Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 01 04 2020 To 31 03 2021
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Barefoot Opera Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1167730 Charity's principal address 6 The Uplands St. Leonards on Sea East Sussex Postcode TN38 0HL
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diana Bickley | Chairperson | Trustees of the Charity | ||
| Barbara Browning |
Secretary | Trustees of the Charity | ||
| Virginia Gilbert | Treasurer | Trustees of the Charity | ||
| Fenella McVey | Trustees of the Charity | |||
| Roger Blackburn | Resigned 31 Dec 2020 | Trustees of the Charity | ||
| Charles Neal | Appointed 07 Jan 2021 | Trustees of the Charity | ||
| Olivia Shaw | Appointed 07 Jan 2021 | Trustees of the Charity | ||
| Avril Crawford | Appointed 15 Jan 2021 | Trustees of the Charity | ||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) | Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) | Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of adviser Name Address |
||
| Independent Examiner | Keith Miller | Hastings Voluntary Action, Jackson Hall, Portland Place, |
| Hastings TN34 1QN | ||
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Jenny Miller, Director
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Type of governing document Constitution dated 15 June 2015
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
How the charity is constituted Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
- (eg. trust, association, company)
Trustee selection methods
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Appointed by existing trustees
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(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Trustees have assessed potential risks arising from the expansion of our activities involving community groups and schools in the creation and performance of Bloom Britannia, a new opera we have commissioned. We have adopted a safeguarding policy to manage these risks when working with children. An additional statement specifically addressing work with vulnerable adults is in the drafting stage for adoption in 2021-22.
Trustees have also identified the need for a general risk management policy and accompanying procedures to monitor all major risks inherent in our commitments to Bloom Britannia. A policy was drafted and scheduled for adoption this year. This was delayed in the unusual circumstances of 2021 and is now being refined by a trustee for adoption in 2021-22.
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Section C Objectives and activities
To advance education about, promote public appreciation of, and encourage participation in, the art of opera and singing for the public benefit by:
- a) Developing singing at all levels from amateur to professional standard;
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
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b) Encouraging emerging professional singers to find new approaches to the rehearsal and performance of opera;
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c) developing new audiences for opera, music recitals and concerts with innovative, inclusive and accessible performances
d)Promote singing for mental and physical health.
Trustees have read the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. The guidance has been considered at trustee meetings when planning the activities for the year.
The Charity’s activities are focused on assisting the development of operatic talent and exposing the general public to affordable and accessible operatic performances. The singers benefit from experience and exposure at an early stage of their careers. The public has an opportunity to experience opera in places that are local and familiar to them and at prices that are affordable, developing the audiences of the future.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
The public benefit is enhanced by opportunities for local students, musicians and other performers to participate in the development of events and in the final productions. This provides an introduction to opera for sections of the community previously unfamiliar with the genre, with the deliberate intention of demystifying the process and achieving a cohesion of purpose through involvement of schools, choirs or non-musical minority groups. Our advanced student productions experiment with new ways of staging so that audiences experience the music and singing in a different and more engaging way. We involve young local budding costume designers in our work, mentored by experienced professionals. Our ambitious “people’s opera”, Bloom Britannia, reaches out to community groups who have never previously encountered opera, let alone performed in an operatic work. Audiences have included friends and family members of participants in the project, and we invite their feedback. This has the dual effect of introducing them to the way in which opera is conceived and involving them in the process.
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Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
The charity provides small grants to performers who require financial assistance with accommodation, travel expenses or other costs associated with participation in our productions. Students submit their applications for grant funding in the form of short essays to the Trustees which are evaluated with input from the Director. Decisions are recorded at Trustee meetings.
Volunteers provide invaluable help as front of house staff at events, serving at receptions, providing accommodation for singers on intensive courses and distributing flyers and other publicity.
The Charity relies on grants from Trusts to support our work. Bloom Britannia, our flagship community opera, was supported by Sussex Community Giving, Garfield Weston Trust, the Arts Council, Magdalen and Lasher, and Hastings Council. We also called on crowdfunding via the JustGiving platform on-line.
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Section D Achievements and erformance p Training Summary of the main achievements of the charity Short courses for training singers were held on-line, due to the on- during the year going pandemic which made physical gathering difficult or impossible. We held courses involving our core team, and we held individual classes. Young Artists’ Tour The Young Artists’ Tour has been a major feature of Barefoot’s activities for several years. Performances and ticket sales have increased steadily. The tour now visits London, Oxford and Cheltenham as well as the performances in our home base of Hastings. The Autumn 2020 tour was cancelled under pandemic lockdown restrictions. In summer 2021, performances of two one act operas, Orfeo ed Euridice and Zanetto, were held at local venues. It is anticipated that the full Young Artists’ Tour will resume in 2022. Bloom Britannia Barefoot Opera’s new ‘people’s opera’ started life in 2018, when hundreds of people in the towns of Hastings, St. Leonards and Bexhill took part in singing and discussion workshops. The creative team met people from all walks of life, gaining a rich perspective on what it means to live in a town on the South Coast today. People learned how to write songs, improvise, and sing together. The team took away all of these insights and developed our brand new opera – ‘Bloom Britannia’. It tells the story of a fictional regeneration competition on the South Coast, on the day the winning town is to be decided. With hen parties, dodgy dealings on the seafront, and scandalous secret affairs, mayhem is guaranteed! In 2019, with funding from the Arts Council of England, we staged a 30-minute experimental segment at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-sea, with over a hundred performers, a live audience of nearly 400, and a live-streamed audience of over 3,000. In 2020, our grand schedule, as with so many plans, was wiped out by the pandemic. With the Arts Council’s and Barefoot Opera Trustees’ support, our team has created a new schedule for 2021. Music rehearsals have been shifted to begin in late March 2021 and our full production took place in October 2021 in front of xxxx people over 3 days in St Mary in the Castle, Hastings. Pandemic Activities During the two lockdowns from March - December 2020, we provided:
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
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weekly on-line singing sessions in partnership with Arts on Prescription. (16 sessions, average attendance of 25).
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9 Young Artist performances and 6 workshops with Isolation Station (averaged 800 views)
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a Vlog with ‘Bloom' artists and community participants.
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an on-line weekly coffee morning which averaged 7 participants per session running through the first lock down.
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set up late autumn projects, including 'Little houses' and two community rehearsals of new material from the ‘Bloom Britannia’ score, before the second lockdown.
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created two short films featuring community members and Bloom participants.
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connected to Project Art Works and set up a workshop with young artists, and
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creative practitioners teamed up with Seaview Project for vulnerable adults to co-create songs based on personal stories, entitled ‘My Place’.
This programme has kept our connection alive to the groups we were working with for our main community opera project , postponed by Covid. It enabled new participants to join in the weekly singing sessions. Our partnership with Isolation Station has greatly increased our audience and brought new audiences in. The programme has kept the professional team on board, engaged, and given work to freelance creatives on our team. Noone from the team has had to opt out. This means that our organisation has an invaluable sense of continuity.
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Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
The charity’s trustees adopted a reserves policy during the 201718 financial year. The target level for the reserve was set at £5,000, to be built up from any profits generated from events. The reserve target has been met.
Details of any funds materially in deficit
None
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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The charity’s principal sources of funds are ticket sales, student fees, grants, and fundraising.
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▪ Expenditure supports the charity’s objectives by funding performances and outreach workshops and by offering financial assistance to students.
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The charity does not have an investment policy as its funds are entirely devoted to the support of students, performances, and outreach events.
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Virginia Gilbert
Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)
Treasurer
Date 08 November 2021
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| PreMousYear | CurrentYear | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts | Notes | Restricted funds |
Unrestricted funds |
Total funds | |
| 39,450.00 | Grants | 59,415.00 | 3,165.92 | 62,580.92 | |
| 8,400.00 | Sponsorship/Fund raising | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 11,681.72 | Ticket sales | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 14,046.00 | Studentfees | 0.00 | 2,741.50 | 2,741.50 | |
| 210.80 | Programmesales | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 0.00 | Bar/Raffle | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 5,995.00 | Donations | 0.00 | 3,750.00 | 3,750.00 | |
| 4,600.00 | FestivalFees | 0.00 | 320.00 | 320.00 | |
| 7,625.07 | Miscellaneous lncome | 0.00 | 2,398.80 | 2,398.80 | |
| 730.00 | FriendsMembership | 0.00 | 495.00 | 495.00 | |
| 92,738.59 | 59,415.00 | 12,87',.22 | 72,286.22 | ||
| Exoenditure | |||||
| 20,466.01 | Direction/Management | 18,619.86 | 875.00 | 19,494.86 | |
| 5,459.59 | Coaching | 75.00 | 520.00 | 595.00 | |
| 21,943.75 | Musicians | 3,170.00 | 2,400.00 | 5,570.00 | |
| 0.00 | Travel expenses | 242.53 | 0.00 | 242.53 | |
| 10,347.50 | Venuehire | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 4,039.63 | Costume &set | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 1,096.00 | Technical expenses | 3,009.66 | 0.00 | 3,009.66 | |
| 500.00 | Transportcosts | 0.00 | 0,00 | 0.00 | |
| 1,567.10 | Foodcosts and preparation | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 7,804.21 | Publicity | 9,321.73 | 34.79 | 9,356.52 | |
| 2,219.00 | Website | 0.00 | 570.00 | 570.00 | |
| 397.26 | Stripecommission | 0.00 | 62.03 | 62.03 | |
| 14,767.98 | Admin/Office expenses | 9't3.75 | 4,036.09 | 4,949.84 | |
| 10,587.50 | Fundraising costs | 0.00 | 6,387.50 | 6,387.50 | |
| 6,477.82 | Other/Misc | '1.46 | 1,204.04 | 1,205.50 | |
| 107,673.35 | 35,353.99 | 16,089.45 | 51,443.44 | ||
| ('t4,934.76) | Netsurplus (deficit) | 24,061.01 | (3,218.23) | 20,842.78 | |
| 38,458.47 | Fundbalances b/f | 1t4t20 | 8.104.25 | 15,419.46 | 23.523.71 |
| 23,523.71 | Fund balancesc/f | 31t3t21 | 32,165.26 | 12,201.23 | 44,366.49 |
| BloomBritannia b/fl^/d | lncome 8,'104.25 |
Spent | Left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants received | ||||
| Arts CouncilEngland GGtLtd Sussex CommunityFoundation Batley HibbertTrust Hastings BoroughCouncil Expenses Amount carriedfonryard |
32,370.00 3,600.00 3,200.00 5,000.00 1,000.00 |
21,108.99 | 32,165.26 | |
| EmersencvFund blfrtd |
lncome | Spent | Left | |
| Grantsreceived | ||||
| Arts CouncilEngland Expenses |
14,245.00 | 14,245.00 | ||
| Amount carried fonrard |