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← The Civic (Stourport) Limited

2022-06-30-accounts

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

The Civic Group

Trustees Annual Report

(TAR 2022)

and Impact Report

Report of the Trustees

and Financial Statements for The Civic (Stourport)

Registered Charity and Company Limited by guarantee for the year ended June 2022

The Civic Hall,

Martins Way

Stourport-on-Severn

Worcestershire

DY13 8UJ

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Contents

Reference and Administrative details 1
Chair's Statement 4
Report of the Trustees 7
Governance Code 19
Statement on Public Benefit 25
Report of the Independent Examiner 28
Statement of Financial Activities 24
Balance Sheet 25
Notes 27

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity for the year ended 30th June 2022

Trustees

Matthew Green - Chair

Rebekah Fielding – Vice Chair (interim Chair from Feb 2022)

Christian Davies

Jo Anne Stevens

Roman Bublik – Term ended 24[th] October 2021

Jessica Bishop – Resigned 22[nd] September 2021

John Caldwell – Resigned 18[th] January 2022

Charity Registration Number

1150208

Company Registration Number

8057037

Registered Office

The Civic Hall

Martins Way

Stourport-on-Severn

Worcestershire

DY13 8UJ

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Company Secretary

John Caldwell

Independent Examiner

Mr Geoff Boswell

Solicitors

Painters Solicitors 29 Church Street Kidderminster Worcestershire DY10 2AU

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Chairs Statement for the year ended 30th June 2022

Dear All,

I write this after an incredibly busy weekend.

Friday night saw us host Malt Loaf, followed by a day on the Carnival field, meeting people/promoting The Civic and a family friendly disco in the evening.

Caroline and the team then hosted a craft fayre on the Sunday.

That weekend probably is the best way to describe what our year has been!

Hectic, stressful, full of variety and fun.

This time last year, although we were heading back to normality there was still a lot of uncertainty with new variants and how they would affect us.

In terms of events, we were busier than pre pandemic, trying to fit in events that had been postponed, alongside other events that were already booked. Coupled with lower-than-normal volunteer and audience numbers, both who had understandable concerns regarding being back in close circulation to other people, meant there were times we thought we’d bitten off more than we could chew.

It seems being incredibly busy can be as stressful as a forced closure!

Since the last report we have taken on the running of Lickhill Community Centre aiding Stourport Town Council in its Localism endeavour.

Despite a blip in Nov/Dec due us being let down by our contractor, the Brochure campaign has been one of our big wins. Now going out further afield, the newly designed brochure reflects the diverse and exciting programme we offer to more people than ever.

Carnival also saw the launch of the fold out version which was handed out to great success down on the field.

There have been sadder times as well, and it would be remiss to not mention the loss of our former Chair of Trustee, Roman Bublik.

It was difficult to sit and write this report, looking back at the words he had written 12 months ago, knowing he is no longer with us. Roman was a gentle, friendly soul with a core of steel. He will be missed greatly by volunteers and employees alike. Our love and support go out to his friends and family.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Looking back, we could never have achieved it without our dedicated and passionate Management Team, and our fantastic volunteers, both returning and new, of whom I am incredibly grateful and generally in awe of.

I’d also like to thank my fellow Trustees, Matt, Christian, Jo and Alex, for their help and support these last 12 months, especially when I temporarily took on a more senior role.

We still have challenges ahead, it remains to be seen how cost of living rises will impact on next year’s events, but I know the team are ready to rise to the occasion.

Bex Fielding

Trustee and interim Chair at the end of year

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Trustees Report

for the year ended 30th June 2022

The Trustees (who are also directors of the Charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of The Civic (Stourport) Limited (the charity) for the ended 31 July 2016.

The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and financial statements of the charity and group comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charity's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).

The Charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee and was established by a Memorandum and Articles of Association, in December of 2011, and formerly registered as a charity with the Charities Commission in England and Wales on the 17th of December 2012.

None of the Trustees have a financial interest in the company. The Trustees are members of the company and agree to contribute £10 in the event of winding up.

• Method of Appointment or Election of Trustees

Each year at the Annual General Meeting, a third of the Trustees in rotation, stand down. They may stand for election, and if agreed by the members, be reelected. If the charity does not fill the vacancy created by his or her resignation, he or she shall, if willing to act, be deemed to have been re-elected.

If a vacancy occurs during the year, the members and remaining Trustees may discuss inviting new Trustees with specific skills or recommendation to join the board.

• Policies adopted for the Induction of Trustees

On appointment, new Trustees are offered an induction process including the provision of extensive background literature, including Charity Commission guidelines for Trustees, the Charities Governance Code, and a range of documents concerning the management and history of the Charity.

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New Trustees are invited to discuss the role, in advance, with the existing Trustees so they are aware of the commitment and background of the Charity.

• Organisation Structure and Decision Making

The compliance and strategy of the Charity are managed by the Trustees, with assistance from members.

The day-to-day management of the Charity and its venue is completed by members of the Charity with a Management Committee in place for decision making.

• Risk Management

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which The Civic is exposed, and are satisfied that systems, policies, and procedures are in place to mitigate exposure to these risks. These are monitored throughout the year.

Plans for the Future Period

Plans for the coming reporting period include:

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Objectives and Activities

• Policies and Objectives

The purpose (or objects) of the Charity is:

• Mission Statement

In order to implement the purposes of the Charity, The Civic has created the following mission statement:

The Civic Hall, Stourport is a unique space.

It aims to be the most important community venue in the area and an inspirational model for community participation in cultural, artistic and leisure activities.

• Core Beliefs

To help us implement the purposes of the Charity and achieve the Mission Statement we operate under the following core beliefs:

  1. We operate a Community Hall for the whole community to use and enjoy.

  2. We encourage participation in a varied programme of cultural, artistic and leisure activities.

  3. We seek as wide an audience for our events as possible.

  4. Our diverse programme is our cornerstone, but we are also a place of creation, development, and learning, as well as performance.

  5. We should never forget that the community is our reason for existence.

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• Aims and Objectives

The Civic, Stourport has five core aims for the period 2021-28.

Each of these Aims has four objectives which we will seek to achieve over the period of the plan, monitored via a series of measurable outcomes.

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• REVIEW OF THE YEAR

Trustees stated last year that “the Pandemic may continue to have an impact beyond this coming reporting period and anticipate that the recovery may continue beyond 2021/22 into 2022/23”.

This appear to be the case, though there were signs of a return to normal levels of activity once all restrictions had been lifted. However, with the concerns now arising from the increase in the cost of living it may extend the recovery period once again.

Initiatives

Whilst most of the focus this year has been on ensuring that we were able to operate at full capacity, as best we could following the disruption of the pandemic, we have managed to progress some of our business plan aims and objectives through several initiatives.

Stourport Community Centre

Wyre Forest District Council has once again divested itself of assets across the district through the mechanism of “Localism”. One such asset was the Community Centre on the Memorial Park at Lickhill. This was transferred into the ownership of Stourport Town Council in the first half of the year. The organisation that was the primary tenant under the District Council decided with the change in hands that they wished to give it up, and so The Civic made an offer to manage the venue for the Town Council.

After some discussions an agreement was made, and The Civic is now managing the venue. At the time of writing a lease is being negotiated. The income and expenditure for this venue is detailed in the financial notes below.

The aim of managing the facility is to ensure that local people retain access to it, especially where the current Youth Connexions provision is concerned. We have also moved our Youth ENCORE group into the venue to promote its use.

The aspiration is that the venue will be fully utilised by the community and to possibly support events to take place on the park, in the future. We do not intend to run "entertainments” at the Community Centre (unless it is supporting other activities on the park), leaving is purely as a “for hire” venue.

We have retained all but one user from the previous management but have added several new users.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

The income the venue provides will enable us to employ additional staff to assist in its management, and that of the Civic Hall.

Equipment Upgrades

Over the course of the year, we have resolved an issue that existed with a previous supplier of technical equipment and unburdened ourselves of any commitment attached to this.

We continued to make improvements to the standard of technical equipment available at The Civic Hall, and we have more areas of development planned over the coming 12 months.

We were able to source additional LED lighting and Lamps with “moving heads” (on the wish lists of many members and users) and steps are being taken to add them to our existing rig. A show relay was added to each of the dressing rooms, and additional stage monitors purchased.

To advance this further we need to explore the upgrading of the electrical wiring on the stage and install the more modern dimmers we acquired prior to the pandemic.

Brochure Delivery – “Going Postal”

As was described in the previous Annual Report, The Civic had launched it largest marketing campaign to date, delivering our events programme, via a printed brochure, to every residential property in Stourport.

This had proven to be an overwhelming success with gains in engagement and participation, along with increases in revenue, hire enquiries, and volunteer signups.

The campaign ran successfully during the first quarter of the reporting period and showed signs of even greater increases as we were emerging from many pandemic restrictions.

We opted to continue the campaign into the second quarter and expand the deployment by adding in a Postcode sector that is one of the most diverse in the Area of Benefit featuring one of the more affluent areas locally, a new housing development, and one of the most deprived areas locally (ranked most deprived in Worcestershire and in the “top” 10% nationally).

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Unfortunately, we were let down by the contractors we had engaged to physically deliver the brochures and the campaign failed. This came at the same time as uncertainty was increasing over the spread of Omicron and so the quarter was effectively written off by the middle of December.

Following this failure, we sought a new supplier to deliver the brochures on our behalf.

For the third quarter campaign that was launched in March we made a direct link from our printers to Royal Mail, and the delivery was completed on time. (Royal Mail were selected as our new delivery partner, and we have seen significant improvements on delivery and costs, and the results were once again immediately noticeable. We had scaled the campaign back to just the postcodes around Stourport whilst we tried this new approach.

Plans for the coming year ahead are to expand the campaign once again to include the previously mentioned area, plus a stretch into two postcode sectors where we have, historically, little engagement. This campaign will be deployed in September to coincide with Carnival Day and will include a brochure designed by our new marketing partners at Nexus Creative.

If this proves successful, we will consider a further growth in deployment within this coming year, likely to be in the Spring.

We will also explore funding sources to help accelerate this campaign to cover the entire Area of Benefit.

Business Plan Launch 2021-27

The delayed launch of the new Business Plan was finally held at the end of June 2021. The presentation of the plan was made to Volunteers and was rolled out from the beginning of the reporting/fiscal year.

It builds on the previous plan, our strengths as an organisation, and develops the venue we operate from.

There has been a limited amount of progress towards the aims of the plan, in the main due to the disruption felt from the Pandemic continuing into the first half of the reporting period.

However, the sections above detail progress towards these aims. The Community Centre is helping with financial sustainability and sustainable staff increases. It has also helped identify new potential partnerships, and new engagement opportunities. It also enables us to “Go Where the People are”. The most obvious aim/objective here is that we identified an opportunity under the banner of Localism and have taken the opportunity when it was presented.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

The Equipment upgrades show that we are developing our offer for our users, making the venue more attractive for performers, showing investment whilst also building up our own resources.

“Going Postal” is, at its heart, as much about community engagement as much as it is about putting “bums on seats” (which helps with financial sustainability). It also lends itself to programme diversity and opportunity.

All three ENCORE sections will have completed a production within the last 12 months, with ENCORE Youth producing two with the play “Teechers” and a Showcase.

• PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS

The Civic has presented the following events and activities during the year:

In House and Collaborations :

ENCORE Youth: “ Teechers” by John Goodber and a showcase ENCORE Music: “ Queens of The Stage and Screen” - Music/Songs from Leading ladies of stage productions and films.

ENCORE Drama – Marian, Or the True Story of Robin Hood

Ballroom – Monthly Ballroom and Sequence Dancing night with Brian’s Super sounds

Wrestling – Family friendly event each quarter with HCW Wrestling

Touring Productions/Events:

The Jaguars – Solid Gold Sixties, Covers Band Forever Sabbath – A tribute to Black Sabbath

You're My World – A Tribute to Cilla Black (with a Beatles tribute in support) 80’s Rock Icons – A Tribute Band

The 70’s Show – A Tribute Band

Only Fools and Boycie – the final performance of John Challis (aka Boycie from Only Fools and Horses) prior to his passing.

Bingo Revolution – three visits

AbBA Alike – A Tribute Band

Green Matthews – A Brief History of Music and The Canterbury Tales

Let’s Dance 90’s – A Tribute Band

Weeping Bank Productions – The Monkey's Paw/The Legend of Pock Quadrophenia Club Night – featuring the Atlantics

Denmark Street Big Band - with Dean Jones and Sir Tom Jones Crafty’s Creepy Castle – A Family Show from Honalee Media

Ballet Theatre UK presented The Snow Queen – return of the touring Ballet

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Not Lady Chatterley's Lover – A parody

The Test Pilots – Covers Band

Jive Talkin – Bee Gees Tribute

Don’t Go into The Cellar – Several productions through the year

Santa’s Best Christmas Ever – Family production from Honalee Media

New Year's Eve Party with WoW 80’s Tribute

The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much – physical theatre from Voloz Collective

70 and 80’s weekend – Two Tribute bands over a weekend

Some May Say - Oasis Tribute Band

Father Brown: The Murderer in the Mirror – Rumpus Theatre Company

with John Lyons from a Touch of Frost

Made In Tennessee – A Country and Western Music show

A Woman Like Me Show – A Little Mix Tribute

Barry Steele – A Roy Orbison Tribute Show

The Wizard of Oz – A family touring show from KD Productions

A Portrait of Matt Munro – An afternoon tea featuring Andrew Richardson

and Mark Burton performing songs by Matt Munro.

The Country Superstars Show – A Country and Western Music show I Spy - a Family Show from the People’s Theatre Company

Private Hires:

75 private hires in total ranging from Blood Donations Sessions, and returning performances by Stourport Choral, Stourport Brass Band, Monday Night Group, and Talking Props.

These bookings used 126 of the 321 days the venue was available for (or 40% ).

Community Event and Free uses:

Stourport Carnival

Three Kings Parade Mayors Coffee Morning

Stourport Town Council Meetings and Events Carnival Queen Choosing

Exhibitions

Rob Pritchard – Local Artist Paintings

Climate Emergency – in the run up to COP 26

Stourport Camera Club – General Photography Exhibition

Harvey’s Carpentry – a 16-year-old creator using wood Margaret Hale – Local Artist, Pencil Portraits

Bob Goode – An exhibition of photographs around light on paper

Christmas Tree Exhibition – Featuring Trees designed and decorated by local

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

organisations and businesses

Festivals

Fusion 3 – Music Without Boundaries returned to The Civic Hall welcoming back much of the line-up that was part of the cancelled event from 2020 – headlined by Franc Carducci, Solstice and Magenta.

Wyre Forest Dance Festival – Long Established Annual Dance Festival which welcomes over 1,500 competitors

Limelight’s Summer Dance Festival – A recent addition to the calendar building on the success of the Wyre Forest Dance Festival

Tickets

The ticketing data is taken from 1[st] July to 30[th] June inclusive. It includes the period where no brochure was delivered by the 3[rd] party, which was also the period of uncertainty around December (especially Christmas) where restrictions were expected to return but didn’t.

These numbers do not include sales from Monday Night Group Pantomime, Limelight, Fusion Festival, Talking Props Performing Arts School, the Limelight Summer Dance Festival, or the Wyre Forest Dance Festival as they manage their own ticket sales.

Over 21% of the tickets sold were to visitors from outside the Wyre Forest area (versus 21% 2019/20) with 17% of total sales made to outside the county of Worcestershire (versus 19% 2019/20).

The remainder of the tickets (approx 78%) were purchased by people living within the Wyre Forest area (the area of benefit), with the majority from residents in Stourport (45% of the total - 56% of those within the area of benefit).

The “normal” reach of the Civic extends to Ludlow in the west, Tewkesbury to the south, Redditch to the east, and Telford and Cannock in the North. The “extended reach” has seen tickets sold in London Boroughs, Devon, North Wales and Manchester.

81% of the total number of tickets were sold online (versus 78% 2019/20)

The event programming at The Civic which we schedule (i.e. not Private Hires) was impacted by the desire to accommodate all the performers and events that we had programmed which were disrupted by the Pandemic. This rescheduling led to a “concertina effect” where the diary was at times incredibly busy with similar events.

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This meant that some events were not as well attended as we would have hoped as the audiences were split between a wider number of events. This also gave the impression of a specific genre, namely Tribute Acts, taking precedent over others.

The last of the rescheduled events took place in June and so we look forward to a return to a programme that appeals to the community, and provides an appropriate standard of artistic quality, with broad scope and variety across several genres.

• Stakeholders

We received money from HM Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund which was administered by The Arts Council England.

The Charity receives some support from Stourport Town Council in their capacity as landlords of both sites.

We receive benefit in kind from Wyre Forest District Council in relation to Business Rate Relief.

• Volunteers

The Civic is supported by small but highly dedicated team of volunteers from across the area. It has been a challenging year for many of them, and not being able to see them as often during the last twelve months has been hard.

We are grateful for the assistance that they have been able to provide during this last year.

• Staffing

During the period, the Charity employed two members of paid staff at the venue: a Hall Manager, and a Business Manager.

No members of staff receive more than £60,000 in salaries and benefits.

Staff salaries equated to 23% of the charity's overall costs.

Financial Review.

The results of the year and financial position of the Charity are shown in the financial statements that follow.

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No income was received from or spent outside of the UK.

Restricted and Designated funds are illustrated below.

During the year financial performance is carefully monitored against a preagreed budget. The budget is reviewed by the Business Manager and the subcommittee headed by the Finance Trustee. The remaining Trustees are updated as part of their regular meetings.

• Reserves Policy

The Charity's reserves policy was established during 2016 and was established to maintain sufficient reserves to fund their obligations to their landlord regarding rent payments and their obligations to the visitors and staff who visit the building.

The ultimate aim of the Trustees is to acquire reserves equivalent to at least one year's core costs of maintaining and managing the Civic Hall, Stourport along with the costs of administrating the Charity.

Following the collapse of our income streams in 2020 and into 2021 as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic, what reserves had been used, and exhausted.

However, following the successful application to the Cultural Recovery Fund we were able to include a reinflation of our reserves and moved £6,600 into the Reserves fund from that award in 2020.

Following the receipt of additional funds from WFDC, in respect of Local Restriction (Closure) Grants, on behalf of HM Government Trustees agreed to move an additional £11,000 into the Reserves Fund on a Designated basis so that his can be used to fill any project needs in the near future. This created a Reserve of £17,600.

The Business Manager advised Trustees that the uncertainty over the programme through the Christmas period of 2021 had created concerns and £10,000 was moved from the reserves into the main funds.

It proved necessary in the short term and was compounded by the failure of a contractor to deliver a marketing campaign. The funds were then partially replaced through the final payment of £6,128 from the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Trustees understand the need for reserves and will take steps to ensure that these are rebuilt as a priority and have set aspirational targets as part of the budget for the coming year.

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• Operational Communications

The Charity is currently reviewing its meeting structure for volunteers and stakeholders.

In addition to the day-to-day communications between team members the monthly newsletters will restart to be distributed for team members. Communications between volunteers is often through face-to-face discussion or via social media messaging systems.

Trustees also use a variety of online tools for meetings and formal decisions.

Trustees invested in a Zoom Video conference licence during the pandemic to enable communication to improve and enable our arts groups to meet and rehearse. The licence is still in place and forms part of our future communication strategy.

• Governance Costs

Costs associated with the Governance of the Charity related to payments to the Independent Examiner for our accounts, and a small sum for generating Impact Assessment data and represented less than 1% of expenditure.

• Cost of Fundraising

The Civic counts the cost of running the Civic Hall as part of its “costs of fundraising” as activities that take place in the account for all our income. These costs include the cost of running the venue and staffing it. However, it does not include event costs, marketing, or front of house services.

These costs equated to 43% of our total expenditure during the reporting period.

• Material Investments Policy

The Charity's governing document gives the charity the power to invest monies not immediately required. The Charity does not currently have any investments.

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• Related Parties

One of the Trustees is employed at the venue as Business Manager. This appointment was approved by the Charity Commission in August 2019. They resigned as a Trustee during this reporting period.

The Hall Manager (Senior Management Team) is married to a Trustee. The Trustee resigned during this reporting period.

Any payments made to Trustees, or their connected persons are in line with Organisational Policies.

• Trustees Responsibilities Statement

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group, and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company and the group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable group and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006.

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They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Good Governance Code

The board of Trustees understands that Good Governance enables and supports the growth of the Charity, whilst enabling and supporting the charity's compliance with the law and relevant regulations.

Trustees have implemented a process to meet the principles laid out in the newly revised Charity Governance Code . We have used the principles to develop a range of indicators to help us achieve a standard of Governance that is appropriate to our organisation.

We are currently able to Apply or Explain our progress towards all relevant indicators and principles for smaller charities. We have a longer-term aspiration of being able to meet many of the requirements for larger charities.

Areas of development within these indicators include improving our Impact Assessment, as highlighted above

Foundation: The Trustee Role and Charity Context

Trustees undergo a full induction process which highlights their role and what is required of them in the role. Trustees are predominantly recruited from supporters of the Charity and its work, or local community members who understand the local area or who have worked with local organisations.

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There is a Trustee role specifically designated to Governance.

1. Organisational Purpose

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2. Leadership

3. Integrity

We believe this to be the fairest, clearest, and most consistent approach to our operation, and meets with the aims and objectives of the Charity.

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4. Decision Making, Risk, and Control

5. Board Effectiveness

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6. Diversity

7. Openness and Accountability

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Statement of Public Benefit

for the year ended 30th June 2022

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit “Charities and Public Benefit”.

Definition of the term

We define the term 'public' as "Public in General", as described in the Charities Commission guidance PB1, meaning that all of the public can benefit from the purpose, and the benefit is not limited to people with a particular need or who have to satisfy some other criteria.

Area of Benefit

The defined area of benefit as per our Articles of Association is the Wyre Forest District and surrounding areas.

Statement of Public Benefit derived from the activities of the charity.

In setting our objectives and planning our activities, the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and its supplementary guidance on advancing education and on fee-charging.

The Civic is committed to enabling as many people as possible to benefit from activities at The Civic Hall and the Community Centre at Lickhill.

To this end we aim to produce programmes of events at the Hall which will Engage, Educate and Entertain participants across a wide range of art forms and leisure activities, appealing to as wide an audience as possible, with no one art form taking precedence.

We seek to be an accessible resource for the community and the primary cultural facility in the Wyre Forest District Area. To this end we also hire out the space for other performing arts groups, leisure groups, and community organisations to use.

By diversifying our programming and hiring use we can ensure that the venue is here for future generations of our community.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

We aim to make the Community Centre available as often as possible throughout the year, for the benefits of residents. We do not anticipate using the Community Centre for ticketed events unless it is in support of other activities taking place on the park.

Public Benefit: Venue Hire Fees

We ensure that we promote the use of the venue for a range of activities and that any charges for hire are fair and affordable for all.

Our prices for hire are amongst the cheapest in the area for similar sized venues, and in some cases, we are cheaper than smaller venues.

Our last price increase was in 2018/19 and our pricing for the Civic Hall is under review.

We kept the hire Fees for the Community Centre the same as they had been under the former management to ensure a smooth transition. These prices will also be reviewed in the coming 12 months when the new lease is signed.

Public Benefit: Ticket Prices

The ticket price average is calculated using published ticket prices for any event, at The Civic Hall, at which the Public can attend, including Private Hires.

The average ticket price has risen above £10 per ticket for the first time since we took over the venue, increasing to £11.58

This was caused, in part, by the “Diary Jenga” and “Concertina” effect of moving several of the higher priced events and activities from the period of the pandemic lockdowns into this year.

We believe however, based on our current programming/calendar, that this may rise further this year to around £12 per ticket as the cost of bringing professional acts to The Civic increases.

In addition to offering standard ticket prices, we also offer group tickets for Family performance events, as well as offering discounted tickets for larger groups.

The Civic is aware, and mindful of, hidden costs to attending events at the venue such as the recent changes to parking fees, lack of public transport through the evening, and the cost of local Taxi’s services.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Disclosure of Information to Auditor

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees' Report is approved has confirmed that:

In preparing this report, the Trustees have taken advantage of the small companies’ exemptions provided by section 415A of the Companies Act 2006.

This report was approved by the Trustees on 4[th] October 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

Company Secretary/Business Manager

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Independent Examiners Report to The Members of The Civic (Stourport) Limited

EXAMINERS' REPORT TO THE DIRECTORS ON THE UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2022

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the company and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from you as Trustees and 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 financial statements present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

• to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and

• to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been met;

However, In connection with my examination, a single matter has come to my attention:

(2) To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

That matter revolves around the obvious loss that the accounts show in this year. I am informed that this was predicted by the Trustees and Directors and was caused in part by the funding the Charity were granted from central Government through its Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), via the Arts Council and

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Historic England, using the Culture Recovery Fund to support such valuable charities

through the latter stages of the Covid 19 pandemic regulations and restrictions, and was regarded by the Trustees as ring fenced funding. The Charity's reporting to the government and NGO’s of the use of those funds is a matter between the two parties.

The previous Charity’s accounts (2021) showed a significant surplus in that previous period as a result of that grant funding, but then spent a significant element of that funding in the year currently under review. Therefore, the current review year’s deficit is covered by the surplus carried forward from 2021.

On advice from the Association of Charitable Independent Examiners, and for clarity, I make this point merely in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached by the reader, as is my duty.

My role as the examiner is to provide an independent scrutiny of the accounts and, in this way, help maintain public trust and confidence in charities. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the Charity is currently financially viable going into its next financial year, and carry on its services to its local and varied communities.

Geoff Boswell

Independent Examiner

2 Tuckingmill Cottages

Canworthy Water

Launceston

PL15 8UW

29

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Financial Statements For the year ending 30th June 2022

The Civic, Stourport Profit and Loss

July 2021 - June 2022

Total

Income
Total Community Centre - Lickhill - Income
Total Contributed Income
Total Events - INC
Total Front Of House Income
Total Funds
Total INCOME Business Plan
Total Income
Expenses
Total Business Costs
Total Community Centre- Lickhill - Expenses
Total Event - EXP
Total EXPENSE Business Plan
Total Front Of House
Total Internal Finance
Total Marketing
Total Staff Costs
Total Expenses		 Jul 2021- Jun 2022
Jul 2020- Jun 2021 (PY)		 Jul 2021- Jun 2022
Jul 2020- Jun 2021 (PY)
£7,307.20
£0.00
£15,237.92
£100,891.87
£92,732.49
£14,898.23
£49,044.98
£1,402.16
£40.00
£0.00
£545.00
£0.00
£164,907.59
£117,192.26
£38,909.77
£26,012.46
£4,972.53
£0.00
£48,805.48
£4,399.24
£4,859.57
£65.49
£30,746.17
£8,899.26
£1,083.50
£0.00
£12,009.23
£6,945.84
£45,353.27
£42,405.14
£186,739.52
£88,727.43
Net Income -£21,831.93 £28,464.83

30

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Statement of Financial Activities For the year ending 30th June 2022

Charity Balance Sheet as of 30th June

Fixed Assets
Equipment and Fixtures
Bar Stock
Cash Assets
Bar Reserve
Petty Cash
Box Office Reserve
Ice Cream Float
Raffle Float
Cash in HSBC BMM A/C
Cash in HSBC Community A/C
Cash in CAFCash A/C
Cash in CAFGold A/C
Cash in Unity Current A/C
Cash in Unity Savings A/C
Total Net Current Assets
Total Net Assets		 2021-22
£29,933.62
£1,962.31
£350.00
£55.55
£30.00
£30.00
£20.00
£11,130.83
£10,717.50
£332.23
£878.85
£2,896.67
£82.61
£26,524.24
£58,420.17		 2020-21
£31,430.33
£1,494.06
£350.00
£55.55
£30.00
£30.00
£20.00
£17,600.49
£37,437.41
£327.78
£2,691.77
£-
£-
£58,543.00
£91,467.39

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ending 30th June 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008).

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities' published in March 2005, applicable accounting standards and the Companies Act 2006.

1.2 Company status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page 4. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the charity.

1.3 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. There was one designated fund active during this period.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

There is one restricted fund at this time.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

1.4 Incoming resources

Voluntary income including donations, gifts and legacies and grants that provide core funding, are of general nature are recognised where there is entitlement, certainty of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. Such income is only deferred when:

Income from rentals is recognised in the period to which they relate.

Investment income is recognised on a receivable basis.

Income from theatre admission tickets is included in the period in which the income is received and is shown in Receipts.

1.5 Fundraising

The Civic is compliant with the recognised standards of fundraising as set out in the Code of Fundraising Practice.

The Civic has policies and procedures in place regarding our fundraising activities.

The Civic has not used any professional or commercial participators to raise funds on our behalf.

1.6 Resources expended

Where expenditure is directly attributable to specific activities it has been included in those cost categories. Non recoverable VAT has been included with the relevant expenditure.

1.7 Basis of consolidation

There are no subsidiaries to consolidate into the accounts

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

1.8 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation where applicable. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases:

Leasehold property: Over the life of the remaining lease period

Equipment and fixtures: 16.6% straight line per year for six years, or over length of the lease, whichever is shorter.

Total Asset value now stands at: £29,933.62

1.9 Investments

The Civic has no investments.

1.10 Operating leases

Rentals under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

1.11 Stocks

The Civic does not own any stocks.

Categories

The Charity has adapted its classifications to bring it in line with similar bodies in the industry.

2. Staff Costs

This includes Salaries, Training, Pensions and Admin costs associated with the employment of paid staff, as well as audit and accountancy fees, and payments related to Volunteers (Uniforms etc).

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

3. Events

ENCORE Productions

Income from our in-house drama groups.




Encore Drama Senior
Encore Music
Encore Youth
ENCORE Income		 £ 18.00
£ 759.64
£ 1,127.09
£ 1,904.73
Expenditurefor these activities:
Encore Drama (Senior)
Encore Music
Encore Youth
ENCORE Expenditure		 £ 740.82
£ 7.50
£ 568.01
£ 1,316.33

* ENCORE Youth do not pay for the use of the Community Centre, so expenditure is for shows and activities only.

** The ENCORE Drama production in this year was moved to November 2022 so expenditure falls this year, whereas income will come in 2022/23 accounts

4. Contributed Income

Donations, gifts, bank interest, and general core grants were received from the following sources:










Contributed Income
Bank Interest Earned
Donations and legacies
Fundraising events
Government Funding
Local Authority Grants
Other Grant Funding
Raffles and Lotteries
Volunteers
Total Contributed Income		 2.87
1,811.41
573.00
0.00
4,000.00
6,128.00
2,712.74
9.90
£15,237.92

35

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

5. Front of House Services

This section includes income from the Bar, any catering income, and Ice Cream Sale. It also includes the modifications to the Bar area to meet Covid Standards, and the purchase of PPE equipment (foggers, hand sanitisers etc)

Front Of House Income
Bar
Catering
Ice Cream
Total Front Of House Income

Front Of House Expenditure
Bar
Catering
Cleaning
Ice Cream
Repair and maintenance
Stage Costs
Total Front of House Expenditure		 46,572.87
554.60
1,917.51
£49,044.98
23,902.44
527.96
909.40
1,894.42
2,553.78
958.17
£30,746.17

6. Marketing

Marketing Expenditure
Brochure/Flyer Printing
Posters/Flyers
Print Advertising
Social Media
Website
Total Marketing		 10,855.80
234.60
793.83
125.00
£12,009.23

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

7. Charges and Repayments

7.1 Private Hire Ticket Payments

This relates to ticket money collected at the venue on behalf of Private Hire Users who chose to use our box office service. This money was banked in line with financial security policies and paid out at the conclusion of their hire period.

Bingo Revolution
Private Hire Ticket Sales
Jive Talkin
Stourport Choral
Stourport Choral
Bingo Revolution		 3,236.88
54.00
4,965.11
560.68
40.00
3,236.22
£12,092.89

7.2 Bank Charges and Ticket Refunds

Expenditure
Refunds £ 839.00
Bank Charges (HSBC/CAF) £ 242.79
Total £ 1,111.79

8. Business Costs

Business Costs
Bank Fees/Charges
Heat/Water/Light
Hygiene Supplies
Insurances
IT Services
Legal and professional fees
Licences
Phone and Internet
Printing/Postage/Stationary
Private Hire Ticket Sales
Refunds
Refuse
Rents
Training/Subscriptions/Admin
Total Business Costs		 242.79
625.37
2,298.94
1,014.39
2,887.85
2,882.77
1,060.64
1,723.74
3,584.56
12,092.89
839.00
2,115.00
6,440.00
1,101.83
£38,909.77

37

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

9. Capital Purchases

All items purchased this year have been included in the relevant sections

10. Business Plan/Projects

All items purchased this year have been included in the relevant sections. Business Plan Specific expenditure not related to Capital purchases are

EXPENSE Business Plan
Aim 2.1 Low Engagement
Aim 3.1 Cultural Democracy
Aim 4.2 Physical Resources
Total EXPENSE Business Plan		 407.86
9.55
4,442.16
£4,859.57

11. Lickhill Community Centre

Community Centre - Lickhill - Income
CC - INC Events
CC - INC - ENCORE Youth
CC - INC - Private Hire Income
Total CC - INC Events
Total Community Centre - Lickhill - Income
Community Centre- Lickhill - Expenses
CC - Business Costs
CC - Heat/Light/Water
CC - Unity Bank Charges
Total CC - Business Costs
CC - Staffing
CC - Salaries
Total CC - Staffing

Total Community Centre- Lickhill - Expenses		 550.90
6,756.30
£7,307.20
£7,307.20
4,596.53
72.00
£4,668.53
304.00
£304.00
£4,972.53

Notes:

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

12. Related Party Transactions

During the year the Charity did not make or receive any payments, to or from, any of its members other than authorised expenses.

13. Creditors

There are currently no outstanding creditors

14. Debtors

There are no outstanding debtors

15. Restricted Funds

Currently there are the following Restricted funds.

Defibrillator £600.00

Notes on Restricted Funds:

The Defibrillator funding was provided by Monday Night Group after one of our members applied on our behalf. We are awaiting permission to install from the property owners and for a quote to install.

This money was received in June 2022.

16. Designated Funds

Currently there are the following Designated funds:

Anti-Social Behaviour Project Fund £878.42

Notes on Designated Funds:

Anti-Social Behaviour Fund : The fund has now served its purpose and the remaining balance has been passed to The Civic for its own projects.

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