APPLAUSE RURAL TOURING REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENrs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Charlty number 1165632 applause RURAL TOUIQINfj cONTE1￿s Page Report of the Trust•es Stat•m•nt of fin•n¢l•l •¢tlvlll 10 Balance shoot Stat•m•nt of ¢48h flo 12 Not•• to th• fln•n¢lal •tstomonts 13-18 Ind•p•nd•nt •xamin•fs r•port 19 applause Applause Rural Touring Report of the Tru$ttts lor the year ended 31 Mareh 2025 The Iru51ees ore pleased to present their report togelher wrth the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The financial slalemenls comply with the Charitie5 Act 2011. the charity's conslilulion, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Slalemenl of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 102). REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS Charity reglstration number.. 1165632 Principal addiess.. SoulhtrK*rough Cenlre. 137 London Road, Soulhborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. TN4 ONA Director.. Dawn 8adland Bankers.. CAF Bank Limited. 25 Kings Hill Avenue. Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent. ME19 4JQ STRUCTURE. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENr The charity is a Charitab￿ incorporated Organisat￿n {CIO} g)vemed by rts constitution dated 27 January 2016. The charity was registered wsth the Charity Commission on 18 February 2016. The charity is governed by the board of Irvslees. The toard megls quartedy land more often if required) and decides on Ihe strategic direction the charity should lake. the performance largel$ Ihal should be sel and examine$ the recent activities and performance of the charity. The day lo day operations ol the chanty are delegated to thè Director. Recrultm•nt & •ppolntm•nt of trn8t••s Trustees are recruited in conjunction wrth 0n9￿ftg needs and skills an8￿$1$ to provKle balanced and informed GOverna￿e for the Charity. No more Ihan 12 and no less than 3 persons may be elected. Appointments are agreed by the Trustee$ for a fixed tenn after which Trustees may be re4lecled. Risk manag•m•nt The Trustees have a duty to ￿entfy and review the risks lo which the chanty is exposed and lo ensure appropr¢ate controls are in place lo provide reasonable assurance agains1 fraud and error. The Trustees meet on a quarterty basis and assess any risk5 to the Charity including monitoring of the Risk Register, the eonlenl of whieh Is infomied by consultalK)n wrth staff, Board and stakeholders. applause Applause Rural Touring R•port of the Tru$t•es for the year ended 31 Ma￿h 2025 Trustees The trustees who served duiing the year and lo the date of this report were.. Amanda Cusimano {appginted 18 June 2024 Daniel ￿'n9 Louise Knight Elttabelh Newall Elizabeth Pen¢avel Louise Searle lappointed 10 September 2024) Kal Portman Smrth OBJECT AND ACTIVITIES The obiect ofApplau8e Rural Touring as set out in its eonslrtution is.. The advan¢emenl of arts to the benefit of the general public in wral an￿or i60Lgted communities in the South East of England by. in particular bul not exclusiv8ty. piogramming, commissioning and lacililaling delivery of artistic experiences". wothing wrth artists lo help develop their understanding of, and work for. these communil*s", and ty extending the reach of arts Provision by developing local venues and supporting and training volunteer organisers. Isolated in this context rneans isolalgd frL¥n arts provision ty physical, social or economic reasons. Publlc b•n•fit The Iruslees have complied wrth the duty in section 4 Lrf the 2011 Charities Act lo have due re9ard lo guidance published by the Charty Commission. including public benefit guidance. We have referred lo the Charity Commission's general gU￿ance on public benefit when feviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. The charity furthers its charitable purr*)se$ for the pubhc benefrt by.. opening up artislie opportunities lo rural communities In Kent, Sussex and Essex and working wrth high quality Cultural praclilioners lo devdop 8nd champion Ihgir work in rural areas. Our Mlsslon To deliver a IransfomalNe creative and cultural programme that posrtTvely benefrts peoples. lives. Inspire and develop rKh cultural engagement in rural areas and those aieas with lim+ted a¢¢ess lo cultural opportunity. The chaiity delwer5 Its Mission through 3 key STRATEGIC AIMS, these are., Increase access and participation for and wrth rural and isolated wnmunitie$ across Kent, Sussex. Essex and the wider SOLrtheast. Support the development of artists making and touring work into Tural and underservod locations. Enhance the wider Cuttural nAral ecok>Jy through partnership with others. applause Applause Rural Touring Report of the Trustees for th• year tnded 31 March 2025 ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Review of Achl•v•m•nt 202&25 We are an Art5 Counul England NPO National Portfolio Organisation for the current NPO period 12024-20271. This means we receNe lunding through a mutti-year agreement following an NPO application process. NPO funding ensures we are able to fotward plan and grow our organisalion responsibly. We continue lo be high reaching in our approach to Creating creative and curtural opportunities for people In rural and Cuttural￿ undef-served neighbourhoods across Sussex. Kent, Essex and the widef soulheasl. Our artist development delivery is increasingty relevant lo the health of the sector and our partnerships are further strengthened throughout 2024-25. Our achievements in the financial year lo March 202S align with our annual Objectives. The majority ol this work fomis the Aclivty Plan presented as part ol our funding agreement with Arts Couneil England. In addition lo our core delivery. we undertake proj'ect work with a rangè of partners. In¢re*se access andpartleip•tion for and wlth rurnl and Isol•ted communltl•s a¢ross K•nt, Su$s•x. Es$•x and the wid•r south•ast. Our work across Kent, Sussex. Essex and newhbouring C￿￿ntIeS reached over 46,OLh) people. There were 311 community hosled performances and events taking place in 126 places. Performances wgre chosen frgm a curated menu of highqualty touring professional smalk5cale Ihealro. dance, music, slorylellsng and olher artforns. We worked wrth 103 unique kxal hosts., a host survey feports that 100% ol re$pondenls agreed the show was relevant to their eommunilEs and more that 95Vo said the sh￿S were accessible and inclusTve. Our core indoor and outdoor touring programmes resumed in 115 indoor and 105 outdoor performances in community settings. hosted Ictalty by c4)mmunrty groups. voluntary and professional led bodies in a vast range of spaces and venues. We m8intsined addrtional staffing capacty for devebping our work in Essex wh￿h led lo increased activity in the arèa. We exceeded our largel activity for the ReKindle partnership prc#3ramme supporting 34 evenl$ wrth Medway library services. These ranged from work for children and young people as well as adult$. Our participation programme saw 55 actNities oveT the year. In partnership with Gravesham Borough Council 21 sessions took place with Enter Eden outd¢)or theatre company. The company worked with participants across age ranges and 3 local PTaclrtKiners to develop Plankton & Aquanauts. The work culminated in a mass participatory session and perfom)ance at Gravesham Lvjhl Festival. We developed a new rel81ionshp wrth Ebbsfleel Development Corporation for delivery lo new communities later in the year. We were successful wf(h a proposal lo Creative Estuary for a community cmrealion project in Thurrock which straddles this reporting year and next. applause Applause Rural Touring Report of the Trnst8•s for th• y¢ar frnd￿ 31 Mar¢h 202S Furtheimoie, a Tange of wothshops in schwb and communty shanngs in Dover, Sompting, Thurrock. Medway and Soulhborough look place across the year. Partners induded Men in Sheds. libraries, Big Locals. Arts and communrty organisab.ons and schools. Support the development of a￿Sts makln9 and tourfng work into ￿rnland underserved lo¢ation& During this year we ralionalised our programmes of artrsl devekjpmenl lo improve the clarity of our offer. Our Outdoor Touring Programme supported artists developing smalkscale wort designed for out¢JoE)r and communrty settings and including commissions of up lo £5.000 lo ueale Small-s￿le outdoor work. In addition, development funding of up lo £2,$00 was used to adapt existing Shows for small- scale touring. Outdoor commissioning programme was awarded to Vagabond Puppets, Boo￿01￿$. Scratchbuilt. Sonia Sabri, Working Boys Club, LAS Theatre and AKA Dance. 70% of applicants idenlrfiod as having onè or more proleeled Characteristi￿ and 65 % of selected companies included al least one member of the company who Klentified as having one or more protected characleristscs. We offergd seed funding- small grants lup to £500110 support earty4tsge devek)pmenl of new idèa$ for artists based in Kent. Essex and Sussox. And 1..1 Mentoring sessions- taikired advice from our Programme Lead to help artists navigate funding. producing. and touring In partnership we wotl¢ed with 8righlon Fringe Bursary- Supporting Ihealre-makers cfealing work for adult audiences lo showcase their shows at Bnghlon Fringe and Looping the Loop and Making More Waves Festival 2024, supporting artists through small award$. We held our Annual Symposium artists lab in partnership with 101 crealk)n space- a one4ay event offering pracli¢al advice and Inspiration for artists curious about rural touring outdoors. This free lo allend evgnl offered the opportunity lo ￿8M how rural touring woths across the UK and h￿hlIghted outdoor production requirements for artists looking lo WO￿ in this space. Enhance th• wlder Cultural mral •¢ology thmugh partnership wlth others. Applause is commilled lo creating a Tural touring model which is resilient and Sustainab￿ and we continued lo develop ex￿ling partnerships which seNed to unde￿n resilient and SLtstainable aclivily. We w8re successful in a national louring project appliealion lo Arts Council England and awarded c£300.OIY) lo develop Cfeale Tour Connect. 11 supports the creation of nèw show5 which will tour across the national rural touring network. The prqect was launched to respond to the growng leduction in smaller cast lourtng shows seen over ￿Cent years due to factors such as hvJh eosl$. the pandemic, and the lack of available strategic funds. Applause has devised and will manage the nalional project. One Shthv wll be chosen from each of the North. Midlands, South Ea￿ and South Wesl re9￿S and they will then loui throughout the country highlwjhling the range and lalenl of touring theatre companies and artists. Each region will lead the selection process wrthin their areas arKI bring together neighbouring rural touring schemes to Sha￿ local know￿dge, ￿$OU[ce5. and expertise. applause Applause Rural Touring Report of the Trustees for th• y•aY Ond￿ 31 March 2025 It will mean that for the first time. four new theatre shows wll together tour to rural areas nationwide, reaching an expected 12,000 people. wrth 140 touring dales throughout 2025-27. To March 2025 the project has agreed the first tsvo commissions. set up Ihe regional hubs of rural touring schemes and begun to Schedu￿ the first commisskjn. We eonlribuled slralegK and wKler ecology inpul to Creative East Sussex and Creative Tunbrid9e Wells as well as our nalionJ rural touring nelwork wrth whom we continued lo work closely. Policy Ar•a• Our policps and procedu￿$ are refieclNe of an organisalion of our svze and work in the rural arts sector and these are overseen and monitored by the Board. EquAIIty DNernity & In¢lusion We are committed lo genuine equality of opportunity for an sections of the population and we value the many cultural and s¢xial aspects found within the large geograph￿1 area in which we operate. We are working in predominantty rural settings where isolalK¥n or disgdvantage affects many peopl8 including older people and the young. Through our existing partnerships and by building others, our ability lo connect with people can offer exciting and challengin9 CVPOrtLbnrtie$ lo support us lo b& diverse and reflective of contemporary 8rrtish society. AppLguse has hisloricalty operated an Equality ACt￿n Pian which has served us in collecting ba$èlin8 data from 2018119. We have redeveloped our meth¢)ds of analysing our data and monitoring our praelice auoss all our programmes of work and adopted a refreshed EDI Approach and Action Plan. We understand diver$ty in relation to the protected characteri81￿ defined by the Equality Act 2010.. age, disability, gender reas51gnmenl, marriage and civil partnership, p￿nanCY and materftily. race, religion or belief, sex. and sexual orienlalion. In addition. we recognisè das$ and S￿l¢￿e¢on0mi¢ slalus as important laclofs shaping inequalty. Envlronrn•ntal Appro•¢h In this period Applause developed 8 Sustainability Appfoach paper wrth a set of principles and a related adion plan. This is a formal d￿Ument available on our website. The plan can also bo seen on our website and is adopted, delivered and updaled by our board and staff. FINANCIAL REVIEW The income of the charty amounted to £594.284 {2024'. £454.8081 wlh expendiluTe of £463,771 12024.. £423,389). Re$erv08 poII¢y The policy of the charity as al 31 March 2025 was lo have free reserves of five months, oper8ting cos15 to fund ils Work IcurTenlly budgeted al £102.2631. Unrestricted reseNes al 31 March 2025 were £289,83912024.. £300,537) of which £102.26312024." £94.4101 has been designated by the trustees 1¢ sel aside the free reserves of five months, operats.ng costs wrth a further £76.95412024". £88,039) designated for development of actwty in Essex and drwing a new outdoor tOLsring model for future inclusivity and sustainability. As al 31 March 2025 the as$els of the charty are considered adequate lo fulfil its obligations and the trustees consider the slate of oui financial affairs lo be satisfactory. applause Applause Rural Touring Report of the Trustees for the year end￿ 31 March 2025 PLANS FOR THE FufuRE Our core delivery will be aclivty on a skmilaT scale lo this year although we anticipate further in4epth community engagemenl through a range of partnerships. These ore., The continued devek>pment working in Ebbsffleet. Activty supported by Creative Estuary for ¢ommunty c(>cre*ion pr￿e¢l in Thuirock. ReKindle legacy project will be explored wrth Medway Library Service. An expk)ralory extension of communty engagement in Wealden with Wealden District Council which ￿Uld see an eXtens￿n of our ¢)ffer. Create Tour Connect will be in ils most acltve year with the first of three lours taking place and the selection of the remaining c¢)mmissions. We will L8unch Our digital project relating lo this work. a Wbder CTC platfom in partnership with the Tural touring sector. Thg intenlion is for this to become a national￿ used platform for wral and community lourin9 companies and schemes. Our staff and Trustees will continue to develop our EDI and Environmental actions plan$. TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELA TION TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS The charity Iruslees are responsible for prepanng a INstees' annual report and financial slaternenls in accordan¢g with applicable law and Unrted Kingdom Accountin9 Standards (Unrted Kingdom Generalty Accepted Accounting Practicel. The law applicable lo charities in England and Wales requires the charty Iruslee$ lo Prepare financial statements for gach year which give a Inje and fair vw of the slate of affairs of thè charity and of the incoming resources and aKJlication of Tesources, of thè charity lor that poriod. In prepar¢ng tho financ￿1 stalemenls. the Iwstees are required lo.. ' seled suitable accounting policies and then app￿ them con$i$lenlty.' observe the methods and principles in the applicab￿ Charrties SORP.. • make judgements and eslimales that a￿ reasonable and prudent., slate whether applicab￿ accounting standards have been folb)wed. su*'ecl lo any material departures that must be discloseJ in wh￿h the &¥enttskes ￿￿e. Expendrture i% iecc#3nised on an accruèL8 basi% as a liabilty is incurr8d.11 is reEK*rted a5 part of the expendrture to wh￿h rt relales. Debtorn Traje and other debtors are at the setllen*nt arTh)unt the after any traje dtscotjnt offered. P￿PaYmentS are valued at the amount net of any tr* discounts due. 13 Applause Rural Touring applause N¢tss to the Accounts for the y*ar ended 31 March 2025 ACC ING POLICIES Co￿￿INUE nk And In Hand Cash at bank and cash in hath￿ lid￿ cash aNJ s￿rt lem hithty hqU￿ investments wrth short malufty ot three Months or less frC￿ the date of ¥uL8itic￿ or OFening of the deposrt or simi￿￿ nl. Credrtc¥s are reCOgn￿ed where tharty ￿ a wesent ctjhgalion resuttmg from a past event that will probabty resutt in the transfer of funds to a third paty and the amount due lo settb the ct*ligalion Can be measured or esIKr￿ted reliabty. Credrtors are normalty r￿QgnIsed ai t￿ settlemenl amount after allrw4ing for any trade dr4￿ntS due. Contdbutlon charrty makes availab￿ to all employees a defined conlributKin pension scheme operated by NEST. The pensvn costs charged lo the stateff￿nI of Financial Actwities ￿present the amount of the contribub'ons paYa￿e lo stheme in res￿ crfthe x£r￿nting period. Rentals under operating leases where subslonlialty all of the benefrts and risks of ownership remain wrth the lessor have been charged lo the prolrt and toss account a$ incurred. or Applause Rural Touring is a registered charity and as such ils income and gains falling within Seelions 471 10 489 01 the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 are exèmpl from corporatKin lax lo the extènt that they are applied to ils Charrtab￿ 0￿.eCtWes. 2. EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTMTIES 2025 2024 Dlr•ct c¢st8'. Touring programme artists, fees st devek)pmenl AudprKe develcynent & matheting Salaries & freelance staff costs Travel costs Premises eosts 1S7,268 47, 196 10,759 102.095 7.698 1,847 326,863 119.848 40, 020 22,493 92,938 4,477 281035 Support costs.. Salar*s & freelanc£ staff costs Staff training & devekJpYMnt PrernL5es and off￿e costs Professional fees Goveman¢e eosts 111.930 4,814 19.318 126 720 136,908 113,915 5. 729 21.613 377 720 142,354 Total Expenditur• on Charttable A¢tlvttitB 463.771 423,389 14 Applause Rural Touring applause Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 3. NET EXPENDIT Nel eYpendf(U￿ is stated after ¢hargirKJ". 2025 2024 Rent payable under cperatirvJ lease.. Propety Equipment Independenl Examinerfs fee 10,000 1.438 720 10,339 1.438 720 TAFF AND NUMBER 2025 2024 Wages and Salaries S¢xo1 Security Costs PensKJn Costs 180.017 12,362 3.981 196.360 168,093 11.518 4,048 183,659 The 8￿rage nLmber of staff eM￿0Yed during the ye* was 6 {2024'. 51. There were no omployees with emoluments exceeding £60.000 per annum dunng the year. Employee benefrts lolalled £51,00612024.. £48,942) lor the key management personnel of the charity. During the year 2 trustee5We￿ reimbJrsedtravel eX￿nSeS lotaling £8012024.. 2 trusleeswefe rwmbursed travel expenses lotalling £541. 2025 2024 Trade Debt￿S Prepayments 5.993 2,1 1,355 3,511 10657 15 Applause Rural Touring applause Notes to the Ae¢ounts for the year end￿ 31 March 2025 7. CREDITORS: AMOUP FALLI DUEvKfHIN ONE Y 2025 2024 Trade Credrtus Other Taxes and Stxial Securty Accruals arKI Deferred Ir￿orr Pension Contributions 7.213 4,067 26.629 1.480 3,847 13.226 794 19,347 37.909 Included in creditors above is deferred In￿Me relating lo income received in advance for events to be held In the folbwing financial year as follows".- Brought foThvard at 1 April 2024 Rekased lo inccrfne dur*ng the year Rec*pts in thè year dolerred- events m 2025126 Al 31 March 2025 7.727 17,7271 9,004 9,004 1,650 11,6501 7,727 7.727 TME Future minimLTh rentaL8 payab￿ und8r n￿-cancelIable operth.ng leases we as follxvs." 2025 2024 Wthin one year VV)Ihin ￿¥0 lo fNe years 12.359 54,tsJD 16 Applause Rural Touring applause Notes to the Accounts for tho y•ar ended 31 March 2025 ESTRI At1 April 2024 Ineom• Exp•nditure Trnn$fvr5 At31 March 2025 Rother District Couwl Create, Tour, Connect 388 13881 (1521 149,351 {7.60)1 141.599 149 351 .600 141599 Expenditum Trnnsf8rs A131 Ma￿h 2024 2023 RolherTrslrict Counul Inn Crowcl Pubs+ 388 22.934 388 61, 750 (48,510) (36, 174J 61.7 36,174 388 Restricted lunds consL4t of funds gwen by a donor lo be spent on specft wojects. Transfers tetween funds represent." Rother Di8lrict Counul- to release remwnir¥J ILmds to general fuTrds lo be used in CO￿ actiwty. Create, Tour. Connect- contril)uli¢x frorn prqèct to unrestr￿ed funds towards staff costs & overheads in linè wth the original ygod prgect budget by the lurthr. 17 Applause Rural Touring applause Notes to the Aeeounts for the year ended 31 Mar¢h 2025 10. UNRESTRICTED FUNDS At1 April 2024 In¢ome Expendituro Trdnsfern At31 Mar¢h 2026 General funds Designated fuThJ- 5 rn￿1h reserve Designated fund- Essexlouldtsjrg 118088 94.410 88.039 444,933 1456.1711 3.772 7,853 111.0851 110,622 102.263 76,954 300,537 444.933 456,171 289,839 A17 2023 Irrtx¥ne E¥p8ndrfurn Transfe At31 Ma￿h 2024 Gen6rnlfuThJs Desgnaled fvnd- 5 M￿[h ￿Sert Deswnaled fund- E&8eyJoutdw 71. 130 87,015 88,039 393,058 (374.879) 28, 779 7,395 118,088 94,410 88,039 246. 184 393 0&9 374,879 36. 174 Transfers t*tr￿n fur+ds represent.. Contribution from Create, Tour, Connect prcled lo Unrestr￿ted general fvnds Icmards staff ¢￿ts & overheads in line wrth the original agreed prclect budget approved by the funder. Transfer from general fund510 5 mmlh rnserve designated fund to sol aside the free reserves of fivg months. operating Ct)sts. Transfer lo gèneral funds frcyn Essexloutdoors desKJnated fund lo use the fvnds previousty set ashde for the planned def￿rt in the year. 11. TED PARTY TRAN There were no reLated party Iransoclws during the year other th8n revnburswnont of trustee ex￿nseS- See note 412024.. n￿8). 18 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Applause Rural Touring for the y•ar ended 31 March 2025 I report on the accounts for th& year ended 31 March 2025, wh￿h are set out on py 10 to 18. R•spon8ibilitl•s and basis of rnport As the charty trustees of the Trust you we respOn￿￿e ft¥ the preparatk)n ￿ the accounts in accordance wi(h the requiiements of the charrt￿ Ad 20111'the Acl'l. I report in resF*Ct of my e￿nIna￿On of the Tntstee's accwnts Ca￿led olrt under s&tion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examinatK)n I have follmd *1 the appfficthe Th.reCt￿n8 gwen by the Charty CcrnmissKJn undei secth)n 1451511bl of the 2011 Aca. Indop?nd•nt ox•mln•rf• 3tat•ment Since the ccmpany's gross Ir￿ome exceeded £250,000 y¢)ur examiner musl te a member of a bc4Yy listed in section 145 of the 2011 Ad. I confinn that l am qualrfied lo undertake the examinalion because l am a member of the AssouatDn ol Inlernalp)nal Accountants. whth ts cne of the th.sled bod*$. I have compbted my eXamInat￿n. I C￿nriM that no m8terwl matters have come lo my attention in C￿neCtI1)n wrth the examination gNing me cause to b￿￿ve that in any material respect". occountiro reccrf(ts We￿ not kept in respect ￿the TnBt as required by sectwjn 130 of the Act.. or 121 the ￿counts do not accord with those [K￿d5'. or 131 the accounts do not ccfflply wrth the requifemenls conceming the fomi and conlenl ol accounts set out in the Charities IAccounls and ReFulsl Regulali)ns 2￿8 other than any requirement that the accounts 9Ne a 'lrue and fair vie•V' wh￿h is not a matter t¢￿sId&red as part of an in¢Jependenl ex8minatDn. I have no concems and have cixne ￿r￿S no other matters in ¢C￿nection wrth the examinat￿n lo wh￿h attent￿n should be %*awn in Ihw4 reF4yI in ￿der to enable a undeT5tanding of the accounts to reached. Paul Baker FA Appl￿d Accounlarw LKnrted 508 Clrfford Way Maidstonè Kent ME16 8GD 19