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2022-03-31-accounts

Writing West Midlands Ltd

(a Company Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 Registered Company number 06264124 Registered Charity number 1147710

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Index
Page
Report of the Trustees 3-11
Statement of Trustees responsibilities 12
Report of the independent examiner 13
Statement of financial activities (incorporating an Income & Expenditure Account) 14
Balance sheet 15
Principal Accounting Policies 16-18
Notes to the financial statements 19-28

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees

The directors of Writing West Midlands Ltd (“the charitable company”) are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as its Trustees. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and 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 (FRS102) (updated 1 January 2019).

The Trustees have pleasure in presenting the charitable company’s report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The objects of the Charity, as set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association, are to advance education in the arts for the public benefit by promotion of creative writing, in particular but not exclusively in the UK’s West Midlands region.

To achieve these objects Writing West Midlands has a series of Objectives , as follows:

Workforce/Talent Development - Workforce/Talent Development activities develop the skills and talents of creative writers in all genres and forms.

Artform/Sector Development - Artform/Sector Development activities challenge and support the literature sector to develop the highest quality of creative writing.

Participation/Market Development - Participation/Market Development activities encourage emerging and established writers to participate in opportunities created or signposted.

Audience/Readership Development - Audience/Readership Development activities develop audiences/readers for new writers and their work.

Young People Engagement - Young People Engagement activities offer children and young people the opportunity to develop as creative writers.

Regional Development - Regional Development activities promote writing in the West Midlands in partnership with national and international organisations.

National/International Development - National and International Development activities develop the national offer for literature development and create opportunities for our writers to work beyond the UK.

Organisational Development - Organisational Development activities improve the way we run our organisation, including developing staff, volunteers and our Board of Trustees.

Our pursuit of these Objectives is informed by our commitment to Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Strategy and its Investment Principles. Objectives are delivered through activities across four main areas of work, along with work to support our Governance, Management and Organisational Development. These four areas of work and their activities are as follows:

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

Writer Development

We support emerging and established writers with a programme of events and activities. This includes our annual writer networking conference (The National Writers’ Conference), our Room 204 Writer Development Scheme and regular one-to-one advice and guidance sessions. We offer universities bespoke Creative Writing Career Seminars for their students.

We run a year-round programme of writing workshops and short-courses and other creative writing activities, including commissions. We work with other organisations, for instance the British Council, to create commissioning opportunities for writers. We make links with writing communities outside the UK to develop opportunities for writers in our region. We also run regional networks of university creative writing courses, literary translators and independent literary publishers.

Young Writers

We work with children and young people to develop their interest in creative writing, largely through out of school activities but also in partnership with schools. This includes running our network of Spark Young Writers’ Groups, arranging creative writing workshops in schools, publishing an online creative writing magazine for young writers and running our Spark Young Writers’ Summer Writing Challenge. We were, until its completion in February 2022, a partner in the EU Creative Europe funded project, Read On.

Festival & Events

We develop audiences/readers for emerging and established writers and their work. This includes a literature festival – the Birmingham Literature Festival - and year-round events, in Birmingham and across the region. We work with partners to support other festivals, for instance the Contains Strong Language Coventry 2021 Festival. We also run a regional network of literature festival producers and provide on-going advice and guidance to other event organisers.

Reader Development

We manage the West Midlands Readers’ Network, an Arts Council England funded project that works with readers groups, public libraries and independent bookshops to provide support for ‘creative reading’. This includes an annual online conference for public library and independent bookshop staff, a short story commissioning programme and an events programme for readers groups.

Governance, Management & Organisational Development

We work constantly to improve the ways in which our organisation is governed, managed and organised. This includes offering training for staff, for volunteers and for our Board of Trustees, regular updating of our policies and systems, including our financial management and IT management.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

When reviewing and planning activities over the year, Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the guidance ‘public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’. In order to broaden access and achieve our stated aims we set costs of attendance and participation at the lowest possible level and offer many events, activities and services at no cost.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

The period of this Report was within the final period of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had some impact on our work.

Writer Development

Our Writer Development work continued to focus on emerging writers requiring a range of support to develop and sustain their creative careers. This work included on-going sign-posting through social media, public events, training and one to one mentoring for those on our Room 204 Writer Development Scheme and others.

Room 204 Writer Development Programme & One to One Mentoring

Our Room 204 Writer Development Programme activity largely remained online, allowing us to efficiently engage with writers across our region. A further 15 emerging writers joined our Room 204 Writer Development Programme, selected from 133 applications, bringing the membership up to 158, including people from all 14 West Midlands local authority areas in the region. The Programme offered workshops, a creative writing critiquing scheme, one to one career mentoring and free entrance to our 2022 National Writers’ Conference (for those newly joined).

Existing participants in the Programme continued to receive one to one mentoring. Our Chief Executive continued to contact Room 204 writers from early cohorts, offering additional one to one time. The Room 204 Programme is unique in offering permanent and ongoing support to those who are selected to join. 100% of those on the Programme indicated a satisfaction level of good or excellent. One to one mentoring on all aspects of the writing industry was also offered to other writers and literature professionals and, including one to ones with Room 204 writers, a total of 122 sessions were delivered during the year.

We continued to run a paid for mentoring programme for the regional publisher Nine Arches Press and had a smaller scale and un-costed relationship with The Emma Press and Verve Press. Our work with the Contains Strong Language Coventry 2021 Festival, which began in January 2021 and extended across 2021/22, included a programme of writer development activities. It has been agreed with Arts Council England that unspent funds may be applied to some additional work to take place in July 2022 in Coventry.

National Writers’ Conference, Short Courses & Workshops

Our annual National Writers’ Conference returned to an in-person event, hosted by University of Birmingham. Our programme of short courses and workshops continued, largely online. A total of 735 people attended 76 training sessions and 1187 hours of training was provided. The satisfaction level for our short courses and workshops was 100% good or excellent.

We continued to provide mentoring for the Birmingham Poet Laureate 2020 – 22 (Casey Bailey) and as part of our work with BBC Contains Strong Language we set up and managed recruitment of a Coventry Poet Laureate 2021 – 2023

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

(Emilie Lauren Jones) and a Coventry Young Poet Laureate 2021 – 2023 (Hawwa Hussain). We managed regional recruitment for writers from disadvantaged backgrounds to receive critical readings (‘free reads’) of creative writing through The Literacy Consultancy.

Other Writer Development Initiatives

We ran three online sub-regional Writer Meet-Ups to introduce our work to emerging writers across the region. We collaborated with the Ukrainian writer Lybko Deresh and the British Council in Kyiv to run an online conference focusing on writing from the occupied region of the Donbas and the Black Country region of the UK and to produce two podcasts on a similar theme. These activities took place in December 2021, prior to the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia.

We continued to run online networks for university creative writing courses, literary translators and independent literary publishers. We continued to support our Keele University and Birmingham City University Collaborative Doctoral Research Students as they worked on their PhDs.

We assisted in the commissioning of a writer to script an animated comic book, Winds of Change, working with KayMedia in Zimbabwe with funding from the British Council.

Young Writers

All Young Writers work took place online, although preparations were made to re-introduce in-person activities. Our work with young writers from age 8 upwards continued to be central to a significant element of our programme of activities. Most of this work was delivered through our Spark Young Writers Programme. Our involvement in the READ ON! Creative Europe project was completed after five years.

Spark Young Writers Groups & Spark Young Writers Summer Writing Challenge

We ran a slightly reduced programme of Spark Young Writers Groups, as demand for online activities continued to decline. We moved our five-day Spark Young Writers Summer Writing Challenge online, which ran successfully and was fully subscribed. In total, we offered 111 training sessions and 1735 hours of engagement. Attenders at our activities for young writers came from 23 local authority areas, including all West Midlands areas and some other local authority areas. We offered 42 other Spark Young Writers activities (for instance Instagram writing prompts).

Publications & Other Activities

We published two online editions of our Spark Young Writers Magazine, professionally edited and with contributions from young writers across the region. We were successful in an application for funding for a project as part of Birmingham Commonwealth 2022 to allow us to work with children from three schools to make poetry videos. This activity came to fruition in 2022/23.

READ ON!, Creative Europe Project

Our participation in the Creative Europe funded READ ON! project to support young people’s engagement with creative

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

writing and reading came to an end in November 2021. During 2021/22 this allowed schools groups to commission short stories from children’s writers and production of anthologies of this work, amongst other work described in previous Annual Reports.

Festivals & Events

Our Festival & Events programme began to revert to in-person, with a one-day Birmingham Literature Festival and a fourday Contains Strong Language Coventry 2021 Festival. Some online work continued.

Birmingham Literature Festival & Year-Round Events

The Birmingham Literature Festival continued to offer online podcasts and a monthly piece of commissioned writing, shared online. The Festival ran one online event jointly with Nine Arches. A one-day in-person Birmingham Literature Festival event was run in October 2021, with good attendances across four events. Including year-round work, a total of 42 events and activities were presented on all platforms, with audiences and participants in various forms totalling 1973. A total of 208 writers and other creatives were involved.

We delivered the Contains Strong Language Festival in Coventry during September 2021, supported by a six month community participation programme. This included 43 events and activities, with 60% being broadcast live on various BBC Radio Stations or recorded for future broadcast. A one-day conference on the contemporary poetry industry was staged as part of this Festival in November 2021. It was agreed with Arts Council England that funds remaining from this project could be used for a small poetry festival to take place in Coventry in July 2022.

Our Birmingham International Literary Salon continued to present a monthly online discussion event with writers from beyond the Anglosphere, attracting between 15 and 20 participants upon each occasion.

Towards the end of the financial year, much work was undertaken to plan our October 2022 Birmingham Literature Festival, including securing three Guest Curators (Casey Bailey, Otegha Uwagba and Paul McVeigh) and a venue-use agreement with the Birmingham Rep.

Reader Development

Our Reader Development work focussed on our management of the West Midlands Readers’ Network. Our application to the Charity Commission for the Network to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation was successful. Our Lottery Project Grant Application to Arts Council England on behalf of the Network was also successful, funding a programme of work from April 2022 until December 2023.

During the year, we continued to manage the West Midlands Readers’ Network’s work funded with existing Arts Council England funding. This included a second The Librarians’ Virtual Toolkit Conference in June 2021, attracting a total of 304 live and post-event views. We continued with a scheme to allow a readers group to commission emerging and established writers to write a short story for their group. Seven readers groups took up this opportunity, with a booklet of the short stories published in Autumn 2021.

Other online activity for readers groups was promoted, including an intensive one day ‘reading salon’ focussing on

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

contemporary poetry, a number of online writer visits to readers groups (including a library tour by the poet Liz Berry) and a ‘reader in residence’ project with the writer Mike Gayle in the independent bookshop, Bookshop on the Green, in south Birmingham.

FUTURE PLANS

Our focus during 2022/23 and onwards will continue to be our four main areas of work – Festival & Events, Writer Development, Young Writers and Reader Development. We anticipate returning many activities to in-person, although also maintaining an online option for much of our work, through podcasts and Zoom-based activities. The Birmingham Literature Festival will remain a flag-ship project, although condensed into a more manageable four-day event. Our Birmingham International Literary Salon will continue as a monthly online event. We will present a small poetry festival in Coventry in July 2022. We will continue to support the four regional networks which we continue to be important as will sustaining and developing our international work. We will extend our interest in supporting literary translators through a Translator in Residence project.

Our work to support individual writers will continue, with our National Writers’ Conference, our Room 204 Writer Development Scheme and our one-to-one mentoring. Our Short Course and Workshop programme will continue, and we will look to refresh the range presented. We will support other on-going writer development initiatives, including The Literacy Agency’s free-read scheme. All this activity will be presented as a combination of online and in-person.

Work with children and young people will remain an important and long-term focus. We will bring our programme of Spark Young Writers Groups back up to 16 groups, with two remaining permanently online. We will present our Spark Young Writers’ Summer Writing Challenge online, migrating to a hybrid model for 2023, and will develop a new one-day event for young people interested in knowing more about the broader writing industry. We will continue to publish our on-line creative writing magazine for young writers.

Organisationally, we will continue to sustain our core offer across our region, while developing new initiatives where funding allows (for instance, linked to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games). We will re-activate a number of sponsorship relationships, particularly those linked to the Birmingham Literature Festival.

Our various systems, including personnel and financial management and marketing, will be subject to continual development. We will continue to develop appropriate Customer Relationship Management systems for the organisation, which will help streamline how we communicate with many individuals and organisations. We will continue to recruit and train volunteers, particularly for our work with our Spark Young Writers’ Groups and our festivals and events.

In response to the priorities of the Government and Arts Council England, we will migrate some of our work to some of the 13 Levelling Up for Culture Priority Places in the region. Following a recent successful application for funding from Arts Council England from 2023 to 2026, we will develop a plan for work across this period and beyond.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

A surplus of £10,532 (2021 £40,467) was reported for the year. This increased total funds as at 31 March 2022, which now stand at £254,723 compared to £244,191 at the prior period end. Income for Charitable Activities was significantly increased to fund the Contains Strong Language Festival, with a corresponding increase in cost of Charitable Activities.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

This project, and our final period of involvement in the Read On! Project, allowed us to benefit from drawing down income to cover some of our staff costs. We continued to make savings by running activities online and by undertaking project management work for organisations within our sector.

Reserves policy and risks

The Charity is constantly reviewing its cost base and implementing efficiencies with a view to maintaining liquid reserves to the equivalent of the level of annual funding from Arts Council England, a figure of £184K. The free reserves as at 31 March 2022 which were £246,835, are higher than currently recommended by the reserves policy, although given the potential impact of increased cost of living and a potential recession, it is likely that the reserves level will be increased by the Finance & Resources Sub-Committee.

Going Concern

The Trustees have reviewed the long-term viability of the Charity on a regular basis, particularly in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the increased cost of living. The 2021/2022 year has demonstrated that much work can continue to be delivered on digital platforms, but that in-person and hybrid events are regaining popularity. In addition, Arts Council England have confirmed their intention to offer standstill funding for the period 2023 to 2026. This, together with the high level of reserves and the Charity’s ability to function flexibly, has led the Trustees to feel confident that the Charity is a Going Concern with very modest risks over the next three years.

Risk management statement

The Trustees have continued to work on the development of its risk management strategy which has included an annual review of the risks that the charity may face. The Trustees have continued working on formalising the documentation of systems and procedures in place to mitigate those risks identified in the review and implementing any required further procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should the risks materialise.

The key risks and uncertainties that have been identified and are being managed are:

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Document

Writing West Midlands Limited is a company limited by guarantee and was registered as a charity on 15 June 2012. The Charitable Company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association which were adopted by the Board of Trustees on 13 March 2012.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

Appointment of Trustees, induction & training

New Trustees are appointed by invitation to join the Board given that they have the necessary skills and experience to contribute to the Trust’s activities and to be able to discharge their obligations as Trustees. Prospective new Trustees meet initially with the Chair and Chief Executive and are then invited to observe a meeting of the Board of Trustees, at which they are given all relevant papers, including financial reports. A document produced by the Charity Commission on the responsibilities of Trustees is also provided. Subject to the prospective Trustee and the Board of Trustees being in favour of membership a Resolution is issued and voted on at a Board Meeting. The two longest serving Trustees are required to submit themselves for re-election annually.

Trustees are encouraged to attend a range of our activities, including the Birmingham Literature Festival and our work with young writers. In addition to attending quarterly Board Meetings and an AGM, Trustees are required to join at least one of our sub-committees (Finance, Personnel, Artistic, Marketing, Contributed Income, Diversity and Young Writers). Trustees are asked to complete a Conflict of Interest Declaration.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Company Secretary: vacant

Trustees: Ms Olwen Brown (nee Dutton) (Chair) Professor Gregory Leadbetter Ms Hannah Clifford (resigned 1 October 2021) Ms Helen Cross (resigned 1 December 2021) Professor Oluwafemi Oyebode (resigned 1 October 2021) Ms Maeve Clarke Mr John Roberts Dr Ceri Morgan (resigned 12 May 2021) Mr George D Bastow Dr Lisa Blower Ms Nikki Bi Mr Robert Elkington (appointed 1 December 2021) Ms Laura A Willis (appointed 1 December 2021) Mr Thomas E Glave (appointed 5 December 2021)

Charity Number: 1147710

Company number: 06264124

Registered Office:

Studio 130, Zellig, Gibb Street Birmingham B9 4AT

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Report of the Trustees (continued)

Independent Examiner:

Karen Hanlan, ACA Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Ltd 1 Saracen Close Ettington CV37 7SZ

Bankers:

The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. PO Box 101 1 Balloon Street Manchester M60 4EP

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by:

Olwen Brown

Date: Wednesday 9[th] November 2022

Trustee

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company and of the surplus or deficit incurred by the charitable company for that year. In preparing those financial statements the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees have overall responsibility for ensuring that the charitable company has an appropriate system of controls, financial and otherwise.

The Trustees are 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 2006.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for

the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities and to provide reasonable assurance that:

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Writing West Midlands Ltd (‘the Company’)

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2022 which are set out on pages 14 to 28.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your Company’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

I have no concerns and have come across no matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Karen Hanlan, Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Ltd

Date: Wednesday 9[th] November 2022

1 Saracen Close Ettington Warwickshire CV37 7SZ

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Statement of Financial Activities (including an Income & Expenditure Account)

Income from:
Note
Donations and legacies
1
Charitable Activities
2
Trading Activities
3
Investments – bank interest
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
4
Charitable activities
5
Total Expenditure
Net income and net movement
in funds for year
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Transfer of funds
Total funds carried forward		 Un-
restricted
funds
2022
Restricted
funds
2022
Total
2022
Total
2021
£
£
£
£
188,465
2,400
190,865
195,803
35,086
241,397
276,483
81,951
-
-
-
840
933
-
933
991
224,484
243,797
468,281
279,585
18,504
-
18,504
16,236
197,200
242,045
439,245
222,882
215,704
242,045
457,749
239,118
8,780
1,752
10,532
40,467
243,131
1,060
244,191
203,724
(2,619)
2,619
-
-
249,292
5,431
254,723
244,191

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Balance sheet

Company registered number 06264124
Notes
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets
9
Current Assets
Debtors
10
Cash at bank and in hand
Current Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
11
Net current assets
Net assets
The funds of the Charity:
Restricted Funds
12
Unrestricted Funds
12
Total charity funds		 2022
2021
£
£
2,457
771

51,316
73,619
237,313
298,772
288,629
372,391
(36,363)
(128,971)
252,266
243,420
254,723
244,191
5,431
1,060
249,292
243,131
254,723
244,191

The accompanying accounting policies and notes form part of these financial statements.

For the year ended 31 March 2022 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Responsibilities of directors/Trustees:

(a) The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006 - however, in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 the financial statements have been examined by an independent examiner whose report appears on page 13.

(b) The directors/Trustees acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by: Olwen Brown, Trustee

Date: Wednesday 9[th] November 2022

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Principal accounting policies

Status of the company

The charitable company is limited by guarantee and does not have share capital. The liability of members is limited to £1 per member.

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 (FRS102) (updated 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Writing West Midlands 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 note(s).

Going concern statement

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes that the Charitable Company will continue to operate. The validity of this assumption is dependent upon the continuance of support from the Charitable Company's key grant funder (Arts Council England), which was confirmed on 4[th] November 2022 with an announcement that regular funding would continue at the agreed level until March 2026, and in response to the progress made by the Charitable Company in pursuing a viable budget including the obtaining of further grants and other funds. The Charitable Company's current business plan shows that the Charitable Company will be able to operate in the foreseeable future. Based on this understanding, the directors believe that it remains appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis. The financial statements do not include any adjustments, which would result from the basis of preparation being inappropriate.

Funds

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations and grants subject to conditions imposed by the provider or by specific terms of the appeal under which the funds were raised. The restrictive conditions are binding upon the Charitable Company.

Income

Income is recognised when the charitable company has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income relating to future periods, as a result of donor imposed conditions specifying the time period, has been treated as deferred income.

Income dependent on certain conditions, amounting to more than mere administrative requirements, is recognised when the conditions have been fulfilled.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Principal accounting policies (continued)

Donated services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charitable company of the item is probable and the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS102, general volunteer time is not recognised.

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charitable company which is the amount the charitable company would have been willing to pay to obtain the services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

Interest receivable

Bank interest is shown on the basis of amounts receivable in the year.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charitable company to the expenditure. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Allocation of support costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charitable company but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charities activities. These costs have been allocated between costs of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities and have been allocated based on the amount of time spent by staff on each area of activity.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at a rate calculated to write off the cost on a straight line basis over a period of less than the estimated useful life of the assets as follows:

Computer equipment, Office equipment & furniture 33% per annum Fixed asset purchases above £500 are capitalised.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash at bank and in hand and short term deposits repayable on within a three month notice period.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Principal accounting policies (continued)

Creditors

Creditors are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably.

Taxation

As a registered charity no provision is considered necessary for taxation.

Pension costs

The charity contributes into a Group Personal Pension Plan for employees. This pension plan is defined contribution in nature and as required under FRS102 the annual cost is recognised as incurred and included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

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Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements

1. Income from donations and legacies

Un-restricted:
Arts Council England – National Portfolio Funding
Donations (Including Friends)
Gifts in kind
Grants – Birmingham City Council COVID relief
Total un-restricted grants & donations
Restricted grants:
Grimmitt Trust
Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society
Total restricted grants
Total income from donations and legacies		 2022
2021
£
£
184,375
184,375
970
428
3,120
-
-
10,000
188,465
194,803
-
1,000
2,400
-
2,400
1,000
190,865
195,803

Gifts in kind relate to donated facilities and services provided by other organisations to enable Writing West Midlands to carry out its activities. They comprise venue costs in relation to events and workshops. Due to a lack of external activities in 2020/21 there were no such gifts in that year.

2. Income from charitable activities

Restricted grants:
EU- Creative Europe Project
Coventry City of Culture & The British Council
Total restricted grants
Un-restricted income:
Festivals & events
Writer development
Work with Young Writers & schools
Other earned income
Total un-restricted income
Total income from Charitable Activities		 2022
2021
£
£
41,308
38,233
200,089
5,910
241,397
44,143
5,127
1,849
16,870
19,418
9,988
9,741
3,101
6,800
35,086
37,808
276,483
81,951

19

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

3. Income from trading activities

Income from trading activities relates to sponsorship from organisations supporting the Birmingham Literature Festival and other events and workshops.

4. Analysis of expenditure on raising funds

Staff costs
Printing, publicity & marketing costs
Allocation of support costs
Allocation of governance costs
Total cost of raising funds		 2022
2021
£
£
11,019
10,293
537
357
5,836
4,621
1,112
965
18,504
16,236

20

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

5. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Direct operating and programming costs
Direct production costs of READ ON project
Coventry City of Culture Contains Strong Language
Festival
Bursaries
Marketing, printing & publicity
Staff costs
Support costs
Governance costs
Total 2021/22		 Festivals
& Events
Writer
development
Young
Writers
2022
Total
£
£
£
£
18,773
14,560
20,640
55,263
-
-
29,171
29,171
193,398
-
-
193,398
-
1,290
-
1,290
7,520
1,074
1,612
10,206
40,924
19,190
32,620
92,734
21,676
10,164
17,278
49,118
4,128
1,936
3,291
9,355
286,419
48,214
104,612
439,245

Expenditure on charitable activities includes £193,845 (2021: £172,899) relating to un-restricted funds and £242,045 (2021: £49,983) relating to restricted funds. Direct operating and programming costs includes gifts in kind of £3,120 (2021 £nil) in relation to venues provided for Young Writers Groups, the conference and summer schools free of charge. Support & governance costs have been allocated across activity categories in accordance with time spent by staff in those areas.

Direct operating and programming costs
Direct production costs of READ ON project
Coventry City of Culture Contains Strong Language
Festival
Bursaries
Marketing, printing & publicity
Staff costs
Support costs
Governance costs
Total 2020/21		 Festivals
& Events
Writer
development
Young
Writers
2021
Total
£
£
£
£
11,749
14,411
21,258
47,418
-
-
18,519
18,519
5,100
-
-
5,100
-
2,125
-
2,125
5,003
715
1,072
6,790
36,677
18,657
32,218
87,552
19,396
7,986
18,426
45,808
4,051
1,669
3,850
9,570
81,976
45,563
95,343
222,882

21

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

6. Analysis of support and governance costs

Staff costs
Staff training, travel & subsistence
Office costs
Depreciation
Legal & professional fees
Independent Examiners fees
Trustee meeting costs
Total 2021/22
Staff costs
Staff training, travel & subsistence
Office costs
New website development
Depreciation
Accountancy fees
Legal & professional fees
Independent Examiners fees
Total 2020/21
7. Net income for the year		 Staff costs
Staff training, travel & subsistence
Office costs
Depreciation
Legal & professional fees
Independent Examiners fees
Trustee meeting costs
Total 2021/22
Staff costs
Staff training, travel & subsistence
Office costs
New website development
Depreciation
Accountancy fees
Legal & professional fees
Independent Examiners fees
Total 2020/21
7. Net income for the year		 Support
costs
Governance
costs
2022
Total
£
£
£
17,689
8,622
26,311
1,460
-
1,460
34,531
-
34,531
1,274
-
1,274
-
48
48
-
1,650
1,650
-
147
147
54,954
10,467
65,421
Support
costs
Governance
costs
2021
Total
£
£
£
9,579
7,990
17,569
401
-
401
25,368
-
25,368
6,000
-
6,000
609
-
609
8,472
942
9,414
-
53
53
-
1,550
1,550
50,429
10,535
60,964
2022
2021
Net income for the year is stated after charging:
£
£
Depreciation
1,274
609
Independent examiners fees -
Independent examination
1,250
1,200
Accountancy services
400
350
Net income for the year
2022 2021
Net income for the year is stated after charging: £ £
Depreciation 1,274 609
Independent examiners fees -
Independent examination 1,250 1,200
Accountancy services 400 350

22

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

8. Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses

Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses
Salaries
National Insurance
Pension
Total
aff Numbers
Average number of full-time equivalent excluding Trustees		 2022
2021
£
£
120,561
106,685
5,159
4,178
4,344
4,551
130,064
115,414
Number
Number
3.7
3.4

Staff Numbers

No employees had employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (2021: nil).

The charitable company’s trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year, other than that noted in note 14 on page 27. No Trustee expenses were reimbursed during the year (2021: £nil).

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the Chief Executive. Trustees receive no remuneration or other benefits from the charity. The remuneration of key management personnel (excluding pension contributions) for the year was £39,013 (2021: £38,262).

23

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

9. Tangible fixed assets

Cost
At beginning of year
Additions
At end of year
Depreciation
At beginning of year
Charge for the year
At end of year
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2022
At 31 March 2021
10. Debtors
Trade debtors
Other debtors
Prepayments
Accrued income		 Computer
Equipment
£
Furniture,
Fixture, &
Fittings
£
Total
£
12,947
1,615
14,562
2,960
-
2,960		 Computer
Equipment
£
Furniture,
Fixture, &
Fittings
£
Total
£
12,947
1,615
14,562
2,960
-
2,960
15,907
1,615
17,522
12,176
1,615
13,791
1,274
-
1,274
13,450
1,615
15,065
2,457
-
2,457
771
-
771
2022
2021
£
£
5,763
67,141
2,880
2,893
5,323
3,585
37,350
-
51,316
73,619

24

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

11. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Deferred income
Accruals
Deferred income:
Balance brought forward
Transferred to statement of financial activities
Deferred in year
Balance at end of year		 2022
2021
£
£
2,666
14,119
1,703
2,437
27,698
110,095
4,296
2,320
36,363
128,971
2022
2021
£
£
110,095
92,104
(89,514)
(40,491)
7,117
58,482
27,698
110,095

Deferred income relates to grants and fees received in advance of the period to which they relate.

12. Funds

2021/22
Restricted funds
Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society
Contains Strong Language Festival
EU- Creative Europe Project
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Total		 Balance at
beginning of
year
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
Balance
at end of
year
£
£
£
£
£
2,250
2,400
(4,650)
-
-
(1,190)
200,089
(193,468)
-
5,431
-
41,308
(43,927)
2,619
-
1,060 243,797
(242,045)
2,619
5,431
243,131 224,484
(215,704)
(2,619)
249,292
244,191
468,281
(457,749)
-
254,723

Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society – Funding received to support attendance at the National Writers’ Conference for Room 204 participants. The 2020 conference was postponed due to Covid-19 and funding was used to cover attendance at the 2021 conference.

Contains Strong Language Festival – Funded by the Arts Council England, Coventry City of Culture Trust and the British Council for events in 2021 as part of Coventry’s City of Culture. Arts Council England have agreed for unspent funding to be applied to activities in Coventry in July 2022.

25

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

EU –Creative Europe Project – READ ON, a Creative Europe funded project with seven international partners, developed to encourage young people aged 12 to 19 to engage with Creative Writing and Creative Reading, and taking place between June 2017 and August 2021. Following delays due to Covid-19 this was extended to November 2021.

2020/21
Restricted funds
Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society
Tindal Street Press
Contains Strong Language Festival
EU- Creative Europe Project
Grimmitt Trust towards Young Writers Groups
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Total		 Balance at
beginning of
year
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
Balance
at end of
year
£
£
£
£
£
2,250
-
-
-
2,250
1,610
-
(1,610)
-
-
-
5,910
(7,100)
-
(1,190)
-
38,233
(40,273)
2,040
-
-
1,000
(1,000)
-
-
3,860
45,143
(49,983)
2,040
1,060
199,864 234,442
(189,135)
(2,040)
243,131
203,724
279,585
(239,118)
-
244,191

13. Analysis of net assets between funds

2021/22
Fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors
Funds
2020/21
Fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors
Funds		 Un-
restricted
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
2,457
-
2,457
51,316
-
51,316
211,301
26,012
237,313
(15,782)
(20,581)
(36,363)
249,292
5,431
254,723
Un-
restricted
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
771
-
771
73,619
-
73,619
194,609
104,163
298,772
(25,868)
(103,103)
(128,971)
243,131
1,060
244,191

26

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

14. Related party transactions

Fees & expenses were paid to three Trustees for services provided to train writers to work with children and to lead creative writing workshops and short courses, as follows:

H Cross £nil (2021: £1,450) G Bastow £450 (2021: £100) L Blower £175 (2021: £nil) T Glave £1,025 (2021: £nil)

Midland Creative Projects Limited, a Company owned and controlled by the Chief Executive, paid Writing West Midlands £1,612.50 (2021: £nil) for its involvement with the Read On Creative Europe Project. In addition, total expenses of £588.08 (2021: £455.28) were reimbursed to Midland Creative Projects relating to expenditure incurred on behalf of Writing West Midlands.

The Articles of Association allow payments to Trustees for the supply of services in connection with the charitable company’s charitable activities.

15. Operating lease commitments

The total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating
leases are as follows 2022 2021
Expiring: £ £
- Within one year - -
-
Between two and five years		 - -

16. Controlling Interests

The charity is controlled by the Trustees.

27

Writing West Midlands Ltd Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

17. Prior year comparative Statement of Financial Activities

Income from:
Donations and legacies
Charitable Activities
Trading Activities
Investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total Expenditure
Net income/(expenditure) and
net movement in funds for
year
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Transfer of funds
Total funds carried forward		 Un-
restricted
funds
2021
Restricted
funds
2021
Total
2021
£
£
£
194,803
1,000
195,803
37,808
44,143
81,951
840
-
840
991
-
991
234,442
45,143
279,585
16,236
-
16,236
172,899
49,983
222,882
189,135
49,983
239,118
45,307
(4,840)
40,467
199,864
3,860
203,724
(2,040)
2,040
-
243,131
1,060
244,191

28