THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 ## **Aims and Purposes** The object of the School is to advance the education of the public in the art of writing, including tuition for writers and prospective writers. ## **Objects and Activities** The School is committed to running an annual residential conference for writers for one week during each summer. The programme aims to provide writers and potential writers with a range of courses, speakers and other activities intended to inspire and develop their writing in a friendly and supportive environment, allowing them to network and share experiences. While planning the programme for the conference, the Trustees consider the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and in particular, seek to enable as many writers and potential writers as possible to benefit from the opportunities the School has to offer, which are: - A comprehensive programme of courses across as many genres as possible - Opportunities for mentorship - Communication throughout the year to maintain the spirit of the School - Assisted places for writers who would otherwise be unable to attend. ## **Achievements and Performance** ## **Special Circumstances Note** As explained in the Charity Commission Report for 2020, this School was essentially the 2020 School rolled over to 2021 following the cancellation in 2020 due to the covid 19 pandemic. Inevitably, given the still ongoing covid situation surrounding the time of the School, there were numerous cancellations by delegates and tutors, especially those travelling from abroad. Despite reducing room numbers to 200 (without penalty, per our agreement with the Hayes) to lower any potential further loss to the School, a loss was still incurred due to not quite reaching the quota. However, when taken over years 2020/2021, the overall loss was less and was offset by income from the Raffle and the Book Room as well as general donations. THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 ## **Programme** This year, the programme comprised five Specialist courses, twenty Short courses, covering Historical, Romantic and Flash Fiction, Crime, Article writing, Time Travel and describing environment through Poetry, Research Skills, Scriptwriting, working as a Community Writer, Characterisation, Series Writing, Memoir, Writing for Children (5-7 & 8-12)Creating LGBTQ+ Characters and using songs as an inspiration for writing. Ten One hour sessions included Confidence Building for the Spoken Word, Worldbuilding, Crowdfunding a Book, The Comic Poem, Creating suspense, and Location, as well as the Page to Stage Briefing and Prize Winning Readings. Two courses were dropped due to the tutor being unwell (one at the last minute) and unable to attend. As in previous years, opportunities were provided to write or develop work; for creativity through ‘Lift Up Your Pens’, ‘Just Write’ and ‘Page to Stage’; and for reflection and relaxation through ‘Lift Up Your Hearts’, and ‘Unwind Your Mind’. These elements of the programme are provided by delegates themselves and supported by the Committee on behalf of the School and due to cancellations, some usual events had to be dropped or the facilitator substituted. Again, as a token of thanks, “Goody Bags” comprising a Swanwick tote bag, notebook & pen, highlighter and set of postcards were given to all programme participants who are not paid a fee. As well as the daytime programme, a full range of entertainment was provided in the evenings, encouraging more participation from delegates and opportunities to meet and socialise with other writers. The ‘Ice-Breaker’, ‘The Daniel Jazz’-a Nod to the Roaring Twenties, fun with words, beats and rhythms; “Birds of a Feather”, offering an opportunity to meet with other writers sharing genre interests which ran on Saturday evening were well attended by new and veteran delegates. Other evening events included a General Knowledge and a Literary Quiz, a fancy dress evening on the theme of ‘The Roaring Twenties’ (delegates were free to dress up from dinner onwards) ending with a disco, poetry and prose open mics, a buskers’ night (all well attended). Page to Stage performances were given the Speaker slot in the allowing participants to enjoy the later part of the evening. Speakers included Toby Faber talking about ‘Faber & Faber: The Untold Story’, a book he edited in celebration of the 90[th] birthday of his grandfather, the founder of the literary publisher; Julian Unthank, screenwriter on shows such as ‘New Tricks’, Robin Hood’, ‘The Bill’ and ‘Doc Martin’, on how he made his career despite dyslexia; Helen Mort, five times winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Competition and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature, on her poetry collections and Creative writing work; and Sarah Ward, author of four DC Childs novels set in the Derbyshire Peak THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 District talking about her new novel, ‘The Quickening’ (under the name Rhiannon Ward) and why we all love a ghost story. This year, the School attracted 42 first-time attendees, almost half of those in 2019. The School’s popularity continued but at a much slower pace and cancellations due to covid 19 still being an issue. Contract numbers were not at capacity due to cancellations and the ongoing covid anxiety so there was no waiting list in operation. There was only one Part-Time attendee and four Day-Visitors who travelled to the venue each day. Part-time availability was restricted to rooms free on the 1[st] June 2021 so without the waiting list, allocations could be decided easily. 211 people in total were in attendance, including eight Committee Members, one Host, three Competition winners, the raffle winner from 2019 (the 2020 School having been cancelled), nine TopWrite recipients, three Assisted Places; five 4-Part course tutors (four guest tutors), thirteen 2-Part courses (six guest tutors), four guests speakers, one external Workshop Session Leader, and 163 delegates. A Welcome Reception for ‘White Badgers’ (first time attendees) was held on the first evening to help put new people at ease, and a mid-week Afternoon Tea session was held to collect valuable feedback on how the programme was being received. Ambassadors were in place to provide additional support and help with collecting the information. The committee are not involved in this session which is usually co-ordinated by the Hostess and Ambassadors (this year, as the Hostess was not in attendance, the Host took her place). ## **Mentorship** Nineteen tutors provided a total of 79 one to one sessions (of which 39 were used) covering a wide range of genres and subject matter for delegates seeking specific advice and direction for their work. These included fiction, non-fiction, forensic advice, characterisation, competitions, story structure, screenwriting, poetry and dialogue & plot, children’s writing and poetic authenticity. ## **Communication** Again, the School’s Facebook Closed Group page and Twitter feed were provided with a wide selection of flyers and up-to-date information throughout the year which helped to raise the School’s online profile through links to various pages on the website and, delegates reposting and retweeting them. Allowing tutors and speakers to promote their work at the School using social THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 media helps maintain the visibility of the School and attracts new people from a wider range of areas. This drives traffic to the website which helps to maintain online visibility. The bi-monthly newsletter was maintained dispensing updates and information to those who subscribe and providing a forum for delegates to share their writing successes. Updates between newsletters were posted on Facebook and Twitter and circulated by the membership. The School continued to enhance its website and maintain a Wikipedia page. ## **TopWrite/Assisted Places** Regular and one-off donations to the Friends of Swanwick fund (including a cancelled place, the value of which was £595) provided subsidised places for nine creative writing students through its TopWrite Scheme. There were three cancellations out of twelve places awarded but this year, those places could not be filled due to TopWrite places being carried forward from 2020. The cost to students was maintained at £125 for another year. Through the School’s Assisted Places Scheme, also funded by Friends of Swanwick, three partial places were provided for individuals on a low income and/or receiving benefits. A further donation from Amazon Literary Partnership allowed the place allocated to both schemes to be covered more easily leaving a substantial remainder going forward. ## **Financial Review** Despite the School’s ongoing popularity and brisk, no waiting list was started in 2021. Many cancellations due to the still-present covid, and travel difficulties because of localised covid restrictions prevented the School from achieving its intended numbers. The drop-off in delegates led to the Committee making a strategic reduction in the contract numbers to 200 as soon as possible but avoiding crippling penalties. Part-time availability was again restricted to room availability from 1[st] June. This generated few bookings but meant that the School could gain additional income without adding rooms. The sale of one to one sessions – a total of 37 sessions including those rolled over from 2020 bookings - brought in a surplus of £675. The raffle was an unexpected success, taking in £1,217. At the end of the year, the loss showing on the School’s accounting document (excluding Friends of THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 Swanwick donations) was £775 with both the deposit for the 2022 School (£9,840) and the holding fee for 2023 dates (£500) paid. This only shows the Income & Expenditure for the year and does not take into account the booking income from 2020 which was transferred to 2021 and held in the School’s surplus account. When added, that income results in a small profit for 2021, and reduces the loss made in 2020. The Hayes’ invoice (£84,141) was still outstanding by year end but was met by the funds held in the surplus account (£113,086 as at 30[th] September 2021). The School continued to attract delegates from home and abroad - although most overseas delegates were forced to cancel due to covid travel restrictions - and a much lower than expected number of first-time attendees (42). Funds raised through the ‘Friends of Swanwick’ are treated as restricted reserves and are identified separately in the School’s accounts to provide more transparency of purpose. The fund has continued to be essential in maintaining finance for the TopWrite and Assisted Places schemes through regular and one-off donations alike. This scheme continues to be very popular due to efficient handling by the committee’s TopWrite liaison and applications have increased greatly. The fund continues to support TopWrite and Assisted Places due mainly to generous donations from ‘Friends’, both regular and one-off, but bolstered by a fourth donation from Amazon Literary Partnership (UK) (£2,000). The number of regular donors to ‘Friends of Swanwick fluctuates each year but one-off donations appear to be on the increase, especially in January when the Friends of Swanwick Priority Booking period opens (1[st] January). The School has not contributed further to Friends of Swanwick due to donations maintaining a workable level of funds and the annual injection of a large sum from ALP which has varied but this year was £2,000. After all payments were made for places funded at the 2021 School, the fund stood at £7,770. The online booking system produced the highest proportion of bookings received and is becoming the most popular method of booking. Payments by cheque(s), though significantly fewer than card payments, were the next in popularity, followed by bank transfers and standing orders and card payments using the PayByLink facility being popular for people wishing to pay in instalments or for bookings not served easily through the online form. The new card payment system (tablet & reader) set up in 2019, failed to operate despite the efforts of the Treasurer and had to be abandoned in favour of manual card payments in the Book Room. This was significantly slower than using the reader which was frustrating for all involved. A more up to date and reliable system is being discussed for use going forward. THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 The online banking facilities provided by the CAF Bank, Ltd. continued to reduce the need for writing cheques and made payment of invoices much easier, however, higher existing charges and new charges hitherto not employed, plus a significantly lower interest rate exercised by CAF Bank, has had an impact on running costs. The School’s social networking continued with the bi-monthly electronic newsletter, regular updates on Facebook and Twitter and ongoing review of content on the website. The advertising budget remained unchanged from last year but the commitment to conventional advertising with _Writing Magazine_ continued, maintaining the School’s long-standing relationship with Warner Group Publications who provide a competition prize place and administrate all three annual competitions. The close association with the Christian Conference Trust through their management and provision of the facilities at the Hayes at Swanwick saw the 73[rd] Writers’ Summer School held there. The Hayes management continued to provide efficient and reciprocal support for the committee and the School in general, although there were some issues with food and room card keys and with changing contractual details. Despite this and the continuing improvements taking place at the venue, the strong relationship with staff and management and the School’s officers and committee continued, for the increased benefit of the delegates. ## **Reserves Policy** The School faces a number of financial risks and liabilities: - i. The Hayes requires a substantial deposit a year in advance of each School (since 2016) which is 10% of the expected overall cost. - ii. The number of members varies each year and Trustees are reminded that the lowest number achieved in the last ten years resulted in the loss of £20,000. - iii. Some expenditure, e.g. advertising, honoraria, advance fees for the Hayes (the School commits a number of years in advance), are incurred before any payment is received for places, requiring a minimum reserve of £7,500. - iv. There are a number of opportunities within the School that, if pursued, would require further funds to be held in the order of £10,000. These will not be considered until sufficient reserves have been established. A combination of all these events arising would require a reserve of £45,000 but the School acknowledges that this level of reserve is unlikely to be required. Its aim, therefore, is to maintain a THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 minimum reserve of £25,000 in undesignated funds (i.e. not dedicated to specific purposes) and review requirements and possibilities year on year. Note: given the financial losses incurred by the cancellation of the 2020 School, the level of reserve funds may be required to be reviewed going forward. Also, the contractual changes that CCT has put in place may mean that the school must commit to paying a higher deposit much earlier than normal, plus an additional fee for securing dates in subsequent years. Negotiations with CCT regarding this are ongoing. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The method of appointing trustees is set out in the School’s constitution. Members of the Writers’ Summer School Committee are elected each year and act as the School’s trustees. The Committee is responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the School and for deciding on the allocation of the School’s resources. This year, the Committee met five times: three times during the School week (at the beginning, middle and end); one meeting in the Autumn of 2020; and another in the Spring of 2021, all via Zoom as travel was still restricted and problematic throughout the year due to covid so face to face meetings were impossible. With the exception of the honoraria paid to the Treasurer and Secretary (set out in the constitution), no committee member received remuneration. Committee members were reimbursed for their expenses, where claimed. Officers were reimbursed 100% of the cost of their accommodation at the School and ordinary committee members were reimbursed 50% of that cost, reflecting the out of pocket costs of running the School week. ## **Administrative Information** The Writers’ Summer School has no permanent premises. Details of the School’s registered address are held on the Charity Commission website. The School is held at The Hayes Conference Centre. Hayes Lane, Swanwick, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 1AU. Committee members who served during the financial year were: THE WRITERS’ SUMMER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Charity Number: 1168531 |Chairman|Cathy Grimmer| |---|---| |Vice-Chairman|Maria Hennings-Hunt| |Secretary|Ingrid Jendzrejewski| |Treasurer|Lesley Deschner| |Committee Members:|Sharon Payne| ||Leonie Martin| ||Andy Roberts| ||Maria Dorman| The Writers, Sumrner School Charfty NO. 1168531 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMOEft 1021 ADDRESS 103 Jean Armour Drive FAauchllne 45 SDP ThvsrEE5 C Grimrnpr. ch•lrperson M HÈnnin8s.Hunt l Jtndrzejewski L Deschner J Hi8gs - resigned 12th AsJ8U5t 2021 L mitc￿￿1 * resl8ned 12th Au8u5t 2021 S Payne A McDemion- resl8ned 12th Augu512021 M Dorman- appolnied 12th AuKust 2021 A Aoberts- appointed 12th AuBUSt 2021 L Martln- appolnted 12th August 2021 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER5 Leon Siephens fcA 8rookes Stephens Chartered Accountants New Media Housè David50n Road Llchfield Staffordshire WS14 9DZ The Writers, Summer School Chariiy No. 1168531 COPThEP4T5 P• Statement of Financial AetlvOtle5 Statement of Financial Position Note5 to the Accounts Independeftt Examiners Report The Writer5, Summer School Charity Nc*. I1￿511 9211 Fur Trt•l Fw)d% CQME cornm¢Jiktion 170,254 3m5 3,515 170,254 JOD 3,7CQ L221 10.414 l384 Ml5¢ 179.Z48 U6.147 s.ozi OIHER IIIOXE Bank Int Rt¢el¥¢d li li 73 179,259 116,158 iE$5: EXPENOITUHE H4yes CoDlereAce Centre Fee5 and Managtmtm C05t5 96,451 .178 96AS1 A,178 TowlEe txpenses Assssted Plxes A￿rtISI oo*room Sèles Prlzes Relunds PTintirfP05ta8e Travel 4.230 Lllo 4.230 i.iio 2.385 1.611 385 1,612 53,117 33S 395 415 647 53.217 335 39$ 415 64? 1351 Account*nty Miscellaneays Bonk Charye5 Depreci•tKJn 1,650 17 13 178 178.082 11.335 PXT IPKOME 1.177 8.075 1?.2411 15,3401 37.812 211 44.023 51.261 52.099 The Writers,. Summer S(thod £harity No. 1168531 38 51 JA7 C•%h ,iio 185,556) 37112 4211 7.TlQ Papj The Writers, Summer School Charity No. 1168531 ACCOUNTING POLIOES The flnancS•l statements of the chaAty. which is * publlc benefit entliy under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance wkth the Charitle5SORP IFAS 102)'A¢count4￿ •nd Peportln8 by charit￿.. Statement of Recc*nmended Prattke •pplkabSe to dwftles prp.p4rfn8 thelr aCLounts In actord•Ke wilh ihe Fina￿￿1 Rf SW)rtiry8 Standard èppficèble In UK and Republlc tsl Ireland IFRS 1021 (Effecth i J•nuary 20191., An•ftd% Reportlng siar*dard 102 The Fin•nCl￿ Reportlry Standard appllcabkn kn the UK Ind Republk ol Ifeland. and the Charities lQll. ThElirMnciil swew*nts have been p￿P*re￿ under the hirtorlcal cost coTrRnlion. All In¢ome ffj re£(w¥ised In the Stat•m*nt ol Financlal Acifjylllts iht thjrlty h•$ entit￿ment tothÈ furtds. 4t ts wobable that th• Ir￿orne wlll be Th￿1¥•d and the amount tèn be measurod rellably. 15abllilies are reco8ni¥d as •xpendttur¢ as soon as tlwre 1> • Seyl or construciivt obligation commltting the d￿Tfty to ihat experxlltwo, it Is wobable th￿ • traMfÈr of economlc benellts will be required In Sett￿Ment arAI th¢ •mount ol th• obll8ation ¢an bt measured rellably. Expenditurels acwunted IDr On •n Kcru•ls and been class1f￿d under headinKs that a￿￿ale Jll cost related to th￿ c•tt80ry. Where co tènnot be directly 4ttrbuted to yrticukir they ha¥* be*n to atthitle5 on o hsi¢ coAslsientvAth the use ol resources. DepredaibDn15 prlxlded •1 the foH(v*#¥ •nnL41 r•*e5 In order to wrfieoff e•th •uet over Its estim￿e￿ U￿￿1 lffe. Oflte £quipmeni 25% on Teduclrq batsnc* T•M¥tlon The chèriht is e¥emDi from tsx on its char￿ab￿ aal¥ltl•% FUnd•(￿u￿11 UnT•Strkted fuiids can btr used In attDrdafit@ 7*tsh the thar11￿ obhdP¥u•tthe dwetlon of the irnstees. 8esiYic•d fund5 c4n bE Used fw Wll¢ul6r r¢S￿￿•d 9urpw¢s wlthin th• &bie¢ts of tht charity. Restnctlon I￿$* T*hen byth• donor orwhen lunth •f• rihed for p•rtKular ri?Strfrne(I purp05ek Fflends ol SwAnwlck been set io pfLwKlt suppon for￿￿¥•1 throu Ihe Topwrlre Sthème and lo prty*)¢ ￿t$[ed plltes lorihose kn An•ndal thllkulrv. Furthw explanatlon ofthe nature *KI purpose ole4th fund ts Indtyjed kn th• not•% to the liMrtcl41 stst¢ments. P¥•4 Don•t•d goods Donated goods are re¢o8nW att￿*valu• wrth th• corr•spon¢lr4 belr reco8nis•d as Income In th• perkxt In whlth they ore d9n•t•4. INOEPENDENT EXAMINEftS' nEMUNEPAT1014 Independent exarnin*ion l•es 415 The lollowini honornri8 have btèn pald to truste¢s of Xho￿ M 4lv*ed ty y¢tlon 13 otthc Cgn5titutknn:_ Tre05urer'. L Oeschner 5euetary.' i J*ndrz•hw 1SC¥J Tliere trustees. expenw pald of £1.240120XI £nlll IOT th• y•ar •nd•d 30 S*plwnb•r 2021. (X ihe total dmount wd. £261 t• r¢imlJursed costs £979 rel•ted to feqs •nd book room sale5 pajd to tru5tee5. In total, 7 tru5te4s were re6mbufted expenses. srAFF COSTS The a¥ernBe number olemployees durlng the ye•rw•s nll12010 ntll. TA￿1￿lE FIXED AS5Ers COST Ai i October 2020 At ao S*ptttmb•r 2021 fPRECIATIDPI At l October 2020 Charge for the ye At 30 SèptÉmbor 1021 39 13 NEf Boox VALUE At 30 Seoember 2021 At 30 Sepiembei 2020 51 38 DEBT0￿. AMOUPITS FAWNG DUE wmiw ONE YEAR Pr*paym•nts and •ter￿d Income 16.761 12.517 P4•5 CREDifo8s: AMOU14TS FAUING DUE wllxiN ONE VEAA Other credttor5 .618 DEFERRED If4COM£ Durin8 the y¢8r to 30 September 2020. net 1ncomelotall1￿ £89,613 was delerrtdto 30 September 2021. Thls was due to the can￿lIation ofth* In 2020due to onw Covid-19 p•ndemk. RELATED PAM DISCLOSUAES Therewere nc* related party transa¢tths lor the ye•r ended >J Septernber 2021. The Writers, Summer School Charity No. 1168531 I report to the charity truste￿ on my exJffdnath)n olthe atcounts of the dTr•flty ftrr thr w ebwed 30th 5ept•rn￿r X121. Ro$po￿lb1ll￿1S and trfr•port As the tharlvs twstees you are responslble for the preparai*M ofth• kn *¢coYd￿*4th th• requlrtrnents olthe CharIt￿#A¢t 20111'theAcri. I report In respErt tstmy eAamlnatkn ofthè¢hariVs •c£ounts tarrlEd undw sott1t￿ 145 of the In arrOni out tny txomlnaiion I have folbwed ?11 the apPI￿able Dlrettions bytr* ChartyCommLtsl unL¥er sectlon 1451SNbl of the Aa. I completed my examinatlon. I ronfirrn that no ffl*t•Pi•l m•tte** h•¥v com* to ry•tt•ntkM Sn cwnut wFth the eumln•tk¥n m* cause tg belotve Ihat irt any mat•thl resptct: accountir41 records nor **pi In respert ofthe Ih•TIty as requlred ty 5ectkn 130 dthe Aci. or the accounts do ntrt accord with th05• records,. or the o¢wunts do not camply with the applicable reouirements concemlty the ltsrm •nd ck>nr@hY ￿ *¢co¥nts set in the Ch•fF(iE5 (Accounts and Reports) Re¢vlatw gth¢r th•n any requlremeni th•t th• attount$ 8r¥e • irue anit falr thtwhkh 15 not a matter wnsKter¢d •sp•rt of in kndepgrbdent examlnatlon. I no concerns and ha￿ ¢om• aeroxs no oth•r mitters In mnnectknn tArfth •xarnlnatlon to twhlth attentloTr shoukl be drawn thb report In wderto ¢n•bl• a yopw uThl•rthndln4 olthe •ctounts to be r••th•d, Si8r*ed.... Leorb Siephens FC4 8rtr)ko1 aft•phons Ch•rtered Accvuntant5 New Me41• House Davldson Roèd tithfleld Staffordshlre W514 90Z The Writers, Summer School Charity No. 1168531 Ch•rhkn A(r2011 IW*Atr). urths•¢thw 14515XOI olth•l St•ffordWr• w$￿ 90Z