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← The Civic (Stourport) Limited

2025-06-30-accounts

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

The Civic Group

Trustees Annual Report

(TAR 2025)

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 2025

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 3
Report of the Trustees 7
Governance Code 19
Statement on Public Benefit 24
Report of the Independent Examiner 27
Statement of Financial Activities 28
Balance Sheet 29
Notes 30

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity for the year ended 30th June 2025

Trustees

Cheryl Skidmore

Tim Schmeising-Barnes

Rob Pritchard

Sarah Taylor-Robinson

Charity Registration Number

1150208

Company Registration Number

8057037

Registered Office Independent Examiner

The Civic Hall Mr Geoff Boswell

Martins Way

Stourport-on-Severn

Worcestershire

DY13 8UJ

Company Secretary

John Caldwell

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Chairs Statement

for the year ended 30th June 2025

We have come to the end of another year at The Civic which as usual has been another one full of ups and downs! The year started well with a grant payment of £20000 being received which was given to us to use for general expenses rather than anything specific.

At The Civic we continue to try and provide a wide range of entertainment catering to all areas of the community, but we are finding this harder each year as free entertainment in the town continues to thrive and we are having to fight harder for our share of the market.

Once again, we have had to cancel events due to poor ticket sales, and it is becoming harder to know what the public is looking for. Strangely higher priced events seem to sell better than mid-priced events so maybe that is the area we need to focus on.

Encore Youth made a guest appearance with Stourport Brass Band in December, as well as in the memorial concert we put on in May for our dear friend Barbara. They also performed their own small show in June entitled A Roald Dahl Storybook all of which were very well received. On behalf of the youth group, we applied to the Monday Night Group for some funding to purchase some radio mics – we received a cheque for £200, and we purchased a set of 8 microphones with receivers which are now kept in the tech room. I would like to thank James, Jane and Trudy for their help in running Encore Youth and to the parents for being so supportive.

Our “Friends in the Foyer” scheme is still thriving, and it is great to see Abby who was a student from Cambrian school now take an active part in looking after our guests each week as a volunteer.

We have welcomed a new student from the school over the last year, and we have also welcomed Aaron (AJ) a more mature student from Kidderminster College who has been assisting Caroline with promotional material and has given life to our new Civic mascot ‘Civ’. AJ’s placement was made through a relationship built by Sarah one of our trustees with the college. We have also worked with students from the college on their end of term projects for their media course. Videos and short films were made in different genres, and we can use these or parts of them in our promotional work on social media. Once again this was all down to the hard work of Sarah, and I am very grateful for the time she spent working with these students.

I am eternally grateful to the trustees for their hard work over the last year and for their continued support. At the AGM last year, we were delighted to propose a new Trustee, and we are delighted that Teresa is now on board with her expertise in HR.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

In August of last year, we were saddened by the passing of one of our young volunteers Martin. Martin was always cheerful and chatty, and we miss his smiling face. Our thoughts are always with his mum Yvonne who continues to support us in a back-office role.

Later in the year we lost another of our volunteers Richard. Richard spent many hours working at the hall in a maintenance capacity. He had to take a step back following a stroke, but he and his wife Pauline would come to friends in the foyer, and we were all deeply saddened by his passing.

We are continuing to work with the Town Council, and we hope that over the term of the new lease our relationship will continue to grow and that moving forward we may be able to secure a longer-term lease. Sadly, one of the terms of the lease, which we tried hard to fight, was that dogs are no longer allowed on the premises apart from assistance dogs. We were given three months to implement this as it meant that Arya would no longer be allowed to come to work with Caroline.

As always, The Civic would not operate without the commitment and dedication of our Management Team. They continue to provide us with a strong base for our Charity and work extremely hard to keep the building going. The work they do is supported by our team of Duty Managers and our volunteers who are such an important part of The Civic and are fundamental to the running of the venue. Many thanks for all that you do we could not survive without you. A great addition to our Civic family has been our minion who provides great photo opportunities for sharing on social media.

It is with great pride that we report that we have been nominated for the Kings Voluntary Award. The first-round interviews were held, and we passed those, so we now must wait for a decision later in the year. They were particularly interested in the work Caroline does with the students, and I would like to commend her for her efforts in this area.

John has worked hard to get us a new and improved range of beers, together with new dispensers. Already the bar is looking better, and our plan is to undertake a refurbishment of the servery to modernise it and keep it looking fresh!

At the end of June, a team from the BNI group that Caroline attends helped to raise some much-needed funds for The Civic and we are extremely grateful for their support – they virtually cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats (or was it the other way around?) Either way they did an amazing job and finished well ahead of time!

So, we come to the close of the year. We still have many challenges ahead of us which will be dealt with as they arise, and we look forward to the new year with anticipation.

Cheryl Skidmore

Chair of Trustees

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Trustees Report

for the year ended 30th June 2025

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.

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.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

• Organisation Structure and Decision Making

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

The day-to-day management of the Charity and its venue is completed by Staff and members of the Charity.

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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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

• 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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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

• REVIEW OF THE YEAR

The Lease on The Civic Hall

Since the last Annual Report - the new lease has been agreed and signed. The lease is for a three-year period, as opposed to the five years that was reported in the press, and initially offered.

The progress of the lease was delayed by the solicitors that we had appointed for the matter and this caused some stress on the organisation.

Virtual Cycle Fundraiser

On the 28[th] of June the Civic partnered with Wyre Forest BNI, a business networking group that our Operations Manager is a member of, to raise funds for the venue by participating in a virtual cycle ride from Lands’ End to John O’Groats.

The team started at 6am and managed to cycle the combined distance by 5:30pm and raised close to £5,000 through sponsorship and donations on the day from other activities.

A truly Herculean effort by all involved, and our Ops Manager was the rider who completed the final miles crossing the line to a multitude of cheers and support.

This fundraiser was a great example of people in our community, and our business associates and suppliers, coming together to support us and help us keep doing what we do.

Having only taken place a couple of days before the end of the reporting period there are still some funds to be counted and added to what will be the final total number.

The Minion

We were lucky enough for a man named Richard to stumble across us as a returning ex-pat who had lived in New Zealand for many years. Richard was an exhibition prop and stand designer who also turned his hand to carnival floats in recent years.

With him not only came passion and a keenness to help us, but also a Minion of the kind from the Despicable Me movies.

Richard had a vision for the Minion and since then, for almost every show and activity the Minion has been dressed to blend in. It has become a centre piece in the foyer for visitors to take a photo with and is a real conversation starter.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Many of the acts know of the Minion before they arrive and make a beeline to have a photograph themselves with it.

It has been dressed as rock God Slash, Country Superstar Dolly Parton, a Wrestler, a Black Country Comedian, Taylor Swift and even the Town Mayor (who was an uncanny look-a-like). The Minion has a hashtag #civicminion which can be searched for on Social Media pages.

Bar Update/Refurbishment

Just before the end of the reporting period we started a refurbishment of the bar and bar area. The initial steps involved replacing the lines we had served for more than four years with a more prominent, recognisable, range complete with modern “bridge” style fonts/taps.

This encompassed moving the cellar around and installing electrics for an additional chiller/cooler for the main lines, and a stand-alone cooler for the nonalcoholic Heineken Zero draught line that we have added.

We will be making cosmetic changes to the bar back and serving area which will modernise the appearance and functionality, whilst creating an identity for that space which is complimentary to the building and the Charity’s identity.

Building Condition

The venue is beginning to, once again, show her age.

Elements that were included in the refurbishment are starting to show signs of wear and our team have managed to maintain and repair the facility with a deft touch with regards to budget constraints, often coming in under budget – which we are incredibly grateful for.

This is becoming more of an issue and there will be areas of repair that will be beyond our skill or outside our remit for which the Town Council, as Landlords, will be responsible.

Added to this there are areas of the venue that require modernisation or simple “smartening up”. An increasing number of our visitor survey results are reporting back with comments such as “looking tired” or “dated”. Whilst these comments are general in their nature, we have identified a couple of areas that will need looking at in the future – The Bar and Bar Area (work currently underway), and The Toilet Corridor (especially the flooring).

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Remembering The Goode Times:

Following the passing of one of our founders last year, a concert was planned featuring a number of local performers under the banner of the ENCORE Music Group. This took place for one night only and helped to raise funds for three charities close to the heart of the founding member, Barbara Goode.

A fantastic evening of music charting the life and performing career of Auntie Barb, and featured stories and photos from her own collection.

Loss of Volunteer

We sadly lost a lovely volunteer, Martin South, during the year. Martin was an enthusiastic and caring member of our team, who didn’t shy away from having fun and dancing when the time called for it. His smile and helpful nature have been missed.

Our thoughts and love continue to go out to Yvonne and her family at this time.

Loss of Life Member: Richard Belshaw

Richard was a volunteer for a number of years until the pandemic and ill-health caught up to him limiting his involvement when we returned.

He was, however, a regular visitor to the Friends of The Foyer on a Wednesday afternoon, and he was appointed a life member as part of the initial cohort in 2023.

The impact that Richard had on The Civic was nothing short of remarkable.

You can hardly go into an area of The Civic without seeing his handiwork or influence; be it the transformation of the foyer, the bunk bed storage in the Blue Room, the updated purple covered seating, or the renovation of the main hall (which he did with Phil Smith). He even took to the stage in our production of Allo Allo.

Above all that though, Richard was an absolute gent and a pleasure to be around, and could talk for hours on a range of subjects.

All of us at The Civic who knew Richard, would like to pass our well wishes to Pauline and the family at this time, and also to say Thank You for letting us get to know Richard and for all his efforts at the venue.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Funding Challenges and Lease Limitations

We continue to explore all available avenues for external funding to support our charitable activities and ensure our long-term sustainability. We are grateful to The Foyle Foundation for their one-off grant this year, as they drew their foundation to a close.

However, a significant challenge we face in securing grants from many philanthropic and statutory bodies is the limited duration of our current lease agreement.

Many grant-making organizations and funding programs require applicants to demonstrate a minimum lease tenure, typically five years or more, to ensure the stability and longevity of projects they support.

Unfortunately, the three-year term of our current lease agreement falls short of this common requirement. This lease term was granted despite our proactive communication regarding the standard funding criteria, and it has, consequently, presented a considerable barrier to accessing a broader range of crucial external funding opportunities.

Despite these constraints, we remain committed to diversifying our income streams and continue to seek alternative solutions to ensure we can deliver essential services to our community.

• PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS

Our ability to offer a varied and attractive arts programme which is accessible to all remains one of our priorities.

We do not seek to maximise our income at all costs; our belief, as a charity, is to generate an income through a varied arts programme which is accessible to all, whilst offering a facility for those who wish to use it.

Some of our offerings deliver large numbers of patrons, and even a few welcome sell-outs, but equally important are the niche performances, or appearances by developing artists - sometimes only a handful of patrons may attend those performances, but we accept this as a price we pay for offering variety.

Likewise, our Private Hire offering is as diverse as we can make it, and we try to provide for everyone from the well-established to the newly started.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

In House and Collaborations :

ENCORE Youth: “ A Roald Dahl Storybook”

ENCORE Music: Remembering the Goode Times

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

Wrestling – Family friendly event each quarter with HCW Wrestling Indoor Car Boot

Storytime and Craft Days: Seasonal sessions with a story and craft play Murder Mystery Evenings: with On The Floor Theatre Company Wedding Fayre

Touring Productions/Events:

Afternoon Tea: A couple of our special afternoon tea events Soul Train

Cheesy Bingo Party

Jive Talkin – Bee Gees Tribute

Country Superstars Show

The Bohemians: Queen’s Greatest Hits

ABBA Alike

Honalee: Santa’s Christmas Wish

Don’t Go Into The Cellar: Dracula vs Sherlock Holmes/ Night of the Vampires Don’t Go Into The Cellar: Oh What A Night

Maltloaf and the Monstars of Rock

George Egg: Set Menu

Barry Steele and Friends

Class of 55

In Pour Taste

Quo Connection Born Jovi

Country and Western Events Jonny Cole: Arma’guddun

Story Time: A Big Egg We Buy Vintage

Taylor Fever

Flea Market and Arts Fayre

East Street Repeat

Mark Summers Elvis Legacy

One Night in Dublin

Antiques and Collectors Fairs

Adult Panto Tour: Alice in Wonderland

Our Star Theatre Company: Hanny Strikes Again

The Bootleg Shadows

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Private Hires:

79 private hires in total ranging from Blood Donations Sessions, birthday parties, meetings as well as returning performances by Stourport Brass Band, Monday Night Group, and Fusion Prog Festival. These bookings used 127 of the 321 days the venue was available for, or 40% (down from 51% in 2023/24).

Community Event and Free uses:

Stourport Carnival

Friends in the Foyer Three Kings Parade Carnival Queen Choosing Coffee Mornings with the Mayor

Exhibitions

Rob Pritchard – Local Artist Paintings

Christmas Tree Exhibition – Featuring Trees designed and decorated by local organisations and businesses

Kidderminster Camera Club

Festivals

Fusion 6 – Music Without Boundaries returned to The Civic Hall with an even bigger and better festival than before.

People from all over the country had travelled to Stourport for this weekend.

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.

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

Over 30% of the tickets sold were to visitors from outside the Wyre Forest area (versus 32% 2023/24) with 21% of total sales made to outside the county of Worcestershire (versus 14% 2023/24).

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

The remainder of the tickets (approx. 70%) were purchased by people living within the Wyre Forest area (the area of benefit), with the majority from residents in Stourport (32% of the total - 46% of those within the area of benefit).

77% of the total number of tickets were sold online (versus 78% 2023/24)

• Stakeholders

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

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

• Volunteers

Our operations are truly powered by our incredible team of volunteers, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to each of you. Your dedication is the engine that keeps our charity running smoothly. Whether you offer a few hours of your time each month or are a near-constant presence, your commitment is invaluable.

It should also be noted that Volunteers have assisted in many ways in helping us to minimise the impact of price and service cost increases, and our maintenance team have achieved quite a lot considering the cost constraints they were under.

We are immensely grateful for the personal and professional support you've provided.

Thank you all for your invaluable contributions; we simply couldn't do it without you

• Staffing

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

The Charity also employed two part time cleaners.

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

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

measures such as increasing the National Minimum Wage for the third straight year. We have been lucky to avoid the increase in NIC that many organisations have faced as a result of having a small team.

However as those costs have increased so have other costs at the venue meaning that, despite an increase in real terms, the percentage as it relates to the charity’s overall costs, has decreased.

Financial Review.

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

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.

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.

This has not been fully realised this year.

• Operational Communications

The Charity tried a new meeting structure for volunteers and stakeholders this year. Volunteers have responded well and appear to enjoy the level of engagement and social aspects now included.

Stakeholder engagement could be improved, but this may be a professional detachment related to securing the lease as the relationship with our landlords has improved over the past 12 months.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

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.

• 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 36% of our total expenditure during the reporting period ( down from 41% last year).

• 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.

• Related Parties

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

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

• 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.

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.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

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.

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 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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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

1. Organisational Purpose

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

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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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

4. Decision Making, Risk, and Control

5. Board Effectiveness

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

6. Diversity

7. Openness and Accountability

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Statement of Public Benefit

for the year ended 30th June 2025

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.

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

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.

We implemented a new pricing strategy for large volume hirers and those who had the potential to extend short hires into longer hire periods.

Any changes to our pricing structure inevitably take time to reach our customers as some of them book close to 12 months in advance. This means that any shocks from price increases to contracts, services, rents, etc can take some time to be mitigated by Hire Price increases (and ticket pricing).

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 rose to £14.28 – an Increase of 17.5% (up from £12.13 in 2023/24)

There is increasing pressure on ticket prices due to the increased costs of bringing in a professional programmed shows and events.

Without the inclusion of our very low-priced events, such as our craft play sessions, the average ticket price for our programme of events would significantly increase to £20.82 .

However, we have also observed that some low-priced and even free events have been poorly attended, leading to cancellations or financial losses; Conversely, we've been successful in securing high sales volumes and some “sold-out” shows with much higher price points, including several exceeding £25 per ticket.

The Quality/Value perception is outweighing the accessibility options and work will need to be undertaken to help audiences understand that we are working to offer lower pricing to allow engagement and a low-ticket price should not be confused with poor quality.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

We are conscious that our commitment to ensuring that Ticket Pricing is not a barrier to access is creating challenges for us, but ensuring our events remain accessible to all members of our community is central to our mission. We will just need to find solutions to how we fund some of these events going forward.

Our commitment to accessibility is reflected in our diverse ticket pricing strategy. 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 to some events.

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

We will continue to explore innovative solutions to mitigate these external pressures, such as advocating for improved local transport links and exploring partnerships to reduce ancillary costs where possible.

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 23[rd] November 2025 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

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Financial Statements For the year ending 30th June 2025

Statement of Activity The Civic, Stourport

July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025

Jul 1 2024 - Jun 30 2025
Jul 1 2023 - Jun 30 2024
(PY)
Income
Total for Contributed Income
Total for Events - INC
Total for Front Of House Income
Total for INCOME Business Plan
Total Income
Expenses
Total for Business Costs
Total for Event - EXP
Total for EXPENSE Business Plan
Total for Front Of House
Total for Internal Finance
Total for Marketing
Total for Staff Costs
Total Expenses
Net Income
£27,181.87
£19,261.17
£154,920.70
**£128,652.57 **
£61,466.85
£67,282.92
£187.67
£35.00
£243,757.09
£215,231.66
£33,449.38
£31,934.07
£96,657.68
£75,434.53
£315.14
£262.22
£45,772.47
£42,417.12
£75.52
£824.38
£6,796.64
£2,649.02
£57,325.65
£54,149.47
£240,392.48
£207,670.81
£3,364.61
£7,560.85

28

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Statement of Financial Activities For the year ending 30th June 2025

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 CAF Cash A/C
Cash in CAF Gold A/C
Cash in Unity Current A/C
Cash in Unity Savings A/C
Total Net Current Assets
Total Net Assets		 2024-25
£16,380.57
£4,660.86
£350.00
£50.00
£30.00
£30.00
£20.00
£517.14
£2,073.30
£137.14
£91.17
£7.69
£0.72
£2,827.16
£24,348.59		 2023-24
£19,845.92
£3,629.48
£350.00
£50.00
£30.00
£30.00
£20.00
£0.92
£6,100.29
£416.97
£89.15
£25.69
£0.71
£6,633.73
£30,589.13

29

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ending 30th June 2025

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 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.

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Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

1.4 Incoming resources

Voluntary income including donations, gifts, 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 used GoFundMe/PayPal Giving Fund as professional or commercial participators, through the use of their online portals, to assist in our fundraising efforts for the Virtual Cycle Ride.

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: £16,380.57

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).

Staff Costs have increased as a direct result of HM Government measures such as increasing the National Minimum Wage for the third straight year. We have been lucky to avoid the increase in NIC that many organisations have faced as a result of having a small team.

32

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

3. Events

ENCORE Productions

Income from our in-house drama groups.

Encore Drama Senior
Encore Music
Encore Youth
Expenditurefor these activities:
Encore Drama (Senior)
Encore Music
Encore Youth		 0.00
411.46
497.65
£909.11
65.81
0.00
120.00
£185.81

4. Contributed Income

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

Contributed Income

Bank Interest Earned 88.36 Donations and legacies 3,238.26 Fundraising events 1,331.95 Fundraising Campaign 15.00 Local Authority Grants 500.00 Other Grants 20,000.00 Volunteers 40.00 Raffles and Lotteries 1,968.30 Total Contributed Income £ 27,181.87

33

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

5. Front of House Services

This section includes income from the Bar, catering, and Ice Creams

Front Of House Income
Bar Income
Catering
Ice Cream INC
Total Front of House Income
Front Of House Expense
Bar - Exp
Catering
Cleaning
Ice Cream
Repair and maintenance
Stage Costs
Total Front of House Expense
6. Marketing
Marketing
Brochure/Flyer Printing
Mailing List Costs
Posters/Flyers
Print Advertising
Social Media
Ticketsource Tickets
Website
Total for Marketing		 61,015.85
178.50
272.50
£ 61,466.85
35,499.92
539.01
2,747.71
281.78
5,694.54
1,009.51
£ 45,772.47
2,486.11
565.50
241.98
1,700.00
885.73
78.94
838.38
£6,796.64

34

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. This category was moved from Business Costs to Event Fees last year.

UK Theatre Shows - Jive Talkin
Stourport Brass Band - Autumn
Neil Coley Big Band
S17 Promotions - Bohemians
RBL: Northern Soul
Stourport Brass Band - Christmas
S17 Promotions – Quo Connection
Charming Entertainment Ltd Adult Panto
Stourport Brass Band - Spring
Carpet Trades Musical Theatre Company
.2 Bank Charges and Ticket Refunds
Bank Fees/Charges
Refunds		 UK Theatre Shows - Jive Talkin
Stourport Brass Band - Autumn
Neil Coley Big Band
S17 Promotions - Bohemians
RBL: Northern Soul
Stourport Brass Band - Christmas
S17 Promotions – Quo Connection
Charming Entertainment Ltd Adult Panto
Stourport Brass Band - Spring
Carpet Trades Musical Theatre Company
.2 Bank Charges and Ticket Refunds
Bank Fees/Charges
Refunds		 £ 10,592.87
£ 70.00
£ 348.75
£ 7,777.73
£ 49.80
£ 70.00
£ 3,596.28
£ 14,844.74
£ 10.00
£ 2,060.46
£ 39,420.63
792.11
345.15
1,137.26

7.2 Bank Charges and Ticket Refunds

35

Registered Numbers: Charity 1150208 Company 8057037

8. Business Costs

Business Costs
Bank Fees/Charges
Bank Loan Repayments
Heat/Water/Light
Hygiene Supplies
Insurances
IT Services
Legal and professional fees
Licences
Phone and Internet
Printing/Postage/Stationary
Refunds
Refuse
Rents
Training/Subscriptions/Admin
Total for Business Costs		 792.11
4,876.26
503.92
2,436.24
1,017.20
765.27
3,702.54
2,661.20
2,141.02
1,865.51
345.15
1,765.00
7,498.37
3,079.59
£33,449.38

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:

Aim 1.4 Improved Appearance
Total EXPENSE Business Plan		 315.14
£ 315.14

11. Lickhill Community Centre

Community Centre Income/Expenditure is now not shown as we had no management involvement in its operation.

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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

The Charity has one Creditor HSBC Bank . The Charity took out a cash flow loan of £10,000 in July 2023 over a period of 24 months.

At the end of the fiscal year the balance remaining was £884.24

14. Debtors

At the year end the Charity had three invoices overdue from one customer: NHS Blood £900

We also have £1,463.99 held as pending from PayPal Giving Fund as a result of the Land’s End to John O’Groats virtual cycle ride GoFundMe online donation page.

15. Restricted Funds

Currently there are No Restricted funds.

During the course of the year, we spent the previous year's Defibrillator restricted fund after receiving match funding from London Hearts.

16. Designated Funds

The Charity received £500 from Wyre Forest District Council’s Warmer Space Scheme as funding towards our Friends in the Foyer scheme.

The Charity received £20,000 from The Foyle Foundation funding towards our running costs. This was a one-off, exceptional grant, as the foundation was folding its grant making arm in 2024.

Some of the funding has been spent with additional planned spending in the new fiscal year.

Internal Finance

Designated Fund 3 - Warm Space Designated Fund 4 – The Foyle Foundation – Running Costs

£74.38 £20,000.00

37