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2023-03-31-accounts

Registered Charity Number 1166649

Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements

For the year ending 31 March 2023

Contents

1
Contents 2
Legal status 3
Trustees 3
Registered office 3
Independent examiner 3
Bankers 3
Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 March 2023 3
Objectives 3
Activities 4
Public benefit 4
Organisation 4
Review and progress of achievements 5
Anver Anderson - Chair Report 5
Lisa Robertson - Offspringers Report 5
Gary Jarvis - Membership Report 6
Bethan Anderson - Marketing Report 6
Ben Miller - Social and Fundraising Report 7
Jackie Bates – Treasurer 7
Accounts 8
Quality management 8
Reserves policy 8
Investment policy 8
Risk review & register 8
RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY AND RISK REGISTER 9
1. INTRODUCTION 9
Annex 1 - Accounts 12

2

Legal status

The charity is registered and is a charity incorporated organisation governed by its Constitution. Charity No. 1166649.

Trustees

The Trustees during the year under review were:

Anver Anderson – Chair Jackie Bates – Treasurer Christine James – Secretary Steve James Bethan Anderson Sara Mortimer (part year) Barry Miles Sharon Scott Lisa Robertson Ben Miller Rebecca Webber Gary Jarvis Susan Corina (part year to AGM) Kieran Bedwell (part year to AGM) Mat Smith (part year to AGM) Colin Shoard (part year to AGM)

Registered office

42 Wilshire Avenue Chelmsford Essex CM2 6QW

Independent examiner

Ross Rogers 33 Byron Road Chelmsford Essex CM2 6EP

Bankers

Barclays Bank plc 40 High Street Chelmsford CM1 1DE

Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 March 2023

The Trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023. These comply with current statutory requirements and with the governing document. This report also serves as a Trustees Annual Report as required by the Charity Commission.

Springers Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society, (“Springers”) was registered on 20 April 2016 as a charity with the Charity Commission.

Objectives

Springers’ constitution clearly states that its objective is to promote the advancement and improvement of general education in relation to all aspects of the art of drama and musical theatrical performance for all in the local community.

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Activities

The principal activity undertaken is the performance of two shows a year in the local Chelmsford theatres by our adult group and one show by our youth group, Offspringers. Offspringers engages children between the ages of 7 to 18 years of age. In addition, performances are made at various events, including corporate carol singing, concert groups and running workshops in all aspects of theatre arts.

Public benefit

The service is a public benefit available for the enjoyment of all in the local community. Both Springers and Offspringers welcome new members.

Organisation

Responsibility under Springers Constitution for controlling its management and administration lies with a Management Board made up of the Trustees, together with the nominated honorary Springers president, who is ineligible to vote on the Management Board but can make submissions. Leonie Rose is the Springers’ President for 2022-2023. The Management Board is appointed by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. At each Annual General Meeting a third of all Board members are required to retire from office, though all such members are eligible for re-election. The minimum number of Board members is three and the maximum is currently twelve. New appointees are identified as a result of Springers’ members putting themselves forward at the Annual General Meeting, where they will be proposed, seconded and elected by the membership.

All Board members are volunteers and they currently meet monthly to receive reports and to monitor progress. The Chair normally deals with any urgent issues arising between meetings and takes decisions when necessary. Committee meetings comprising Board members occur when required; for example, to deal with fundraising or urgent complaints. They report their findings back to the Board. Board members are also often involved in assisting the running of the organisation in a variety of ways. The current Board comprises the following Trustees undertaking the following roles:

Anver Anderson – Chair Jackie Bates – Treasurer Christine James – Secretary Steve James – Production Chair Bethan Anderson - Marketing Sara Mortimer (part year) - Membership Barry Miles – IT Support Sharon Scott – Offspringers – Vice Chair Lisa Robertson – Offfspringers – Chair Ben Miller – Social and Fundraising Rebecca Webber – Reading Committee Gary Jarvis – Membership

All Trustees detailed above served on the Board during this reporting year.

Reading, Production, Marketing and Offspringers all have separate subcommittees which are led by the appropriate Trustee as detailed above and meet as often as reasonably required.

The Trustees comply with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities are to be undertaken.

4

Review and progress of achievements

Anver Anderson - Chair Report

2023 saw the biggest budget show that Springers has ever performed; Kinky Boots, with a budget around £45,000. The show was a spectacular success, receiving large audiences and great acclaim for the Society. Not only did the show make a healthy profit for the Society, it also received great critical acclaim from all those who came to see it. Moreover, the show recently won the NODA Awards for Best Musical in our region (some 220 societies performing musicals, dramas, pantomimes and gang shows), as well as the prodigious Best Production Shield for the region. The show was supported by excellent marketing and promotion and was stage managed and directed to a professional level.

It was unfortunate, that our usual November slot at the Cramphorn Theatre was not available to us during 2022, due to major building works on Chelmsford’s Theatre Complex. This meant that the production of The Addams Family had to be taken out to the Brentwood theatre – away from our normal audience and in a smaller theatre. The production of the show was a success, with the technical aspects being nominated for technical award at the NODA annual awards ceremony – only being beaten into second place by another society, However, the show was not a financial success, losing some £5,220 because of the move to an ‘out of town’ smaller theatre.

Currently, the Society is in the advanced stages of rehearsals of Disney’s The Little Mermaid which will be performed mid-June 2023. This show will be using mapped projection for the scenery and will be technically sophisticated. Urinetown is expected to be produced in the Autumn of 2023 – now back at the Chelmsford Theatre Studio (previously The Cramphorn Theatre).

March saw our youth group, Offspringers, perform The Adventures of Mr Toad . Despite some difficulties with some stage management aspects of the show, Production Chair Steve James took the reins to ensure the vision of the new directorship team of Lula Hemmings and Matt Scott was brought to the stage. The costumes by Leonie Rose and the music and complex choreography brought the show great acclaim from the theatre critics, receiving as they did, the very best show critique ever received by our youth group. The show more than met its budget by generating over £1,178 in profit.

Next year, Offspringers will return in the Spring with a production of Dracula Spectacula! Also, this year has seen the return of the Offspringers’ workshop group – now renamed as The Stagecraft Group, which allows our younger members to gain theatre skills ahead of them getting involved in the main show.

Lisa Robertson - Offspringers Report

Another great year for Offspringers, culminating in an amazing show week for The Adventures of Mr. Toad at the theatre in March.

We had a few new members join Offspringers, in the summer term, filling the spaces created by children leaving due to their age and other commitments. The new group mixed well and as the year progressed, have again, become a tight-knit team who work well together and look out for each other.

The summer term was spent preparing for The Adventures of Mr. Toad auditions and casting the show before the summer holidays. Through the Autumn and Spring terms the Toad rehearsals ran

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well, and in March, it was fantastic to take it to the stage in the Chelmsford Studio, where it was a roaring success.

The Offspringers Committee has continued to meet one Tuesday a month this year and is hoping to be able to welcome some new committee members to help with the day-to-day running of the group, as well as adding extra support at the theatre.

This year, the workshop group – now to be known as the Stagecraft Group - has been re-established. This brings our membership numbers from 40 to 60 and further connects Offspringers with the local community through the very young.

Gary Jarvis - Membership Report

There has been a significant drop in membership numbers (-32%) of which the comparison is below:

2023 2022 Diff
Full Members 59 95
 -38%
Associate Members 6 10 -40%
Life Member 14 11 +27%

There is no one factor that has contributed, but based on feedback, it is a mix of how we use our time since covid, the ability to jump from one society to another, removal of the 6-month rule and upcoming shows.

However, we are still receiving a strong number of enquiries from potential new members and we will be reviewing cost and types of membership with a strong emphasis on being part of the Springers family.

Bethan Anderson - Marketing Report

Springers’ production of the Addams Family was definitely the biggest challenge to date, the changes of venue etc., made it difficult to hit the ground running with the marketing plan -but the job was done! Hosting/being part of three publicity events, one in Chelmsford High Street and the others in Brentwood and Shenfield, in an aim to broaden outreach in the best way possible. The Directing team worked closely with the Marketing Team on the strategy for the show and marketing teammate Shannen Hamilton (social media guru) won the plate for all her hard work!

Social media has again been a key strategy, and the team continues to track engagement via the scheduling platform (Hootsuite).

The team continues to change and grow, with the additions of Daniel Screen, Abel Brett and Emily Peplow joining Bethan, Ben Miller and Shannen Hamilton. This year, Bethan Anderson steps down from chairing the team after almost a decade but will still take part in the team under its new

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leadership. Bethan would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that has been on the Publicity team over the last 10 years.

Full Society involvement still is, and always will be, the most important part of implementing plans when marketing, not just the shows, but our entire society! The Marketing Team is always open to ideas/suggestions for promotional activities as well as new members that would like to join.

Ben Miller - Social and Fundraising Report

This year has been quiet on the fund-raising front, however, the annual Springers’ quiz had a phenomenal turnout and resulted in the society raising an impressive £612.18. Future events are currently being planned which includes the annual Springers Beach Day - Saturday 12th August.

The Committee is also looking for a venue for a karaoke night as part of our social activities. The Board is keen to increase the social side of Springers, in order to increase interaction across the Society.

For future fundraising, plans are currently being worked on to help bring outside funds into the Society by way of direct sponsorship. We are actively negotiating with local businesses to sponsor shows to help with publicity activities and for them to gain advertising for their business. Although in the early stages of discussion, one such opportunity could raise as much as £3,000. A promotional package will be designed to show the benefits of supporting a local community theatre.

The Social Committee is always looking for new members and to help bring new ideas forward. The camaraderie of Springers is something that all members enjoy, and the opportunity for us to get together more frequently, not only for fundraising activities but to help build the team spirit will benefit the society as a whole.

Jackie Bates – Treasurer

With the financial transactions being completed for the Offspringers show Honk in March 22 a small loss of £234.91 was seen. This was mainly due to lack of ticket sales- the show occurring at a time when Covid was still present, and it was a huge challenge to be able to get the Show on stage at all! We then moved into the wonderful spectacle that was Kinky Boots in June 22 – with a respectable profit of £2,944.32 being achieved.

The Chelmsford Theatres then closed down and we were forced to take the Addams Family show to Brentwood. Again, due to lack of ticket sales, a large loss of £5,220.27 was seen.

Premium Bond wins totalled £250 and with the rising of interest rates the decision was taken to move the £30k held in the Bonds to a Virgin Money Term Deposit account with a fixed interest rate for 12 months.

The Essex Lottery was suspended whilst the Council sorted out their licence issues, but has now restarted, so I would like to encourage members to sign up to this, along with the Easyfundraising/Amazon when shopping online to raise funds for Springers.

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The Singathon event raised a fantastic £1,059 with funds being used to engage a BSL interpreter for both Kinky Boots and The Addams Family. The Quiz night raised £692.80 and the fabulous 40[th] Anniversary concert £144.36.

The valuable resource that is Gift Aid brought in £4,088.50- this covered a couple of years due to Covid. Please check that you have indicated on your Teamapp profile if you are eligible for Gift Aid so this can be claimed on the subscriptions and donations you make to your Society.

Expenditure has continued in line with our usual costs, and it is pleasing to see that the General funds of Springers and Offspringers combined produced a small profit of £749.38.

Springers funded the 40[th] Anniversary dinner to the extent of £2,567.82 with our single highest expenditure relating to the Barn at £5,573.31.

Assets purchased this year have been the Marquee £1,002.99 and a new Speaker at £400.

The accounts have been examined and signed off by Ross Rogers having regard to the requirements of current legislation and the Charity Reporting and Accounting guidance updated by The Charities Commission in July 2021.

Accounts

Annex 1 to this document.

Quality management

Work is continuing on an ongoing basis to ensure that Springers has in place a basic set of documented procedures to ensure that quality standards are met and maintained in order that it can undertake its activities in a professional manner and in compliance with all relevant professional codes of conduct.

Reserves policy

At the present time Springers’ monies that are not immediately required are in bank accounts held with Barclays Bank plc. There are no immediate plans to change this and therefore all remaining monies will continue to be held in “risk free” bank accounts and the Virgin Money Term Deposit account with a fixed interest rate for 12 months – as mentioned in the Treasurer’s report, above.

The Trustees have decided that £40,000 should be ring-fenced as a reserve. This roughly equates to the total cost of one production in the Civic theatre without any income.

Investment policy

In February 2023, Springers sold its £30,000 Premium Bonds, in favour of investing the same amount to be held in the Bonds to a Virgin Money Term Deposit account with a fixed interest rate of 3.75% for 12 months.

Risk review & register

8

RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY AND RISK REGISTER

SPRINGERS AMATEUR OPERATIC & DRAMATIC SOCIETY (“the Charity”)

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. 1.1. It is the responsibility of the Board of a charitable organisation to protect it from the effects of foreseeable risk.

  3. 1.2. In order to meet this responsibility, the Board have identified, evaluated and taken steps to minimise the risks that could cause physical or financial loss to the Charity.

2. POLICY STATEMENT

Reviewed and updated by the Board May 2023

SPRINGERS & OFFSPRINGERS RISK REGISTER 2022/23

No. Nature of Risk Likelihood Impact Rating Controls inplace Comments
1 Loss of money
from bank
accounts		 1 3 3 Most payments are now made
using Online Banking. Bank
requires all payments are dual
authorised by a second signatory.
The Stripe account is managed by
one of the Trustees with the
Treasurer having access and sees
the transfers.		 Account statements
are available to all
trustees and anything
untoward should be
picked up by the
auditor, albeit after
the event
2 Improper use
of
chequebooks		 1 3 3 2 signatures on every cheque
required. Only cheque book is held
by treasurer. No blank cheques to
be signed by any signatory.		 Anything untoward
should be picked up
by auditor, albeit after
the event
3 Signed
acceptance of
inappropriate
contracts		 2 2 4 Long-standing relationships exist
with contractual 3rdparties. With
new contractual relationships,
contracts need to be double-
checked by a competent individual.
Where appropriate or high
value/risk external legal advice
should be sought		 Chairman will sign
new contracts with
support from
Production
Committee. Members
are advised that they
are not allowed to
enter into any
contractual
agreements
themselves.

9

4 Loss of cash 1 2 2 Monies banked at earliest
opportunity. Encourage use of
electronic banking.		 Advise all holders of
cash to pass to
treasurer asap.
5 Incorrect
claims /
payment of
invoices		 1 2 2 All invoices scrutinised by treasurer
and payments only made against
receipts.		 Make budget heads
aware.
6 Loss of
membership
data –
electronic /
manual		 1 3 3 Springers have a clear policy on the
storage and use of data (personal
and non-personal) which includes
personal storage, backup, security,
cloud storage and mobile policy.		 Membership details
will be downloaded
quarterly from
Teamapp and stored
on Google drive
7 Trustee
negligence		 1 3 3 Trustee Indemnity Insurance in
place. Major decisions taken
collectively by board. Agreement
to seek specialist advice when
required. All trustees should be
competent to fulfil the role with
which they are charged. Clear
policy on appointment/removal of
trustees is documented. All trustee
roles have clear role descriptions to
ensure volunteers know what the
role entails and what is expected of
them. Declarations of interest to
be made at start of each Board
meeting.		 Accept consequences.
8 Health &
Safety
negligence		 1 3 3 A Risk assessment is in place for
the venues we use and is reviewed
annually. A specific section covers
the Barn.
Public Liability insurance is in place.		 Any unusual or
‘extreme’ social
events may require
risk assessments also.
9 Injury incurred
at rehearsal		 1 2 2 Correct clothing and footwear to
be worn at rehearsal. Encourage
and minimise inappropriate use of
furniture.		 Accident log is online.
First aid boxes held at
SPC and the theatres.
First Aid box at the
barn.
10 Child abuse 1 3 3 Chaperones are always in place at
performances and are DBS checked
in line with local authority policy.
Additional adults are also DBS
checked as deemed necessary.
Ratio of adults to children at
rehearsals is appropriate.		 Chaperones not
required to attend
rehearsals but
everyone to remain
vigilant at all times.
Our Safeguarding
policy details this
under 3.1.2.

10

11 Reputational
damage from
inappropriate
external
communicatio
n via email or
social media		 2 3 6 Social media policy in place.
Teamapp is a closed environment
for members.		 Monitoring and
enforcement
essential.
12 Show
abandonment		 2 3 6 Insurance against such risk is in
place, although abandonment due
to a Pandemic is no longer
covered.
Limiting financial commitment to
mitigate risk.		 The circumstances
which would lead to
this are usually
outside our control.

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Annex 1 - Accounts

SIMPLE SUMMARY

At the end of March 2022 the societywas worth £72,488.75
At the end of March 2023 the societywas worth £70,018.92
Our net worth reduced by -£2,469.83
During the current financialyear During the current financialyear
Thegeneral funds increased in value by £749.38
The total amount of "loss" onperformed shows was -£11,142.68
The total amount of "profit" fromperformed shows was £7,923.47
Total -£2,469.83

Note profit and losses for shows relate to accounting movements for the current financial year only. For detail of individual show profits or losses refer the individual show reports.

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SPRINGERS IrK¢J41E Premlum ￿nd vAns klntere5t & Ge5tureGoodwS11 knbershipleE5 Essex Lottuy EquiprneDt Hire Ew Fundrang CostumeHlre 250.00 124.46 £ 3.690. 56.00 46.60 230.00 Clothinlcommi￿4v￿ Donations sIn￿h0n Prff4dent Dinnv23 GiftAld Izniaht Busre>rdund Itohidl Concut profit 158.37 20.00 £ 1.059.C4J £ 4.620.C4) £ 4.088.50 692.ao 166.56 144.36 £ 15 946.65 siripefee5 T&wnapp wdwtsblucw •ndwth51te Lon8swviCÈ•Jards Pianostor4e In5urce Plmln8enora publicilv cardS￿d iifrg Show Iwrefunds-South Pxlflc H1 Hire 121J.36 246.94 357.00 B3.09 £ 1.986.21 129.40 561.60 415.92 230.74 50.00 Gaiera tsxkstaBE ME¥tingwaiuehirt 77.70 I￿.c4) £ 5.573.31 629.72 376.(M) 500.00 DgirLYiation Nod4award51un¢h PrtrAdttit Dlnn Sintathon alvcatedtoshvws contortprofit ta tittlo MÈrmd nnl¥uwyDlnn aoo.LNJ 144.36 £ 2.567.B2 £ 15,611J.17 332.48 SUAPLLJS £ 15 946.65 14

SPRINGERS INC(MEAM> EXPENDITUREACCOthNT FOR THEYEAR Ehf>ED 315r MARCH 2023 OFFSPRINGERS GENERAL FUM> INC(ME Term F Gr￿t income £ 1,833.00 90.00 £ 1923.ljo EXPENDITI General Hal l Hire D8Schecks T4hirts Chyone Expenses Music -25 Anniversaryconcert Concert eXp￿seS Course refund reirnburswnent Feeoverpayments to shows 556.61 122.45 78.00 128.58 360.00 26.49 20.97 213.00 £ 1,506.10 416.90 SURPLUS £ 1923,00 15

SPRINGERS INCOME AM> ExPE￿)lTuRE Accoumf FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31Sf MARCH 2023 BARN EXPENSES Rent Electricity Business Rates General Expenses £ 4,740.00 219.45 373.76 240.10 £ 5 573.31 16

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Auditor $18ned Ckn behafof the Trustees Anver Andorson ICh•lr of the Tntsteesl Date: ( 10>3. Audltor Ross Ro8•vs FCA Date: f I3 19