## **Celebrating books by the sea**
## **BUDLEIGH SALTERTON LITERARY FESTIVAL**
**Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Registered Charity No. 1127885. Trustees’ Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023.**
The Trustees present their report for the year ended 31 December 2023 to be read in conjunction with the attached Financial Statements.
## **STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE**
The charitable objectives of the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival are:
The advancement of education for the benefit of the public in East Devon by the promotion of the arts of Literature, poetry, the written and spoken word and related arts. In particular by fostering and supporting the work of the Budleigh Salterton Literary festival.
The Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting.
## **MAIN ACTIVITY AND PUBLIC BENEFIT**
The main activity is the funding, organisation, and promotion of the annual Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival. Festival events which are open to and attended by members of the public from across the community. The Budleigh Salterton Festival celebrates books and their authors and promotes the art of reading and the enjoyment of writing in our East Devon community and in our local schools. BSLF decided to continue the 2022 festival initiative and subsidise the costs of events and workshops for children and families in addition to offering free activities. During 2023 the BSLF charity worked with 1535 students in 7 different local schools with author visits co-ordinated by Annie Ashworth and led by David Marston. During 2023 smaller workshop groups were arranged together with big year group sessions and working with Mill Water School and the Exmouth Deaf Academy for the first time. Each school received a set of author texts to be donated to the school library. Beach hut books was repeated during the September festival and operated during the May Gala week with exclusively children’s books with daily story telling sessions.
The Trustees have paid due regard to the relevant Charity Commission guidance and consider that the activities outlined in this report meet the public benefit requirement for charities.
## **REVIEW OF THE YEAR**
This is the third review since the status of the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival (BSLF) was changed from a Company Limited by guarantee to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the approval of the Charities commission. The BSLF Spring festival weekend went ahead with 5 events in St Peter’s Church on 17 & 18 March 2023. This was popular and profitable providing a range of interesting events with inspirational authors. Cathy Renzenbrink became the BSLF president succeeding Dame Hilary Mantel. The main festival programme went ahead in September 2023 with a full programme of 65 events including 11 events for children and families and free activities in the mini marquee. Heartfelt thanks are due once again to all the members of the BSLF committee together with a huge team of willing and enthusiastic volunteers who delivered the 2023 festival so efficiently and responsibly. Due to rising costs in every area, the 2023 did not meet budget targets.
## **Celebrating books by the sea**
Annie Ashworth, BSLF artistic director informed the Trustees that 2024 would be her last festival in Budleigh. She has produced 7 years of interesting programmes and is due our grateful thanks.
The BSLF Trustees plan to run a recruitment process for a new Artistic director in March 2023 and have allocated £5,000 from reserves to facilitate this process.
The BSLF Trustees together with the committee look forward to planning both a Spring festival in March and a full September in 2024 aiming to continue working with local schools, the local library and making partnership arrangements with groups in the community.
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
Total income, net of VAT, amounted to £162,274 (2022 £137,624), expenditure amounted to £172,267 ( 2022 £148,774) This resulted in a leaving an deficit of Income over Expenses of £9,993 (deficit £11,102 in 2022) taken from Reserves.
## **RESERVES**
The BSLF Trustees continue to be fortunate that the accumulation of reasonable previous years’ Reserves allowed them to fund the five-day festival, consistent with the objects of the charity. All Trustees are assiduously monitoring costs which have risen over the past 3 years and will continue to act prudently to maintain sufficient reserves in order to secure the sustainability of the charity.
## **RISK POLICY**
The Trustees have considered all risks to which the Charity might be exposed to in 2022 with specific focus on continuing train strikes and the need to protect the ongoing financial security of the charity.
## **ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
The Trustees as at 31 December 2023 were
**Chairman** Sue Briggs **Deputy-Chairman** Carol Ackroyd **Treasurer** Ruth Jones **Trustee** Jane Burton **Trustee** Jennie Milverton **Trustee** Jackie Collins
David Cornes died on 6.9.2023
pg 2
## **BUDLEIGH SALTERTON LITERARY FESTIVAL**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT**
for the year ended 31 December 2023
|**2023**
**Income from Donations**
£
Sponsors and Advertising
15,000
Donations
16,572
Friends
8,153
Income Tax Recovered
0
**Charitable Activities**
Ticket Sales
116,985
Sundry Income
5,564
**Total Income**
**162,274**
**Less**
**Expenditure on**
**Raising Funds**
Administration and Printing
9,921
Advertising and Publicity
31,016
Commission on Ticket Sale
6,250
Other Expenses
10,140
**Charitable Activities**
Speakers Fees
24,670
Speakers Expenses
Purchase Books
5,510
Venue Expenses
37,451
Hospitality
12,832
Outreach Education
6,996
Consultancy Fees
27,481
**Total Expenditure**
**172,267**
**Excess of Income over Expenditure**
-9,993
**Tota Funds brought forward**
-8,525
**Tota Funds carried forward**
-18,518
**BALANCE SHEET**
**as at 31 December 2023**
**2023**
£
**Current Assets**
Debtors and Prepayments
2,460
Prepayments
4,000
Balance at Bank
75,944
**Total Current Assets**
82,404
**Less**
**Current Liabilities**
Creditors and Accruals
17,390
**Net Assets**
65,014
**Total Funds (unrestricted)**
65,014
Approved by the Trustees on|**2022**
£
14,410
24,851
5,695
2,000
84,129
6,588
**137,674**
9,408
29,892
4,864
5,188
24,560
3,654
29,762
10,739
9,036
21,671
**148,776**
-11,102
2,577
-8,525
**2022**
£
5,992
0
74,906
80,898
5,894
75,004
75,004|
|---|---|
Signed by Ruth Jones on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
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