OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2024-03-31-accounts

_____ THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED ACCOUNTS for the YEAR ENDED 31[st] MARCH 2024 ______

Charity No. 1,162,410

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

PAGE CONTENTS
1 General information
2 - 8 Report of the trustees
9 Report of the independent examiner
10 Statement of financial activities
11 Balance sheet
12 - 15 Notes forming part of the accounts
-------------

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

GENERAL INFORMATION


TRUSTEES Mrs Katherine J Arafa Ms Claire Boulton Mr Errol Lloyd Ms Sinead Naidoo Ms Robina Pelham Burn Mr David Potter Ms Shoshannah Thompson Ms M Siân Williams REGISTERED OFFICE 9a Peploe Road London NW6 6EB CHARITY NO. 1,162,410 COMPANY NO. 8,120,254 (England and Wales) ACCOUNTANTS John D Kilby & Co Chartered Accountants Mutfords Hare Street Buntingford Hertfordshire SG9 0ED BANKERS Co-Operative Bank plc Business Direct PO Box 250 Skelmersdale WN8 6WT

1

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


The Trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their report, together with the unaudited accounts of the company for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. The trustees confirm that the annual report and accounts of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company’s governing document and the provisions of the Accounting and Reporting by Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) and Financial Reporting Standard 102.

Objectives and activities

The Children's Bookshow gives primary school children the benefits of reading and the joy of books. We do this by bringing thousands of children to their local theatre, library or their classroom’s big screen, to experience some of the best illustrators, authors, poets and storytellers from around the world performing their work and talking about how they create their books.

Following the performances children participate in artist-led workshops in their own schools and each child attending a theatre or library show receives a free copy of the artist’s book to take home and keep.

Our own evidence, and that from across the sector, shows that children who have an author visit are more likely to enjoy reading, and those who own books and read for pleasure do better at school, have higher levels of mental wellbeing and are more confident to support their own children’s learning in the future.

We select authors, illustrators and poets because of their excellence. We introduce our audience of children and their teachers to international artists who often have high profiles in their home countries but may be less well known in the UK. International literature and celebrating the work of artists of colour is at the heart of what we do.

From our inception in 2003, we have built national partnerships with major theatres throughout the UK. We are the only children’s literature organisation touring work to large scale venues nationally. We are based in London but 86% of our work takes place outside. Our team of freelancers are based across the country; 22% in London and 78% in areas ranging from Sheffield to Devon.

“The Children's Bookshow is a truly inspirational charity” Ele Fountain, author

Risk Management

The Trustees have assessed potential risks to the charity and taken action to put into place systems to mitigate those risks. Over the year the trustees will be reviewing and revising its policies regarding business risks, financial risks, health and safety risks and other identifiable risks.

2

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


Trustees

The Trustees are responsible for the overall management and control of the The Children’s Bookshow. All Trustees give their time freely and no remuneration was paid in the year. The trustees who held office during the year to 31st March 2024 were;

Mrs Katherine J Arafa Ms Claire Boulton Mr Errol Lloyd Ms Sinead Naidoo Ms Robina Pelham Burn Mr David Potter Ms Shoshannah Thompson Ms M Siân Williams

Achievements and performance

National Autumn Tour 2023:

Our national tour started with a dynamic and thought-provoking performance from author Ele Fountain at The Bloomsbury Theatre in London and finished at Insititut Francais in London with a performance from another master storyteller, Anna Woltz from the Netherlands, the author of the brilliant novel Talking to Alaska.

In between, we went to 13 theatres across the country ranging from the Theatre Royal in Newcastle to the Grand in Wolverhampton and the Northcott in Exeter. We delivered brilliant performances by poets, authors, storytellers and illustrators ranging from Frank CottrellBoyce, Jan Blake, John Agard, Satoshi Kitamura and Marta Altes. Each performance was unique and fascinating, helping children to engage with books and reading.

We achieved 96% capacity audiences across all theatres. 8801 children and their teachers attended our performances from 134 schools. Feedback from teachers showed that our work helps to create a buzz about books and reading in schools:

“Year 6 children were ecstatic to welcome Ele Fountain to Brecknock and have her share her writing process. Not only do they love Ele's books, but they are buzzing about the stories they created in her workshop.” Brecknock Primary school, London 2023

“It has been a crucial part of our reading for pleasure curriculum.” Highlands Primary School, Hull

“The Library has noticed an increase in poetry borrowed and the content will nicely lead on to further learning topics next term.” Dame Allans, Newcastle

3

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


Behind the scenes, our team faced challenges in delivering our programme of events mainly due to train strikes which caused logistical difficulties in getting authors and our team around the country to the various performances and workshops. The strikes caused chaos to our tour scheduling and resulted in days of additional administration and associated costs to change train bookings and reschedule.

Thanks to funding from Unwin Trust and Old Possum’s Practical Trust we were able again this year to give every child in our audiences a free book to take home and keep. Handing a book out to every child is a marvellous experience for our Bookshow team as it is a moment when we really get to see the benefit of all our hard work and feel the excitement and delight of the children participating.

The National Literacy Trust found that book ownership relates directly to children’s ability to read and reported enjoyment of reading. By giving every child a book we open up the possibility of children sharing the book with their family, helping to improve a culture of reading at home. When asked whether teachers perceived that children had shared the book at home representative responses include:

“They were sharing their thoughts on the book after the event and sharing what they had read. They enjoyed that they had their own copy to take home and read, and it was a personal connection to the text as they had seen the author and heard her talk about the text firsthand.”

“I've had lots of reading records stating the children chose to read their new book as well as their home reader. Also had pictures from parents of their children reading their new books on the way home.”

Our programme of 52 workshops in schools gave children the chance to express and develop their own creativity by working collaboratively with a world class artist. Our artists’ wealth of experience, their rich cultural lives and their capacity to innovate, feed the creative and cultural lives of the children participating. Whether they are assuming the role of an illustrator or creating a class poem, our workshops engage children with literature on a deep level and increases their confidence in working creatively. Feedback from teachers highlighted how valuable it is for children to see an author on the stage of a large and impressive theatre and then have the opportunity to work with them in their own classroom. Teachers felt that this in itself was a valuable experience and helped to raise aspirations.

1571 children participated in a workshop and lots of lovely creative work was produced. 100% of teachers who responded to our questionnaire in 2023 said that the workshop increased children’s engagement with the book and increased children’s confidence in working creatively.

“A forever moment and memory. I was very grateful that Benji and Natalie were so flexible to the point that the KS1 children had a special Story Escape assembly moment. We have saved Benji's drawings and kept them in our special reading book of memories.”

“Really brought the session to life. It raised aspirations working with a real author”

“It made it real to the children. They were comfortable in their setting and saw a renowned author in their space - not on a screen - it becomes more real and something they can aspire to do. This is a memory they will always hold. It was so simple in nature and equally great. Encouraged the children's writing and let them ask questions.”

4

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


Digital Performances

To celebrate World Book Day in March 2024 we programmed two digital performances aiming to provide schools across the country with an engaging, fun and interactive author event that is affordable.

We were thrilled to deliver our first ever live stream to schools across the country and some in Europe. Schools joined from Spain, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Slovenia. Michael Rosen performed his Big 50 Year Show to a sell out audience at The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. This performance celebrated 50 years of Michael on the road sharing poems and talking to children about poetry and writing and 50 years since the publication of his very first book, Mind Your Own Business! In partnership with Warehouse Digital, The Children’s Bookshow streamed this performance live to an estimated audience of over 64,000 children and a further 1,260 watched the replay at a later date. This was a great success.

We also delivered a live digital performance on the platform Crowdcast with the author illustrator Helen Stephens celebrating her new book Smelly Peggy! An estimated audience of over 25,000 children watched this event and the comments from teachers highlighted how much children loved listening to the story being read and watching Helen draw live.

“Thank you to @ChildrensBkShow for a fantastic live event with the wonderful Helen Stephens. The children loved listening to her fantastic stories and joining in with her amazing illustrations. You made it a fantastic #WorldBookDay for all of our children in KS1” Broomwood primary Manchester

Library performances

We delivered another new project in Spring 2024 this time in collaboration with libraries in Arts Council Priority Places, areas in the country that have low levels of participation in cultural activities. We chose to work with the library service in Rotherham and Portsmouth.

In Rotherham we organised two days of work featuring a performance on each day for two schools with the author and illustrator Catherine Rayner followed by two in-school creative workshops. The work produced in these sessions was then included in an exhibition at the library with the aim of encouraging children back into the library with their families to see their work on display. With Catherine’s help children created vibrant Arlo the lion pictures using collage displayed their work in an attractive exhibition.

In Portsmouth the project followed a similar structure but this time was focused on the environment and conservation and was organised in collaboration with the library service and the British Trust for Ornithology. Neal Layton gave a performance at Portsmouth Central Library in which he shared his stories and how he creates his work but also talked about the magic of trees, birds and how children can help to protect the environment and habitats in their local area. Children loved looking at the beautiful blackbird’s nest he brought in to show them. In the four creative workshops in local schools Neal got each class making a different local garden bird out of collage, which then went on display at the Central Library. The British Trust for Ornithology provided each school with bird feeders, bird identification kits and bird seed which was a wonderful legacy for the project.

5

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


Competition

The winner of our 2023 competition was delighted to receive a trip to London to meet poet Owen Sheers at the Natural History Museum and £200 of books for their school library. Six runners up received signed copies of Owen Sheers’ picture book Drew Moo and Bunny Too.

Resources

We developed engaging resources and creative activities relating to each book celebrated in the national autumn tour. These resources were devised by one of our team who is also a teacher and were designed to be used in class or at home. All the activities provided a creative way of exploring in greater depth the free book that each child received.

Conclusion

It was another successful year for The Children’s Bookshow. We delivered our project to thirteen prestigious venues across the country, organised workshops with 52 classes of children, ran in depth projects with two library services in Priority Places and produced our first ever live stream of Michael Rosen’s Big 50 Year Show on World Book Day. We worked with authors and illustrators from Japan, Latvia and The Netherlands. Increased funding from Unwin Charitable Trust has secured our future for the next few years, allowing us to begin to plan further ahead. We are looking forward to creating an excellent and diverse programme over the coming years to delight and inspire school children across the country, bringing them the joy of reading and books.

Financial Review

Incoming resources were £210,017 (2023 - £171,814) and resources expended were £208,313 (2023 - £187,108). The surplus for the year was £1,704 (2023 – deficit £15,294 which related to funds received in 2022 and expended in 2023). No member of staff was paid more than £28,620 for the year covered by these accounts.

Principal income sources are NPO funding from the Arts Council England and contributions from publishers, cultural institutions and trusts, along with fundraising income from donations.

Future plans

From the outset, The Children’s Bookshow has embraced a rich variety of talent with artists of colour, artists in translation, and young and upcoming artists as well as household names such as Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake in its autumn tour to theatres and schools. In the next three years we shall build on our success and once again introduce both new unknown and established talent from the UK and abroad. In so doing, we shall promote the artists producing the best of contemporary children’s literature to a wide audience.

6

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


We intend to deliver performances in theatres across the country and workshops in schools in in a variety of communities, embracing urban conurbations such as Manchester and Hull and rural areas such as Barnstaple and Warwick. We will extend our reach by working in areas where children are facing high levels of poverty, focusing on widening the opportunity for children to experience cultural excellence in their local area. By touring to areas where audiences are underserved we will widen access to our programme. We will be focusing on fundraising over the coming year aiming to build relationships with more Trusts and Foundations that will support our work and help us deliver our programme, bringing the joy of reading to children across the country.

Fundraising

Last year our funding was confirmed from Arts Council England for the next two years as one of their National Portfolio Organisations. This means that we can continue to bring the very best authors and illustrators to children and their teachers across the country.

We were thrilled to receive substantial funding from Unwin Charitable Trust towards the core costs of delivering our work, enabling us to raise the daily rates for our artists and our team as well as helping us to weather the rise in costs of touring including increased hotel and travel expenditure. This funding is in place until 2027 and The Children’s Bookshow is so grateful for this continued support and recognition of the work that we do.

We were also delighted to receive a grant from Foyle Foundation supporting our work in 2023 and a grant from Sir James Knott Trust in support of our performance and workshops in Newcastle with John Agard.

Reserves Policy

The Trustees aim to maintain at least a minimum level of reserves as recommended by the Charity Commission, and to keep sufficient restricted funds in order to see these funded projects to their conclusion.

projects to their conclusion.
2024 2023
------- -------
Unrestricted funds £ 7,478 £ 5,774
Restricted funds - -
-------- --------
£ 7,478 £ 5,774
-------- --------

Going Concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, making due allowance for a period of shutdown due to the coronavirus. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the accounts.

7

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

TRUSTEES' REPORT


Structure, governance and management

The company is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated and constituted under Articles of Association, registered number 8,120,254. It is an English registered charity, number 1,162,410.

The management of the company is the responsibility of the trustees who are elected and coopted under the terms of the Articles of Association. Additional trustees may be co-opted by the existing trustees as they deem advisable from time to time, and then stand for election as required by the Articles of Association.

Reference and administrative details can be found on page 1 of the accounts.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners in the Charities Act 2011.

Approved by the Trustees on 18[th] December 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Ms M Siân Williams Trustee

8

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER TO THE TRUSTEES


Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Children’s Bookshow Limited

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2024 which are set out on pages 10 to 15.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the “2006 Act”).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your company’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

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.

Mutfords Hare Street Buntingford Hertfordshire SG9 0ED

John D Kilby & Co Chartered Accountants

18[th] December 2024

9

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES incorporating the INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT YEAR ENDED 31[st] MARCH 2024


unrestricted restricted
Note funds funds 2024 2023
------------- ------------ ----------- ----------
INCOME
Voluntary Income 2 £ 130,800 £ 29,646 £ 160,446 £ 133,147
Activities for generating funds 3 48,166 - 48,166 38,661
Investment Income 1,405 - 1,405 6
---------- --------- ---------- ----------
Total Incoming Resources £ 180,371 £ 29,646 £ 210,017 £ 171,814
---------- --------- ---------- ----------
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable Activities 4 171,648 29,646 201,294 181,434
Governance Costs 5 7,019 - 7,019 5,674
---------- --------- ---------- ----------
Total Resources Expended £ 178,667 £ 29,646 £ 208,313 £ 187,108
---------- --------- ---------- ----------
Net Incoming/(Outgoing)
Resources for the year 1,704 - 1,704 (15,294)
Funds Brought Forward 5,774 - 5,774 21,068
--------- -------- --------- ---------
Funds Carried Forward £ 7,478 £ - £ 7,478 £ 5,774
--------- -------- --------- ---------

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of recognised gains and losses has not been prepared.

All the above amounts relate to continuing activities.

10

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

BALANCE SHEET 31[st ] MARCH 2024


BALANCE SHEET
31stMARCH 2024
_____
note 2024 2023
------ ------- -------
FIXED ASSETS £ nil £ nil
CURRENT ASSETS
debtors 6 £ 2,851 £ 2,302
bank balance 364,147 156,965
---------- ----------
366,998 159,267
CREDITORS - amounts
falling due within one year 7 93,620 28,493
---------- ---------
Net current assets 273,378 130,774
---------- ----------
NET ASSETS less current liabilities 273,378 130,774
CREDITORS - amounts falling
due after one year 8 265,900 125,000
---------- ----------
NET ASSETS £ 7,478 £ 5,774
---------- ----------
Represented by:
Unrestricted funds 9 7,478 5,774
Restricted funds 10 - -
-------- ---------
£ 7,478 £ 5,774
-------- ---------

For the year ended 31[st] March 2024 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Trustees’ Responsibilities:

The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476; and

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

Approved by the Trustees on 18[th] December 2024 and signed on its behalf:

Ms M Siân Williams Trustee

11

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

Notes forming part of the accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2024


  1. Accounting policies

  2. a. Basis of preparation of accounts

  3. These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost accounting rules and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Accounting Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2015), UK Accounting Standards and the Charities Act 2011.

  4. b. Income

  5. Incoming resources are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy except for donations and investment income which are credited as income when received.

  6. c. Resources expended

  7. All expenditure is included in the accounts on an accruals basis. The irrecoverable element of Value Added Tax is included with the item of expense to which it relates. Depreciation is allocated to expenditure headings on the basis of the use of the assets concerned.

  8. d. Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

  9. The company did not own any fixed assets during the year.

  10. e. Taxation

  11. The charity is exempt from Corporation Tax on its charitable activities.

  12. f. Fund Accounting

  13. 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.

  14. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.

  15. Voluntary Income

Voluntary Income
unrestricted restricted
funds funds 2024 2023
-------------- ----------- -------- --------
Arts Council Grant £ 68,313 £ - £ 68,313 £ 68,313
Publishers Contributions 3,275 - 3,275 5,600
Unwin Trust 31,505 13,495 45,000 36,772
Cultural Institutes - 1,500 1,500 -
Charitable Grant - 2,358 2,358 -
The Foyle Foundation 20,000 - 20,000 -
Old Possum’s Practical Trust 7,707 12,293 20,000 20,000
Donations - - - 2,462
----------- --------- ---------- ----------
£ 130,800 £ 29,646 £ 160,446 £ 133,147
----------- --------- ---------- ----------

12

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

Notes forming part of the accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2024


3.
4.
unrestricted restricted
funds
funds
2024
2023
--------------
-----------
--------
--------
Activities for Generating Funds
Venues
£ 37,436
£ -
£ 37,436
£ 28,086
Digital Events
10,730
-
10,730
3,600
Fundraising
-
-
-
6,975
---------
------
--------
---------
£ 48,166
£ - £ 48,166
£ 38,661
---------
------
--------
---------
Cost of Charitable Activities
Artistic Expenditure
Writers fees - theatres
£ 9,042
1,409 £ 10,451
£ 6,590
Writers fees - schools
21,900
500
22,400
18,575
Writers accommodation - theatre
1,257
133
1,390
2,081
Writers travel - theatre
2,192
1,072
3,264
4,875
Writers accommodation - schools
2,202
366
2,568
2,644
Writers travel - schools
493
21
514
1,078
Writers insurance
530
-
530
530
Organisers travel and subsistence
3,789
-
3,789
3,721
Organisers accommodation
3,928
-
3,928
2,248
Live streaming services
688
-
688
-
Administrative Expenditure
Co-organisers fees
76,956
-
76,956
60,768
Admin and production fees
25,309
-
25,309
20,280
Evaluator
-
-
-
900
Marketing
Sales and marketing
19,556
-
19,556
21,198
Printing and distribution
1,537
-
1,537
1,282
Electronic mailing
698
-
698
633
Stationery
168
-
168
276
Website maintenance
303
-
303
342
Staff fundraising costs
722
-
722
4,036
Fundraising costs
-
-
-
2,757
Workshop materials for schools
378
-
378
135
Acquisition texts for schools
-
26,145
26,145
26,610
Less school books for resale
-
-
-
(125)
----------
---------
----------
----------
£ 171,648
£ 29,646 £ 201,294 £ 181,434
----------
---------
----------
----------

13

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

Notes forming part of the accounts (continued) For the year ended 31[st] March 2024


unrestricted unrestricted restricted
funds funds 2024 2023
-------------- ------------ -------- --------
5. Governance Costs
Accountancy £ 1,873 - £ 1,873 £ 1,792
Travel 267 - 267 219
Postage 170 - 170 567
Video streaming 292 - 292 535
Meetings and subsistence 1,620 - 1,620 1,137
Bank charges 263 - 263 113
Carbon offsetting 200 - 200 -
Competition costs 1,385 - 1,385 -
General/contingency 949 - 949 1,311
-------- ----- -------- --------
£ 7,019
£ -
£ 7,019 £ 5,674
-------- ----- -------- --------
6. Debtors: amounts falling due within one year
Grants outstanding £ - £ -
Other debtors 2,851 2,302
-------- --------
£ 2,851 £ 2,302
-------- --------
7. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Creditors and accruals £ 4,420 £ 3,493
Income in advance 89,200 25,000
--------- ---------
£ 93,620 £ 28,493
--------- ---------
8. Creditors: amounts falling due after one year
Income in advance £ 265,900 £ 125,000
---------- ----------

14

THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOW LIMITED

Notes forming part of the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31[st] March 2024


  1. Unrestricted Income Funds

  2. The income funds of the charity, not including restricted funds, comprise of the following unexpended balances of donations and grants:

Balance Incoming Resources Balance 1 Apr 23 Resources Expended 31 Mar 24 ----------- -------------------------------General Fund £ 5,774 £ 180,371 £ 178,667 £ 7,478

10. Restricted Income Funds

The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held in trust to be applied for specific purposes:

Balance Incoming Resources
Balance
1 Apr 23 Resources Expended 31 Mar 24
----------- ------------ ------------ -------------
Unwin Trust £ - £ 13,497 £ 13,497 £ -
Old Possum - 12,292 12,292
-
BTO - 357 357
-
Japan Foundation - 1,500 1,500
-
Knott Trust - 2,000 2,000
-
-------- --------- ---------
-------
£ - £ 29,646 £ 29,646
£ -
-------- --------- ---------
-------

15