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2021-03-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 21

Charity No. 1168749

Contents

Legal and Administrative Information 2
Chair’s Review 3-4
Trustees’ Report 5-27
Independent Examiners’ Report 28
Statement of Financial Activities 29
Balance Sheet 30
Statement of Cash flows 31
Notes to the Financial Statements 32-42

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Legal and Administrative Information

Charity Name:

AudioActive

Charity Number: 1168749 Registered and Principal Address: 11 Jew Street, Brighton BN1 1UT Trustees: Simon Hopkins – Chair (Resigned 24/03/21) Arjo Ghosh – Co-Chair (Appointed as trustee 23/04/20) Clare McKinley (Appointed 22/04/20) Amy Zamarripa Solis (Resigned 15/10/21) Bronya Curwin-Treasurer Aurelia Butler-Ball Jedda Donnelly (Resigned 15/10/21) Josephine Simonon CEO: Adam Joolia Patrons: Rag’n’Bone Man, Rizzle Kicks Bankers: Metro Bank 82 North Street Brighton East Sussex BN1 1ZA Independent Examiner: Kreston Reeves LLP Plus X Innovation Hub Lewes Road Brighton East Sussex BN2 4GL

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CHAIR’S REVIEW

We write in review of 2020-21, a year that challenged young people like no other.

Our promise is to work with young people at the meeting point of technology and contemporary youth culture. In doing so AudioActive conducts a wide-range of youth music activities and events, the majority of which rely on us working in-person.

Our out-going Chair put it perfectly in last year’s review: ‘ We work at the crossroads of well-being, creative practice, informal music training and continuing professional development for young musicians. ’

This very human model has been a huge part of our success as we are able to build strong bonds with our young people, helping them develop their music practice around inspiring workshops and specialised small-group sessions.

Our young people told us how much they value opportunities to connect and belong. Taking the 'skills transmission' aspect of what we do online was an initial challenge because we had to learn how to do it in a way that fostered connection, community and belonging. In doing so we realised how much our quality and authenticity of delivery is a massive part of what we do.

Our year in more detail.

Covid-19 has impacted our ability to conduct in-person music sessions, and has affected the number of young people that we have been able to reach compared to previous years. In 2020-’21 we also had to invest staff resources into creating Covid-safe working practices and ensuring that our colleagues, both employed and freelance, were safe and well. Working from home is now an established option for staff and has worked well for the team.

Our Shift programme of 1-2-1 mentoring has been an essential lifeline for our participants, delivering critical support directly to hard-to-reach teenagers. Our music sessions continued online and we were able to maintain some of our connections to our young people. We learned, however, that our work still has so much value in-person. Further details of our projects, including Full Circle , Kustom Vibes and Emerge can be found later on in this review.

Our recording studios and event space, Bottega Rooms, has weathered the storm and we have maintained our tenants and begun to see the spaces come back to life. Our experience in having a physical space has inspired us to look further afield and we are excited to have found a space where we can establish a centre for excellence in Worthing, West Sussex. This will spring to life during 2022.

Our funders have been brilliant during the year. Allowing us use restricted funding in more flexible ways has, for example, allowed us to re-deploy our music leader team, helping to keep them in work when all other workshop and gig income had dried-up. We also were able to donate 18 laptops to young people who were digitally excluded.

To all of our funders and supporters, thank you.

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CHAIRS REVIEW FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 - CONTINUED

Although our overall participant numbers were lower, we were able to refocus our online sessions to support our most vulnerable young people. Our ‘Room to Rant’, a critical mental health initiative, was also scaled into Crawley and Worthing. Kustom Vibes achieved over 3,800 online views and helped to establish our live-streaming practice.

These ‘new norms’ have accelerated our digital literacy and we are now well-versed in delivering events and thought leadership through online channels.

We also have worked extensively on our team. Our Director of Finance and operations has significantly improved our ability to scale AudioActive, whilst establishing better processes, policies and best practice. Our first ever Communications Manager has helped us improve our engagement with wider stakeholders and professionalise our communications. Much credit must go to our team and our music practitioners for their fortitude and flexibility, thank you.

The year ahead will now build on our personal resilience, improved operations and strength of our young people. We feel optimistic, proud of our work and full of creativity for the challenges ahead.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our former Chair, Simon Hopkins, for his eloquent board leadership, creative thinking and empathy with fellow trustees, but also with colleagues and young people.

Sincerely,

Arjo Ghosh

Co-Chair, AudioActive.

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TRUSTEE’S REPORT

Objectives

The objects of the charity are to encourage and promote the development of children and young people of all backgrounds living in the South East of England by:

Activities and Achievements

AudioActive directly benefited 487 young people in 2020-21. The year saw the start of the COVID19 pandemic and lockdowns continued through much of the year. The main impact of this was that we were not able to reach as many young people as in previous years, but the activities that we were able to run engaged a higher proportion of vulnerable young people.

It was necessary to limit numbers in sessions and buildings and we therefore targeted those in most need. In most cases, where Covid disrupted our projects we were able to develop digital solutions. Many projects were moved online or delivered in a different way.

A positive of this year was the growth of our digital engagement. Moving sessions online and livestreaming events that would otherwise have taken place in local venues, meant much bigger audiences, with people also participating from further afield.

Engagement Figures

agement Figures
Project Number of young people engaged
Sessions 94
Kustom Vibes 7
Full Circle 8
Emerge 2
Bridges 6
SHIFT - 121 Brighton 28
SHIFT - Targeted work Brighton 0
SHIFT - 121 Crawley 28
SHIFT - Targeted work Crawley 6

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TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

Engagement figures – continued

ent figures – continued
SHIFT-121 Worthing 9
Targeted work Lancing (APC) 6
Room to Rant 78
Reboot 32
10-minute DJ Competition 14
AudioActive FM 20
Alleviating Digital Poverty 18
Football x Music 35
Crawley Sounds 40
Youth Hub at the Level 50
Our Music Spaces 20
Total direct engagement 501

Kustom Vibes had over 3800 online views, and we have approximated that 2000 were young people

Spaces and Places

Bottega Rooms - Brighton

Bottega Rooms is our Brighton-based hub comprising a community recording studio, 4 practice rooms, a mac music production suite, breakout spaces and 6 music studios occupied by professional musical artists who also work for AudioActive. After a very successful inaugural year following its launch in March 2019 we were forced to close Bottega Rooms down during stay at home measures due to Covid. We were able to secure state aid from the Local Authority and some recovery funding from Comic Relief to cover some of the overheads and additional health and safety costs of running the space throughout the year. We were also able to heavily subsidise the license fees of studio holders during lockdowns in order for them to retain their studios and a means to a livelihood during a time that earnings were little to non-existent for gigging musicians. We were able to deliver face to face work with young people for periods throughout the year working within ‘covid-controlled’ practices’. The ‘Big Room’ has now been transformed into a photography/videography studio equipped with an ‘infinity wall’ where many professional video shoots have taken place including artists such as Ocean Wisdom & CMPND (High Focus). The new studio has also helped to generate a new revenue stream for the organisation.

We are looking forward to building back activity and impact created in Bottega Rooms to prepandemic levels as social distancing restrictions ease throughout 2021.

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Centre of Excellence for Socially Engaged Talent Development - Worthing

We have been working towards establishing a centre of excellence for socially engaged talent development in Worthing since 2018 and by the start of this financial year we had identified suitable premises and completed a full viability study on the space. We had planned to spend 2020-21 delivering a full capital fundraising campaign for the project but unfortunately due to Covid our landlord ceased operating in April 2020 and we lost the premises. However, due to the strong relationships developed with the local authority in recent years, Worthing Borough Council offered us use of a 3-5 year meanwhile space on the main high street where, in this turbulent climate, we can prototype and explore proof of concept for the future centre of excellence in a lower risk way.

By March 2021 we had secured significant support from stakeholders in the business community and public realm and we are in conversations with several funders who are interested in supporting the project and subsequent programme with revenue funding. The hub will become a new home for our talent development and social innovation projects in Worthing as well as bringing together a critical mass of operators under one roof who can work together to support the recovery of both the music sector and services for young people in the town post-pandemic. We hope to launch this exciting space in late 2021.

The project will also play a key role in ‘the new high street’ and placemaking in Worthing and we plan for the project to provide proof of concept and inspiration for a similar project in Crawley in the future as part of our long term goal for young people and emerging artists growing up in Worthing & Crawley to be able to access and enjoy a comparable level of opportunity to reach their potential compared with their counterparts in Brighton and Hove where our offer and infrastructure is already well established.

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PROGRAMME

As social distancing restrictions started to ease, we continued to engage young people from all backgrounds across a broad range of projects within our 2 distinct but interconnected workstreams; Grass Roots Talent Development & Social Change.

Grass roots talent development

These projects cater for young people and emerging artists from entry to advanced and semiprofessional levels and so provide support and opportunities for young people at any point in their journey from participant to (should they wish) professional.

Sessions

Sessions is our open-access music making programme, based at Bottega Rooms with satellites in Worthing. Sessions offers weekly drop-in workshops for young people of any level of experience. During the pandemic we switched our delivery to a digital format (Zoom, Discord etc) and made an effort to target young people we considered vulnerable.

94 young people engaged 116 sessions delivered

Outcomes:

The Sessions programme comprises 5 main strands, Music Production and Beat Making in Brighton, Equaliser in Brighton, Recording Sessions (across other session strands), Rap and Lyric Writing in Brighton and Music Production and Beat Making in Worthing.

Music Production & Beat Making

Offering expert support on making digital music on a range of DAW’s led by Gary Mercer (Gizmo) with Connor Budd (Husky) - the sessions have also been supported by young music leader Madaliso Mwanza. During stay at home measures, weekly sessions transferred over to Zoom and maintained a consistent regular core group.

Equaliser

Equaliser is a weekly music production session that offers free digital music production workshops for young people that identify as women, non-binary and gender variant individuals. Led exclusively by female musicians, Equaliser redresses the music industry’s archaic gender imbalance when it comes to music production by offering a safe space open to all skill levels where asking questions is encouraged. This session transitioned well into the digital format and the close-knit group engaged online well via Zoom sessions.

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“When MF first attended they could be slightly withdrawn / shy and pretty quiet in comparison to some of the other young women that were attending. I specifically remember how quiet their speaking voice was and how quickly they would talk when working with them. Confidence seemed to be one of the issues that they struggled with even though their musical ability (and writing skills) was impressive, deep and profoundly heartfelt… MF has had ups and downs and sometimes their life outside of the group has become challenging but they seem to always find their way back and we make sure to maintain that safe space to express emotions and feelings not just for them but for all other young people that attend. As the months/years have passed MF has become one of the main core of the group and others look to them for guidance which is a transformation in comparison to when they first started. They consistently engaged with group activities, other young people and mentors, finding their place within Equaliser.”

Recording Sessions

With the new facilities at Bottega Rooms we have also been able to embed regular recording opportunities across all workshop provisions. This has been a challenge due to Covid- 19, as it has not been possible during lockdowns when sessions have taken place online.

Rap & Lyric Writing

We have continued to nurture a new generation of local emcees with this popular, weekly drop-in session. During lockdowns, our online cyphers allowed us to engage with young people who no longer lived in the area with participants joining the group from all over the UK and beyond.

Worthing

The session is run by Joe Newman (J-Felix), Jasmine Hook and young music leader Trainee Madaliso Mwanza. During lockdown we combined the 2 Sessions strands in Worthing (Northbrook College and Ridiculously Cool Music Studios) into one weekly online drop-in via Zoom, where we kept a ‘listening-party’ style open space for music leaders and participants to feed back to each other on tracks being produced and to keep in contact with session members. After social distancing restrictions were relaxed we were unable to relaunch the Northbrook College strand. However the session at Ridiculously Cool Music Studios continues. In the future we are looking to transfer this session and expand into our new music hub, planned to open on Worthing High Street in late 2021.

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Full Circle

Full Circle is our young music leadership training programme nurturing the next generation of inspirational AudioActive music leaders and mentors.

2 courses delivered

11 City & Guilds affiliated digital badges issued (7 x AudioActive Music Leadership Theory, 2 x AudioActive Music Leadership Production, 2 x AudioActive Music Leadership Delivery)

7 trainees progressed to voluntary placements in AudioActive projects

2 trainees so far have completed their voluntary placements moving on to paid employment in AudioActive projects

Outcomes:

We ran two Music Leadership Training programmes during the year. Brighton training had just begun when the first lock down hit and Crawley training was due to begin at the very end of 19/20. Therefore the start of 20/21 meant a pause and subsequent decision that Full Circle could work online and was one of the first pieces of online delivery that AudioActive was successful with. The online training sessions had an unusually high 100% attendance rate. COVID-19 and lockdowns made the practical elements of the training difficult as there were less sessions running that we could place the trainees in to complete their voluntary placements as part of the training.

Sam Maryon (Hatter), a previous participant of AudioActive projects, shadowed the more experienced trainers for the Brighton course and then co-led the Crawley course as a Trainer. He took a key role in transitioning the trainees into placements, particularly due to one more experienced trainer leaving AudioActive and the other shielding for most of the year. His journey from AudioActive participant, to Music Leader, and this year to Full Circle music leadership Trainer, is the perfect example of the completion of the circle, providing invaluable insight to the trainees he has worked with.

“Nurturing the young people's talents by providing them with a safe space, full of resources and professional support is at the core and that really inspires me."

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Kustom Vibes

Kustom Vibes is AudioActive’s long-running event series that provides an opportunity for young people and emerging artists to gain valuable experience of performing live.

Total number of gigs held: 2 Audience reached: 3.8k

Outcomes:

The pandemic put a halt to the usual monthly, in-person events, and we shifted Kustom Vibes ‘online’ as an alternative way to provide a valuable platform.

Our first event came in the early months of lockdown, with Music Leader Elijah Peart (Nelson Navarro) curating a line-up that involved young people who were regularly attending our online projects, and emerging artists higher up the bill. We believe this mixture of artists on the line-up to be inspiring for those who watch or attend Kustom Vibes gigs, whilst also improving the musical CV of all involved.

The second event was pre-recorded at Bottega Rooms and celebrated the release of our 2nd compilation mixtape of tracks to come out of our projects. Relaxed covid restrictions by this time made it possible to record artists’ performances for a production that was live streamed at a later date. This event has reached 3,000 people on Facebook alone, with further online content to come from it, too.

In what was understandably a challenging year for our event series, we were pleased to enter the world of live streaming which, in turn, made us realise the potential to use our growing online community in new ways. Educational content in the form of panel talks, masterclasses and tutorial videos were inspired off the back of Kustom Vibes Online events, which we are now excited to continue both in person - and online - due to the increased accessibility that live streaming allows for.

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Emerge

Emerge is AudioActive's professional level artist development programme, providing two exciting emerging artists per year with the support, guidance and funding needed to dramatically quicken the pace of their careers. The program was funded by PRSF

The two successful candidates were Dereck DAC and Casper the Ghost. During the programme we helped them produce a limited run of vinyl production and a campaign to support track release. The artists produced professional level music videos, PR campaigns and were the focus of a mini documentary for the major platform Mahogany Sessions, which will be released before the end of the 2021. Dereck’s vinyl release ‘Who Sold My Soul’ was supported by BandCamp and featured on their front page with a glowing review. With our support, Casper The Ghost released her single through Majestic Casual Records, ‘Text me Twice’, which was distributed on all streaming platforms in November ‘20, gaining 54k views on YouTube and over 480k streams on Spotify since its release.

“The Emerge program has helped a lot. As an emerging artist you always feel like you’re in this strange middle zone between having a team around you and having nothing and it can be hard to make decisions when having little experience in the music industry. There are a lot of predatorial companies that prey on artists that don't really know what’s going on. Receiving the fund and having someone to help me out with decisions and advice was one of the best things that could have happened. It meant in theory I had what a small indie label could offer me without the pressure of recouping.

It offered me experience on how to handle money professionally and also take risks without it meaning a serious problem if something doesn't go well. It was a training ground for when things start to get serious. I'm already ahead of the pack and have experience of how to manage a release, marketing strategy and deciding where the money goes. It taught me how to handle a physical release. Making artwork to specifications of the company and listing up the physicals.

I would honestly hope this continues going on because it's done amazing things for me. I feel I’m in a position now as an artist that makes me feel confident about the future.”

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SOCIAL CHANGE

Our Social Change workstrand comprises a number of innovative cross-sector partnerships, projects that use music and creativity as the agent for change for tackling difficult problems in the lives of some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities.

Bridges

Bridges is a partnership between Brighton & Hove City Council Adolescent Services, AudioActive and Clock Tower Sanctuary, aiming to achieve the below outcomes through a mixture of open access group work (see Sessions - Rap & Lyric Writing, above), small group work, 1-2-1 sessions and training of young people as new Music Leaders (see Full Circle, above). The project started in 2017 and was due to finish in 2020 but was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic

6 vulnerable young people engaged in mentoring 50 sessions delivered

Outcomes:

A combination of social distancing restrictions and the closure of Clock Tower Sanctuary (CTS) for refurbishment made group work unviable in this context and all provision was pivoted to 1-2-1 mentoring work. Mentees were a mixture of vulnerable young people, referred either through CTS or through the Brighton & Hove Adolescent Service, which comprises the Youth Offending Service, Adolescent Social Work Pod and the ru-ok? substance misuse service.

The young people that we worked with on Bridges this year were primarily having sessions through lock downs and new ways were found to maintain important 1-2-1 relationships between mentors and mentees, including shorter but more regular phone check ins, and even outdoor ‘walk and rap’ sessions with one young person.

"It was good to talk during lockdown when I was just stuck in my room. I got writer's block for a while but Giz sent me a vid that he made which showed me ways to get over it. It was just helpful to have someone to talk to regularly and to think about what to write about when nothing was happening thanks to Corona... I'm really happy this has happened - it's a better way to spend my time and I really appreciate Giz keeping in contact. It's been good to have someone to talk to even if it's not always about music”

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SHIFT

Inspired by the 1-2-1 mentoring aspects of Bridges, SHIFT is a programme of targeted activities run by AudioActive to identify and engage young people at risk of adverse health and wellbeing outcomes as a result of risk-taking behaviours. We provide 1-2-1 music mentoring to young people in the most challenging of circumstances, including those with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties as well as targeted group-work, public cyphers and bridging into our open access sessions.

1-2-1 Mentoring

Brighton: 28 young people engaged Crawley: 18 young people engaged Worthing: 9 young people engaged

Group Work

Due to lockdown restrictions and schools being closed, targeted group work has been on hold. We returned to Crawley APC and Lancing APC (Pupil referral Units) in March 2021 and will be returning to Homewood College, Brighton (Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties school) in April 2021.

Crawley APC: 6 young people engaged Lancing APC: 6 young people engaged

Outcomes:

An increase in young people's self-efficacy and subsequent resilience:

A reduction in Young People's risk of Involvement in Violence Vulnerability & Exploitation:

Additional outcomes to funded outcomes:

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Additional outcomes during stay at home measures:

"AudioActive is a place of belonging. I think it's made going to college easier knowing I had a session later in the day to look forward to"

Now in its third year, the Brighton strand of SHIFT works within schools & adolescent services. Our work happens both onsite at schools or at our Bottega Rooms studios during school time.

“The mentoring that SHIFT has given the young men I work with is priceless. They experienced another man treating them as equals with respect and humour. The work is focussed on the music but helps them explore their own perceptions through that. It is empowering and has given them a voice to be proud of. I feel that SHIFT alongside substance use work is a fantastic combination as it helps to solidify the work on wellbeing. The “hard to reach” often don’t want to have any kind of ‘professional’. AudioActive bridge this gap so well. We are extremely lucky to have them in Brighton and Hove”

SHIFT went digital during the pandemic but many mentees preferred to wait to resume work at the studio when it returned to face to face. In many cases a weekly phone check in and chat was gratefully received during lockdown.

Many young people who completed their mentoring schedule built the skills and confidence to transition into our wider open access group sessions where they can continue their music and artistic development and build pro-social relationships which provide further protective factors in their lives.

As part of the West Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership, Crawley Borough Council commissioned SHIFT to deliver 1-2-1 mentoring places with some additional places being commissioned by West Sussex Youth Offending Service. The majority of these did not start until Sep 2020 due to lock down restrictions. We also delivered community cyphers at highlighted ‘hot spots’ where vulnerable young people congregated aiming to elevate the presence of AudioActive in Crawley and establish a sense of the presenting issues on the ground. We have worked in close partnership with Crawley Community Development officers and Crawley Community Youth Service to enable this piece of work to be targeted.

Our one-to-one mentoring has a track record of excellent engagement. Sessions were delivered in studio spaces and on school premises. There was evidence of progress and personal development and commitment to genuine change demonstrated by engaged and authentic participation.

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“I did find it hard at first I wanted to do the session but hated school and thought it might be the same- I didn’t want to do the sessions at school so they found me a studio to do them from – N … helped me a lot he was there the same time every week - I know that they have done everything they can to make this possible for me which makes me feel that they really care – my favourite part was being in the studio it was so fun we have a studio at school but they don’t let us use it.”

“Audioactive is very much a strength based intervention which anchors X. Whilst he has really good relationships with YOT worker, he has never missed and will always attend AudioActive no matter what. He has some skill in music/rap and this is his passion, and he has a strong relationship with his mentor. Interestingly X has just started writing lyrics and music about his own experiences and himself and when we think about his trauma experiences, this feels important and a way of expressing himself and his character (he is actually quite a closed and reserved person).”

Adur and Worthing Councils also re-commissioned SHIFT for one year with support from West Sussex County Council and West Sussex Youth Offending Service.

SHIFT has helped us in realising our key aims of bridging vulnerable young people out of ‘hard to reach’ frameworks and into universal provision.

The success of these interventions is in part due to factors listed below:

A consistent high quality relationship with one worker/mentor Consistent time and day of the session Fun activities that are relevant

Dedicated partnership work with the referrer, the families and the venues. Persistent workers who are reliable and will sometimes go the extra mile. Mutual trust and respect

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“I genuinely feel AudioActive have provided JH with a complete lifeline in the past few months and I honestly think you guys have got him through some very dark days. The sense of purpose he has felt along with the connections he has made with you all have really carried him through. He has loved the process of physically making music and getting his feelings out in the lyrics has been really therapeutic for him and has also helped him to understand himself and his story much better. I think the past few months could have taken a different trajectory without the support you have given him and for that I am truly grateful.”

Room to Rant

Room to Rant is a mental health focussed weekly drop in for young men aged 16-25, and offers a safe-space for them to get stuff off their chests. Room To Rant has been facilitated by an expanding team of AudioActive practitioners. Sessions are also supported by the full time project mental health professional. At sessions participants are supported to share their fears, feelings and struggles through the creation of rap or spoken word-based work.

78 young men engaged

43 workshops & outreach sessions delivered

Outcomes:

Despite the lockdowns, Room to Rant has successfully delivered its programme of group sessions, 1-2-1 counselling and mentoring, and outreach to Young Men. Between April 2020 and March 2021 the Room to Rant project scaled up, principally with new and substantial funding from Comic Relief to include new settings in Worthing and Crawley (previously Brighton only). Room to Rant during this period has also continued to receive funding from Welcome Trust and Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund.

The planned delivery of in person sessions and one to ones has been heavily disrupted by the requirements of the Covid lockdowns. However a robust response in setting up online provision accessible to young men from all project locations has ensured continued engagement throughout a difficult year ensuring the project has kept on target with meeting its stated outcomes.

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Outside of the sessions themselves, highlights include:

“I was just writing on my own till when I found Room to Rant, I was like FINALLY!”

“When I was at my worst, Room to Rant helped me pick myself up.”

“It helps me sort my story out and helps me make sense of things.”

NOTABLE COLLABORATIONS

Re:Boot - Multi-agency Partnership

Re:Boot an early intervention programme funded by Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner and the Early Intervention Youth Fund. Re:Boot aims to reduce the risks of young people being either the victim or suspect of serious violence in the future.

32 young people engaged in coaching

26 young people supported into diversionary activities and pastimes

9 young people accessed further AudioActive activities and 4 became regular attendees.

One to one coaching continued throughout the year through a mixture of online video calls and where possible, face to face meetings. Our Re:Boot Youth Coach is one of 9 coaches employed across Sussex by a partnership of 4 delivery organisations including AudioActive, The Trust for Developing Communities, The Hangleton & Knoll Project and YMCA DLG who are the lead partner. Coaches work flexibly to support young people in identifying their strengths, interests and goals, along with empowering them to overcome barriers in their life and make lasting positive changes.

10-minute DJ Competition - United We Stream

14 young people engaged

Born out of a need for live music to find a way to continue during the first lockdown, United We Stream is an international live-streaming platform fundraising for the nightlife industry and selected charities. They chose to raise money for AudioActive using their Brighton branch and as part of the collaboration we were able to run a 10-minute mix competition for young DJs in Sussex, with three winners receiving equipment, subscriptions and gig opportunities.

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AudioActive FM - Radio Reverb

20 young people engaged

8 radio shows produced

August 2020 saw the launch of our monthly radio produced entirely by young people that we’re working with, aired on RadioReverb, showcasing stories that matter to young people in Sussex and music to come from the local scene. Brighton-based Radio Reverb named AudioActive as their charity of the year for 2020 and the radio show collaboration followed. 20 young people helped to create the radio show, which has now completed 8 radio shows and is set to continue. AudioActiveFM is not only providing a platform for local artists, but providing valuable skills for members of the team who would like to work in the music and media industry.

Alleviating Digital Poverty - Gatwick Airport

18 young people benefitted

During lockdown, many mentees participating in SHIFT in Crawley experienced barriers to digital remote education due to a lack of access to connected devices. As a consequence many were unable to access our online offers whilst face to face work was not possible. In August 2020 we procured 40 laptops from Gatwick Airport and were able to deliver the laptops to the homes of many of these young people. We also gifted 10 laptops to Dormans Youth Arts Centre who distributed them to young people most in need. We will continue to distribute the remaining laptops in the coming year.

Football x Music = Healthy Happy Lives - Crawley Kicks

35 young people engaged

1 session delivered

Premier League Kicks is a free weekly football session based in Crawley for young people aged 8- 19. The project aims to support young people using football to motivate them. Kicks provides positive, structured activities which aim to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour and help young people lead a healthier, more active lifestyle. We feel there is a natural connection between music and football and have built a relationship with the Kicks Team. Pre pandemic we delivered 1 dynamic music session on a Friday evening at a Kicks session which was attended by 35 young people. Kicks and AudioActive are dedicated to engaging the most vulnerable young people and although this collaboration was cut short by the pandemic we are rebuilding our partnership as we emerge from the pandemic and will be starting joint delivery of football/music sessions in the new year.

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Crawley Sounds - Crawley Community Youth Service (CCYS)

40 young people engaged

8 sessions delivered

CCYS and Dormans Youth Arts Centre are one of our key partners in Crawley. Founded in 2011 to deliver universal youth services, CCYS is a community driven youth service, open to all. CCYS is dedicated to supporting young people in the local community through a range of interventions with a specific focus on creativity. They provide a safe place for all to enjoy being young. We delivered weekly production and rap sessions with young people at Dormans Youth Arts Centre which were well attended. We use our Thursday open session at Dormans as a progression pathway for young people that may have come through our 12 week Shift one to one programme, to enable them to become part of a wider music community and continue to access provision after their one-to-one mentoring has come to an end.

8 sessions were attended virtually by young people online, with staff based at Dormans: two AudioActive mentors and a youth worker from Dormans Arts. This format worked well and was a good interim strategy during the lockdown period.

Youth Hub at The Level - Tarner Community Project (TCP)

Approximately 50 young people engaged

9 sessions delivered

With funding from the Youth Endowment Fund this collaboration saw the launch of a ‘Youth Hub’ at the Level in Brighton. Working alongside TCP’s detached youth work team our music leaders engaged vulnerable young people in non-venue based music making activities. Lockdowns disrupted the work for a short while but as stay at home measures started to relax - rather than returning to encouraging gatherings of young people in this public park - we decided to work with small targeted groups of the most vulnerable young people at Bottega Rooms nearby. The relationships built with some extremely marginalised young people at the start of the project proved valuable in us being able to transfer the activity to our studios and create a regular safe space for young people who were largely off the radar of many professional services during the pandemic because of social distancing restrictions. Of approximately 50 young people engaged at the Level, 5 were targeted to be invited to Bottega Rooms when numbers were limited.

Music Spaces - Brighton and Hove Music and Arts (Soundcity)

Approximately 21 young people engaged

79 sessions delivered

Now in its third year this programme is a partnership between SoundCity, Brighton & Hove’s award-winning Music Education Hub and AudioActive as the main delivery partner. Before the pandemic the programme had delivered weekly workshops for young people living in areas of Brighton Hove with historically low engagement with arts and cultural activities. As stay at home measures restricted our ability to deliver face-to-face workshops we quickly developed innovative approaches to running online music making workshops to mixed abilities groups of teenagers and young adults. 83 sessions were run throughout the year and the project helped us to pilot new ways of working that were disseminated further through our partnership with Charanga’s VIP Studio & Youth Music (see Sharing Innovation Nationally, below).

20

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

Memorial & Fundraiser - Louis Dragonfly

Music leader Sade Weaver a.k.a Phonetic and Tom Hines were approached by a mental health charity to help put on a memorial event/fundraiser in memory of a young man called Louis who tragically died following severe mental health issues. The event was a sell out success which in addition to its aims also helped to raise awareness of some of the additional mental health support available for young people including AudioActive’s Room to Rant project.

Care Unbound Now - Here

As part of their mission to create possibilities for care in every moment, social enterprise ‘Here’ developed ‘Care Unbound Now’ an online Mental Health Resource sharing seven inspirations to ‘grow care wherever you are’. Here commissioned AudioActive to create some relevant messaging for the campaign through music. Music Leader and Mentor Phonetic rose to the challenge, recording this moving piece ‘Dead Homies’ reflecting on her lived experience and reaching out to young men in her life who are struggling with mental illness.

INFLUENCE AND RECOGNITION

Dissemination & Thought Leadership

Our CEO Adam Joolia spoke at various national and local level conferences including Westminster Policy Forum, PRSF Talent Development Conference and a keynote speech for the annual ‘Brighton Summit’ event hosted by Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce. Subjects covered included The New High Street, the Role of Arts & Culture in the recovery and regeneration of town centres and maintaining organisational dynamism and resilience in the face of adversity.

National Recognition

Following a successful first year, our application to continue as a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner was approved, this year joining 49 other organisations across the UK deemed to be at the forefront of talent development in the UK. The kitemark comes with funding from PRSF to support our talent development programme including EMERGE, Equalizer, Mixtape releases and Sessions drop-in programme.

21

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

Sharing Innovation Nationally - AudioActive x Charanga

We teamed up with Charanga and their award winning 'VIP Studio'; a cloud-based resource enabling users to produce and record music online without the need for expensive software or kit. VIP Studio was previously mostly used in school settings but through an emerging relationship with Youth Music, Charanga will be spotlighting AudioActive's use of VIP to support a network of similar organisations across the country to continue working with young people during lockdown.

P is a 16 year old young man with autism & ADHD. Pre-covid, he'd been working with an AudioActive music leader, doing a combination of tuition, songwriting and music production. Lockdown had a massive impact on P, with no music equipment in his care home in Crawley, he was unable to continue with his passion. With access to VIP and its video tutorials, plus regular online check-ins with AudioActive, he continued producing music again.

Culture (and influence!) In Our City

Our Engagement and Participation Manager Tom Hines wrote a blog piece for Culture In Our City titled ‘Next Normal’ discussing AudioActive’s work during lockdown and posing difficult questions for our sector about the projected challenges of working with young people in a ‘post-pandemic’ context.

An NPO of the Future?

We were awarded £90k funding from Arts Council England (ACE) as part of Elevate, a strategic initiative to support diverse-led arts organisations to build resilience and to increase the number and quality of applications from diverse led companies to become ACE National Portfolio Organisations (NPO).

22

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

With emerging centres of gravity in both Worthing & Crawley, our long term aim is for young people and emerging artists in these towns to be able to access comparable facilities and opportunities and support to that of their contemporaries in Brighton & Hove where our offer is already well established.

We also want to build on our considerable track record as a developer of some of the UK’s brightest talent in black music in recent years by developing an artist development platform that can connect the region’s most exciting emerging artists with audiences worldwide and help them to build more sustainable careers than on offer through the all too often exploitative deals typical in the commercial industry.

Music for Social Innovation

Grass Roots Talent Development

A Fairer Industry & World of Work

23

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The total income for the year was £653,436 an increased income of £207,905, a growth of 46.67%. The accounts show a surplus for the year of £179,344 (2020:£5,772).

The charity’s reserves at the year end consisted of Unrestricted funds totalling £178,127 (2020: £108,277) and Restricted reserves of £110,694 (2020: £NIL). The charity also considers its Unrestricted reserves to represent its free reserves.

Our main funders for the year:

Income & Expenditure at a glance

----- Start of picture text -----
17500, 3%
Income £653,436
13527,
16037, 2% 2% Grants -Restricted
18248, 3%
Contracts - Unrestricted
Grants - Unrestricted
85000, 13%
Income generated from
rehearsal studios-
327782, 50%
Unrestricted
175342, 27% Commissions & Fees -
Unrestricted
Donations, legacies & other
income - Unrestricted
Grants - Government grants
----- End of picture text -----

Please see note 2 on pages 35 & 36 for breakdown of all the funders.

24

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

----- Start of picture text -----
Expenditure £474,092
30,942.00 , 7%
Charitable activities
Unrestricted
Charitable activities
201,172.00 , 241,978.00 , Restricted
42% 51%
Raising funds
----- End of picture text -----

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of the Charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use, should be maintained at a level equivalent to 4 months operating expenditure being £188,000. The Trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the Charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. The charity will aim to maintain this level of reserves throughout the year.

At the year end the level of reserves of £176,927 fall short of the targeted level by £11,073. The trustees have put in place a Fundraising and Business Development Manager to assist in increasing the free reserves of the charity. This is to be achieved by raising money for use towards core costs and diversifying the charities oncome streams.

Risks

Capital Project

The planned capital project could expose the organisation to a variety of risks over the coming years and a consultant has been engaged to create a risk register to identify and manage these risks accordingly.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The trustees have identified the emerging Covid 19 pandemic as a significant potential risk to both the robustness and ongoing performance of the Charity. The CEO and team are monitoring the situation and making contingency plans for business continuation and reallocation of resources based on consultation with our communities regarding their needs. Contingencies include the development of new activities, digital innovations and partnerships that will enable us to continue to deliver our work and public benefit within the changing landscape.

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the below financial review and the accounting policies in the accounts.

25

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 – CONTINUED

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Constitution

AudioActive is registered as a Charitable Incorporation Organisation and is constituted by a CIO Foundation dated 12 August 2016. Its registered charity number is 1168749.

Appointment of Trustees

At present the board consists of 6 trustees.

Trustees are appointed by a resolution passed at a convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, due consideration is given to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

Trustee Induction and Training

New Trustees are given a role description & orientation. Trustees are also given access to training relevant to their role.

Decision Making

Trustees are responsible for setting the strategy for the organisation. The day to day running of the charity is delegated by the Trustees to the CEO, Adam Joolia and his staff team consisting of Director of Programmes and Development, Operations Manager, (and other) Coordinators and a team of freelance artist practitioners.

Staff remuneration

We are committed to Living Wage and ensuring that we pay our staff fairly. Trustees approve the annual percentage increase for all staff. Pay scale is determined by looking at similar roles within the local area. A pay-scale review was carried out by an external evaluator in 2019.

Risk Management

The Board of Trustees are satisfied that reasonable steps are being taken to limit the probability and the impact of risks.

Public Benefit

The trustees declare that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their power or duties.

26

AudioActive TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021- CONTINUED STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees, report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of it5 incoming resource5 and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these f inancial statements. the Trustees are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,. observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP IFRS 1021; make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable U K Accounting Standards IFRS 1021 have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity's transaction5 and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reportsl Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the CIO Foundation. They 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. Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by.. Jc o GAOSA Arjo Ghosh (Co-chair of Trustees) Date= 0113112022 27 Doc ID.. 930643b832378f5b14370c866d675al 5c8f98cc3

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF AUDIOACTIVE

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the Trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act').

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

Your attention is drawn to the fact that the Charity has prepared the accounts in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has been withdrawn.

I understand that this has been done in order for the accounts to provide a true and fair view in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

This report is made solely to the Charity's Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the Charity's Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charity's Trustees as a body, for my work or for this report.

Signed: Dated: 31/01/22 Alison Jones FCA Kreston Reeves LLP Brighton

28

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Notes
Income Endowment From:
Charitable Activities:
Commissions/Fees
2
Contracts
2
Rental of Rehearsal
Studios/Rooms
Donations & Legacies:
Donations
Grants
2
Government Grants
Total Income & Resources
Expenditure On:
Charitable Activities
Raising Funds
Total Expenditure
3
Net Income/(Expenditure)
Transfer between funds
Net Income/(Expenditure)
for the year
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought
forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
Total
Total
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
£
16,037
-
-
16,037
5,705
175,342
-
-
175,342
189,265
18,248
-
-
18,248
48,038
209,627
-
-
209,627
243,008
13,527
-
-
13,527
38,279
85,000
-
327,782
412,782
164,244
17,500
-
-
17,500
-
116,027
-
327,782
443,809
202,523
325,654
-
327,782
653,436
445,531
241,978
-
201,172
443,150
408,129
30,942
-
-
30,942
31,630
272,920
-
201,172
474,092
439,759
52,734
-
126,610
179,344
5,772
22,916
(7,000)
(15,916)
-
-
75,650
(7,000)
110,694
179,344
5,772
101,277
7,000
-
108,277
102,505
176,927
-
110,694
287,621
108,277

The notes form part of these financial statement

29

AudioActive BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2021 Notes 2021 2020 Current Assets Debtors 56,500 128,884 Cash at Bank and in hand 374,823 431,323 182,924 311,808 Liabilities Creditors falling due within one year Net current assets 143.702 203,531 287,621 108,277 Net Assets 287,621 108,277 The Funds of the charlty Unrestricted funds general 10 Unrestricted funds designated 10 Restricted Funds 11 176,927 101,277 7,000 110,694 287,621 108,277 Total charity funds 287.621 108,277 Approved by.. Jc o &AosA Arjo Ghosh Co-chair of Trustees Date 0113112022 30 Doc ID.. 930643b832378f5b14370c866d675al 5c8f98cc3

STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Note
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities
15
Cash flows from investing activities
Dividends, interests and rents from investments
Net cash provided by investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
16		 2021
£
191,899
-
-
-
-		 2020
£
89,137
-
-
-
-
191,899
182,924
374,823		 89,137
93,787
182,924

Government Grants Received

Included within cashflow from operating activities is £17,500 from Brighton and Hove County Council in relation to the Coronavirus support grant.

The notes form part of these financial statement

31

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

General Information

The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered at the Charities Commission in England and Wales. Its registered office and principal place of business is 11 Jew Street, Brighton, BN1 1UT.

1)Accounting Policies

1.1. Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a 'true and fair' view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

AudioActive meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

The accounts are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

1.2. Going concern

The trustees/directors consider that there are no material uncertainties about the company's ability to continue as a going concern. The trustees have taken advantage of the various sources of Government support during the COVID-19 pandemic and consider that it will not have a significant impact on the company's ability to continue trading. Income from trading activities is expected to reduce due to the lockdown conditions and steps are being taken to make cost savings. The trustees regard any impact to be short term rather than affecting the company's ability to continue as a going concern. There are no material uncertainties affecting the current year's accounts and they are prepared on the going concern basis.

32

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

1.3. Incoming resources

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

Grants are included in the Statement of financial activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.

1.4. Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Costs of generating funds are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.

Charitable activities and Governance costs are costs incurred on the company’s operations, including support costs and costs relating to the governance of the company apportioned to charitable activities.

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Charity's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

1.5. Government grants

Grants of a revenue nature are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income in the same period as the related expenditure. During the year the charity received assistance from local council support grants.

1.6. Debtors

Debtors Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

33

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

1.7. Cash at bank

Cash at bank includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

1.8. Liabilities

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

1.9. Financial Instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

1.10.Operating leases

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of financial activities incorporating income and expenditure account on a straight line basis over the lease term.

1.11.Pensions

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the Charity to the fund in respect of the year.

1.12.Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

34

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

2)Incoming Resources

2)Incoming Resources
Unrestricted Restricted Total
2021		 Total
2020
£ £ £ £
Grants
Arts Council-Square Holes - - - 46,309
Arts Council-Staff Wellbeing - 8,722 8,722 278
Arts Council- Elevate - 75,152 75,152 4,954
Blagrave Trust-Core Costs 50,000 - 50,000 10,000
Blagrave Trust – Re Start Project - 9,550 9,550 -
Chris Bevington Foundation-
Kustom Vibes		 -
3,764		 3,764 1,237
Comic Relief Recovery Fund-Core 35,000 - 35,000 -
Comic Relief-Room to Rant - 92,609 92609 -
CCYS-Dormans sessions - 2,090 2,090 -
East Sussex Music Hub-Lab/Core - - - 9,780
Ernest Kleinwort Foundation-
Core/Sessions		 - - - 5,000
Foreshaw Trust-Shift Hastings 5,264 5,264 -
Groundwork-Equalsier - - - 1,000
JAG Fund safer Hastings-Sessions - 2,728 2,728 -
Performance Rights Society
Foundation-Emerge/Sessions		 -
6,000		 6,000 9,000
RISE-Break4Change - - - 1,000
Rother Grant-Sessions - - - 3,500
Suicide Prevention-Room to Rant - 13,845 13,845 -
Sussex Community Foundation-
Community Studio Crawley		 -
4,807		 4,807 -
Sussex Community Foundation-
Sessions Worthing		 - - - 4,500
Tarner Community-Youth Hub- - 2,062 2,062 -
Wellcome Trust-room to Rant - 20,609 20,609 12,694
YM Fund A-Equaliser/Digital sess - 13,995 13,995 -
YM Fund B-Sessions/Equaliser/ML
Train		 -
34,155		 34,155 31,985
YM-BHCC/clock Tower-
Bridges/Room to Rant/ML -
17,093		 17,093 23,007
Training
East Sussex Music Hub - 4,375 4,375 -
Co-op - 5,962 5,962 -
Hillier Trust - 5,000 5,000 -
85,000 327,782 412,782 164,244

35

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Incoming Resources Continued

Incoming Resources Continued
Unrestricted Restricted Total
2021		 Total
2020
£ £ £ £
Contracts
Adur Worthing Council-Research
on contemporary music		 - - - 5,000
Adur Worthing Council-Lancing
Drop-ins		 - - - 255
Adur Worthing Council EIYF-
Lancing APC/RAP		 895 - 895 11,691
Adur Worthing VRU-Shift
Worthing		 5,933 - 5,933 6,655
Brighton & Hove Music & Arts-
Your Music Spaces		 14,506 - 14,506 20,069
Crawley BC VRU-Shaft Crawley 42,684 - 42,684 41,842
Public Health BHCC-Shift
B&H/Sessions		 47,906 - 47,906 36,779
Violent Reduction Unit-Hasting
Police-Shift Hasting		 8,385 - 8,385 11,616
YMCA Early Years Intervention-
Reboot		 48,184 - 48,184 43,337
West Sussex CC YOS- Crawley
APC/Dormans		 6,849 6,849 12,021
175,342 - 175,342 189,265
Commissions
Sundry Funders less than £2000 6,042 - 6,042 5,705
WSCC YOS-Spot Purchases 9,995 - 9,995 -
16,037 - 16,037 5,705

36

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

3)Resources Expended

3)Resources Expended
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
2021 2020
£ £ £ £
Charitable Activities comprise:
Direct costs:
Tuition 72,455 50,302 122,757 141,973
Bottega Rooms costs (incl Rent,
Heat & Power, H&S)		 37,016 - 37,016 31,857
Studio/Room Hire 480 2,050 2,530 8,642
Project Partners costs - 15,345 15,345 1,978
Participant costs 2,503 2,052 4,555 2,990
Equipment 1,564 1,570 3,134 3,723
114,018 71,319 185,337 191,163
Support Costs:
Administration 125,132 96,594 221,726 176,434
Staff Training & Development 2,285 4,106 6,391 1,106
Professional Fees 1,633 26,330 27,963 30,659
Rent 13,200 - 13,200 11,750
Marketing and Print 141 876 1,017 3,600
Phone, Internet and Photocopy 831 18 849 343
Stationery 36 - 36 436
Motor and Travel Staff 3,970 823 4,793 8,054
Insurance 3,242 - 3,242 2,915
Subscriptions & licenses 941 428 1,369 2,796
Sundries 4,278 678 4,956 8,953
155,689 129,853 285,542 247,046
Governance Costs:
Independent Examiners costs 2,400 - 2,400 930
Payroll charges 813 - 813 620
3,213 - 3,213 1,550
Total 272,920 201,172 474,092 439,759

4)Independent Examiner’s remuneration

4)Independent Examiner’s remuneration
Total Total
Fees payable to the Charity's independent examiner in respect of: 2021 2020
£ £
Independent examination of the Charity's annual accounts 1,200 930
Accounting services 1,200 -
2,400 930

37

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

5)Staff Costs

5)Staff Costs
Total Total
2021 2020
£ £
Gross Pay 201,107 156,617
Employers National 13,449 12,985
Insurance
Employers Pension Costs 6,033 4,192
220,589 173,794

No employee received in excess of £60,000 (2020: None). The average number of employees 9 (2020:5)

The charity considers its key management personnel comprises the trustees and its Senior Management Team. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel including employers pension contributions in the year amounted to £101,724 (2020: £91,045).

6)Debtors

6)Debtors
Total Total
2021 2020
£ £
Grants/Contracts/Commission owing 19,852 62,084
Prepayments & accrued
Income		 36,648 66,800
Total 56,500 128,884

7)Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Total Total
2021 2020
£ £
Suppliers payable 4,767 910
Deferred Income 114,501 186,781
Accruals 17,613 8,950
Other taxes and social
security costs		 6,821 5,274
Other creditors - 1,616
Total 143,702 203,531

38

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Note 7 - Continued Reconciliation of deferred income

Note 7 - Continued
Reconciliation of deferred income
2021 2020
£ £
Deferred income at 1 April 2020 186,781 -
Resources deferred during the year 114,501 186,781
Amounts released from previous periods (186,781) -
Total 114,501 186,781

8)Trustee Remuneration and Reimbursed Expenses

No Trustee received any remuneration or reimbursed expenses from the charity.

9)Analysis of net assets between funds

Fixed Assets Net Current Total Total
Assets 2021 2020
£ £ £ £
Unrestricted Funds - 176,927 176,927 108,277
Restricted Funds - 110,694 110,694 -
- 287,621 287,621 108,277

10)Unrestricted Funds

General Funds
Designated Funds		 Balances
B/Fwd
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
Transfers
Balances
C/Fwd
£
£
£
£
£
101,277
325,654
272,920
22,916
176,927
7,000
-
-
(7,000)
-
108,277
325,654
272,920
15,916
176,927

39

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

11)Restricted Funds

11)Restricted Funds
Arts Council England
Arts Council England-Elevate
Chris Bevington Foundation
Comic Relief fund
CCYS-Dormans
Foreshaw Trust
JAG Fund-Safer Hastings
PRS Foundation
Suicide Prevention Fund
Tarner Community
Wellcome Trust
YM-Fund A
YM-Fund B
YM-BHCC
East Sussex Music Hub
Sussex Community Foundation
Co-op
Blagrave Trust
Hillier Trust		 Balances
B/Fwd
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
Transfers
Balances
C/Fwd
£
£
£
£
£
-
8,722
(8,070)
-
652
-
75,152
(72,292)
(2,860)
-
-
3,764
(2,324)
-
1,440
-
92,609
(37,563)
(3,825)
51,221
-
2,090
(1,245)
(845)
-
-
5,264
(5,264)
-
-
-
2,728
(355)
-
2,373
-
6,000
(5,618)
(164)
218
-
13,845
(4,476)
-
9,369
-
2,062
(1,099)
(963)
-
-
20,609
(20,434)
(175)
-
-
13,995
(1,691)
(2,603)
9,701
-
34,155
(29,674)
(4,481)
-
-
17,093
(11,067)
-
6,026
-
4,375
-
-
4,375
-
4,807
-
-
4,807
-
5,962
-
-
5,962
-
9,550
-
-
9,550
-
5,000
-
-
5,000
327,782
(201,172)
(15,916)
110,964

Arts Council England-This is restricted for use towards staff wellbeing

Arts Council England Elevate – For use towards the development of organisation and Worthing site Chris Bevington Foundation – For use towards AudioActive Radio FM show and Kustom Vibes Comic Relief fund - For use towards the Room to Rant project and Worthing Capital costs CCYS-Dormans – For use towards targeted sessions at Dormans Crawley Foreshaw Trust – For use towards Shift Hastings-1-1 mentoring

JAG Fund Safer Hastings – Providing sessions in Hastings

PRS Foundation- For talent development

Suicide Prevention Fund – For use towards the Room to Rant programme

Tarner Community – Provision of sessions at the Level Brighton

Wellcome Trust – For use towards the Room to Rant programme in Brighton

YM-Fund A – Provision of sessions in Brighton & Worthing

YM-Fund B – Provision of sessions in Brighton & Music Leader Training and Digital Master classes YM-BHCC - For 1-1 mentoring, Inclusive group sessions and Music Leader Training

East Sussex Music Hub – Towards development in Crawley

Sussex Community Foundation – for use towards the Community Studio in Crawley

Co-op – For use towards the Worthing space

Blagrave Trust – For the Re-Start project

Hillier Trust – For development of the Worthing space

40

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

12)Pension commitments

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the charity to the fund and amounted to £6,033 (2020 - £4,192). At the balance sheet date the amount payable to the fund was £1,390 (2019 - £nil).

13)Related party transactions

At 31 March 2021 the Charity had commitments to make future minimum lease payments under noncancellable operating leases as follows:

14)Related party transactions

There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year.

15) Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net income for the year (as per Statement of Financial Activities)
Adjustments for:
Decrease/(Increase) in debtors
(Decrease)/Increase in creditors
Net cash provided by operating activities
16) Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash at bank
Total cash and cash equivalents		 2021
£
179,344
72,384
(59,829)		 2020
£
5,772

(119,546)

202,911
191,899 89,137
2021
£
374,823
2020
£

182,924
374,823 182,924

41

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

17)Comparatives for the Statement of Financial Activities (2020)

Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Total
General Funds Designated Funds 2020
Funds
£ £ £ £
Income Endowment From:
Charitable Activities
Commissions/Fees 5,705 - - 5,705
Grants 20,000 - 144,244 164,244
Contracts 189,265 - - 189,265
214,970 - 144,244 359,214
Donations, Legacies & Other
Income		 38,279 - - 38,279
Rental of Rehearsal
Studios/Rooms		 48,038 - - 48,038
86,317 - - 86,317
Total Income & Resources 301,287 - 144,244 445,531
Expenditure On:
Charitable Activities 227,970 - 180,159 408,129
Raising Funds 31,630 - - 31,630
Total Expenditure 259,600 - 180,159 439,759
Net Income/(Expenditure) 41,687 - (35,915) 5,772
Transfer between 13,195 - (13,195) -
funds
Net income/(Expenditure) 54,882 - (49,110) 5,772
for the year
Adjustment to 18/19
balances c/fwd		 8,494 - (8,494) -
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 37,901 7,000 57,604 102,505
Total funds carried forward 101,277 7,000 - 108,277

42