Company registration number. 09808860 Charity registration number. 1165520 The Burton at Bideford (A company linited by guarantee) Annual Report and Financial Slaiements for the Year Ended 31 Mar¢h 2024 WESTCOTTS CHARTRREO ACCOiIMTAMTS a 8USIMESS ADVISERS The Burton at Bideford Contants Reference and Administr*ive Detsils Trustees, Report 2to6 Independent Examinerfs Report Statement of Financial Adivrbgs Balance Sheet 9t010 Notes to the Financial Statements 11to24 The Burton at Bideford Reference and Administrative Detalls Chalmian Robert Millwanl Trustses Samuel Astill {appoinled 28 September 2023) Nicholas Beer lan Huggett Timothy Ireson (resigned S May 2023) Sarah Lawrence Benjamin Liddell Kali Russell {appoinled 28 September 2023) Jeremy Sharpe Robert Woolley (appointed 28 September 2023) Secretary Pauline Hartree Charlty Registration Numbor 1165520 Company Reglstratlon Number 09808860 Registered Office Burton Art Gallery And Museum Kingsley Road Bideford Devon EX39 2QQ Independent Examinar Westcots ISW) LLP Timbety South Street Axminstsr Devon EX13 SAD Page 1 The Burton at Bideford Trustees. Report The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with thè financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2024. Objectives and activltles The objectives of the charty are to advanGe education and the arts, in particular by the establishment of a museum and art gallery which promotes public knowledge. enjoyrnent and appreciation of the arts, local heritage and leaming. This report covers the period from 1 st April 2023 to 31st Mareh 2024, the eighth year of operatlon. During the period three new trustees were recrurted and one trustee resigned to give a current Board membership of nine Trustees. Our Director resigned for personal reasons at the end of September 2023 and for the balan￿ of the peri¢xl under review the charity was managed by interim co-Directors. A thorough recruitment campaign post period end has resuhed in the appointrnent of a new, permanent Director stsrting in Septembèr 2024. The Board has continued to maintain, conserve and display thè art and heritage assets of Torridge District Council (fDC} while building on its own modest collection. This was the sixth year of the Burton's recognition as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation IACEINPOI wrth funding in place at £83,000 per annum until 2026. TDC was the other main source of funds wi(h the receipt of £140,000. Operational eosts, particularly energy, conlinugd to rise as we have a responsibility to look after paintings and other artefacts by operating a climate control sy51ern in the galleries. We have ifflplernented a strategy to reduce energy consumption and are moving towards nel zero. To this end we have a¢higved significant capital fvnding from ACE t¢ install solar panels by earty 2025. The Board is also diversifying funding stream5 though legacies, sponsorship and applications lo other funding bodies including art ini(ial award of £20,000 from The Garfield Weston Foundation atthough in the current climate there is stiff competf(ion for a¢￿ssing such funds. Small grant support has continued to facilitate the innovative engagement of vulnerable groups wthich included Women First Iwomen's refiJge}. The Gallery exhibition programme featured both I￿al, not￿ne1 and intemalional artists, showing 2D and 3D work of a traditional and contemporary nature. The Westward Hol And Bideford Art Society (WHOBIDI Annual Open Exhibition is an opportunity for some of the best established and emerging local artists lo showcase their work. An exhibi(ion of our Pefmanenl Collection was curated by three local community groups and the Annual Schools Exhibition demonstrated how their teachers have nurtured and celebrated the talents of local 5-18 year old students. "40 Years of Warhorse" was a celebration of local author fvlichael Morpurgo's best-known novel and included Original illustrations from the stage play and book plus a tslk from Michael Morpurgo himself. The Burton was also delighted to take up the opportunty to curate 'Revealing the Humn Fom, wh￿h brought together intemation81ty renowned sculptures from the Arts Council and Brits"sh Council Collections including works by key British sculptors such as Barbara Hepworth. Henry Moore, Jacob Epstein, EIEabeth Frink and Antony Gormley as well as more contemporary works by Rachel Whiteread, Solaki Douglas Camp and Mandy Simpson. lan Davenport.. 'Works on Paperf was an exelusive exhibth'on charting the artistic joumey of this leading abstract British artist from hi$ days at GoldsnTriths Universty alongside Damian Hirsl. to his eye catching, colourful works which inspire installations all over the worfd. For the third time in re￿nt years The Burton was selected to be part of the prestigKJus Tale Artists Roorns programme with an exhibition of late works by FrenchlAmÈrican artist Louise Bourgeois who is widety regarded as one of the most important women artists of all time and attracted 17.000 visitor5, some of whom travelled long di$tsn¢es. Page 2 The Burton at Bideford Trustses. Report Upstairs in the Ceramics Gallery we hosted fvKJ exhibitions by contemporary cerami¢i5ts, 'Don'l Look at my Jugs, by Jam We$￿00d and 'Matterf by Rebecca Appleby. Rebecca is one of the most innovative artists working in ceramics in the UK who brings a painleily an(J sculptural e￿rnent lo her work. One of our Environmentsl Commissions, 'Water Vessels - Sampling the Torridge, by Rupert Johnstone responded to the geology. environment and ecology of the RNer Torridge from its source In North Wesl Devon to its estuarine mouth in Bideford. The story is told through a Collect￿n of ceramic vessels made from and glazed with materials which have I￿n carried by the river. Our Engagement Programme brought high quality arts adwities to communities facing rural isolation and socit>economie barriers including groups supporting those w(th ill montsl health, young people and women who have been victims of domestic abuse. We also establishad the Burton Youth Collective IBYCI which, for its in8ugural year, has been funded by the Tale as part of the Louise Bourgeois ￿llabOratiOn (see above). The BYC has given participants a￿e$S to regular art workshops, increasing their knowledge and craft skills. Funding also facilitated the opportunty for participants to visit Tate Modem. The work with the BYC has begun lo prototypè how The Burton can engage wf(h young people on a strategie level lo weave their thoughts and voices into our programming, events and operations into the future. Importantly, it has also planted the seeds for the growth of a vibrant. peer-led, creative youth community. The Burton Teacher Network provides ne￿rkIng opportunilios and CPD to local teachers and helps us understand how we can help schools engage with exhibi(ion5 and the ¢olleclion. Crafly Kids provides art fun for pre-school children during term lime and for all children up lo age 11 during the holidays. Creative workshops for aduts have engaged 244 participants and include several which took place at Northam Burrows as part of our commitment to SUPPOrting the local environment. The Burton's converted horse box, known as the Art Box, visited both nearby and more remote communitie$ including Ilfracombe Maritime Festival and Hartland Family Day. A collaboration bet￿een The Burton Museum and The Ackland and Edwards Trust has faciltsled public access to the archive for these prolif￿ artists, poets, authors and letter writers. We have also welcomed a PhD sludenl who is researching what Mary Stella Edwards, poetry and painting in Bucks Mills in the last century Can teach us about climate change today. Post period end the Friends of The Burton have launched an appeal for funds to improve wobsf(e naMg8tion, online booking and the online shop and gallery. "Meet the Mak&rf' sessions in our Craft Gallery, the high quality of merchandise (often linkgd to the exhibition programmel within the Burton's gift shop and our highly skIl￿d stsff have ensured that trading income remains strong. Occasional surveys of our 160,000 visitors during the year have confimied the eonlinuing popularity of our Museum and Gallery wlh both the local communty and visitors from far and wide. The Board remains grateful to our principal funder, Torridge Distr￿1 Council and we arè mindful of our obligations to it. The Trustees have ensured that the requirernenls as set out in the five year 'SeNice & Funding Agreement, with TDC have been fulty mel. The organisalions continue to meet regulaty on a formal and informal basis. Public benefit The Iruslees confirm that they have complied wlh the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 lo have due regard to the public benefit guidance publtshed by the Ch8nty Commission for England and Wales. The Gallery and Museum have a fre8 entry polty and are open 7 days a week to allow the Ma￿m￿rn opportunity for all lo visit. Page 3 The Burton at Bidoford Trustees. Report Financial review 2024 ropresenl$ the oighth fvll year of operation for the Burton at Bideford as an independent chaiity. The Board continues to appreciate the generous support of the Friends of The Burton. The Chairs of each charity continue lo meet both infomialty and in committee to discuss the sustsinabilty of funding. potential sponsorship. fund r8i8ing actwities and legacies. Overall we have made a surplus ofjust over £16,000 for the year. We have continued to maintain a fimi control of our cost base and increases in expenditure, other than for energy, have been in line wrth budgets. Control of costs is a key lo us building our UnreStr￿ted funds reserve lo a level wh￿h will provide ongoing stability. The Trustee's Reserves Poltcy is lo accrue reserves of al ￿a$1 six months expenditure to help us meet contingencies and develop additional services to the community. Our unrestrieted fund balance, after allowing for our herrtage assets, currently stands at £239,573. This is close to our six month of expendrture target. The reseives will also be used to replace assets 8s they become wom out or become obsolete as technology changes. The Charitys activities expose r( to a nufflber of financial risks including ¢redrt risk and cash flow risk. The principal fin8ncial assets are bank balances and cash, trade and other receivables. Credit risk is primarily attfibulable to its trade receivables. There is no signfficanl concentration of credf( risk, with exposure spread over a number of counterparties and customers. The risks 8ffecting the ch8rity are kept under constant review by the Trustees and we have formulated a review matrix to as81sI with evaluation and mitigation of risk. Structure. governance and managgment The Burton at Bideford 1$ a Company limited by guarantee and was incorporated on 4th October 2015. It took over responsibilty for running the Burton Art Gallery and Museum from, and under an agreement with. TDC on 1 April 2016. The charity is govemed by a Board of Trustees (the Board) i)f not less than four individuals who give their time voluntsrily and receive no remuneration. The Trustees have a broad and balanced skill set and all of them have individual responsibili(ies, mostly undertaken through su&wmmittees (Education Leaming and Participation, Finan￿, Audit and Compliance and Buildings and EnMTonment) alongside overall governance of the chartty in order lo aehieve ils objectives. The Board held bi-monthly full Board meetings during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 supplemented by regular sub-committee and Burton Enterprises {our trading am)) meetings. The Charty hekl an Annual General Meeting mid period which includgd invf(atiorss for other partles to attend. Page 4 The Burton at Bideford Trustees. Report Recruitment and appolntment of trustees Trustees are recruited on an open advert basis, giving anyone the opportunity to apply to become a Trustee and receive a Trustee ￿eruTiment pack of infomiation. Job profiles have been developed for Trustee. Chair, WI￿ Chair and Tieasurer. The Board has a skills matrix which it reviews every other year. This idgntifies the mix of skills, governance experience and attributes that il aims to harness from amongst ils existing Trustees and ￿nSiderS any areas that are lacking when seeking new Trustees. Induction and tralnlng of trustees The charty has t1eveloped a formal induction programme for new Trustees to give thern a grounding on corg govemance matters such as service and funding agreemen15, tems of lease, and current strategy. This is supported by meetings %Mth an established Trustee. Company Se¢￿tary, the Chair and the Gallery Director. Those new to Trusteeship are offered extemal training and development such as that offered by National Council for Voluntary Of9anisalions {NCVOI. The Board has a number of sub