Cornpanyregistration uuttther. 09144072 ClJarityTegistration number.. 1161161 Nottingham City of Literature (A ¢oJnpany limited by guararllee) Ajmual Report alld Financial Statements ror the YearEnded 31 March 2025 Cozurnuuity A¢Gouotitig Plus Units l & 2North West 41 TbOt Strcet NGI 5GL
Nottingham City of Llterathre Contents Reference and Administrativ¢ Detsils 2to9 Ittdepcndcnt ExarninePs Report io Statement of Finwial Activities 11 to 12 Balance Sheet 13 Notes to the Financial Statements 14to20
Nottingbam Clty of Litèrathre Reference and Administrative Details TteeS Trevor Wright Amy Bere Linda Woodings Dan B8Xter Dr KcryFeatber8ton¢ Professor PTr Clare Harvey Dr Biclwd Owen Stepbell Lowe Presldent Senlor Mamagement Team Charlty Reglstratlou NuDther 1161161 COJDpRny Reglstratlon Number 09144072 Registered oftfice Nottingham Celltral Library I Carrington Street Nottingba NGI 7FH lttdependent Examlner Eva Stevens, ernploy of Community Accounting PIUB Units l & 2 North West 41 Talbot Street Nottillgl NGI 5GL P¥cl
NottfinghY4m Cfity of Llterature Trustees, Report Th¢ twstees, who ar¢ directors for the purposes of company law. PTeseTLt the annual rrt toget1r with the finau¢ia] ststements of tbe charitsble company for the year ended 31 March 2025. TThstre$ 8nd officers The tntstees ar officers serving dwing tbe year and since the year end were follows.. Trustees.. Trevor Wright Amy Bere Linda Woodin85 Dan Baxter (appoillted 26 Julle 2024) Dr Kery Featherstone (appointed 26 June 2024) Pmfe$50r Lynda Pratt (appoint*l 23 September 2024) Clare HaeY (appointed 24 September 2025) Dr Richard Owen (appointed 24 September 2025) Jacob Hall (appoillted 26 June 2024 and resigned 25 Novemb¢r 2025) Patrick Limb (resigned 24 Septemb¢r 2025) Barbarn Cathcart {resigned 24 Septernber 2025) Ernily York (resigned I l December 2024) Claire Bale {r¢signed I l December 2024) Wil]iaTn Gre80ry {Tesi8ned 19 Sept¢mtw 2024) Structur& governan¢e 4Dd managemellt N4lMre ofgovern¥ng document The charity is a cojnpatty limited by 8uaratttee attd registera ¢barity. It is operated under the Nles of its memorandum and articles of asso¢iatiott dated 23n114 and most rentlY amended 0711012020. 11 ha5 no sbare capital alld th¢ liability of each member in the event of winding-w) is limited w £1. R¢eruitffJenl l4pPOinet0ItrM5tsc Trustees apply via subnjitting expression of inter¢st and a CV, w¢ then shortlist ¢andidates for an 1c[vICw. then invite the Intial tsustee ts atterLd a m¢etillg as observer. and fillally the llew tn]stee is ratified by the Boar Objeetlveg 8Dd acdvltlej Objects And4ims Promote the education tsf the public at large by providing or as5i5tins in the provision of opportunities to acces$, engage under5tal and enjoy literature and Titing, including. but not limited to, promoting and orgaJJisin8 a bid for Nottillgha to becoTlle a UNESCO City of Lit¢rabJre: andlor to pursue such other charitable purtx)8¢5 analo8OUS to atw of the aboye a5 the Directors in their absolute discretion shall detennine. Pag¢ 2
Nottingham City of LiterAthre Trn8tees' Report Publicbenef We deliver activity to engage youllg people ill reading, writing aryd Grcativity. We offer creative writing work8hops, gift books. support creatives to deliver literatwe related activity. We also 5UPPOrt witers attd creatives #nd dir¢¢t them to partuer5' opporttmities Oocal, national and Internation), and giv¢ creatives paid work through delivering actiTrity for w. W¢promote all thin8s literature acro88 th¢ city aad beyond. Ihe8c activities bellefit tts¢ public by itispiring pef3oDal swial traff$fom]Rtion througb readin& writing and crea¢ivity. The trnstees cimfinn that they have complied with thc reqlIets ol section 17 of th¢ Chalities Act 2011 to have due regard to tbe public benefitguidancepub]ished by the.Charity Cornn)ission for Fgland attd Wal¢s. Aeh5eYements & p¢rfonn8Dce Nottillgham w18 awarded UNESCO City of Liter&ture status irt Deccmbcr 2015 and Since then has tsken its ple &$ & tnember of tb¢ UNESCO Creativtr Citics networK enthling it to play a culknal glld creative role Im the internatioual stage. Our MissioD Nottinglwn UNESCO City of Literatyre beli¢v¢s in buildtng better fithtresyith words. Our Vl¥lDn Our vision is of A city evyDue 15 reading and writing theirway to abett¢r life. We believ¢ ill literature ay 8 retlertion at its besL enabling pcoplc to bcttcr utthrthd each oth¢r and th£ world we live IL ObJe¢tiYes Inpursuit ofour mission al vision. wc have four objVe$.. LEADERSMP: to provide lead¢rsbip for thr city through our role a8 strat¢gi¢ ¢ataiysL helping culturnl organisations to work together more efft¢tively' LEARNING: To mak¢ an SmP8Gt oll long.terni ]iterdCy levels by gEowing diverse audiences for readillg and iiting ill Collaboration with Nottingham's universitics. litcracy hub, libraries, s¢hoo19. arts and litEr8ry orgpaisation5,' PLACE.. to animatc tbe city's UNESCO de5iguation positively impact pla¢¢nthillg. the position and prowotion ofNottingbam'8 lnt¢nJatioaj repiitation as acreative city. TERNAYIONAL.. to str¢tyben international partnersbips by providing a¢ce5s lo ¢W knowledE6 and cr¢ativ¢ exch)ge opportwlltie8 between indkvidu8ls and orggnisations ittNottiDgham's ¢reative sectors. ETtcutfve Our tnission Is 'Buildsllg Better Futur¢8 with Words. all oJJr activity iti the perfod w&s foSed on develDping connectiwity. nurtursng cr¢otivity andamplifyitig y(Awg Vol8. Page 3
Nottingham Clty of Literathre Trustees, Report Highlights in the period April 2024- March 2025 included: We cotttiTn our intertiational work with our leadership in the network as our Director was cotititiued work the Coordinator of the Cities of Lileiature sub-network We continued our work with our Youth Advisory Board ¢prOdUcing work and projects al they de]ivered their first major event for International Youth Day. The Speakeasy collective continued, champioDing the voiee5 of young people in Nottingballl &8 an open mic Jjigbt every oth¢r month alld providing a platforni for YOW people to sh¢ their work in a supportive eDviroumeut. supported by Nottingham P]ayhouse and Writing Easi Mid]allds. Two Nottingham writffl3. Alison mre and Andrew Tu¢ker Leayis w¢r¢ selethed for the Melbourn¢ vi7 writers residency from over 50 appli¢ations from around the world Our flagship Big City Reads prtsgramme returned for the third year and reached our biggest audiences. The 2024 campai8tL'S reach was approxirnately I million people, and developed 175 partsLer5hip5 with youth group5, 3¢bo0is, libr4ries, city centre cafes and shops, and media ParerShIpS. 2024125 Creatlve Progr8llMlle blgbllgbts In April 2023 we begatt a llew phase a$ an Arts co¢11 England NatioJal Portfolio Organisation INPO). We received tbe three-year i1lveste1jt in recogllition of our ability to de]iver projects that celebrate the regiott's literary excellcnee and tackle historically poor literncy rales, workin8 on a local, nattonal and intrrnational level. This ststys ¢n&bl¢s us to d¢liv¢r a wide rdt)ge of proje¢ts to irnprove the life clwJce$ of our younger members of society. while ellsuring Nottingham is seen as att exemplar in its approach to words and their power. During the second year of tbis iDve51rneut. bigbligllts from tbe creative programme iD¢lude.' Our City 0 Stories project held a celebration went at Nottit)gham Celltral Library it) JuDe 2024. where we heard sorne of the fantastic stories that were devised and shared in our six local libraries and tbe six writer5 involved perfollned their Letter to the Library eOmDJiSSiODS for the first lime. These were subsequently added to our website as podcast and will be printed in an allthology in 2025126 - We once a8aiti participated in the SIamoNrysio the Cities of Literature Global Slam Cojnpetition. We rarl our Slamovision lo¢al heats in pattiership with GOBS Poety Collective, Is part of Nottingham Poety Festival (Julle 2024). wbere 20 poets battled it oui for the GOBS POETRY SLAM Chompion crown and to represent Nottingharn in the international Slarnovi5iOU Cosnpetition in Manchester {DeMber 2024). The winner Rebecc 'Bep' Sun]rttCaleS dayzled tbe crowd and judges, taking the crow4 and won 4th place in the international ¢ompetitiot). - Big City Reads. a six-week long projert that saw 2,000 books distributed across NottinghaTtJthirc. The books were selected from a long-jist of 56 youttg adult titl¢s that wer¢ subsequerltly ¢b¢)s¢n by Youth Arnb&ssadors and our Youth Board. Authors of the four chosen books held workshops in schools a¢ross Nottinghamshire to en¢ourage students to read and engage with the t¢xis. The 2024 campaign's reacb was approxinjately I million people. and d¢Yeloped 175 partherships with youth schools, libtaries, city celltre Cafes and shops, alld media partnerships. International Youth Day 2024: Together with our Youth Advisory Boat& we tcUrated an excitiDg prograrnme of events at Nottingbarn Centrdl Library conyising a 'rnarketylace' for local arts organisations and yowig ¢r¢ativ¢s to deliver aetivities and prote their work Internationally, 16 young writers from 13 Ckties of Literattye took part in two virttMI roundtsble discussions, wbi¢h enabled young creatives to make ¢onnectioDS across the Cities of Lit¢rath nettvo - Jay Saudhu Fths our writer iti residency for Transform. in parthership with New Art Exchange. Jay produced the Belonllg EP. a multigenre explorntiott of identity. culture. and connection. The project brings together & powerhl ]ineup of Nottingham-based artists. alongside a French rY4pp¢r and a Portuguese po¢L The B¢longing EP Wds launched &8 part of Nottingharn's Beat the Streets festival in J8nu8ry 2025. reacbiD¥ new msiC audiences. - We held our Y¢ry first Yowig Writers in r¢sid¢n¢y at Broml¢y Howe Library IFebruary 2025), enabling two youttg writers, ag¢d l7 and 21. to explore the Alan Sillitoe colleetioD and produce a creative written response. $pOrted by att ¢xperiell¢ed TrTiting mentor. This Wds the fjrst of its kind and we are extremely grateful for Brot)Jley House for ¢ollaborating with us ou an op[lty for our young wilting w2]mwty. Pa8e 4
Nottlngham Clty of Lllerature Trustees, Report - Our Youlb Advisory Board (YAB) ctsntitiued mecling nK)nthiy. The group cotttinues brillging yi)uth voices to the he3rt of th¢ ¢harity, One ofthe YAB projects highlights was the 5 Sen5 Tour. a8Partof NotthLgbaTn Pocty Fcstiyal (Iutte 2024). a stroll thrnugb thc city. stopping on the way for varioL8 poety WTitin8 prompts inspired by on¢ of th¢ five senses. - Speak Easy eolle¢tiv4 our monthly spokell word op¢n n)i¢ and w¢xksbop serie4 moved venues to Nottingb Celltral Library. These events continued to bring young poets to 8bar¢ words time together. and to otTer a placewbere creative voi¢¢S are hear - One of our Youth Board and Speth Easy Collective mernbers, started a writing Gollective alld upen mic nigllt in MangfieliL th¢ RÉght to WiÈte Collective. which we bAye been supporting from its srartiti June 2024. UNRSCO Cltles ofLlteratsre ConfereD¢e 4nd Int¢rn&tiorAal ¢oll8boration The UNESCO Cities of Literatre ncttvork brings togctbcr 53 cities across 6 cimtincnts. Ivljile the designation marks existing literary &xcellence witbin a city. becon)itig a UNESCO Cty of Literntwe giv¢s cities apts¢¢ withiti a supportive network wbo SI% and collaborate with each other. It Calls upoo citi¢& to nurture ¢Thtivity, 5UPPOrt freedom of $pe¢th. attd ensute literature reaches as wide and diverse audiEuGe a5 P05sthIe. During this period we Submitt our quadrennial monitoring report to the LfNESCO Secretariat along8ide allew rcporting mechanism highlighting thc strong work that wc havc donc connected to th¢ delivery of thc network's ambitions. the sustaillable development go&is aod Mondiacult declaratio As part of our mandatory UNESCO activity In July 2024, our director attelld the UNESCO Creative Citie5 Annual Co]Jference ill Portllgal Braga, a UNESCO City of Media Arts. tn her role of as UNESCO Cits¢s of Literabjrc Coordillator. Hannab Trsvarthen facilitated sSIO[L5 with the citi of Literathre) pres¢llted to Citie$ of LiterJtur¢ a5 part of int¢grdtion s¢ssion8" took part ID coordination SeOn¥ for tbe Nryder UCCN Network with th¢ s¢¢retariai attd preSellt the work of the entire Cities of Literature Thetwork to colleagues from sS the over 200 Creative Cities. kn addition to this work, Nottingham w&8 selectsd as an ¢xatt)pl¢ of best prartiGE IEL Gollaborativ¢ ¢duratiollal projeGts and asked to presetst the Story Valley project as part of tb¢ confernice sharing the stage with ¢olle&gues includiE)g the Mayor of Merid4 Coiunthia. In October 2024, the Citie$ Df Liternture netw¢xk in Edillburgh, SGOtlall4 UK to rnark 20 ye5 5iuce Edsnburgb w&s dcsigllated the fjrst UNESCO City of Literdture. Nottin8Eam w&s ryrtsented by NUCOL DiffctorHa]]nah Treythhen and Geueralmwger Paty B¢lln¢tt. Th¢ work of ourcity ¢outinued to be recognised by the nelwork withNottingham invited to Share best practices. be part of study trips and conttect Jnore deeply with sister Cxties of Liternttwe. One llothble example of thi5 15 ill laTLuary 2025. our director w&8 invited to visit Lviv, Ukraine by UNESCO in PlS to be part of a three day workqbop on 'Culturt of Peaee gnd Resiliertce,. Hosted by Lviv UNESCO City of Literalle and Hant participated in on three pallel&- alongside Visiting the library service, a Wdr grdY¢s Memorial, and key UNESCO h¢ritage sit¢s. As part of th¢ trip, Hannab vi8ited Nottingbam Trent University and univeity of Nottingbaln tWiDllcd UDiVCtsitics.' tlkrainiall National Polytccljnic Univcrsity alld the Ukrainian Catholic UnIv5]ty respxtively. Key outcome$ frotn the visit include feedback to the British Council and the Department of Culture, MediaAnd Sport on City to cityJ%latlobipS b¢twe¢nUNESCO Creative Cities ood HETS. Notlitigham #nd beyond ltt Addition to the above proj¢¢t4 NUCOL also participated iti local. national and internatioDal initiatives including.. World PoetyDry International YouthDay . Internatioiw] Motherlanguage Day World Literncy Day Page A8ainst the Macljine Page 5
Nottingham City of Literature Trusts¢$' Report Page Against the Macbine ett¢tsurages readers of all ages and of all ba¢kgroullds to switch off from 'tbe n]achine' . phones. laptops, Kla1 media- and pick up a book illsd. tn 2024 we were part of a global re4dillg ¢Yent led by Norwicb City of Literathre with s¢v¢n other Cities of Literature." Exeter, Kuhmo, teeuwardell, Manchester, Melbourne, Nottingh Sl¢maw". Ill Nottittgham. 50 reader5 gathered at Bn)mley House Librory to ettjoy an hour of individual reading Our core team and volunteers bave worked tirelessly to engage witb broad and div¢r8e audiences frotll attoss the city and beyot)¢L As ¢v¢r, we would like to take this opportimity to thaJk all our ¢ore partners. Nottin8baTn City Coun¢il, Notiingham Trent University. University of Nottingbatn and Arts Council England for their support. UDlver81ty collaborations Dltig the period. we continucd our strategi¢ paershipS with Higher Education IDstitutioDs, University of Nottingharn and Nottinghalll Tr¢nt University to collaborate on a range of projects, lectllres, r¢sear¢h outputs and pub]ic engagement alongsid¢ stud¢nt plac¢TDents and design sptints 8n8 tb¢ I¢DS of the sustainabl¢ development goals. Examples of flagsbip projects include: AHRC Mldland*4CitieJ Collaborntiv¢ Do¢tor¥l Award In 2023124 were successful in applying in pattnership with the Univenity of Ni>ttingham and Nottiogham Trent University for an AHRC Midlands4Ciiies Collaborative Doctoral Award. The proj¢ct started in Ortober 2024 with Katy Bir¢ty our fonner Projects Coordinator, appointed to the sttthtship following a colllpetitive process and we will Ix builditjg on the Success of the Story Valley project. In reseotthing language heritsges, attd exploring the development of ¢ultural. educational opporturrities in Nottit)gham. the pmject seeks to develop tb¢or¢tical framework for dOCullntin8. safeguarding, and supporting multilingual and local English-lattguage heritages to ellhance cultural opporkunities and support literacies for young people drawing OJJ th¢ notion of tntansible Cultural Heritage gCH). Story Ares tn the period we weff appointed as one of the partners for the fortbcoming cohort of Story Fellows for Story StoryArc5. based at Bath Spa Univ¢rsity, are working with Story Associates from across th¢ UK each leaditsg ou a different project with a Host Orgatiisation that require5 Story Ski115 to tackie a chall¢ng¢. The Hosts repre5eTLt & wide rdD8e of UK busiti¢ss¢s, ¢barities, ¢reative olld Don-profit organisations, historical sites aDd local coullcils. Paying ¢lose attention to lesstsus aU]red from tbe5e placements, the StoryArts will produce a prototype 'Story Skill Set,. to exettlplify how differnt Story alld cotnpetencies are L8ed in life, l¢arning and work. The project will appoint & 14 month part-time reSeaher to tell the story of the t$1 10 years of our d¢5igllati with the appointed fellow starting in earnest in Spring 2025. Notts TV Book Club Notts TV Book Club broadcasts monthly Oll Notts TV. a local TV station on Freeview 7 at)d Virgin 159, with 300,000 relar Yi¢wers. The show is also available internationally on demattd. FroTU its launcb in 2021 onwards, the show bas had a 5tratesic connection to Nottingh,$ UNESCO ststus. celebrnting reading for plere across differeut geDr¢s and themes. Host Dr Becky Cullen from Noitingham Trent Universitys WRAP (Writing, R¢ading and Pleasure) pro8ramme works in partllersbip with Nottingham City of Litcrdture to curate divers¢ bookshelf. from be5tsellets to titles whi¢h open dialogues around race. gellder, rnlgrati0 sexual idmtity and clas5. Notts TV Book Club fean5res a panel of 3 gts each rnonth, including publishers, writtts, books¢llers, librariaJs and commw)ity leaders. buildiDg the visibility of reading infraSttt¢ ill the City. With Over 120,000 viewers in Se&son 2. w¢ ¢otitinue w work on its tbird sea50TL Page 6
Nottingham City ofLiterature Trustees, Report FuDditt& resllience 2nd governance Duriti8 this period. we coDtinued to focus on strengthetjiug existsn8 partuershsps and buiidiog dyDami¢ )Mv Collabo10$ witEL orgaDisati¢)ns working in th¢ city and b¢yond" we conlinucd to Work with uatiDual Df88nisatiD First Story aud ¢omi¢ct¢d with Wtiting Eist Midlands aad Nottingbam PlÈyhtsuse on our poety collective Speak Easy. The fiMdI enViront contiDucd to be Cballengitig as we modified our proposed plans tt> rne¢t our situation. Cb4uging pl#ce& faces and tbe Cltyof LlterAture Team Jn Sununer 2024, we D)ov¢d into our new b&8e in Ncllingbaln's ncw stat¢-of4lxtr&rt Centr21 Library Oll CalgtOn Streel growing OUT comicction to tELC Nottingbarn City LibTrTies serviee. and creating a more visille base fortlLe organssati We extetld our thaDk5 and gratitudr to members of the Nottinghath City of Literature team, board and youth board who contribute to tht suceess of the orgatiisation. During this period we bid f3rew¢ll to Emily YorK Claire Bale and Jeremy Gregory a5 board rnember5. and wc offered a warm welcome to tbr¢e new tn writer and jownalist Sake Hail. Th¢atr¢ lioyal and Cowert H[,3 Dan Baxter, 2T)d Dr Ke Feathetstoll¢, Betweett August alld September 2024 two new teall) menthers joiJLed th¢ wgaJisation" Dr Mkthelle Leollforte took up the role of Comrnunications Manag¢r to lead our mayketing and comnLunications work, alld Claite BTkn was appoint¢d to the post ol Projects Coorditkator to deliver our projects locally and internation&lly. Owrenew¢d ¢ore ¢e8m worked reallywell togethertowards NUCOL'S missiott alld aims in theperio We also saw Katy Birch. our Projccts Coordinator moving on to do a collaborative nded PhD in the Departsnent of Modem L&nguages alld Cultures at th¢ UrriveEsity of Nottin8haTn. The PhD is support¢d by u& University of NottiDgbgm, Nottittgham Tient University and fill)ded by tbe Art# and Hurnanities Re5earcb Coutt¢il through the Mxdland94Cities Doctoral TTaining Pathship. W¢ received robu8t freelaTLce 8erYice5 from Beehive foi f&llallce 8ttd bookkccping; IT and syst¢]rLS sllpr from Robert Filkill5,' website support from The Big Ide4 we appointed Clare Kiely as a fre¢laDce fundraiser i De¢eDtrw 2025 via Fair Collective. OurthaDks to Vic HaDcock Fell for support ott our goverllallc¢ d¢v¢lopm¢ut We continucd ruDning i)ur placerrtettts proÈramtne. offering placements to students from 5 days to 10 weeks. The progrdmrnc opens w acc¢5S to the creative industries fot young people including those of di5advalltased baGkwullds. It also offers a robust foundation for building CVS, a bompelitiY¢ ag¢ in the job nwket, lletworks of contscty and tsew skills., enabling youllg peoplc's collfidence, ullderstallding of workpjace behaviors, and clarifying their care¢r choivs. Our youngest stlldet Wa5 16. aTad tb¢ m•joyity were vllkvcrgity sfydcnts, froJD either Univ¢rsity of Nottinglwn ond Nottiogbarn Trent VVer91ry. We offered 9 paid opporttinities alld O uttpaid pla¢ellMts. including ourfithplac¢tll¢nt for all autistic student in Febraary 2025. The NottinghallL City of Lot¢ratuw Youth Advisory BO (YAB), cstsblislkcd in early 2021 continued to dcvelop in this period, with Elle JAcobsott takittg over the Cbairyhip from Abigdil Hutchi80n and the vkcr chair role being Shared between Oli Nicol8 and AnTLie Cross. The YAB is a collective of twelve young creativcs, aged l8-25. advocating for young people 4TDwid Nottingbam. Their work seeks to ¢O-creat¢ Nottingbam City of Literature a¢tiYities, create opportyllities for d¢v¢loping creative practic¢4 spread a lov¢ for words and literature across the city, and contribute to strat¢gi¢ tbinkaug of the orgaui5atioM, eDsuTitig youth voic¢ is at the heart of ourwork. YAB tllembers attend montbly meetillgs. ¢ontribute to gov¢rnan¢¢, belp create opporEuniti¢s alld dEY¢lDP plan4 and act as aTnbassadorsladvoGats5 for NottiTsgb3Jn City of Literats]rc. Irl rcttll33. tbcy receive free books, free ti¢kets. oppotthwities to develop key skills ill leadethip and teamwork. advice oThhow to fjnda careerin the sector. Po8¢ 7
Iyottingbam City of Llterathre Tru$tses' Report Looldng ahe4d Nottingham has been a UNESCO City of Lit¢ratyre since 2015 and at the end of 2025 we will celebrate our Ilhb anDiv¢rsary. To k this momellt and to help shape our future plans, w¢ delivered a series of consultstion WOTkshops between October 2024 and January 2025 and surveys to ask our communities.. wbat does being a City of Literature mean to you? What does it mean for us to be part of a ts¢hvork of 53 international ¢iti¢s? We wanted our comtnuDities and pathers to Itad the conversation of whai they wanted to see from the City of Literature over th¢ next ten years. The feedback from these ¢onv¢ryations will inforni our next strategic plan. tn additioll to thi& we will be launching a publt¢ awaret)ess campai) including a bus ¢8mpaign launching in Spring 2025 . The bus will proudly state 'Bar¢¢10t Ljublj8ll4 Nottingham, LNiv, what do they have in CODrnon?i All four ¢itie5 are celebrating their tell year anDiver5aries in 2025 and we will be celebrating our international CODnections. Cl]r Satll Lu4 NotiitigbAm City Council s&iiL. "Nottingham nothing les$ ihan fl Ct41thral beacon, but rhit kn been too often overlooked. Having our City of Literare sÈoÈtu over the I¢ decode hag helped t4S to shine a light on our rich heriitsge current Urn7y of tolenr. It htts opened up wonderful opporÉunitiu allowed tAs lo estobllsh ow welI4e3eed ploce on the globol stoge. J am in awe olthe smoll btst Mighty City ofLiten7ture team who have made enonxot£¥ success oftke designalion, andom veryprotsd kj join them in celebroting thetr lQyeoranniversary.- FID*tttial revie Poli¢y on re5enY NUCOL'S Reserves Policy ensures unrestrictcd design&ted fimds and free reserves are built and nmintsined contingency provision forthree months. ¢)p¢rating costs. h7n¢1p trtsks Mncertointies Financial rk% Not fundraising ¢nougb to cortwromi5e the core oFrational costs. Page 8
Nottlngham Clty of Llterp4ture Trnstse51 Report Ststsment of Respottsil)ilities Th¢ trustees (who &rE 74lsts th¢ directors of NottiughaTU City of Litekn for the putP05E5 of rornpany law) are re8pon811)le for prepIllB the ttustres, report and thE financial 5tateinents in accordanee tpplic8ble law alld Uttited KiDgdom AGcoulltitig Standards (Utiited Kingdom Generally AccEPted Accounting Practice). includiag FRS 102 "The Finallcial Reportsng stdrd applicabl¢ in tbe UK Jnd R¢public of Ir¢land" The r¢port and acrA)unts have been prepared in accorda with the provisions in the Comwies Act 2006 relating to smxll ¢ompalli¢s. Company law tequires the trusteey to prepare finaucial statcJn6nts for cach finaTLcial ar. Ulldcr colljpany law thE tru5teeS 5t rLot approve the FaclaI statemeDts uD]¢s$ they are satisfied that tbey give a1rue and fair VIVAT of the statc of &ffair5 of tbc cbaritsble coJnpar&y alld of tbe incoming rcsources and application of 0r£e$. including its income attd expenditurA of the ¢lwitabl¢ ¢omp8ny for th&t period In preparing these firjancial sthtem¢nts, the trustees are required to". stlect 5Uitabie accounting policies and apply Ihem consistentty" observe th¢m¢thods alldpTin¢iples in the Charities SORP. iud8etnenl8 and estirnates that are rea80nable andprud¢nt' 8tat¢ wh¢ther appli¢3bl¢ accouuting standard5, mpri85ng FRS 102 have been followed subj¢¢t to atty tJ2teriaI dep2ttur¢s dis¢lo8¢d and ¢xplainEd in thr finauGial stat¢TllEnt4" and prepare the fmatt¢i&l *atem¢nts on the going wncern basis UDless it is iDapprowiat¢ to psum¢ tljat th¢ clwitable company IFill corLtinu6 ifl busitLe&s. The tsvskes are responsible for keepillg proper &¢counting records th&t can disclose wAtb reasonable accuracy at ally time the fillanciaL positii)n of the Charitable copanY and enable thErn to ensurc that tbe fjnallcial statements Gornply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also respollsible for safeguarding the a85ets of the ¢haritabl¢ ¢oAnp8ny 8nd hence for taking reasonable stq>s forthc prcvcntion anddetcction of fraud alld other itrcglllaritics. SmAll cowa]des provision 5tatem¢nt Thisreporthas be¢n preparedin aceorthce with the small comp1¢& regitne under the Companies Act 2006. The aTmual report W&8 approved bythe trustees of th¢ ¢harity on./.7/12/.4f. alld sigDed on its b¢half by: ATlly Pa8e 9
1¥40ttingham Clty of literature Indepelldent Ewniner's Report to the trnstees of Nottingham Cfity of Literature ('the Company,) Independent eumlner's report to the trMstse$ of NottlDEhm City ofLiter8tsre ('th¢ Compny') I report to the charity ttwtees on my examittation of the a¢Gouuts of the cornpany for the ye•r ended 31 March 2025. Ruponslbllfitles and basls of report As the ¢Ilty,5 I¢5 of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of Company law) you are r¢spoTisible for the preparation of the ae¢outts in aordanCe with the reqUireents of the Companies Aet 2006 ('the 2006 Act')- Having 8atisfi¢d myself that the ftccounts of tbe Company are not required to be audit¢d ut)d¢r Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are ¢ligibl¢ for Indedent exam]ItiOn. I rq)ort in rwcct of tDy examitntiott of your ¢lwity's a¢Ullts as carried out under 5ertiou l45 of tbe Charities Aet 2011 ('th¢ 20I l Act.). Ill Carrying out rny examijjation I bave followed the DirectiODS given by the Cbarity Corornission under sedion 145(5)0)) of the 2011 Act. Indepelldettt exxrniner's statement I bave ¢o]Dpleted my examination. I confirm that no rnatt¢rs bave me to my attention in connection with the exallkination giving me cause to believe that in any material r¢specL' l. a0ting records were kept in respect of the Company as required by sertion 386 of tbe 2006 Act. or 2. the accounts do not accord with thos¢ records. or 3. the accounts do uot comply with the accounting requirements of se¢tioD 396 of the 2006 Act otlLer tban any requirement that the accounts give a 'true alld faiv vi¢w which is tt a matter considercd as part of an iDdependent eXaTniDatiO or 4. the accounts hove ttot been prepared in accordance with tlle methods attd prit)cipl¢$ of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities lapplicable to chan.ties preparing their a¢counis itt accordattce with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Iretand (FRS 102)]. I have no ¢on¢erns at)d hay¢ come across no other matters in CODnection with thc examination to whxch attention should be drawi in this report in order to enable a prw understanding of the aceoullts to b¢ rea¢h¢d Eva StcveDS, Bsc, CPFA, ¢mploy¢¢ of Commwty Accounting Plus ember of the Chart¢r¢d tn$tityt¢ of Publtc Finance and Accountsney (CIPFA) Ujjits l & 2 North West 41 Talbot Street Nottingharn NGI 5GL Date.. Page 10
Nottingham Clty ofLiterathre Statement ofFlnancial Actlvltles for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 OneIuding Income and Eipendithre Account and StateD]ent of Total Recognised Gains and Losses) UELrestrxcted 2025 2024 Iyote IDCOllR and dl}]ents from: Douations and legacies Clwitable activities 184.857 6.000 184.857 6.000 246,466 1,798 Totsl 190,857 190,g57 248,264 Expendltur¥ on: ChaTitabl¢ aetivities 204,737) {204,737) 195.130 TDtal Expcnditure 204,73 04,737 195,130 Net{¢xpeDdittweyincomo 13.880 13,880 53,134 NetVerncnt in fvnd8 {13,880) (13.880) 53,134 Re¢oncili•tion ollund6 Totsl fimds brought forward Totsl fund8 Caled forward 118.397 118.397 65263 104,517 In4,517 118,397 All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations dwingth¢ aboye ttvo periods. The fimds breakdowi for th¢ period is sbown in note . Thenotcs on page& 14 to 20 forni an intcgral part of thcse financial statements. Pag¢ll
Nottingham City of Literature Statsment of FiDancial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 Oncluditig In¢ome and E4nditUre Account and Statement ofTotal Recognised Gains and Losses) ThtJ¢ ar¢ the figuru for the prevfiolls e¢ounting period are included for comp4r4tfve Pllfp09eg Total 2024 utricted Note ID¢On 4nd EndoTriDents from: Donations and lega¢i¢s Charitable artivities 246,466 1,798 246,466 1.798 Total come 248264 248,264 Expendlture on: Cbaritable aetivitie 195,130 195,130 Totsl Expenditttre {l95,130) {195,130) Net incorne 53,134 53,134 Netmoyemeut in fi]ndy 53.134 53,134 Recond110ll of fullds Total funds brought fonvard 65,263 65.263 Total funds carried foryvard 118,397 118.397 The notes ¢)npa8es 14 to 20 forni au Inteal p8rtof these financial Staternts. Pag¢ 12
Nottingham City of Literature (Registratlon number: 09144072) Balance She¢t as at 31 Mareh 2025 2025 2024 Note FIxEd assets Taugthle &85¢ts Current a55ets Debtors Cash at bank and in I}d io 494 817 li .037 111.775 112.812 130,517 131,853 Credltor8: Amounts fallittg du¢ Trylthln One year Nrt currettt Assets 12 8,789 14,273 104,023 I 17.580 Net alsets 104.517 I 18,397 Fund¥ of the cbarlty: UnrestTlcted Income fundB Unrestricted fiJnd& 104,517 104,517 118,397 Tot41 funds I l8,397 For the fiuaLcial y¢ar ¢uding 31 March 21r25 the charity w85 tt)titled to exemption from auditunder section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 r¢lating to small CODJpaDies. Dire¢tors' T¢5pollsibiliti¢5.' The r*rnbers have Jot required the charity to obtsill audit of its accounts for the y&2r in question iti accordance with section 476. and The ditorS acknowledge their respollsibilitie5 for complying with tE¢ requir1& of the Act with respect to ACmUntin8 records attd th¢preparatioD of accounts. These fiDancial statem¢uts have been pr¢par¢d in ac¢oTdallce with the spccial provi8ioJs r¢latittg to conJpatiie$ subject to the small ¢¢)mpallÈes re8imc within Patt l5 of thE CoJnpaDies Act 2006. Thefi ial stxtfEoeuts on pa8¢5 11 to 20 wer¢ appmved by the tstee3, alld autknrised for issue o signed on th¢irbchalf by: TTu8tee The0t¢S onpagcs 14 to 20 form ats integralpartof Ihese finaactal statemenLs. Pag¢ 13
Nottingham City of Literature Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 l Accountlng policiej Svnunary of Jignificant 8ccountiDg po]i¢iey #nd key eeoulltlDg estimatrs The principal attountillg policies applied in tb¢ preparation of these fiDancial state¢llts arc set out below. These policies have been con5i5tetitly applied to all the years pr¢sent¢i unless OtherlSe stated. Statenwit of compliance The fmaucial 5¢atements hav¢ been pr¢pared in accordance witb Accountins and Rq)orting by cbltieS. Statement of Recolllltlended Practice (applicable to charities preparing their aceounts in accordance with tbe Fitnncial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Repobli¢ of Irelattd (FRS 102)) (issued in October 2019) - (Chariti¢s SORP IFRS 102)), the Financial Reportiug Staudard applkGabl¢ in th¢ UK and R¢publi¢ of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Conjpanies Act 2006. B#yts of preparArfoll Nottingham City of Literature rneets the defiDition of a pub]i¢ benefit ¢ntity ullder FRS 102. A&8ets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical c05t or lrnsaction value unless othetvise ststed in the relevant aoUnting po]icy twtes. Going concern The financial statem¢nts have been prepared on a 80iD8 concern Imsis. The IStee5 assess wbether the use of going ¢oneern is aPprOpte i.e. whetber there are any Tllaterial uttcertainties related to events or conditions thai may cast significant doubt on the abi]ity of the charity to continuc as a going concern. The trustees make this assessmeDt in respect of a period of one year from the date of approval of the fsnancial statemen Exemptlon from prepJkng A c8$h flow 8t8temeDt Under tbe exemption availabl¢ to smaller ¢bariti¢s the Board of Trstee5 bas chosen not to include a Statement of C&sh Flows witbin the finanGia) State¢llts. Ineome and ¢ndoJvmeDts Volulltary incolne includillg donations. gifts, l¢ga¢i¢s attd grants that provide core funding or are of a gellernl is recogDiS¢d when the Gharity has entitlement to the in¢oJn¢. it is probable that the incon will be received and the am¢)unt can be measured with sufficient reliability. DoMolioM$oMd legtTcie DOtionS are recogni%d wbeo the ciwity l)as b¢¢n notified in vrriting of both the atthount aud settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to ¢onditiotJs that require a l¢v¢l of perfornjance by the charity before the charity is etttitl¢d to the funds, the incollK 15 deferred and noi recognised w)til ¢ither those conditions are fiY mel or the fijlfi1nLt of those conditioDS is wholly within the control of the charity and it 1$ probable that these ti)nditiot)s will be fidfilled in the reporting perio(L Grants re¢elv4b GIts are Te¢ogDised wben the charity has an entitlemellt to the ftwds attd ally conditions jithd to the grdnts bave b¢ell met. Where performance ¢OTLditiOllS are atts¢hed to the grattt and are yet to be Djei tbe income is recognis•l as a liability and included on the balance shed as deferred i1[¢ to b¢ released. Page 14
Nottillgham City of Literatsre Notes to the Flnanci21 Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 Expenditure AII ¢KPEuOitu is ie¢ogDis¢d on¢e there is a legal or constructivc obligation to that expcnditure, it is probable settlemettt is required and the Amouut can be measw¢d Teliably. All costs are allocat to the appliGablc expeuditUT¢ headiug dt aggregate Simil costs to that tegOry. Wher¢ ¢osts ¢wot be directly lltiributed to particular headings they have beEn allocata ou 4 basis Gvllsi5t¢nt with the use of resources. with central staff costs allocated on the basis oftllne spenL and deptcciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset's us¢. Other support &)sts ar¢ allocatedb&s¢d oLthe spread of staff Gosts. Clwiitsblea¢livift¢s Charitable ewndibjre comprises thosc Gosts itt¢UTred by tbe ciwity in th¢ d¢liv¢ry of its artiviti¢s and s¢ry15 for its b¢nefi¢iaries. It in¢ludes botb that Catt be a]loe4ted directly to sucb activities and those costs of a indirect nature necessary ta Support thellL T4xatAon Th¢ charity is ¢onsideted to pass the tests set out ill Patagraph I Schedule 6 of the Fillan¢¢ Art 2010 and th¢refor¢ it meets the defioitioll of a chaTitsbl¢ company for UK CoOrtion tax purp05e5. kncordiugly. th¢ l]aTity i5 PQt¢Dtially ¢[Pt from knation in respect of incolne or capÈtal gains receiv¢d within c4tegories Covered by Chapter 3 Part I l of the CorporAtioll Tax Act 2010 or S0 256 of tbe TtiOTr Df Chargeable Gain5 Act 1992, to the extent lknt such income or gains are applied elusiv¢1ykn tharitabl¢ putPO8¢8. Tanglble fixed assets Individual fix¢d a8s¢ts ¢ostillg £400 or more are initially recorded at any subsequent aceumul&ted deptrciation And subsequent ulated impairme105s¢s. Deprecl8tloll and 8morttsatloD Depre¢iatioD As provided on tsngible fjxed assets so as tQ Wklte off the cost or Valuatio less estiTuat¢d residual vA]ue, over their expected useful ¢¢onorLi¢ life as follows: Asyet cl% Cotyput¢r equipm¢ut Depreciation method #ttd rate 33/0 stratght Ii Trade debtor8 TrAde debtors are amounts due from customer5 for Tnewballdise sold or services perforttjed in th¢ crditiary course of business. Trade d¢bt5 aro recognised initially at the trnllsaction price. They are subSeqtIyMP¥8uffd * aowrtiwj co$t Using the effective interest method, less provision for impaimient. A provi5iOtx for the lmpairnt of tradc dcbtors is cstablishcd whcn thcre is objcctivc cvidcnre thstthe ¢harity will not be hbleto collectall ajnouttts due according to the origina] tern]s of the receivables. Caib and Casb equlvaieuts Cash and casb equivalents compT55e cash on bal and call deposif5. and other 5hort.t¢rni higbly liquid invt5ttnents are readily eonvertible to a known amount of ¢&sb attd are subject to an iDsi8nificarLt risk OF change in Vdluc. Pagc 15
Nottingham Cfity of Literlure Notes to the Flnancial Sttements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 Trde credltoys Trade creditors are ob]igatiollS to pay for goods or services that hav¢ beets acquircd in the ordtnary ¢ourse of business from $uppli¢rs. A¢¢ourtts payable are classified as ¢urrent liabilities if the charity does not have aD ullcondition rigbi at the elld of the r¢ting period, to d¢f¢r settlement of the creditor for at least ttyelye months after th¢ r¢porting date. If there 15 an un¢onditioJMi right to defrr ttl¢Mellt for at least hvelve mottths after the repoititig dat< they are presented &s Jwn-uwrellt liabilities. Trade ¢r¢ditor5 are rccogniscd iDitially at the tsansactiou price and subsequently nwured at amortised cost using the effectÉYe interest method Fwid 8tructsre ullSled incorne fi]nd4 are general funds that are available for Se at the te¢s, discretion in fjJrtherdnc¢ of the objectives of the charity. Pen8lon5 and other post retlrement obligAtion The clwity OPErates a dered contribution petision scheme which is a pensiot) plall under wbicb fixcd contribution5 are paid into a peDSiOtt fimd and tbe charity bas no legal or ¢ottstsu¢tive obligY4tion to pay fiyther contributions even if the fimd does llot bold sufficient &ssets to pay all employees the benefits relatitig to ernployee s¢ryi¢e in the current aDd prior perio(b. Contributions io dered contribution platts are recogtiised in the Ststement of Finan¢ial Activities wben they art due. If contribution payments exceed tb¢ contribution due for service. the excess is recognised a5 aprepayInent. 2 lttcome from donations And legacffieg Unrestrlctsd futtds Genersl Tot81 2025 Totsi 2024 Donations and lega¢i¢s' Donations from companies, trusts and similar pro¢e¢ds Grattts. iticludiug ¢apitsl grants. Government grants 184,857 184,857 216.750 29,716 184,857 184.857 246,466 3 Inconw from ebarltble #ctKviti Unrestricted funds Cetteral Tot 2025 Totsl 2024 Sundry in¢ome 6,O¢X) 1.798 Page 16
Nottingham City of Llterathre Iyotes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 4 Gftnts & doDationy UDrestrActed funds Totsl UtiiveLsity ofNottingham Arts Couticil Englat)d Nottittgham Tr¢tu1)ly¢rsIty Sundry gThuts & donatto 28.500 130.000 25,600 757 28.500 130,(XlO 25,600 757 184857 5 Espelldltsre on charltable *d[lieS Unreytrleted Total 2025 Total 2024 Gentrnl Artivity ¢osts People costs Marketill8 & PR OverhEads & athinistr&tion 73.904 103,951 4.856 73.904 103,951 4.856 22,026 204,737 61.731 102,934 7,810 22,655 195,130 204.737 o r4etlnconth1l1tg0tsg r¢sowces Net(outgoiiig)/incoming resources for the year ittdude.. 2025 2024 Depreciation of fixedassets 323 162 Page 17
Nottingham City of Literature Notes to tbe Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 MaTeh 2025 7 Staff e09ts The a88regat¢ payToll costs were as follows: 2024 2025 (8s r¢stat¢d) St*ff eosts duTlng tbe yr were: Wag¢5 and 5alarie5 Social security costs PeDSiOD costs 110.509 5.257 3,210 118,976 88.522 2,931 2,655 94,I08 The monthly average Dnber of persolls (including %nior maDa8eTnent team) cmployed by th¢ ¢barity durittg th¢ year was as follows: 2025 No 2024 No Averase number of eDJployees 4 {2024- 3) of th¢ above employees partiCiP8ted in the Defincd CoTrtribution Pension S¢hemes. Contributions to the employee pension schettles for the year totalled £3210 (2024- £2,655). No eroployee rexeiyed ¢nlUm¢llts of It[¢ Ilml £60,000 during year. The totsl employee benefits of tbe key manageDxnt personnel of th¢ ¢lwity were £53,313 (2024- £50,861). 8 Truitees remuDeration and expen$e$ No trtee8. nor any p¢rsons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during th¢ year. No tsvstees have received aDy reimbursed expenses or any otherbenefits froDk th¢ charity duritig the year. g Fees payable to ittdepelldellt eXiller During the period. the fee5 payable (excluthng VAT) to the cbarity's inde1 examiner Comrnunity AcGountiug Plu5 are aDalysed &8 follows.. 2025 2024 Ittdepettdetrt examination Other financial services 540 572 520 734 1,112 1,254 Pag¢ 18
Nottlngham City of Literv4tllre Notes to the FinYdDeial Ststements ffor the Year Ended 31 March 2025 10 TallEible fixed asjets Computer eqFJipmeut Totsl Cost At l April 2024 9,397 9,397 At 31 March 2025 9.397 9.397 DepreciatioA At l April 2024 ch for the y 8,580 323 8.580 323 At31 Marcb 2025 8,903 8,903 Net book Value At 31 March 2025 494 494 At31 March 2024 817 817 IJ Debtors 2025 2024 Trad¢ debtors Other debtors 298 1,038 l.336 1.037 1.037 12 Creditorj: amounts faIithg due within oneye 2025 2024 Trnde creditOTS OthXallOn ond social security Other creditors AccnJa15 Defe¢d incorne 2,062 2242 837 648 3.000 8.789 7,118 1.899 632 624 4,000 14,273 Pa 19
Nottingham City of Literature Iyotes to the Finan¢il Sttsments for the Year Ended 31 Mr4reh 2025 13 Charlty 9t*th9 The cbarity is & compzny ]imited by guarantre aad Consequently does not have share capital. Eacb of the trustee5 15 liable to contribute an amount not exceethng £1 towards the a55ets of the charity in the event of liquidation. 14 Tazatlon The cbarity is a registered charity and 1$ therefore exempt from cotiOn t&xation. IS Rel#ted party tr8nJattion$ There were t)0 r¢lat¢d paty transactiot)s in tbe year. 16 ADalysls of net issets between funds Unrestrlcted 2025 Total General Tattgible fixed wets Current assets Current liabi]itie5 494 I l2,812 8.789 494 112.812 8.789 Total tt &ssets 104.517 104.517 Unrestricted 2024 Total funds General Tangible fixed assets 817 131,853 (14,273) 817 131,853 (14,273) Culrent liabilitLCS Totsl t)et ass¢ts 118,397 118,397 Page 20