FIO Annual Report 2021-22
Charity No. 1166193 (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Contents
| Legal and Administrative Information | 2 |
|---|---|
| Report of the Chair | 3 |
| Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 March 2022 | 4 |
| Structure, Governance and Management | 8 |
| Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of FIO | 11 |
Legal and Administrative Information
Principal Aims & Objects
Fio creates work with people of all ages, religions and backgrounds, using performance techniques to help them tell stories that are as momentous and unique as they are themselves.
Objects:
a) To advance the arts, and to encourage and promote involvement in drama and related artistic and creative activities
b) To act as a resource for people of all abilities and backgrounds, by providing professionally-led activities, programmes, advice and assistance in all aspects of theatre arts and related disciplines.
c) To provide recreational and leisure time activity in the interests of social welfare for those who have need by reason of their youth, infirmity, disability, poverty or social exclusion with a view to improving the conditions of life of such persons.
Status and Structure of the Organisation
The organisation is a voluntary charitable organisation and is controlled by the Trustees.
Trustees during the period of this report:
Alison Woods (Chair) Chantal Harrison-Lee Edward Wood Joe Redmond Jason Camilleri Tafsila Khan Phil Forder Shavanah Taj
Registered Address: Bankers: W2, Wellington House The Co-operative Bank Wellington St PO Box 250 Cardiff Skelmersdale CF11 9BE WN8 6WT
Independent Examiners:
Llewellyns Certified Chartered Accountants 1[st ] Floor Brook House Brook Road Whitchurch Cardiff CF14 1DU
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Report of the Chair
I am delighted to present the annual report and financial statements for Fio for the year ending 31 March 2022.
For Fio, this was a year of growth and renewal. We were delighted to welcome Sita Thomas to the company as the new Artistic Director. She was joined by Beth House as the company’s first Executive Director and the new Executive Team immediately started work to review and renew the company’s creative and cultural vision and strategy and build a new staff team around them.
This extraordinary period of reflection and creative energy began to bear fruit almost immediately; new and additional funding was secured, new partnerships were developed, and a new creative programme was imagined. The impact of this work can be seen in the extraordinary programme that was delivered over the following twelve months and the rise in the company’s reputation and profile throughout Wales. During this year Fio became an essential part of our national cultural landscape and conversation.
Having laid the ground for a rich and dynamic future, Beth House left the company to continue her portfolio career, and we were delighted to welcome Emily Carew as the company’s new Executive Director in 2022.
The Board would like to celebrate the inspirational leadership and compelling vision and programme that was developed over the course of the year and pay tribute to all staff, partners, artists, stakeholders, funders, participants and peers for their extraordinary contribution to this success.
2021-22 was a year when the entire world began to emerge from the pandemic. Our lives have been changed for ever by everything we have collectively experienced since spring 2022 – and we know that Fio’s voice and cultural vision will become an ever more important part of our national story as we move forward together.
I am proud to have been part of that journey and would like to thank all my fellow trustees for their wisdom and guidance throughout the year.
Alison Woods Chair
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Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 March 2022
The trustees are pleased to present their annual report, together with the financial statements of the charity, for the year ended 31 March 2022. Fio is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered in England and Wales (Charity Registration No. 1166193) and Incorporated on the 23[rd ] of March 2016.
Objectives and Activities
In 2021, Dr Sita Thomas was appointed as Artistic Director. Under Sita’s leadership, the company refreshed their vision, mission and values in consultation with stakeholders, and embarked upon an exciting period of organisational development and artistic growth.
Vision
Global Majority people are embedded and thriving in all aspects of theatre and arts in Wales.
Mission
We support Global Majority people of all ages to shape culture in Wales. We do this by providing pathways and opportunities to develop, create and experience exciting theatre and arts. We represent contemporary diverse Welsh culture and identity. We remove barriers and offer inclusive, intersectional visions for the future.
Values
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Committed: We work with drive and determination to create a seismic shift in the Welsh cultural landscape.
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Energetic: We make progress through passion, continual learning and hard work. We bring our best selves to our working hours and contribute our skill sets to making a difference for the company and sector.
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Transparent: We act with truth and accountability. We will be honest about our actions and decisions, and share information to build trust.
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Optimistic: We problem-solve and find solutions with positivity, and always look for the best in people. We are hopeful for the future of theatre and arts in Wales, and we conduct ourselves with positivity and courage.
People
We invest in Global Majority people and offer pathways for progression in their involvement in the arts. We do this through our year-round offers of our Young Company, Artist Professional Development programme and Creative Associates. We take care of the wellbeing of our staff and encourage them to thrive. We also support creative freelancers to make the work they want to make.
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Projects
We co-create projects with people in response to local social, cultural and political issues, needs and desires. Projects are often workshop-based in community settings and will be multidisciplinary. We work in partnership with arts and non-arts organisations, sharing resources and expertise.
Productions
We develop and co-create new work, and co-produce productions that tour across Wales and the UK. Our productions are led by Global Majority artists, and feature narratives centring diverse Welsh contemporary characters and experiences. We will contribute striking, fresh stories to the Welsh theatrical canon.
Organisational aims
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To contribute to the development of and increase opportunities for Welsh Global Majority creatives
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To provide opportunities for Global Majority people to participate in artistic activities
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To diversify the stories being platformed and shared in the Welsh cultural sector
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To attract and captivate new Global Majority audiences
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To create pathways for new Global Majority leaders
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To refresh company brand, raise profile and build reputation
Artistic Activities 2021-2022
Landing Bolts
In 2021 the company launched Landing Bolts, a site-specific multi-artform project in a skatepark co-created with young people. We carried out a research and development process at Spit & Sawdust skatepark funded by Genesis Foundation and Cardiff Council. We supported ten Global Majority creatives to develop their work and explore contemporary issues of race, culture and skate, and engaged young people in the creative process. The seeds were sown for the further development of a full-scale production.
Winter Sparks
Winter Sparks was a participatory arts project embedding Fio in our local communities in Riverside. We partnered with Women Connect First and Now In A Minute Media and delivered weekly sessions in Riverside Warehouse for a group of 11-16-year-old Muslim girls. We worked with a team of Wales-based Muslim artists who facilitated sessions sharing their unique skillsets including photography, illustration, journalism and zine-making.The project resulted in the production of 400 trilingual zines published in Welsh, English and Arabic called the ‘Riverside Zine’ featuring poetry, photography, interviews and artwork. We distributed the Zine
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through letterboxes in our local community, celebrating local people and businesses, and sharing joy.
Participants of Winter Sparks with their published Zines
Arise - Wales Creatives
Arise - Wales Creatives is a year-long, paid artist development programme that we launched in 2022, focussed on supporting the next generation of early-career creatives from or based across Wales. We have partnered with Wales Millenium Centre, with support from Stage Directors UK, Stage One, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and Buzz Culture, to deliver this programme. With a current lack of diverse workforce in theatre and arts, this programme is here to make change. We paid 10 directors and 7 producers to take the next steps in their careers, with monthly sessions, masterclasses, mentorship and peer-learning and development.
Fio Associates
We supported two Creative Associates with bursaries, equipment, mentorship, networking opportunities and work to develop their creative practices. Their personal and artistic growth has been significant and has led to them securing further work with other organisations in Wales.
Advocacy
At all the following events, Artistic Director Sita Thomas presented Fio’s work: - Outdoor Arts Gathering Wales where 60 delegates from Wales, UK and Europe’s leading outdoor arts organisations came together to discuss the future of the sector
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Guest lecturer for performance designers at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
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Guest facilitator for National Youth Theatre of Great Britain Roadshow held at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, February 22
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Guest workshop leader for National Theatre Drama Teacher Conference, February 22
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Sita has been invited and has joined the Arts and Business Cymru Steering Panel
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Sita has been invited and joined the Artcry Panel (Artcry is a new fund supporting urgent artistic responses to current social and political events).
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Guest Panellist, National Youth Theatre of Wales auditions
Organisational Development
Fio continues to be a client under Arts Council Wales’s (ACW) Creative Steps programme that focuses on a handful of key organisations in Wales that ACW know to be doing crucial work around diversity and inclusion in the arts. As such, Fio receives bespoke, project-based support purely for core costs and organisational development. We have continued to prioritise this work this year, alongside meaningful partnership projects and productions that align deeply with our ethos.
Participants of Landing Bolts at Spit & Sawdust skatepark
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Structure, Governance and Management
Fio is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation governed by its Constitution dated the 25[th ] of February 2016. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission.
Trustees
The trustees are for the purpose of charity law. The trustees serving during the year were as follows;
Chair: Alison Woods Chantal Harrison-Lee Joe Redmond Jason Camilleri Edward Wood Tafsila Khan Phil Forder Shavanah Taj
Phil Forder and Shavanah Taj resigned from the board in this period having contributed significantly to the company’s development during their time. As set out in the Constitution, new trustees are voted in and serve for a period of three years. All trustees can serve a maximum of 3 terms, after which they must stand down for at least one full year before being re-elected. Trustees are recruited using advertising or word of mouth.
Charitable Purposes
Fio’s charitable purposes are as follows;
a) To advance the arts, and to encourage and promote involvement in drama and related artistic and creative activities
b) To act as a resource for people of all abilities and backgrounds, by providing professionally-led activities, programmes, advice and assistance in all aspects of theatre arts and related disciplines.
c) To provide recreational and leisure time activity in the interests of social welfare for those who have need by reason of their youth, infirmity, disability, poverty or social exclusion with a view to improving the conditions of life of such persons.
Organisation
The board of trustees, which can have up to 9 members, administers the charity. A Chief Executive is appointed by the trustees to manage the day-to-day operations of the charity. To facilitate effective operations, the Chief Executive has delegated authority, within terms of delegation approved by the trustees, for operational matters including finance, employment and artistic performance related activity.
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Related Parties
None of the trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the charity. Any connection between a trustee or senior manager of the charity with a production company, contracted actor, performer or exhibitor must be disclosed to the full board of trustees in the same way as any other contractual relationship with a related party. In the current year, no such related party transactions were reported.
Financial Review
The charity had a total income for the year of £182,758 and total expenditure was £159,308. Before the end of this financial year, we received income from Esmée Fairbairn foundation due for the following (2022-23) financial year which correlates with the higher seeming income versus expenditure. As such, at the close of the FY 2021- 22, Fio had unrestricted funds of £10,749.00 and restricted funds of £92,031.43.
Risk Management
The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises an annual review of the risks the charity may face, the establishment of systems and procedures to mitigate those risks identified in the plan, and the implementation of procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise. Fio’s Organisational Risk Register can be viewed upon request.
Responsibility of the Trustees
The charity’s trustees have responsibilities to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity, as at the balance sheet date; and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees should follow best practice and:
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.
The trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with charity law. Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Alison Woods (Chair) Date
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of FIO
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Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 March 2021
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Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2022 Fio Balance sheet Year ended 31st March 2022 2022 2021 Fixed Assets £4,196 £734 CurrentAssets Cash in hand Accrued income Prepayments £52,659 £76,809 £52,692 £5,285 £720 £1,344 £106.071 £83,438 Current Llabllltles Accounls payable Other credrtors £2,290 £5,196 £7.486 £2,875 £1,966 £4,841 Net Current Assets £98,585 £78,597 Total Assots Loss T¢)tal Liabilitios £102 781 £79 331 Funds and Reserves Unrestricled Funds Restricted Funds £10,749 £50,130 £92,032 £29,201 £102.781 £79 331 Fio (Charity No. 11661931 13