r i)()I lyniiiiii 'l'rniiiiiill '1 IIL'nirL l N'i)()rf ()11 Illl. ,Ii(()Iiiil.% r()r Ilic, I:I'iir c'ii(IL'II I l KliirLlI 2()2.$ .4L'I (1111111 p,IML•4 Ilircc In qL•VCn. lTh(' ( Ii,ii"jll 8 liii%lc'L'N Iiii, Il'8lliiii%jl)l(' l(Ii' Ili(, i)I'c'i)Iii'nl l()11 ()r IliLI nLL(Iiiiilq, '[ hc clinrily. .q (riJ8leC41 CC)n4idcr 111.111111 ,111(ljl IN Ili)I Ii'ciiiiiixl li)I' illi4 1'L'llI' (1111(l(;r 4L'LII(111 144(2) 1)r IliL' C.'Iinrilicq hcl 2011 (Ilic 2n I l Acl)) .Illil Ili,11 ft jll1l(Péi)I'ii(l('Ill c'lllllllll,I1ii)11 1.4 fL'(111 ifL'(I. l-N,Iiiiiiic Ilic 1liLc)IllItS 111)clcr sccli()11 14.$ of Illc 201 l Acl I"i) t"i)Ili)Ii' Ilie i)n)cLxlurL.Si Iiiid (loii'ii iii Ilic Ciciicrnl l)ircLIi()119 biivcn by thc Charity Commiii%inn (undcr Scciioii 14.S(S)(b) of Ilic 201 l Acl)9 Iliid To %l,Ilc Ii'lietlicr particulilr i)iaiicr*i Iini:c coiiic (o Iiiy oltciilion. Basis of Ihe indc cndciit Clliniliicr's rc nrl Nl), cianiiiiaiioii li'a% carricd oui in aLLordoncc Ivitl) Ilic Cjcncral Dircciion.s giiven by Ihc Charily Coninii%sion. Iln exaiiiinaiioii include.s a rcviciv of Ilic accouiiting records kcp( by Ilie charily and a conipan%on of Ihe accounts prcscnicd Ii'iih Ilio.liL rccords. li also includc.li con.sideration of any unu.sual iienis or disclosure iii i)Ic accoiinls, ,Ind sceking cxplanation.tsi from you ali truslccs conccrning any such matlLf%. The procedure8 undcrtakcn do Iiol provide all Ilic cvidencc Ilial V•'ould bc required in an audil. and con.sequcntl)I no opinion is gii'cn as 10 Ivlictlier Ilic accouiits prescnl a ' Iruc and fair vicw. and the rcport Is limited 10 Ihose niaiiers sct oui in tlic staicnient.s beloiv. Inde endent Fxamincrs, .Stntenient In connection Ivith my examinaiion no matler has come to my attention: ( i ) Iirhich giipes me reasonable cause to believe Iliat in any maierial respect the requirements to kcep accouniing record¢1 in accordance Ii'iili section 130 of Ihe ?0 I l Act: and to prepare accounls 11,hicli accord Iviil) the accounting record.s and to comply Ivith the accouniino requircmenis of the 201 l Acl have noi been met" or (2) 10 which in our opinion atieniion should bc draivn in order to enable a propcr underbtandin¥? of the accounls 10 be reached. inS011 In my opinion Ihe finaiicial siaienient as prep¢1rcd &yive a true and fair I'ieiip of tlie chariiN' % %talc of atl"airN al 3151 March 2023 and Ilial Il)c iiiconiingi rc4inurLes clnd Ilicir appliclltioii iii tIIc )'L6ir Ihcii (lidl￿ hal'e b¢L'n propcrly prepared 11 'ILLordaiicc willi blCllLral dirLLlioii gijN'Lii by IliL CliiiriliL%i Coiiiiiii.%.sl()Iier Razaul Kabir AccMifA/MIPA Earl & Grey Accouiitanis Suiie 1412G Docklands Business Ceiitre 10-16 Tiller Road IA)ndon [14 8PX POLLYANNA TRAINING THEATRE Income and Expense FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 3 1ST MARCH 2025 INCOME unrestricted restricted £98,326.0 £4,400.00 £102,726.0 EXPENSES EQUIPMENTS TRAVEL £16,325.2 £4,390.00 £65,770.4 WAGES RENT refund R&M TELEPHONE INSURANCE ADVERTISING ACCOUNTANCY TRAINING Legal £273.82 £20.00 £2,883.00 £4,509.66 £2,827.45 £314.00 £1,275.00 £90.00 £1,014.00 £99,672.67 Surplus £3,053.34 POLLYANNA TRAINING THEATRE BALANCE SHEET FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025 31_Mar-25 Fixed Assets Tangible Fixed Assets curi.eiit Assets Debtoi's Cash at bank aiid iii hand -3,053 25,532 22,479 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets/(liabilities) 22,479 Net Assets 22,479 Funds Represented by: Excess of Income over Expeiiditure/(Surplus) for mai.ch 2025 Balance B/fwd 22,479 22,479 Total funds C/fivd Chairperson Treclslll'e Appi"oved on: nn Ir.11ning Ilie.Iiro Annual Report March 2025 Annual Re ort A ril 2024 to March 2025 Pi"inci al's Messa Classes and course are running at full capacity, we have places available with no charge for families who are in receipt of Universal Credit, this means we are operating in a 'needs aware, basis. We offer free courses in drama and musical theatre for young people aged 12- 16 years. Our core funding arises from fees for our courses, however these are much lower than other organisations and ai"e in place to cover our tutor costs and premises rental and biiilding expenses. We are also findiiig there is a huge rise in childreii being hoine schooled throughout all key stages. Post pandeiiiic young people are suffei.ing fi.om anxiety and mental health issues, many children are incredibly anxious about school, feeling nervous, ovenvhelmed and unsettled resultiiig in poor attendance. Through our sessions we are focusing on confidence, self-esteem and emotional wellbeing through extensive improvisation work such as role play of different scenarios and how our decision making process can affect them, equipping our beiieficiaries with tools to help thein overcoine day to day life and challenges. The locality that we operate from is incredibly diverse in every way especially socio- economically, with over 60 % of our beneficiaries from low income disadvantaged backgrounds, living in multigenerational overcrowded homes, struggling to make ends meet our aim is and always has been that this should not be a barrier to accessing extraclirricular education. We have received notification the building we Iiave used to store all our costumes and props is being renovated and we are required to vacate pennanently, we are at present in communication with an organisation that offers free space to charities, we are fully registered with them and they are currently searching for a suitable venue for us. The likelihood is, this will be in a further part of London, as storage space is very costly, we are so happy to have been accepted by this organisation. Summa and ose of Charit Pollyanna teaclies children from the ages of 3-18, in a range of classes run by industry pi.ofessioiials. They believe that theatrical training is not only to develop a new generation of actors, singers aiid dancers, but also to; develop confidence & social skills, encourage children to feel a sense of achieveinent & Iiiost crucially, to have fun! Pollyanna is unique, we are not part of a franchise, there has only ever has been one Pollyanna. This means we are able to tailor each class to the individual needs and the dyiiainic of the cliildL"en atteiidiiig rather thali followiiig a tem plan that may not suit. At Pollyanna one of the biggest things we fostei. is Confidence - It's no scci.et that children and young people are iinpressionable. They learn what they observe and what they are taught. As they grow up, they form opiiiioiis and beliefs about themselves and their place in the woi"Id. This is why it's so important to create a positive self-iinage for them fi'om an early age. Children who have confjdence and self-esteem develop a strong foundation for their future. They are more resilieiit and Iiappier, which Inakes them better able to handle difficult situations. Performance arts can help children explore their ci"eativity and develop new skills for life. Summa of activities Highlights of this past year Twenty full scale perfomiances with children aged 4-1 l years each playing to audiences of over l 00 people. Our Teenage groups (age I1-16years) have taken part in various workshops with specialist visiting tutors and staged 6 full scale perforniances. Our Summer courses for 5-1 l years were themed around 'AII Around the World, and 'Secret Spies, _ each week the children devised and created their own piece of theatre, we then shared oui" perforn]ance witli family and friends on the Friday afternoon of each week, alongside creating amazing artwork aiid desigiiiiig oui" own T-shirts. Our Teenage Summer Courses sliowcased a range of different performance arts activities - including comedy workshops, vocal technique, acting for film and tv, Improvisation. Our young people also had the opportunity to watch a performaiice of 'Guys and Dolls, at The Bridge Theatre. We have held holiday clubs during every school holiday throughout the year, offei.ing a safe eiiviromnent for youiig people aiid cliildreii to leai"Ii Iiew skills, gaiii confideiice, chaiuiel enthusiasm and have fun. We cU￿entlY teach after school draiiia sessions at Herniitage School, St Peters London Dock School, St Annes aiid Guardiaii Aiigels School aiid English Martyrs RC School. This s is an essential part of our income stream and also a gi.eat way to l.each and help othei. children througli drama sessions. Achievement of performance Our Suniiner perforiiiance was The Wizard of Oz- the beloved classic show. All students loved working towards this production and the excitement and energy diii.ing rehearsal and perforn]ances was palpable, Iiiaiiy precious nieniories were created and being able to pei"foiiii iii front a live audieiice again was wonderful. Or Christmas pert'oniiance was 'A Christmas Carol,. Our teenage courses perfonned 'Faiiie' & 'The Dream Collector,. Over the past year we have worked directly with 1300 children and young people, providing 800 hours of tuition in drama and creative arts, in addition to this we have provided 252 hours of afterschool drama sessions within 4 pi"imary schools in the London Borough of Tower Hainlets. Our work in the Community and events Due to increasing costs we were unable to hold the Wapping Great Christmas Fair in 2024, The Wapping Tree Lightiiig, did go ahead and was a joyous community celebration with over 300 faiiiilies and local peoplc in attciidance. We were fortunate to have Christinas pi"esent donated to us fi'om ELBA (East London Busiiiess Alliaiice) aiid held a Cliristiiias Party iiicludiiig a Father Christiiias Grotto and presents for all childi"en. Our new Open Mic niglit was hugely successfiil and otfered the opportuiiity for local people to share their talents, this varied from singing, to stand up comedy and inipi'essions, a I"eally %ocial evening foi. the whole family, we aim to hold our next Open Mic event in eai.ly Spring 2024. Monday and Tuesday stay and play group for 0-5 years, a safe play enviroiiiiient for pareiits and children, free weekly sessions. Volunteer Support We are fortunate to have a small group of regular volunteers, who are able to assist during events and perfonnances, these coiisist of pai.ents ex-students who are all subject to volunteer DBS checks. Description of charities trustees Trustees: Joann Condon - Chairperson Joann is a respected actress working in tv, filin and theatre for over 30 years, alongside this Joaiin is also a qualified coiinselloi., she has lived in London's East end all her life, and has in deptli knowledge of the area, she understands the diversity, strengths, weaknesses and challenges that are faced by our community, Kaye Colman - Trustee Kaye is a licensed cliildren's chaperoiie working iii tlie entertainineiit industry - she is also a native east ender and works extensively within the City of London corporation. Amanda Day - Trustee Amanda has worked in the third sector coinmunity for the past 15 years, she has coinpreliensive kniowledge of policies, legislatioii and event maiiagement, she is an active local stakeholder and well respected for her charitable work within thc community. Aoife Sanchez Tighe - Trustee Aoife works extensively in the financial sector, she has knowledge and experience of corporate charitable donations and fundraising, she is a parent of children aged between and 8 and 16 years. Jody Deinpsey - Trustee Jody was a primary school teacher for 12 years working in scliools within Tower Hamlets and Newham - she has detailed first hand knowledge of the issues children are facing, with a particular focus on educatioii and pastoral needs post pandemic. Jody Iiow works for LBTH overseeing children being home educated or educated whilst working in the enteitainment industry. The charity operates with a board of 5 trustees, the trustees over see all major decision making with day to day management by the school principal (Angela Kindell) and centre manager (Alexandra Kind) who report directly to tlie board of trustees. Tutors and Staff We have many long tern] freelance staff membei's - all of whom have been through full DBS disclosures. Our Ofsted registration remains active. Thanks Thank you for your perpetual energy and enthusiasin in all you do Svetla - parent Thank you so Inuch to the wliole teani, tlie childreii were amaziiig and everything caiiie together beautifully on stage. Izaro - Parent Thank you so much, it was such a wondei'fiil day, Esme loved being part of it all. All of the team did such an incredible job. Thanks again! Catherine 'Hi Alex, Angle and Clare. No, thank you for all that you do. You're all miracle workers. Thank you again., Tedla 'Every morning my son asks 'Is it Pollyanna todayl? with a big smile., Sophie mum to Ben aged 6 years Year End comment: As ali orgaiiisation we coiitiiiue to adapt aiid evolve to help children, young people and families with their changing need. This can be challenging but we continue to strive to offer the best possible perfonnance and creative arts activities for young people and children within Tower Hamlets. Our new venture for 2025/2026 is a creative arts studio - where young people can explore areas 'behind stage,, such as lighting, stage management, prop and costume design, scenic design and construction. We are at present negotiating on a potential free studio space in Loiidon E2, to develop this idea fuither. 'Funding St George - Summer Holiday programme Courses for children aged 2.5-1 lyears are charged per tern] for which parentslfamilieslcarers pay. We always endeavour to keep these fees to a miiiimum in order that tliey remain affordable. Our studio hire in the daytime or out of our regular class hours continues and is a vital source of income for us.