REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1159763
Report of the Trustees and
Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
for
Derby Book Festival
Bates Weston LLP Chartered Accountants The Mills Canal Street Derby DE1 2RJ
Derby Book Festival
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 to 3 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 4 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 5 |
| Balance Sheet | 6 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 7 to 13 |
Derby Book Festival
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives and aims
The objectives of the CIO are the advancement of education for the benefit of the public by the promotion of literature, language and the arts in particular through a book of literature festival in Derby and such other activities as the charity trustees shall from time to time determine.
Public benefit
The public benefit provided by the Charity include: - promoting artistic appreciation
- bringing a diverse and high quality range of authors and artists to Derby audiences.
The beneficiaries are all members of the public and access is enabled as follows:
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through concessionary ticket schemes
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all areas of the festival are wheelchair accessible
The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Charitable activities
In the year to August 2025, Derby Book Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary (in May 2025) and has continued to extend its range of activities and projects. Two Festivals were held: in November 2024 over six days and in May 2025 over nine days. The partnerships which have been established since 2015 with arts and educational organisations in the city and county continue to strengthen and grow.
Ticket and book sales continue to grow. Our activities have broadened particularly in terms of our children and families' events programme and our community programme. Our core audience, volunteers and Festival Friends continue to be very supportive and evaluation feedback indicates high levels of satisfaction with the programme content and quality.
The Festival programmes continue to offer high quality, nationally recognised authors, debut and local authors, fiction and non-fiction writers and a range of topics. The Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage made a return visit ten years after his first.
Our Children & Young People's Coordinator has developed our schools and family programmes. We reached 11,000 primary school children at 2 Meet the Author events with author and illustrator Nadia Shireen and novelist M G Leonard at Derby Theatre, live streamed to 90% of Derby schools and 7 county schools. We also included a broader family programme at our Summer Festival. We held our first family event to celebrate World Book Day in March 2025 and plan to repeat it in 2026.
Our seventh Derby Children's Picture Book Award, for Years 2 & 3, included 6500 children in 217 classes in 63 schools, an increase on 2024. The children voted for their favourite book (of 3 shortlisted) and met the author and illustrator at Zoom events. More publishers submitted books: 75 books from 37 publishers compared to 50 books from 22 publishers in 2024.
In October 2024, we appointed a new Shared Reading Project Co-ordinator to lead our community project, aimed at using poetry and short readings to support health and well-being in small groups across the city. We have 43 trained volunteers in total and had 17 groups in July 2025.
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Derby Book Festival
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
Our relationship with the University of Derby continued to grow, engaging more academic staff and students. The CivicLAB events we offer as free events at both the Summer and Autumn Festivals provide academics with the opportunity to share their recently published research with a public audience in an arts venue outside the University. 14 University lecturers interviewed authors at events. 13 students volunteered at events, giving them first hand experience of managing events. 20 Creative Communications students entered a competition to illustrate our Flash Fiction competition winning stories for our bookmarks; 30 nursery/childcare students participated in our Early Years project, creating Story Sacks for 3 picture books to use in their nursery placements, building their confidence and skills in reading with children.
We increased our support for local writers and participated in the University of Derby's Publishing conference. Our Autumn Book & Craft Market included writers, publishers and book craft makers enabling them to promote their work, make contacts and develop their marketing skills. We ran Writing Workshops at the Festival led by published writers. In May 2025 we launched a series of Local Authors in Libraries events in partnership with Derby and Derbyshire libraries and the Society of Authors which we plan to repeat twice a year. These offer local authors the chance to talk about their books to a paying audience and to sell their books, receiving the income from both.
Our annual Flash Fiction Writing competition drew 494 entries across 3 age categories, and categories for HMP Foston Hall. The judging panel comprised local writers & academics. Author Tracy Bloom presented prizes at Foston Hall & ran a writing workshop.
Our team of about 103 Festival volunteers, including students, support our Festival events and book sales and are able to develop their skills and feel part of an exciting creative community.
Having recruited eight new Trustees in 2024, we have reviewed our governance practice and established a Policies & Procedures sub-group to support the Festival core team to ensure a robust process for reviewing these on an on-going basis. We have also identified a Safeguarding Lead on the Board.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Financial position
Reserves at 31 August 2025 totalled £86,963 (2024: £98,736) following a year with a deficit for the Charity. This level of reserves still falls within the range agreed by the Trustees to ensure the Charity has the funds to continue into the foreseeable future.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
Derby Book Festival is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), which was registered with the Charity Commission on 5 January 2015. Its governing document is a constitution dated 3 September 2014.
Membership
The members of the CIO are its trustees.
In the event of the Charity being wound up members have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal liability for settling its debts and liabilities.
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
The constitution provides for the appointment of a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve trustees. Trustees are appointed by resolution at a meeting of the Trustees. All Trustees are appointed to serve for a period of three years. In selecting individuals for appointment as appointed charity trustees, the charity Trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Induction and training of new trustees
When a new Trustee is appointed they are provided with a pack which contains:
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a copy of the CIO constitution;
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a copy of the most recent Annual Report and Accounts;
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a copy of Minutes od previous Trustees' meetings;
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a copy of the Charity Commission Guidance 'The Essential Trustee' and 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
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Derby Book Festival
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Charity number 1159763
Principal address
13 Lavender Row Darley Abbey Derby Derbyshire DE22 1DF
Trustees
K A J McLay R S Huskisson (appointed 25.3.2026) F G Cunningham (appointed 25.3.2026) E A Copper (appointed 25.3.2026) T R Bull S C Harker-Bettridge R Smith D E White M Forkin C P Ratcliffe C Turner H Williams J Jordan S Hindmarch S Wall D Smith N K Sharma (resigned 1.10.2025)
Independent Examiner
Bates Weston LLP Chartered Accountants The Mills Canal Street Derby DE1 2RJ 25/06/2026 Approved by order of the board of trustees on ............................................. and signed on its behalf by:
................................................................. K A J McLay - Trustee
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Derby Book Festival
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Derby Book Festival
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of Derby Book Festival (the Trust) for the year ended 31 August 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under Section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by Section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Sean Douglass FCA (Senior statutory auditor)
Bates Weston LLP Chartered Accountants The Mills Canal Street Derby DE1 2RJ 25 June 2026 Date: .............................................
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Derby Book Festival
Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
| Unrestricted fund Notes £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 2 118,955 Other trading activities 3 63,184 Total 182,139 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities 4 Charitable activities 203,173 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) (21,034) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 73,135 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 52,101 |
Restricted fund £ 71,826 - 71,826 62,565 9,261 25,601 34,862 |
2025 Total funds £ 190,781 63,184 253,965 265,738 (11,773) 98,736 86,963 |
2024 Total funds £ 199,554 48,136 247,690 199,143 48,547 50,189 98,736 |
|---|---|---|---|
The notes form part of these financial statements
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Derby Book Festival
Balance Sheet
31 August 2025
| Unrestricted fund Notes £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 8 519 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 9 13,154 Cash at bank and in hand 63,454 76,608 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 10 (25,026) NET CURRENT ASSETS 51,582 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 52,101 NET ASSETS 52,101 FUNDS 11 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS |
Restricted fund £ - - 34,862 34,862 - 34,862 34,862 34,862 |
2025 Total funds £ 519 13,154 98,316 111,470 (25,026) 86,444 86,963 86,963 52,101 34,862 86,963 |
2024 Total funds £ 163 9,889 109,808 119,697 (21,124) 98,573 98,736 98,736 73,135 25,601 98,736 |
|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 25/06/2026............................................. and were signed on its behalf by:
............................................. K A J McLay - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Going concern
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Donated services or facilities, which comprise donated services, are included in income at valuation which is an estimate of the financial cost borne by the donor where the cost is quantifiable and measurable.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
| Fixtures and fittings | - 25% on cost |
|---|---|
| Computer equipment | - 25% on cost |
Individual fixed assets costing £500 or more are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES
| Arts Council England Festival Funds Shared Reading Sponsorship Donations in kind 3. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES Fundraising events 4. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS Charitable activities Team costs and expenses Event expenditure Marketing Engagement Projects - book awards Office costs Insurance Books and Tote bags Volunteer costs and training Business planning and evaluation Total for 2025 Total for 2024 |
Unrestricted funds £ 64,013 402 - 32,000 22,540 118,955 |
Restricted funds £ - - 71,826 - - 71,826 |
Restricted funds £ - - 71,826 - - 71,826 |
Total 2025 £ 64,013 402 71,826 32,000 22,540 190,781 |
Total 2025 £ 64,013 402 71,826 32,000 22,540 190,781 |
Total 2025 £ 64,013 402 71,826 32,000 22,540 190,781 |
Total 2025 £ 64,013 402 71,826 32,000 22,540 190,781 |
Total 2025 £ 64,013 402 71,826 32,000 22,540 190,781 |
Total 2025 £ 64,013 402 71,826 32,000 22,540 190,781 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Costs £ 247,085 |
2025 £ 63,184 Support costs (see note 5) £ 18,653 |
|||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Total funds |
||||||||
| £ 75,814 45,933 24,268 6,679 4,216 1,290 26,257 63 - 184,520 143,524 |
£ 57,196 1,315 2,982 - 390 - - 577 105 62,565 43,417 |
£ 133,009 47,249 27,250 6,679 4,606 1,290 26,257 640 105 247,085 186,941 |
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
5. SUPPORT COSTS
| Other governance costs Accountancy Independent examiner fees Depreciation, amortisation and other similar costs Total for 2025 Total for 2024 |
Unrestricted funds £ 10,400 6,898 1,020 335 18,653 12,202 |
Total funds £ 10,400 6,898 1,020 335 18,653 12,202 |
|---|---|---|
6. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 August 2025 nor for the year ended 31 August 2024.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 August 2025 nor for the year ended 31 August 2024.
7.
| COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Unrestricted fund £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 130,536 Other trading activities 48,136 Total 178,672 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Charitable activities 155,726 NET INCOME 22,946 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 50,189 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 73,135 |
Restricted fund £ 69,018 - 69,018 43,417 25,601 - 25,601 |
Total funds £ 199,554 48,136 247,690 199,143 48,547 50,189 98,736 |
|---|---|---|
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| Fixtures and Computer fittings equipment £ £ COST At 1 September 2024 649 - Additions 138 553 At 31 August 2025 787 553 DEPRECIATION At 1 September 2024 486 - Charge for year 197 138 At 31 August 2025 683 138 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 August 2025 104 415 At 31 August 2024 163 - 9. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2025 £ Trade debtors 4,796 Other debtors 8,358 13,154 10. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2025 £ Trade creditors 5,583 Accruals and deferred income 19,443 25,026 11. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Net movement At 1.9.24 in funds £ £ Unrestricted funds General fund 73,135 (21,034) Restricted funds Restricted fund 25,601 9,261 TOTAL FUNDS 98,736 (11,773) |
Totals £ 649 691 1,340 486 335 821 519 163 2024 £ 1,531 8,358 9,889 2024 £ 2,331 18,793 21,124 At 31.8.25 £ 52,101 34,862 86,963 |
|---|---|
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
11. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 182,139 Restricted funds Restricted fund 71,826 TOTAL FUNDS 253,965 Comparatives for movement in funds At 1.9.23 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 50,189 Restricted funds Restricted fund - TOTAL FUNDS 50,189 Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 178,672 Restricted funds Restricted fund 69,018 TOTAL FUNDS 247,690 |
Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (203,173) (21,034) (62,565) 9,261 (265,738) (11,773) Net movement At in funds 31.8.24 £ £ 22,946 73,135 25,601 25,601 48,547 98,736 Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (155,726) 22,946 (43,417) 25,601 (199,143) 48,547 |
|---|---|
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
11. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Restricted fund TOTAL FUNDS |
Net movement At 1.9.23 in funds £ £ 50,189 1,912 - 34,862 50,189 36,774 |
At 31.8.25 £ 52,101 34,862 86,963 |
|---|---|---|
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Restricted fund TOTAL FUNDS |
Incoming resources £ 360,811 140,844 501,655 |
Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (358,899) 1,912 (105,982) 34,862 (464,881) 36,774 |
|---|---|---|
The general funds do not have any restrictions or conditions on their use and can be spent at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.
The restricted funds relate to grant funding received from The National Lottery Community Fund to support Derby Book Festival's Shared Reading programme. The purpose of the funding is to develop and deliver Shared Reading groups across Derby, using literature to support wellbeing, connection and access to reading within community, health and other partner settings. The funds support the coordination, delivery, volunteer involvement, partnership work and associated programme costs required to run and grow the project.
12. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 August 2025.
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Derby Book Festival
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
13. LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHARITY
The charity is a charitable incorporated organisation. In the event of the charity being wound up, members have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal liability for settling debts and liabilities.
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