2024-10-31-accounts

The Dot Collective Registered Charity: 1169951

THE DOT COLLECTIVE ANNUAL REPORT

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 October 2024

Legal and Administrative Information

The trustees, who are also the members, of The Dot Collective present their annual report together, as required by company law, with the audited financial statements of The Dot Collective (the Charity) for the year ended 31st October 2024. The Trustees confirm that the Trustees’ report and financial statements of the Charity comply with the current statutory requirements, requirements of the Charity’s governing document, and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019).

The Dot Collective is a charitable incorporated organisation (foundation) (CIO) and was incorporated on 31 October 2016 with registered charity number 1169951 and commenced trading on that date.

Charity name: The Dot Collective Charity number: 1169951

Charity’s public registered office address: 60 Coleman Road, London, SE5 7TG Incorporation date: 31 October 2016

TRUSTEES

The trustees, who are also the members, of the CIO during the year were: Ms H J Mayfield Mrs. N L Newman Mr. R C F Hickson Ms A Williams

Independent Examiners

Spencer-Davis & Co Chartered Certified Accountants 4-6 Peterborough Road Harrow HA1 2BQ

Bankers

The Co-operative Bank - Business Business Customer Services PO Box 250 Skelmersdale WN8 6WT

MISSION, VISION, VALUES AND ACTIVITIES

Address: 60 Coleman Road, London SE5 7TG t: 07885456135 e: [e-mail]

Our Vision

Creating theatre with access needs at its core, creates more engaging theatre for everybody.

Our Mission

The Dot Collective helps older people and those with additional needs and dementia stay connected with their communities, to feel self worth, learn new skills, enjoy the theatre at all stages of their lives, alleviating loneliness, improving health and wellbeing and making communities stronger through the provision of professional theatre and storytelling activities. The Dot Collective allows multiple generations to access professional theatre, to sit together within the comfort of their community and feel socially stimulated.

Our Values

We improve the quality of life for those in care.

We raise awareness of the importance of professional theatre within the community. We educate the arts industry to understand that performance for audiences with access needs in the community is of the same value as a conventional theatre audience. We boost confidence and self belief for those in care.

We bring joy, vitality and warmth to every setting we enter. We have a ‘can do’ attitude.

We encourage everyone to share their unique skills, talents, passions and experience with each other. We are always connecting.

We know that connecting with other people is critical to everyone’s wellbeing. We respect the individual.

We see the person, not their age or ability and always truly listen to the person in front of us, seeking to understand their point of view.

We work in strong partnerships and link older people with our volunteers and with other services when that will help them and their communities thrive.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Constitution and Governance

The CIO is governed by its Constitution. On 31 October 2024 there were 4 members who were all trustees of the CIO at the time.

The activities of the CIO are supervised by the trustees, who meet as a Board up to 4 times each year, or more often if necessary. The trustees delegate the day-to-day management of the CIO to its’ artistic director. The professional experience of the Board provides good support and advice to the artistic director through individual meetings, e-mail correspondence and board meetings.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

The trustees recognise the need for a strong board with a broad base of skills covering theatre production management and development, artistic strategy, governance, legal expertise, human resources, development and fundraising. Potential new trustees are discussed by the board and met by at least one member of the board before consideration and appointment by approval of a simple majority of the trustees. All trustees are members of the CIO.

The Dot Collective Registered Charity: 1169951

Risk management

The trustees, with the artistic director, consider risk across all areas of the CIO’s activities. Risk assessment of the operation is carried out on an ongoing basis and is reviewed annually. Where needed policies and procedures will be implemented in order to mitigate risk. Risk assessments are carried out on a project by project basis, ensuring that the RAMS are appropriate for the CIO’s activities.

This has included additional RAMS and training for aerial circus performances and workshops that the charity plans to carry out going forward. Additions include:

• Rigger qualification for Artistic Director Laura Harling

• Public and employer liability Insurance to cover working at height up to 7 metres

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objects

The objects for which the CIO is formed are to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of the performing arts by any means its trustees see fit, including through the provision of workshops, public events and performances, particularly but not exclusively for the benefit of elderly people living in care homes, in particular those living with dementia and learning disabilities.

Public benefit

The trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the CIO’s aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS, PERFORMANCE

The Dot Collective continues to be a member of the Independent Theatre Council (ITC).

November 2023 - October 2024

• ‘A MAP TO YOU’ project with funding from The City Bridge Trust entered the 3rd year, continuing the work with older people and those living with dementia in London. The project funding included creative workshops with older people in care, finding out their stories and developing them into The Dot Collective’s productions. These productions then toured to the care groups from the workshops as well as the public, raising awareness.

• The Dream Sequence. A pivotal research and development project to aid The Dot Collective’s touring productions, this project joined the various threads of our activities. Working across three stages, the project worked alongside those living with dementia, those with additional needs and the general public to identify methods to integrate access into performance for all audience types. A team of professional creatives developed a piece in response to participants that then toured to those involved as well as the wider community. This project was funded by The Arts Council as well as other trusts and foundations.

• Touring productions into residential care. The CIO produced two professional theatre productions that toured care homes, dementia cafes, community spaces, arts venues and arts festivals. The productions were:

Address: 60 Coleman Road, London SE5 7TG t: 07885456135 e: [e-mail]

• The Elves and The Shoemaker (November/December 2023)) - This was a revival production for The Dot Collective, and received funding from trusts and foundations to tour this production to care homes at Christmas including those in East Sussex, West Sussex, London, Dorset and Devon. This production received 100% positive feedback, and affirmed the benefits and importance of touring our work in Christmas months in care homes, tackling the increasing issue of isolation and loneliness for those in care.

• The Dream Sequence: A production developed in response to care participants associations with Dreams.

Together these productions reached:

• 25 residential care homes for dementia and nursing for older people (for those living in care, their families and carers)

• 10 dementia groups & memory cafes (performances for those living with dementia at home)

• 11 arts and cultural community spaces (performances for public raising awareness of dementia/additional needs and those living in care at home)

• 3 additional needs groups for adults and children

Live audiences reached: 3,800

New care contacts and partnerships: 15

The productions toured in: London, Suffolk, East Sussex, West Sussex, Devon, Oxfordshire, Dorset, Kent, Oxford, Hampshire.

The projects and productions worked with existing and new partners, supporting the charity's growth.

October/November 2024: The Oxford Playhouse - Family by choice

The Dot Collective were commissioned by The Oxford Playhouse to work in partnership with a care home in Oxfordshire. The project was to run a series of storytelling workshops with care home residents between 2024 - 2025 and create a new play based on the stories, memories and imagination of the residents. The aim is to bridge the gap between professional theatres and their outreach while offering agency and stimulation for older people in care and raising a positive awareness of older people and dementia to the wider community. The care home chosen was Isis House in Oxford and the project commenced with first workshops in October 2024. This project has been funded by The Oxford Playhouse.

Fundraising activities

December 2023 - After an unsuccessful bid to The Arts Council, the CIO took on the challenge to run the distance from London to their further venue (Devon) to raise the remainder of the funds needed to tour The Elves and the Shoemaker into care at Christmas 2023. As a collective, the creative team ran over 190 miles and raised £2500.

FUTURE PLANS

December 2024 - A Christmas Carol tour into care homes in partnership with Open Bar Theatre Ltd. Open Bar Theatre produce professional productions that tour into Fullers Pubs. The Dot Collective will tour their existing production A Christmas Carol into care homes, this minimises the overall cost of a production as costs are shared.

The Dot Collective Registered Charity: 1169951

January - October 2025

Paradise Island - research and development project

The CIO will continue the development started on ‘The Dream Sequence’ project, looking further into creating a methodology for performance in care and in public. The research will also investigate how to overcome some of the challenges presented in touring open air theatre, how to adapt and still create spectacle under unforeseen circumstances. This will include looking at creating the same level of spectacle that an aerial circus gives through video projection and design. We will be researching the best tools to completely transform a care home with theatre aesthetics.

The practice based research will form a methodology for a manifesto that can be used going forward through production development and training/teaching creatives. Ultimately the research will raise accessibility awareness within the arts industry.

FINANCIAL

The CIO’s financial status has increased consistently from year to year as the charity grows. The growth of the CIO's reach has meant more funding is required to run the projects and productions. The charity's income is funding from grants applied for and public donations made through public events such as theatre performances.

The CIO and the trustees have a reserves policy of £7,000 minimum to be utilised for project shortfalls when agreed by the board. The reserves are raised through charity donations and funds raised through public performance ticket sales revenue. The trustees recognise the need for the CIO to have increased reserves. They aim to attain greater financial stability and sustainability through fundraising (both long term and short term) and plan to focus on raising public donations and core, unrestricted multiple year funding to obtain unrestricted reserves. We plan to have reserves of 3 months costs which would be unrestricted funds of £10,131.

By order of the Board Ms Helen Jane Mayfield

Address: 60 Coleman Road, London SE5 7TG t: 07885456135 e: [e-mail]

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of The Dot Collective

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Dot Collective for the year ended 31 October 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act).

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

Independent examiner’s statement

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

1. Accounting records were not kept in respect of The Dot Collective as required by section 130 of the Act: or

2. The accounts do not accord with those records.

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 fo the accounts to be reached.

Jane E Spencer-Davis BA FCCA CTA Spencer-Davis & Co 4-6 Peterborough Road Harrow HA1 2BQ

27 August 2025

The Dot Collective Income and Expenditure Account Year Ended 31 October 2024

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			2023 2024 Total Total
		General Projects
Income Donations Grants Ticket sales
		9,086 79,490	1,784 9,086 79,279 79,490 14,408 9,637
		9,637
		9,637 88,576	95,471 98,213
Expenditure Costumes, set and props Project costs Freelance fees Subscriptions and royalties Venue hire Travel and subsistence Insurance Advertising and publicity General admin costs Accountancy
		5,448 146 56,355	8,041 5,448 5,487 146 60,863 56,355 0 0 1,115 1,427 18,866 16,203 593 585 2,083 1,640 2,564 3,211 120 120
		1,427 16,203 585 1,640
		3,211 120
		3,331 81,804	99,732 85,135
Surplus of income over expenditure		6,306 6,772	(4,261) 13,078

The Dot Collective Balance Sheet As at 31 October 2023

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		2024	2023
Current assets Cash at bank and in hand
		26,382	13,304
Current liabilities Sundry creditors
		120	120 13,184
		26,262
Represented by Projects General funds
		(1,204) 27,466	(7,976) 21,160
		26,262	13,184