2025-09-30-accounts

[Trustees' Annual Report]

For Period

From

Period start date Period end date To 1 Oct 2024 30 Sept 2025

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Buxton Well Dressing Festival

Other names charity is known by

Registered charity number (if any) 1156707

Charity's principal address 17 Lansdowne Road Buxton

Postcode SK17 6RR

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for **whole year **	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	Richard Lower	Chair
	Kathryn Gilson	Member
	Christine Gould	Well DressingSecretary
	John Moss	Vice-President
	Martin Gilson	Treasurer
	Helen Barker	Minutes Secretary
	Linda Grooby	Secretary
	Aneta Mosley	Member

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name	Dates acted if not for whole year
none

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members

Management Committee: Richard Lower, Martin Gilson, Christine Gould, Maureen Kitchen, Charles Kitchen, Helen Barker, Graeme Kitchen, Colin Phillips, Jane Fletcher, Linda Grooby, Aneta Mosley, Mark Stout

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November 2025

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Constitution: last amended at Extraordinary General Meeting on 4[th] Type of governing document April 2014 (eg. trust deed, constitution)

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation with voting members other How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) than its charity trustees Trustee selection methods Elected at a General Meeting and re-appointed annually at the AGM held in November or December (eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

• policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;

• the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;

Buxton Well Dressing Festival is a Registered Charity (Charity Number 1156707)

The Buxton Well Dressing Festival is managed by a committee of members that includes trustees.

All trustees, committee members and members give their time voluntarily and received no remuneration or other benefits.

• relationship with any related parties;

• trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Section C Objectives and activities

To promote the arts and advance education for the benefit of the public in Buxton, Derbyshire and the surrounding area, in particular but not exclusively by:

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

• (1) preserving and promoting the historical tradition of a Well Dressing Festival and

(2) advancing education in the historical tradition and craft of well dressing, particularly but not exclusively, through the provision of workshops, exhibitions and demonstrations.

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The focus of our activities remains the Well Dressing Festival which takes place in Buxton every July.

This includes the preservation of the historical tradition of a Well Dressing Festival in Buxton which began in 1840.

The festival includes:

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

• The annual dressing of the floral boards. This includes the engagement with students from Buxton Community School who design and dress their own floral boards.

• The blessing ceremony, where local dignitaries, clergy and town’s people process through the town blessing each well dressing and giving thanks for the provision of water.

• The selection and crowning of a Well Dressing Queen and Retinue. The Well Dressing Queen and Retinue represent Buxton at events in Buxton and the surrounding region.

• A carnival parade around the streets of Buxton, creating a day of celebration in the town supported and enjoyed by many organisations, individuals and businesses.

• A fun fair on Buxton Market Place for the entertainment of the people of Buxton and the surrounding area.

• Other events and competitions.

Details and information can be found on our website: www.buxtonwelldressing.co.uk

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

• policy on grantmaking;

• policy programme related investment;

• contribution made by volunteers.

A great contribution is made by member volunteers and other volunteers from Buxton.

We are grateful for the many hours volunteers have spent working to make the Buxton Well Dressing Festival a success. Without this valuable contribution of time, energy and expertise we would not have been able to maintain our traditional festival.

We are also grateful for the financial contribution made by donation, sponsorship and grants that allows the costs of staging the festival events to be met.

Thank you to everyone.

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November 2025

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

• During 2025 we have again organised the full range events of the Buxton Well Dressing Festival, although this is becoming more onerous with increasing requirements of regulations and expectations. • The Well Dressings featured Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and celebrated Newborough National Nature Reserve on Anglesey.

• In the Pump Room the lion-head fountain commemorated 50 years of Buxton’s Billerette dance troupe, and the pupils from Buxton Community School designed and dressed the Children’s Well on Spring Gardens.

• The Buxton Well Dressing Festival Queen Layla Haskins was crowned by her mother who had been a past Buxton queen.

• Our Queen and Retinue have won many awards whilst representing Buxton in neighbouring carnivals and events.

• Increased demands from Derbyshire County Council’s Emergency Planning and representatives from the emergency services for Buxton’s busiest day of the year (Well Dressing Carnival Day) is leading to extra work and costs.

• The footprint for the funfair was reduced by High Peak Borough Council, so was a smaller event.

• Emergency Medical cover was stipulated to be required to meet potential demands from 20,000 people that could be in Buxton on the day.

• • An emergency control centre was required to be set-up and manned for the whole day.

Thank you to everyone for their hard work.

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Section E Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

We endeavour to hold reserves to cover one year’s expenses of running the Buxton Well Dressing Festival

Details of any funds materially in deficit

Not applicable

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

• the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);

• how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;

Our principal sources of funding remain:

  - Public collections made during the carnival and at the well dressings

  - Sponsorship and grants

  - Advertising revenue for our programme

  - Fund raising events

• We thank everyone for their generous support.

• investment policy and Details of income and expenditure will be reported in detail at our

• objectives including any AGM on Wednesday 26[th] November 2025. ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Richard Lower

Full name(s) Richard Lower Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc) Date 9th January 2026

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November 2025

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