## RG Spaces 

## Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements 

## for the year 

1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021 



**Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 October 2021** 

## **Reference and administrative information** 

**The name of the charity:** RG Spaces 

**Other names by which the charity makes itself known:** rgspaces 

**Charity Commission number:** 1160023 

**The address of the registered offices of the charity:** 33 Alexandra Rd, Reading RG1 5PG 

**The names of the charity’s trustees:** 

Jenny Halstead Annette Haworth Paul Johnson Adam Koszary Adam Stead (resigned August 2021 on moving from the UK) Mark Stanley (appointed October 2021) 

**Bank:** Barclays, Broad Street, Reading 

**Insurance:** Zurich 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

**The nature of the governing document:** Constitution 

**How the charity is constituted:** as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) 

**Methods for new trustee recruitment:** personal knowledge of relevant professionals 

**Methods for new trustee appointment:** by trustees as laid down in the Constitution. 

Until last year the Charity held the Safe and Sound governance mark (managed through Reading Voluntary Action[1] ). 

## **Public Benefit Statement** 

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty under section 4(6) of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and that the public benefit requirement has informed the activities of the charity in the year covered by this report. 

## **Risks** 

Trustees are confident that financial risk is insignificant due to their reserves policy, and that choice of projects to support, and their subsequent management through the Board, will result in the effective and efficient use of resources. 

1 RGSpaces was part way through its 3-year reassessment when pandemic-related restrictions prevented this completing. 



## **Strategy** 

The Trustees have adopted a strategy of seeking projects which can be worked on jointly with other local organisations having similar cultural and/or heritage interests. The Trustees’ Board acts as Project Board where RG Spaces takes the lead management role in any project. 

## **Trustees** 

**Induction:** Potential new trustees will be invited to meet with trustees and to attend Board meetings. All the Charity’s policies are made available and activities described through the website, together with reference to the Charity Commission’s ‘The Essential Trustee’ documentation. 

**Training:** A Trustee/Volunteer actively monitors the charity press and Charity Commission communications. Relevant local training opportunities are monitored mainly through subscribing to Reading Voluntary Action newsletters. 

. 

## **Objectives** 

- a) the advancement of education for the public benefit in particular, but not exclusively, by assisting with the enhancement of publicly accessible spaces in Reading which have educational learning spaces and those provided virtually, through the internet, such as web space, and other media through the provision of human, technical and other resources, grants and other finance; 

- b) the advancement of arts, culture and heritage for the public benefit in particular, but not exclusively, by assisting the publicly accessible work of Reading-based organisations which have these aims through the provision of human, technical and other resources, grants and other finance; 

- c) the beautification of publicly accessible spaces in Reading for the public benefit through the provision of human, technical and other resources, grants and other finance. 

## **Activities** 

As last year, activity was severely curtailed this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 

The trustees held one face to face meeting during the year and at other times business was transacted online mainly via email. All the events normally attended with the mobile information point were cancelled or postponed. Spaces which we were involved with were either completely closed or open only spasmodically under various restrictions throughout this reporting period. 

|**Summary of activities**|(a)|(b)|(c)|
|---|---|---|---|
|Grant giving||||



Activity for 2022 

At the time of writing this report, the UK is coming out of various pandemic-related restrictions but some of the organisations we liaise with are taking a more cautious approach to gatherings. Trustees have yet to assess in detail what near future activity might be possible but our ongoing basic activities remain. 

## We will: 

- continue to monitor progress of some local heritage and arts projects to assess whether RG Spaces could/should become more involved (at the end of this reporting period we are in discussion with a new community space, Reading Biscuit Factory, and a project in Reading Old Cemetery. 

- Take part in East Reading Festival and other heritage/cultural related events as this becomes possible. 



## **Related projects** 


**Whiteknights Studio Trail** – having been postponed due to the pandemic, the 20[th] anniversary Whiteknights Studio Trail took place in June 2021. We were pleased to have helped this with a grant last year towards the 20[th] anniversary book. 

Book cover © Two Rivers Press/Whiteknights Studio Trail 


**Heritage Open Days** –in 2020 plans were underway with the Friends of the University to help present the Duke of Marlborough’s sarsen stones on Whiteknights, and the related Victorian fernery, both their historical context and their flora and fauna for the NT’s Hidden Nature theme. Two University members were providing expert input. It was hoped to revive the idea in 2021 but this proved impossible due to the University’s restrictions on events. 

## Photo ©Katy Whitaker 



**Reading Repertory Theatre –** the theatre’s project was hampered by Covid restrictions but it managed to complete the refurbishment during 2021 with the first production in October. Trustees agreed that our grant could be repurposed as the potential for exhibition space was limited and the overall project had an overspend largely due to problems of construction during lockdowns. 

‘Work in Progress’ ©Jenny Halstead, a local artist and one of our trustees, was created from a sketch made during an RG Spaces’ tour of the ongoing work. 

**Bricks and Brickwork in Reading Patterns & Polychromy -** our 2019-20 grant enabled colour printing of this book which celebrates Reading’s rich brick traditions. It was published in Autumn 2020. 

Detail from the cover ©Two Rivers Press/Adam Sowan 

## **Charitable activities in 2020-2021** 


**Online** - We still run some related mini-websites: turbocharged, 100.rgspaces, relics.rgspaces, holybrook.gallery (for Reading Library Services which now manages the content). Mostly these have been dormant with no related activity possible this year. 

The Turbine House Blake’s Lock (now an exhibition space) from a frieze painted by Reading-based artist Thérèse Lawlor which was used on the  Relics for Reading Reliquary and now as our website header. 


**Grants** – in view of the ongoing problems with in-space visiting, trustees agreed a grant to Reading Museum to help with their online teaching activities. Trustees also agreed part-funding towards an information board to be placed on Christchurch Green. At the time of writing this report the Friends of Christchurch Green have achieved match funding and the project is in the process of discussion with the Council and University. 



**Fundraising:** No active fundraising was planned for or needed this year. 

**Volunteers:** the bulk of our administration is undertaken by a trustee/volunteer. In the absence of physical events we have not sought to recruit volunteers this year. 

**Other resources:** Website hosting is provided on an ongoing basis free courtesy of a trustee. Trustees and volunteers use their own IT equipment for the Charity’s work. 

## **Finance** 

**Policy on reserves:** the Trustees have a policy of holding enough funds to cover any known liability without relying on any future income. 

**Funds materially in deficit:** none. 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published on 16 July 2014. 

**This report was approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by** 

## **Signature:** 

**Name:   Annette Haworth, trustee** 

**date:  31/1/2022** 



**Statement of Financial Activities for the year to 31 October 2021** 

||**Note**|**Unrestricted**<br>**2021**|**Restricted**<br>**2021**|**Total**<br>**2021**|**Total**<br>**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||£|£|£|£|
|**A Income & endowments**||||||
|A1 Donations and legacies|1|5,000|0|5,000|6,000|
|**B Expenditure on**||||||
|B2 Charitable activities|2|(500)|0|(500)|(12,000)|
|**Net income/(expenditure)**||**4,500**|**0**|**4,500**|**(6,000)**|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||||
|Total funds brought forward||5,221|0|5,221|11,221|
|**Total funds carried forward**||**9,721**|**0**|**9,721**|**5,221**|





## **Balance sheet at 31 October 2021 (charity number: 1160023)** 

||**Note**|**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
|**B Current assets**||||
|B4 Cash at bank (none in hand)||9,721|5,221|
|**C Current liabilities**||||
|C1 Creditors: amounts falling due within 1 year|3|1,500|0|
|**Total net assets or liabilities**||**8,221**|**5,221**|
|**D The funds of the Charity**||||
|D2 Restricted funds||0|0|
|D3 Unrestricted funds||8,221|5,221|
|**Total charity funds**||**8,221**|**5,221**|



## **Audit exemption statement** 

With an income of less than £25,000, the Charity is not required to have either an independent examination or audit. In addition, the constitution does not require an audit and the trustees have agreed that no external scrutiny is needed this year. 

Signed 

Name 

Trustee, on behalf of the trustees 

Approved by the trustees on 31/1/2022 



## **Notes to the financial statement for the year ended 31 October 2021** 

## Note 1 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) 

|Note 1<br>Individual donations<br>Note 2<br>Grants||
|---|---|
|ReadingMuseum|£500|
|Note 3||
|Funds earmarked for Christchurch Green historic information board|£1,500|



There have been no related party transactions in the reporting period that require disclosure. 

No staff were employed in the period.