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2023-03-31-accounts

Company Registration Number 10582100 Registered Charity Number 1173849

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS For the year ending 31 March 2023

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Trustees, who are also Directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Charity Name The NewBridge Project Charity Registration Number 1173849 Company Registration Number 10582100 Registered Office Shieldfield Centre, 4 - 8 Clarence Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1AL

Trustees

For the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, the Board of Trustees is the Board of Directors of the charitable company and is referred to as the Trustees throughout this report.

The Trustees of The NewBridge Project during the year and to the date of signing this report are as follows:

Ilana Mitchell (Chair) Jonathan Combe Sally Dixon Resigned 2 August 2023 Julia Heslop Eve McCracken Appointed 5 March 2023 Dr Paul Richter Company Secretary Rebecca Huggan

Bankers The Co-operative Bank, Norfolk House, 84-86 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6BZ Independent Examiner Mr P O’Hara FCA, 4 Stoneyhurst Road West, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1PG

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Documents

The NewBridge Project is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 25 January 2017 and registered as a charity on 18 July 2017. The charity is controlled by its governing document, its Memorandum & Articles of Association and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act.

The Directors of the company are also Trustees of the charity.

Eligibility for membership of the charity, and membership of the Board of Trustees, is governed by the Articles of Association. There are no restrictions in the governing document on the operation of the charity other than those imposed by general charity law.

Charitable Purpose

The NewBridge Project’s charitable objects are to foster and advance the appreciation and understanding of the arts for the benefit of the public.

Structure and Governance

The charity currently has a Board of 6 non-executive Trustees.

The Board meets a minimum of 4 times per year. A written Director’s report, quarterly management accounts, a meeting agenda and any other necessary Board papers are prepared by the Director and circulated in advance of meetings.

The NewBridge Project is governed by the Board of Trustees with a staff team (employed and freelance) overseeing the day-to-day operation, comprising of:

Director - Rebecca Huggan (on maternity leave from 15 April 2023) Director (maternity cover) - Frances Stacey from 1 April 2023 Programme Director – Dawn Bothwell Studio & People Manager – Ruby Glover Operations & Reporting Manager - Sarah Stamp Artist Development Programmer – Daniel Russell Create / Disrupt Project Manager – Izzy Finch For Solidarity Project Manager – Hannah Kirkham Community Producer – Elaine Robertson Youth Worker – Precious Oluleye Marketing Co-ordinator – Kitty McKay Bookshop & Reading Room Coordinator - Maya Wallis Programme & Front of House Assistant (Kickstart) – Hannah Rickman Peddie (until Sept 22) Bookkeeper – Niamh Cunningham

The Contribution of Volunteers

The charity makes extensive use of volunteers to support its activities.

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee)

For the year ended 31 March 2023

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT (Continued)

Recruitment and Appointment of Board of Trustees

Any person who is willing to act as a Director and is permitted by law to do so, may be appointed to be a Director by a decision of the Directors. Any Director appointed by a resolution of the other Directors must retire at the next Annual General Meeting following his or her appointment and may offer themselves for re-election and if any Director is required to retire at an Annual General Meeting the retirement shall take effect from the conclusion of the meeting.

Trustees are recruited through an open call out process for Trustees, describing the skills required. This is advertised through a range of accessible channels and networks. Trustees are elected to the Board based on discussions and recommendations offered by Trustees, the Director and external advisors to the organisation.

Trustee Induction and Training

New Trustees are inducted by the Director and current Trustees and are provided with a range of resources to support their understanding of The NewBridge Project and its activities, including a document detailing the role of Trustees and staff within the company.

Artists and other creatives who pay to join are known as Studio or Associate Members of NewBridge. They become members of the community, but they are not members of the company or charity.

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have reviewed the charity's needs for Reserves in line with the guidance issued by the Charity Commission. We last reviewed our reserves policy in April 2021.

The NewBridge Project aims to hold free reserves of £100,000, which would enable us to meet all financial liabilities, overheads & majority of staff costs over a 6-month period, ensuring resilience if we face unplanned costs or disruptions.

The NewBridge Project then aims to build an additional, unrestricted designated reserve of £50,000 over the next 4 years to support the charity to relocate at the end of our current lease (June 2026) if required. (The previous £50,000 allocation was used to support the relocation to Shieldfield). The target level of Unrestricted Reserves is therefore £150,000.

The charity’s total Unrestricted Reserves at 31 March 2023 are £176,736. Free reserves, defined as non-designated Unrestricted Reserves, minus the Net Book Value of Unrestricted Tangible Fixed Assets, are £148,398 at 31 March 2023. However, c£30k of these reserves has been committed to activity in 2023/24 and, consequently, available reserves are c£118,398.

The Trustees aim, through their budgeting processes, to reach the aspirational level of reserves within 3-4 financial years.

Grant Making Policy

The charity does not currently engage in grant-making activity.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Overview

The NewBridge Project is an active artist-led community that supports artists, curators and communities through the provision of space for creative practice, curatorial opportunities and an ambitious artist-led programme of exhibitions, commissions, artist development and events.

The NewBridge Project was established in 2010 to provide exchange and support in an engaged community of artists. Our building houses 120 artists and numerous project and production spaces. Our public spaces, which include a gallery, bookshop and event spaces, are places where artists and local communities can come together to work, learn and socialise with each other. NewBridge has changed significantly over the past 13 years, growing in scale and ambition in response to needs of artists and local communities.

Our programme is made in consultation with our members, artists and local community. We aim to reflect the diversity of contemporary art practice, be responsive to our environment, build solidarity, and place community-centred, experimental, collaborative and socially conscious programming at the heart of all our work.

Our programme consists of:

Commissions, exhibitions, and projects:

We aim to deliver an artistic programme that is artist-led and experimental in its approach, which supports the production and presentation of new artwork through exhibitions, commissions, off-site projects, our bookshop and events.

We do this through stand-alone projects and exhibitions working with early and mid-career artists that provide opportunities for them to be ambitious and experiment with new ideas. We also explore broader themes over long periods; these inform both each other and the way we develop our public programme and organisation. These have included: Hidden Civil War (2016), which explored austerity and inequality in the wake of the EU referendum; Deep Adaptation (2017-2018) which considered how social, political and economic issues could be understood in relation to climate change; For Solidarity (2019 – ongoing) which has mapped and established a network of organisations, communities and individuals who are working toward social and climate justice, and exploring alternatives to the mainstream economic system, producing events, exhibitions and cocreated projects; and The Home (2022 – ongoing) which responds to our recent move to the residential area of Shieldfield in Newcastle upon Tyne.

NewBridge works alongside an evolving and rotating Programme Committee to shape and deliver an artistic programme with a diverse curatorial voice that reflects many voices, interests and practices, and enables new narratives, methodologies and approaches to emerge. We also work with CoInvestigators - community researchers who gather insights and provide feedback from their diverse range of perspectives on our programme and/or themes and issues we are exploring. Each Coinvestigator works with us over a year, and their input directly feeds into the development of our programme.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES (Continued)

Overview (Cont.)

Community hub & public space:

NewBridge houses a gallery space, artist-led bookshop, library, screening room, event spaces and multiple workshops and project spaces. Our space is more than just a building: it’s a public, welcoming place where people can come together to meet, make, learn and socialise. Through these facilities and a regular programme including communal meals, social events, creative workshops and the Shieldfield Youth Programme, we aim to provide a resource for the creative and local community alike, building a community of artists, members, residents and contributors.

Artist Development:

NewBridge works with artists at all stages of their careers, providing support through three programmes of creative, personal, and professional development. These programmes are needs-led and created by artists, for artists. Practice makes Practice (est. 2015) is for all artists, curators and people interested in the arts; The Collective Studio (est. 2017) is an annual 10-month earlycareer/graduate programme for artists across all creative disciplines at the start of their careers; and Create/Disrupt (est. 2021) which creates new pathways for people who have not been to university to develop a creative career and aims to remove systemic barriers that exist in the cultural sector, supporting those who are currently underrepresented.

Studio and workspace:

NewBridge provides affordable and accessible studio and project spaces for artists and creatives in the North East. The shared workspace is a critical and collaborative environment that allows artists to discuss and develop new ideas and projects. We are based at the Shieldfield Centre, a 28,000 square foot building, which, alongside our public spaces, houses over 120 studio members, co-work spaces, member-led workshop facilities, and flexible project spaces for making and presenting work.

Strategic Objectives and Public Benefit

The Trustees understand and have discussed the implications of the provisions of the Charities Act 2006, which state that all charities must demonstrate that they are established for public benefit and have had due regard to the public benefit guidance issued by the Charity Commission.

The Trustees believe that the charity meets both of the key principles:

Principle 1 — There must be an identifiable benefit, or benefits:

To work towards our Vision, Mission & Values, the following strategic objectives underpin everything we do, demonstrating clear, tangible benefits.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES (Continued)

Strategic Objectives

1. Developing Artists

Develop artistic talent and provide opportunities for career development through artist development programmes, networking, curatorial opportunities, training and shared learning within the visual arts sector in the north east of England.

  1. Providing space

Provide space, facilities and resources for artists in the north east of England.

  1. Supporting and presenting new art work

  2. Support the production and presentation of ambitious and pioneering new artwork in the gallery and off-site

  3. Creating a welcoming space

  4. Provide a welcoming environment and community hub, creating a resource and programme for artists and the local community alike.

  5. Engaging audiences and communities

  6. Create positive, in depth and quality experiences for audiences, participants and collaborators, and increase the number of people who experience and engage with visual art.

  7. Creating a good organisational and working culture

Create a positive working and organisational culture across our organisation and for those that we work with through active listening and reflection so we can develop responsively, meaningfully and with integrity.

Principle 2 — Benefit must be to the public, or a section of the public:

Each element of our work provides benefit to one or more clearly identified sections of the public, whether the artistic community or the general public, who can access and enjoy the work produced as a result.

NewBridge’s beneficiaries are therefore entirely appropriate to its aims and the wider public benefit from its work.

All of these benefits are clear, evidenced and relate directly to NewBridge’s aims. In addition, the Trustees do not consider that any significant detriment or harm flows from NewBridge’s work.

Risk Management

The Board of Trustees steer the effective governance of The NewBridge Project. They ensure the organisation is operating within its agreed aims, objectives, and values and that it is achieving its overall ambitions and vision, effectively, efficiently, safely, and legally. They review the organisational risk register quarterly at each trustee meeting to manage and mitigate risk and operate comprehensive regular self-evaluation.

The Director and staff team are fully engaged in risk management and take a direct role in managing risks through the following procedure: 1. identifying risks; 2. analysing risks; 3. evaluating/ranking risks; 4. mitigating risks; 5. monitoring/reviewing risks.

The Director works with staff and trustees to determine type of risk; strategic, compliance, financial, operational, or reputational. The risk register is kept updated and an appropriate risk response employed: avoidance, mitigation, acceptance, or transferal. A risk management plan is completed for larger projects with specific/numerous risks. Any risk rated as high/critical are immediately reported to the Board.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES (Continued)

Risk Management (Cont.)

The Director and staff team report back to the Board regarding the adequacy of risk management measures so that the Board has confidence that senior management can support them.

A risk management plan is completed for larger projects with specific/numerous risks. Any risk rated as high/critical is immediately reported to the Board.

The Trustees are satisfied that appropriate financial systems and controls and employment policies and practices are in place.

The Trustees consider the key risks facing the charity at this time and the mitigating actions taken to be as follows:

Financial: Previous high-level reserves were depleted by relocation to Shieldfield Centre, leaving us with no additional designated reserve for future moving which has been compounded by increases in building costs leading to less reserves build in 22-23 year than previous years.

Financial: Continuation of cost escalation due to inflation/rising cost of living brings challenges for keeping to budgets or delivering proposed numbers of activities. The highest risk is energy costs and there may also be an impact on materials costs.

Operational: Loss of building(s) sooner than anticipated or before viable alternative secured would jeopardize our ability to deliver services.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES (Continued)

Risk Management (Cont.)

Operational: Loss of staff – the organisation has recently grown but is reliant on funding.

Operational: Staff team has doubled over the last 18 months, which could result in lack of cohesion and less time for support of staff team.

The Trustees also manage the general financial risks arising by ensuring that:

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

Delivery of Strategic Objective 1: Developing Artists

The NewBridge Project supports artists to develop their artistic practice and build sustainable careers through several artist development programmes aimed at practitioners at different stages of their careers. The strands are:

Our 4 unique development strands offer multiple entry points to create accessibility to people from all backgrounds and at all stages of their career. Through a programme of events, opportunities, and online resources, we will provide practical needs-led support and advice in response to the present needs of our members and the wider artistic community.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

We have also formed formal partnerships with national and regional organisations to come together to create opportunities and deliver activities to broaden the reach of our respective development programmes and activity, and the networks of those participating.

Practice makes Practice (PMP)

PMP is an ongoing artist development programme of events and opportunities aimed at early to midcareer artists, encouraging life-long learning.

PMP is a major visual arts talent development programme for North East England; it is shaped by its members and the wider creative community to ensure it develops in response to their needs and interests, creating a forum for shared learning, critical conversation, space for networks to cultivate and new opportunities and practices to emerge.

The programme is open to all NewBridge members (Studio and Associate), and the public attending one-off events.

The PMP model is wide-reaching to encourage broad engagement with the programme to support personal, professional and creative development. The model is varied and includes:

Between April 2022 – March 2023 we delivered: 66 PMP events, with 145 artists. This engaged 912 active participants and 399 digital audience members. We published 4 online toolkits in this period, engaged 1088 digital audience members.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

A small selection of PMP events in the last 12 months include:

Member-led activity

This year has seen us support 3 strands of exciting member-led activity as part of the PMP programme. Through this we have provided an opportunity for 4 artist members to test out their ideas for events, workshops, and group crits - this has resulted in sustained, regular activity open to NewBridge members & the public. It has supported those leading the sessions to develop their skills in project and event management, facilitation, and marketing, and has provided their first hands-on experience of freelance work in the arts, supporting CV building – with many of the members being supported to do this directly off the Collective Studio programme (see below). New, regular events include:

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Partnership activity

We have 2 key partnership projects as part of our PMP offer – these support us to diversify and increase what we offer to our members, as well as providing opportunities for them to connect with creatives outside the region.

The Exchange 2

The second iteration of a project connecting artists & creative practitioners across the UK. The project is brought together 120 artists from across the UK (8 NewBridge members) and involves 7 partners. It aims create new exchanges and friendships between artists that wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect. An online Summit to mark the end of the 6-month programme was hosted by Eastside Projects on 15 September, which featured presentations by 14 of the participating artists who shared activities, outcomes, processes and experiences they gained from taking part.

We are currently in conversation with project partners (E astside Projects (Birmingham), CAMP (Plymouth), Castlefield Gallery (Manchester), The NewBridge Project (Newcastle), Primary (Nottingham), Spike Island (Bristol), and Turf Projects (Croydon)) to plan for Exchange 3.0, commencing later in 2023.

Kaleidoscope Network

4 partner organisations’ respective members have the opportunity to attend events hosted by the other partners. This increases the offer and national networking opportunities for our members – who can attend artist development events and workshops hosted by other national organisations, and shares our programme with a broader geographical audience. We are working with Primary (Nottingham) Spike Island (Bristol) and Eastside Projects (Birmingham). A selection of Kaleidoscope events attended by our members included:

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Residencies

The Practice makes Practice Residency, is an annual 4-week residency opportunity that will provide artists with time and space to reflect on their practice within an active and engaged community of artists at The NewBridge Project. During their residency, the selected artist is invited to programme events as part of the PMP programme, which reach and engage with audiences across North of Tyne.

PMP Residency 2022 – gobscure (Sean Burn)

Artist gobscure (sean burn) was selected for the 2022 PMP residency, which took place over five 3- day weeks between May – October.

We hosted 3 PMP events alongside Jake Alimahomed-Wilson, Immanuel Nes (writers of Pluto Press book Chokepoints) and local artist Claire Ogah as part of the residency. These explored chokepoints (blockages that disrupt systems), creative resistances & ‘small’ spaces where power tips.

As part of their residency, gobscure created 4 online resources hosted on NewBridge’s website in response to each week of their residency, created in collaboration with NB staff and others in the building, which attracted 117 online audiences.

PMP Strands

Support from NTCA is enabling the enhancement and scale-up of PMP to more wholly address skills gaps and sector needs through the delivery of 4 new strands including: the Programme Committee (see below), and 3 other strands which will begin in 2023-24.

Memberships and bursaries

We launched a call out to offer ten bursary Associate Memberships to people who might face barriers to getting involved. People can apply on the grounds of barriers associated with class, income, race, disability.

Associate membership is an opportunity to join a creative community of supportive peers and gives full access to Practice makes Practice events, opportunities, and discounted rates on bookable making and exhibition space in our studios. To date 3 of these spaces have been offered and the call out is currently rolling.

Feedback from members about NewBridge and Practice makes Practice:

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

The Collective Studio (TCS)

The Collective Studio (TCS) is a creative and professional development programme which supports early-career and recent graduate artists and creative practitioners in a dedicated creative space at the Shieldfield Centre. It offers subsidised studio space alongside a series of tailored events and workshops to support personal development, confidence building, creative development, and to address knowledge and skills gaps.

The programme is run in partnership by The NewBridge Project and Newcastle University, and aims to attract, develop and keep the brightest creative talent in the North East.

The programme has an educational philosophy that advocates for learner-chosen activities as a primary means to prepare practitioners for the rapidly changing future in which they will build their careers. In so doing it seeks to support the difficult transition from University/College to studio-based practice, gallery, and workplace. Integral to this is recognition that collaboration is key and that in their time as practitioners, emerging artists will have to work with a range of practitioners and professionals from diverse fields.

Between July – December 2022 (check dates) we have supported 2 cohorts of Collective Studio, and have supported a programme of activity total of 150 individuals. In this time, we have produced 24 events, alongside 28 artists/facilitators.

The Collective Studio 2021-22

Over the course of the Summer, we supported individuals on the 21-22 programme with a series of events and workshops to finish their time on the programme.

We had 33 people on the 21-22 cohort for The Collective Studio, 17 with studio space, 8 hot-desk members, and 8 associate members (3 with bursaries for free membership). The programme ended in September 2022. Between July – September we delivered 3 workshops/events.

A selection of TCS 2021-22 events between Jul-Sep 2022:

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

In the 6 months since the end of the programme, members achievements include the following:

These are just achievements in the first 6 months since completing the programme; we are keen to explore the long-term achievements of members of the Collective Studio so that we can map their creative and career development.

The Collective Studio 2022-23

We launched the Call Out for the 2022-23 cohort of the Collective Studio on 22 June; and held two open days on Thursday 14 and Thursday 21 July, which were hybrid so people could attend in person and online. These were an opportunity for people to find out more about the programme, visit the studio space, and chat to NewBridge staff. We also invited past/current Collective Studio members to be there on the day to support and answer peoples questions. Open days are an important part of making the programme as accessible as possible, giving people an opportunity to ask questions ahead of applying.

We made the application process as accessible as possible - giving clear instructions about what we wanted to see in an application, a big list of FAQs, tips on writing a biography, and ideas for what makes an application stand out (starting the development support right from the outset of the programme from call out to delivery!).

We received 48 applications for The Collective Studio 2022-23 programme, with 25 coming from North of Tyne based universities and colleges, and others coming from universities across the country. We have selected 31 people to participate in the programme (16 in shared studio, 8 hot desk members and 7 associate members). With 3 individuals receiving free bursary spaces.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Activity to date has included:

Feedback on The Collective Studio:

“ I have made lasting connections with individuals across the UK… I gained new perspectives on my own work and learnt about the practices of others .”

“ NewBridge has enabled me to achieve the beginnings of an entirely new chapter in my practice and work-life. Without their support and in particular that of Dan Russell, I would not have been able to achieve the MOTHEROTHER project, which in turn is cascading support to other artists across the region.”

Create / Disrupt (C/D)

Create/Disrupt is a development programme for aspiring artists and art workers who have not completed an under-graduate degree. It aims to break down socio-economic barriers to pursuing a creative career, and NTCA funding is enabling it to grow into an accessible, long-term programme of support, with multiple entry points, that promotes diversity and inclusion, and provides access to training, opportunities and networks.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

The project has three key strands of activity:

Core cohort: July – December

We worked closely with participants on the pilot Create/Disrupt programme to inform the new call out and shape future iterations of the programme. We worked with them to programme a final 6 months of professional and creative development which would support them with the next steps of their careers in the arts.

One of the top things cited in evaluation of the programme, was the need for a studio space in order to make work and feel part of a creative community at NewBridge and beyond, but that cost of studio was a huge barrier. As such they have had access to a shared, free studio at the Shieldfield Centre, which they have used to meet, host workshops, make and present artwork.

Between July – December we delivered 6 events for a group of 6 individuals, and they also had weekly meet ups on a Tuesday with each other and wider NewBridge members. Activity has included:

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

I want to be a tram again – Friday 2 and Saturday 3 December

The Create/Disrupt created work for an experimental pop-up show within their studio, which showcased individual and collaborative work made during the programme. The show was based around the idea of approaching art making as a form of play . How does the creative process unfold if you reimagine the rules of the game every time, let go of control and forget about the intended outcomes? How does being immersed in play enable collaboration? We’re not sure, but we will have fun finding out.

They worked on the exhibition from start to finish with support from NewBridge staff, which gave them hands on experience in curation, marketing (digital and print), copy writing and exhibiting work – all key skills that will support them in their next steps as artists.

Next steps bursary

The group were offered the opportunity to apply for a development bursary to support their next steps beyond the end of the programme. They collectively applied to develop project which would support them to further develop their network of mentors and peers through field trips, and workshops with invited guests which explore alternative art schools and self-led development programmes. As well as the collective goal of developing knowledge and networks – each have individual goals which include:

In the first few months since the end of the programme, members achievements include the following:

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Core cohort: 2023 Create/Disrupt

We launched a call out for new members of Create/Disrupt on 11[th] October, with a deadline of 14 December.

The programme is a free 12-month Development Programme for aspiring artists and arts workers who have not completed an under-graduate degree. As most people applying were coming into the arts for the first time, we ensured we created a very simple application form where people can just tell us a bit about themselves, their interests and what they hope to get out of the programme. During the Open Call, Project Manager Izzy Finch had lots of one-to-one conversations with potential applicants, supporting them to make an application, and chatting through the programme in more detail.

Following the call out, we have selected 13 members for the Create/Disrupt cohort this year - the group are diverse; some have an existing creative practice they want to develop, others have an interest in arts work but no discipline area yet. Eight of the group identify as LGBTQ+, four are gender diverse, six are neurodiverse, one is a refugee, three identify as disabled, two are people of the Global Majority and none have been to University.

Young people’s programme: 2023 / outreach and workshops

Izzy Finch, Project Manager for Create/Disrupt has have been meeting with local youth organisations including Barnados, St Marys School, Byker PRU, Excelsior Academy and Youth Employment Service North East, to begin sharing information about the Young Peoples Programme.

These meetings are informing how the programme needs to be developed, and our plan is to do a series of taster workshops off-site, going to the organisations venues to deliver activity, before bringing people to NewBridge for a series of workshops.

We are planning a ‘takeover’ week in the summer holidays, where young people strand will take over parts of NewBridge building – and we will hand over programming to them to tell us what they want and need for a few days.

Programme Committee

The Programme Committee is a hands-on professional development experience, providing individuals with the opportunity to gain experience in aspects of research, curation, and programme management. We believe in many voices being represented through NewBridge’s programme and we work with a Programme Committee to enable new narratives, methodologies, and approaches to emerge across our programme, helping to diversify the curatorial voice. We aim to produce a programme alongside them that is based around collaboration, that is responsive to our social, political, civic and environmental context, and that reflects the diversity of contemporary artistic practice.

The Committee acts as a hands-on professional development programme for those wanting to gain greater experience in different aspects of commissioning and programme development. We are currently working with a group of 3 paid committee members until March 2024. We will recruit new members to start work with us from January 2024. We launched a call out for this strand in July 2022 and had 38 applications.

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The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

We are currently supporting a Programme Committee of 3 people through this strand: Sarah Bird, Bhavani Espathi and Sofie Scholten. They are each working 1 day a week over 18 months to create a programme of events and exhibitions and are supported and mentored by our Programme Director Dawn Bothwell.

We have also provided a month-long placement for Karen Kelly, who worked with Dawn to develop and curate Shieldfield Home , an exhibition with work from NewBridge members and residents living in Shieldfield, currently open in our gallery space until the end of February.

Feedback from the Programme Committee:

“ NewBridge offer sincere support and genuine opportunity. Having these opportunities has increased my confidence, while guiding me to new ideas, methods, and techniques. Having the helpful knowledge and understanding of the NewBridge staff behind an event or idea is truly a tremendous asset to any artist .”

“There is no place like it (NewBridge) in the North East of England and not many similar nationwide. NewBridge Project is an important part of the creative fabric in the North East. A place where support, opportunities and trust are given to anyone wishing to work with them .”

Delivery of Strategic Goal 2: Providing Space

We recognise affordable, accessible work and exhibition space is of key importance for artists and creatives to start/continue their practice, develop their careers and realise new work. Our studio and workspace provisions aim to nurture an inclusive, collaborative environment in which artist are able to discuss and develop new ideas and projects

We work in consultation with our studio members, ensuring their voices are represented across our programme through Practice makes Practice, in the development of our space, and in our strategic decision making. We do this through hosting member meetings per year that coincide with our board meetings – these are an opportunity for studio holders We have developed a tiered approach to workspace to suit the varying needs of artists. We provide individual studios, shared workspace, coworkspace, workshop facilities (darkroom, a woodwork shop, ceramics space and print studio) and flexible project spaces for making and exhibiting. We will continue to develop production spaces and resources for artists by creating practice-specific spaces, allowing us to support more artists.

We are committed to embedding accessibility and diversity across our space provision, both through ensuring physical accessibility of our space, and through active programmes that ensure individuals from protected characteristic groups are able to join our studios and use our facilities and spaces. This includes offering bursaries and free studios as part of the Collective Studio and Create/Disrupt, and community events in our various member-led workshop facilities.

20

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

We offer:

• Studios and hot desk space

We are committed to providing affordable studio space and hot-desking to artists at any stage of their career, working primarily within the field of visual art, with a desire to be part of a diverse and critically engaged community of creative practitioners.

All memberships also benefit from full access to Practice makes Practice, and discounted access to our project and making spaces. We have developed a tiered approach to workspace to suit the varying needs of artists.

We provide individual and shared studios, priced according to size. We also provide subsidised space for The Collective Studio members , and free space for those on Create/Disrupt. We provide hot-desk space across 3 areas in our building – a dedicated co-workspace, a flexible co-work space next to our gallery, and a hot-desk space for The Collective Studio. Our affordable hot-desk membership provides low-cost, 24-hour access for those who need a space to work, but not a dedicated studio to themselves.

From April 2022 – March 2023, we have provided affordable studios and workspace for 95 Studio Members, 7 hot-desk members, 25 Collective Studio members, 20 Create/ Disrupt Members.

• Project Space

Flexible project, exhibition and workshop spaces provide members and the artistic community with opportunities to exhibit and make work in a supportive space that promotes an experimental and critical approach to practice. We also provide bookable meeting space for artists, creative professionals, charities and community groups who are not members.

• Workshops

We provide practice-specific workshop space including a wood workshop, dark room, print studio and ceramics studio which are available for use by NewBridge members, creatives and local community. These spaces are led independently by members who receive discounted space in exchange for opening their spaces and resources to others.

• Socials and events

We host regular socials and events for our members, creating opportunities for people to come together, meet and get to know one another. This is important for community building and has been in direct response to feedback from members.

21

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Strategic planning and research

Building on our 13-year experience of occupying buildings on a meanwhile-use basis, we are actively participating in strategic regional and national conversations about affordable workspace and the importance of investment in longer-term/permanent sites for artist-led activity and studio provision.

More than Meanwhile Spaces / Making the Clayton Street Corridor: Making the Clayton Street Corridor

The NewBridge Project Director worked on the initial development of the Making the Clayton Street Corridor project, and was a critical friend for its duration, connecting our programmes more broadly to the NTCA CCZ programme.

Making the Clayton Street Corridor is a project run by a group of academics and artists and is funded by Newcastle City Council. Between April – December 2022 we ran events and created resources that supported meaningful collaboration between grassroots artists/creative practitioners and policymakers. The aims were to ensure that the opportunities developed as part of the Clayton Street Corridor champion grassroots artists, to include and address their needs, alongside other artistic and creative groups. This means identifying key needs and areas where investment might make a big difference – and then making those changes happen together.

In addition to this, two studio members, Kitty McKay (also NewBridge’s Marketing Coordinator), and Jenny McNamara were the Grassroots representatives for the project, and have both written texts that are included in the upcoming publication which documents the project.

Making the Clayton Street Corridor, came out of a previous major research project led by NewBridge and Newcastle University – More than Meanwhile Spaces – which was a collaborative project exploring long-term futures for artist-led spaces and workspaces in the North East of England. The second stage of this research project involved over 80 artists, creative practitioners, local authorities, funders, academics and other interested parties over six events, which each used London’s newly established ‘Creative Enterprise Zones’ as a stimulus for discussion – and action – in the North East of England. From this the group were invited to collaborate on Making the Clayton Street Corridor and to support development of the plans for the Councils’ CCZs.

Delivery of Objectives 3: Projects, Exhibitions and Events

We aim to deliver an artistic programme that is truly artist-led and experimental in its approach. The programme will be based around collaboration; responsive to our social, political, civic and environmental context; reflective of the diversity of contemporary artistic practice.

We will support the production and presentation of new artwork through a varied programme of exhibitions, commissions, off-site projects and events. We will encourage artists to make work on their own terms, building our profile for supporting ambitious and pioneering work at a grassroots level, with a focus on commissioning new work.

22

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

We prioritise commissioning new work by innovative and ambitious emerging and early-career artists at key points in their development, supporting them to test out new ideas and create new work that responds to the location, situation, and time from which it emerges. This will provide a step-change moment, empowering them to continue producing experimental and ambitious art with increased confidence and skill beyond the end of our work together.

Alongside this, we also work with regional, national and international mid-career artists to enhance our support for emerging practices or explore critical themes and organisational development. We do this through creating space for artists at any stage of their career to develop ideas collectively alongside one another, cultivating an environment of experimentation, ambition and collaboration.

Our programme includes stand-alone projects and exhibitions, as well as exploring broader themes over long periods which inform both each other and the way we develop our public programme and organisation. At present two ongoing themes/projects are For Solidarity (2019 – ongoing – see below) and The Home (2022 – ongoing) which responds to our recent move to the residential area of Shieldfield in Newcastle upon Tyne.

In 2022-23 we delivered 25 new (and some ongoing) exhibitions and projects. Programme highlights from 22-23 include:

Exhibitions

Promises from Paradise

This exhibition was developed by curator Beatriz Lobo with artists Igor Tavares and Rebeca Romero, to explore themes of ancestral knowledge, cultural identity, belonging, community building and potential futures. It included events with Slack Radio brought together 17 artists and engaged 550 people in the gallery.

Habit, Ability!

This project asked ‘how might we continue to inhabit a damaged planet? Hosted in two parts, it included a two-part exhibition visited by 600 people, events hosted in partnership with the Star and Shadow Cinema and others.

Shieldfield Home

Shieldfield Home is an exhibition of art, craft and design made by people who live and work in Shieldfield! This special winter show celebrates our home in The Shieldfield Centre and the work that is made our neighbours and members. It was visited by 300 people and involved 76 artists; including events such as a communal meal catered by Kaltouma Hassaballah (Shieldfield-based Community Cook), workshops Phyllis Christopher and Janina Sabaliauskaite who run the NewBridge darkroom.

Projects

Staking Claims on the Distance

An online exhibition and public art commission exploring public space, ownership and the making of monuments, that showcased work by Esther Gamsu, TOTALLER and Mickey Fenton. The project was conceived by Eve Cromwell and engaging 954 online audience members and 200 in-person.

For Solidarity

For Solidarity is a growing peer support network of organisations, projects, initiatives and individuals across the North East, initiated by NewBridge and the Solidarity Economy Association in 2019.

23

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

As part of For Solidarity, a Grassroots Garden Party took place in July 2022, where we worked with ReCoCo Recovery Collective to host a day-long festival in Saltwell Park which was attended by 480 people. The day offered activities for all ages, music, workshops, free food, and stalls with a range of produce from 15 of our network members. Artist Katie Pollard worked with us to plan a dye Garden on NewBridge balconies, where a group of 21 growers meet weekly to tend to and grow plants, as well as being looked after by our Youth Programme.

The Reading Room is a collaborative project where people can read, learn, listen, and share ideas. Through linking up with other spaces across the country, we’ve created libraries stocked with thought-

provoking books, where reading groups and opportunities to meet authors are being established, providing resources and activities that hope to catalyse creativity, collaboration, and conversation. It hosted 200 people this year, in partnership with community workers from Leeds, Sheffield, Cardiff, Peterborough and Newcastle, coming together to create and generate spaces of positive dissent, in partnership with the independent publisher Pluto Press.

The Bookshop provides a resource and outlet for artists, writers and researchers, hosting a regular programme of events related to print culture. The shop offers a selection of diverse, original and hard-to-find art publications, magazines and zines, and provides a platform for independent publishers and artists who self-publish. Through an open-call the Bookshop has developed new partnerships and stockist, including Pluto Press, Montez Press, Joan Publishing and Good Press. There have also been a host of events held in the bookshop over the year, linking to our other programmes and activity led by members.

Delivery of Strategic Goal 4: Community Space and Programme

The NewBridge Project seeks to be a welcoming space where artists, residents and local communities can come together to work, learn, socialise and support each other.

Following our recent move to the Shieldfield Centre, we have built a responsive programme from the ground up that ensures the building and its programme provide an important and exciting resource for the artistic and local community alike. We host a regular programme of cultural, education and social activity for the local community aimed at people of all ages and backgrounds.

Our lively programme adopts a truly place-based approach, working collaboratively with Shieldfield residents to inform our programme and empowering local people to make & experience art. We believe that our work at the Shieldfield Centre can have a deep and meaningful relationship with the people in the area and a positive impact on the place they live.

A regular events programme includes workshops with artists, communal meals and socials including a weekly coffee morning and wellbeing hub.

In 2022-23 we have delivered 60 events, for 1183 participants, 927 audience members, working with 205 artists to deliver the programme.

As well as activities, The NewBridge Project provides a free, welcoming and vibrant hub, providing space and opportunities in a previously unused building. The space has a number of accessible spaces including: gallery, bookshop, The Reading Room, screening room, events space and a project space.

24

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Shieldfield Youth Programme

Since moving to the Shieldfield Centre in June 2021, and through detached work leading up to the move we spent time getting to know residents and local organisations, to better understand what was needed in the area and how we could respond. This identified a lack of youth provision that needed addressing, and in response we worked with Dwellbeing Shieldfield Community Benefit Society to establish the Shieldfield Youth Programme (SYP) , an ongoing programme of activity developed in collaboration with young people living in Shieldfield.

SYP is youth-led, and our weekly activity is responsive to young people’s ideas, with their vision at its centre. The programme creates space for young people to come together in the place where they live, build new friendships, offers opportunities for them to develop their creative skills and talents, and allows them to explore new ways of thinking and doing things together. It aims to empower them to become active

members of the local community, and the programme is locally rooted, thematically strong and aims to instill values of solidarity, social and economic justice, and creativity.

SYP has been built from the ground up over the last 2 years, engaging 70+ young people in an area with no previous provision, and has already had significant impact on participants. To date it has genuinely inspired, improved health/wellbeing, created opportunities to build confidence and creativity, and improved interpersonal relationships between young people in the area.

Older youth group members’ leadership skills have grown, and they have led their own creative sessions, supported younger members, and hosted talent shows/events. The programme not only supports young people, but reaches the wider community, reducing isolation and building community in the whole locality.

Parent/teacher feedback:

Working with schools

Our Community Producer has been meeting with local schools Hotspur and Cragside to build connections and we are doing talks and workshops with children and teachers. They will also be visiting our space to see the exhibitions and have their 'Art Ambassadors' have been doing workshops with us at NewBridge.

Memory Cafe

The Memory Cafe is an ongoing project run in collaboration with The Forum Café, on Wretham Place, Shieldfield. It benefits Shieldfield residents who are living with dementia and the people who support them. Through providing an activity with an artist, we will encourage engagement, creativity and self-expression, helping to build confidence. It is hosted by staff and volunteers from NewBridge and the Forum Café, who provide a supportive space for keeping active, learning, socialising and building relationships. We have delivered 20 events this year for 15+ participants, many of whom now regularly attend other events at NewBridge including talks, workshops and socials.

25

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Shieldfield organisations meeting

Our Community Producer attends and hosts the Shieldfield Community Organisations meetings, a bimonthly meet up for organisations and groups in Shieldfield. These are a chance for organisations in the area to update each other on what they’ve been up too and work on collaborative projects.

A key project in 22-23 was the publication Who's in Shieldfield? which launched in February 2023. NewBridge’s Marketing Coordinator was instrumental in producing this special newsletter for Shieldfield alongside 12 organisations based in the area including Big River Bakery, Caring Hnads Pop Up Panty, Forum Café, and others.

Community Workshops

We are working with each of the workshop spaces (Printmaking, ceramics, darkroom and woodwork) to offer a programme of free workshops for the public. Some of these might be for community groups we’re already working with such as Dwellbeing members, parents of children in our youth programme, caring hands service users etc. and some will be open to the public for booking or drop in. We have reached 101 participants in 22-23 year.

Community Meals

A programme of community meals take place once a month in the gallery space and are a great way for us to connect with more residents in the area. We always work with local Shieldfield residents (there are some fabulous cooks in the area!).

In the next year we will build on this work through a series of rolling, 6-month long residencies where we will work with a different local cook/chef over a sustained period, providing an opportunity to be supported to develop their catering business and/or a creative project or event, alongside a series of community meals, recipe sharing and skills shares.

Socials

We provide regular opportunities for community building, hosting spaces and activities which invite people to come together in our space and socialise.

Due to the popularity of this programme, we have adapted our original plans so that we have a budget to keep running these gatherings – however we will need to look for alternative funding for this in the long-term.

26

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Delivery of Strategic Goal 5: Audience engagement

We have always placed audiences and participants at the forefront of our work, and we will continue to deliver a responsive, diverse, and varied programme that aims to maintain and attract people to our activities.

NewBridge has changed significantly in the last few years - our audiences, participants and collaborators have diversified and grown, and our programmes have adapted and changed responsively. In particular, our move to the Shieldfield Centre has seen a significant shift in our priorities and who we engage with our work.

As one artist reflected: “ NewBridge is a fantastic example of how the arts can embrace everyone. They strive to embed best practice, share their knowledge, and use their experience to improve opportunities, connectivity and access for all within their community.”

As highlighted, all our above programmes engage a wide variety of audiences in different ways. Our key priorities in 22-23 were:

1. Increase the depth and quality of people's experience of contemporary art:

We have delivered talks, events and workshops to increase the depth of peoples experience, and offered different ways in which to engage with our work. We have built upon existing partnerships to diversify and increase audiences including the Kaleidoscope Network, MotherOther and For Solidarity Network.

2. Increase the number of people who experience and engage with contemporary art:

We have increased the number of people who engage with our work, in particular, we have exceeded our own ambitions in terms of engagement with local residents in Shieldfield, and have built up a strong audience of local people, through events, targeted marketing, and responsive programming based on their interests.

3. Ensure that our space and programme is as accessible as possible

We have improved accessibility in our building and public spaces with the implementation of, for example, new signage and video walk-throughs informed by artist gobscure. We have audited communication online and in print for accessibility, and now offer large format texts, translated text where possible, and image captioning.

We regularly reflect on who takes part in our programmes and embed accessibility into our approach, ensuring opportunities are suitable for people with different experiences, backgrounds and needs. We continue to offer bursary places and free memberships across our programmes; creating space spaces for people to try out new things for the first time; and for many voices to shape our programmes.

27

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

4. Build our profile and reputation at a regional, national, and international level

Our artistic programme is truly artist-led and experimental, valuing collaboration and co-production with other arts organisations, local charities, groups of artists. Through partnership and long-term collaboration, we have worked to build our national profile and help position NewBridge as an organisation that commissions and exhibits outstanding artworks with a unique approach to supporting and working with artists and local communities.

Delivery of Strategic Goal 6: Working / organisational culture

The NewBridge Project seeks to create a positive working and organisational culture across our organisation and for those that we work with through all areas of our activity. We strive to be a learning organisation that regularly reflects upon the way we work, and how we can develop this responsively, meaningfully and with integrity, and can make urgent and considered change when required.

We want NewBridge to be a good place to work for our staff and volunteers, and for that positivity to be reflected in our building and the work that we programme. We have a strong team who all bring their own skills, creativity, experiences and perspectives to the organisation. We create space for open and honest conversation, so that the whole team are able to support each other’s work and are able to think critically and collectively about our organisation, programme and what we want to do better in the future. As well as a workplace culture that embeds this, one of our key aims for this year is to ensure we do a good job of communicating these to the public, and ensuring that they are well understood by staff and trustees, and robust organisational procedures that support people pastorally and professionally so they can do their jobs well.

We aim to produce work that is builds solidarity with the people around us, and is communitycentred, experimental, collaborative and socially conscious at its heart, and through our programme we often explore complex issues. Its important to us that these values and explorations are not ‘surface level;’ we want them to resonate through the whole organisation. On the flipside, we spend a lot of time as a team talking about issues and things that really matter to us and how we work - we are aware that these conversations or resulting policies aren’t always shared publicly. We are committed to shifting this balance, making more transparent and public our ‘behind the scenes’ work, and better embedding the learning from our public programmes across our values and policies.

Projects

Across a number of projects, we will work with artists and organisation to support the ongoing development of a positive working and organisational culture, supporting learning and advocacy across the organisation.

28

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Operations/Structure

Some key actions and learning being implemented in 2023-24 year include:

• Staff team

We have introduced a new line management structure which better supports the team professionally and pastorally. A key priority is overseeing how well this is working for all staff and supporting some training and development for relevant staff if needed (though budget for this is limited in 23-24 year).

Financial Review

The out-turn for the year is an unrestricted surplus of £18,067 (2022: deficit £1,800).

The charity’s total reserves at 31 March 2023 are £284,208, of which £107,472 are restricted reserves and £176,736 are unrestricted general funds.

The charity’s total Unrestricted Reserves at 31 March 2023 are £176,736. Free reserves, defined as non-designated Unrestricted Reserves, minus the Net Book Value of Unrestricted Tangible Fixed Assets, are £148,398 at 31 March 2023.

However, c£30k of these reserves has been committed to activity in 2023/4 and, consequently, available reserves are c£118,398.

29

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (Cont.)

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year (Cont.)

Funding and Partnerships

The Board and staff of NewBridge would like to record their thanks to the funders and partners who made our work possible in 2022-23. We received support from Arts Council England National Portfolio, Newcastle University, Newcastle Culture Investment Fund, SHED, Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries, Ousburn Ward Funding, North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) Skills for Growth Fund and Community Foundation.

We worked closely with a number of regional partners to deliver projects and joint initiatives, including; BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Big River Bakery, The Comfrey Project, Connected Voice, Craigside School, Culture Against Racism North East, Dwellbeing Shieldfield, Forum Café Shieldfield, Gem Arts, Helix Arts, Hotspur School, Newcastle City Council, Newcastle University, North East CVAN, Slacks Radio, Shieldfield Art Works, Shieldfield Forum Café, Slugtown, Star and Shadow Cinema, Teakisi, Workplace.

We also worked closely with a number of national partners in other regions to deliver projects and joint initiatives, including: CAMP (Plymouth), Castlefield Arts (Manchester), CCSkills (for Creative Career Week), Eastside Projects (Birmingham), Good Press (Glasgow), Into the wild (Chisenhale, London), Left Bank (Leeds), Left Book Club (London), Lux (London), Metal (Peterborough), Pluto Press (London), Primary (Nottingham), Solidarity Economy Association, Spike Island (Bristol), Turf Projects (Croydon).

We have also been part of a network of 150 organisations taking part in the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme, which has provided invaluable cross-organisation support and learning throughout the year.

30

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

PLANS FOR FUTURE YEARS

Funding and Partnerships

We have been working to become more sustainable and resilient, including securing long-term funding to support our expanded staff team and programme.

We have secured Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding for the next investment round running April 2023 - March 2026 and core funding until March 2025 from Newcastle Culture Investment Fund (NCIF) through the Community Foundation and Newcastle City Council.

We have a partnership agreement with Newcastle University to develop and deliver The Collective Studio programme until August 2025 and are working in partnership with them on the NTCA project.

We have secured 1 year of funding from SHED which will support project work and staff capacity until March 2023. We will reapply for this funding in autumn of each year. They are supporting us with an additional £20,000 in 2023-24 to support the recent growth of the Shieldfield Youth Programme.

We have secured funding from the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) Skills for Growth Fund, to support our artist development activity, totalling £534,446 over 3 years from July 2022–June 2025.

We have secured funding and support from Jerwood Arts Developing Artists programme for £40,655 over 18 months to deliver a new artist development programme, Co-Act.

We have secured funding from #iwill fund for the delivery of Shieldfield Youth Voice, a new programme for young people on our youth programme over the age of 10.

We have also been successful in securing several smaller grants, including the Ouseburn Ward Fund and the Newcastle Council Winter Wellbeing fund - we will look for small grants from places like this to supplement and support existing activity, or to make it more ambitious or sustainable.

We have developed a robust fundraising plan, which aims to apply to some larger funds in the 23-24 year including Big Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, and Garfield Weston Foundation.

Building

The 5-year lease for the Shieldfield Centre is our longest lease-term with no break clause to date. However, this does once again bring with it the multiple challenges of occupying space short-term.

We will continue to pursue our ambition to secure a permanent or long-term base, as well as exploring the feasibility of other business/financial models to ensure we can be responsive to different opportunities. We will continue our wide-ranging conversations with different stakeholders to explore future building options beyond this 5-year period, to ensure the future sustainability of the organisation.

Through these conversations we will also consider the legacy of the work we are doing in Shieldfield, and how we can support residents to have a say in what may come after us.

In addition to this we participate in regional and national development meetings around long-term, sustainable, and affordable workspace provision for creatives.

31

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 March 2023

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees (who are also the Directors of The NewBridge Project for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law 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 charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

Ilana Mitchell Trustee Company Registration Number 10582100

11 September 2023

32

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Members on the Unaudited Accounts of The NewBridge Project Limited for the year ended 31 March 2023

I hereby report to the Trustees/Members of The NewBridge Project (Charity Registration Number 1165182) on the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 set out on pages 34 to 45

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s Trustees (and also its directors for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000, your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

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:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

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

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act 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; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods or principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for 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)).

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.

Pete O’Hara, FCA, Chartered Accountant

Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales

4 Stoneyhurst Road West, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1PG

11 September 2023

33

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Note
Income
Income from Donations & Legacies
3
Income from Charitable Activities
4
Total Income
Expenditure
Cost of Raising Funds
5
Expenditure on Charitable Activities
6
Total Expenditure
Net Income/(Expenditure)
Balance brought forward
Balance carried forward at 31
March
12		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
2023
Total
2022
£
£
£
£
72,557
106,241
178,798
325,317
155,642
30,000
185,642
147,033
228,199
136,241
364,440
472,350
1,716
-
1,716
2,903
208,416
217,894
426,310
366,771
210,132
217,894
428,026
369,674
18,067
(81,653)
(63,586)
102,676
158,669
189,125
347,794
245,118
£176,736
£107,472
£284,208
£347,794

The notes on pages 36 to 45 form part of the financial statements.

All the activities of the company are classed as continuing.

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared.

34

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION/BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2023

Notes
Fixed Assets
Tangible Fixed Assets
8
Current Assets
Debtors
9
Cash at Bank & In Hand
Creditors – Amounts Falling Due Within 1 Year
10
Net Current Assets/(Liabilities)
Total Net Assets
11
Represented by:
Unrestricted Reserves
12
Restricted Reserves
12
The notes on pages 36 to 45 form part of the financial statements.		 2023
2022
£
£
28,338
39,971
76,802
7,634
291,071
368,951
367,873
376,585
(112,003)
(68,762)
255,870
307,822
£284,208
£347,794
176,736
158,669
107,472
189,125
£284,208
£347,794

The Trustees are satisfied that for the year ended 31 March 2023 the charity was entitled to exemption under section 477(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees also confirm that the Members have not required the charity to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for:

(i) ensuring that the charity keeps adequate accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Act, and

(ii) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of its profit or loss for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of section 393, and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Act relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charity.

These financial statements were approved and signed by a Member of the Board of Trustees on 11 September 2023

Ilana Mitchell Trustee Company Registration Number 10582100

35

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

1. Accounting Policies

Basis of Preparation

These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102, The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland', the 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) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified by the revaluation of certain financial assets and liabilities and investment properties measured at fair value through income or expenditure.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Cash Flow Statement

The Directors have taken advantage of the provisions of the Financial Reporting Standard Number 1, which exempts small companies from the need to prepare a cash flow statement.

Income

All income is included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income, any performance related conditions attached have been met or are fully within the control of the charity, the income is considered probable and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

36

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

1. Accounting Policies (Continued)

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates:

Irrecoverable VAT

All resources expended are classified under activity headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Irrecoverable VAT is charged against the category of resources expended for which it was incurred.

Operating Leases

The charity classifies the lease of certain types of equipment as operating leases as the title to the equipment remains with the lessor. Rental charges are charged against income on a straight-line basis over the year of the lease.

Tangible Fixed Assets and Depreciation

Depreciation is provided on any fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the assets over their remaining useful lives as follows:

Leasehold Property Improvements - over the period of the lease IT & Office Equipment - 33% per annum straight line

A full year’s depreciation charge is applied in the year of acquisition and no charge is made in the year of disposal.

Impairment of Fixed Assets

A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.

37

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

1. Accounting Policies (Continued)

Financial Instruments

A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs.

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the purposes of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for specific purposes.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor.

Taxation Status

The NewBridge Project Limited is a Charity registered under the 1960 Charities Act and is accorded exemption from liability to taxation on its income under S505 Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.

Going Concern

There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.

Judgements and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty

The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. These estimates and judgements are continually reviewed and are based on experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

2. Legal Status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £1. The company law members of the charity are the members of its Board of Trustees.

38

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

3. Income from Grants, Donations & Legacies

Donations
Grant Income
Arts Council England – NPO
#I Wlll Fund via the Community Foundation
Dwellbeing Shieldfield
DWP - Kickstarter
Jerwood Foundation - Creative Bursary
Newcastle City Council – Ouseburn Ward
Newcastle CC – Winter Wellbeing Fund
Newcastle Cultural Investment Fund - Core
North of Tyne Combined Authority
Sustainability.Health.Environment.
Development.		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
2023
£
2022
£
1,269
-
1,269
1,111
71,288
-
71,288
71,288
-
9,820
9,820
-
-
1,348
1,348
-
-
6,266
6,266
1,500
-
1,453
1,453
6,581
-
2,615
2,615
-
-
5,252
5,252
-
-
20,000
20,000
38,000
-
59,487
59,487
-
-
-
-
206,837
71,288
106,241
177,529
324,206
£72,557
£106,241
£178,798 £325,317

Of the 2022 total of £325,317, £72,399 related to Unrestricted Funds and £252,918 to Restricted Funds.

4. Income from Charitable Activities

Associate Membership
Bookshop Sales
Collective Studio Membership
Museums & Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief
Newcastle University
Studio Membership Fees - Gateshead
Studio Membership Fees – Carliol House,
Newcastle
Studio Membership Fees – Shieldfield,
Newcastle
Other Income		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
2023
£
2022
£
3,370
-
3,370
2,803
2,517
-
2,517
2,266
7,745
-
7,745
5,975
14,480
-
14,480
7,595
-
30,000
30,000
20,000
-
-
-
3,055
-
-
-
12,719
107,469
-
107,469
77,586
20,061
-
20,061
15,034
£155,642
£30,000
£185,642 £147,033

Of the 2022 total of £147,033, £115,583 related to Unrestricted Funds and £31,450 to Restricted Funds.

39

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

5. Expenditure on Raising Funds

Bookshop Costs
Fundraising Consultancy Fees		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
2023
£
2022
£
696
-
696
2,903
1,020
-
1,020
-
£1,716
£-
£1,716
£2,903

The 2022 total of £2,903 relates wholly to Unrestricted Funds.

6. Expenditure on Charitable Activities

Programme/Project Costs
Programme Expenditure
Programme Committee Stipend
Salaries & On Costs
Website Development
Travel & Research
Support Costs
Rent, Rates & Water
Heat & Light
Cleaning & Waste
Repairs & Maintenance
Depreciation
Other Administration & Running Costs
Governance Costs
Independent Examiner’s Fees
Other Accountancy & Book-keeping Costs
Legal & Professional Fees
Trustee Meeting Costs		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Total
2023
£
Total
2022
£
-
70,176
70,176
72,852
5,763
-
5,763
2,250
43,572
147,718
191,290
159,887
500
-
500
1,600
4,995
-
4,995
2,374
54,830
217,894
272,724
238,963
43,303
-
43,303
26,160
37,964
-
37,964
20,268
11,470
-
11,470
10,650
17,908
-
17,908
14,376
13,027
-
13,027
13,032
20,911
-
20,911
17,954
144,583
-
144,583
102,440
1,080
-
1,080
1,080
4,022
-
4,022
3,082
3,720
-
3,720
21,025
181
-
181
181
9,003
-
9.003
25,368
£208,416
£217,894
£426,310
£366,771

Of the 2022 total of £366,771, £186,879 related to Unrestricted Funds and £179,892 to Restricted Funds.

40

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

7. Net Income/(Expenditure)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):
Independent Examiner’s Fees – current year
Independent Examiner – other services
Depreciation of owned Tangible Fixed Assets		 2023
£
2022
£
1,080
1,080
360
360
13,027
13,032

8. Staff Costs & Trustees’ Remuneration

Gross Salary Costs
Employer’s National Insurance
Employer’s Pension Contributions		 2023
£
2022
£
179,400
151,532
8,368
5,636
3,522
2,719
£191,290 £159,887

No employee received remuneration of more than £60,000 during the year (2022: Nil).

The average number of staff employed during the year, calculated as full-time equivalents, was as follows:

The average number of staff employed during the year,
equivalents, was as follows:		 calculated as full-time
2023 2022
No. No.
Artistic Production and Support 7 6

No remuneration has been paid to any Trustees/Directors in the year (2022: Nil), nor was any reimbursement made to Trustees in respect of their attendance at meetings of the charity (2022: Nil).

41

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

9. Tangible Fixed Assets

Cost
At 1 April 2022
Additions in year
Disposals
At 31 March 2023
Accumulated Depreciation
At 1 April 2022
Charge for year
Disposals
At 31 March 2023
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2023
At 1 April 2022
10.
Debtors
Trade Debtors
Prepayments
Accrued Income
11.
Creditors – Amounts Falling Due Within 1 Year
Trade Creditors
Other Creditors
Other Creditors – Studio & Key Deposits Held
Other Taxes & Social Security Costs
Accruals		 Workshop,
Office & ICT
Equipment
£
Leasehold
Property
Improvements
£
Total
Fixed
Assets
£
12,603
44,543
57,146
1,394
-
1,394
-
-
-		 Workshop,
Office & ICT
Equipment
£
Leasehold
Property
Improvements
£
Total
Fixed
Assets
£
12,603
44,543
57,146
1,394
-
1,394
-
-
-
13,997
8,266
4,119
-		 44,543
58,540
8,909
17,175
8,908
13,027
-
-
12,385
£1,612		 17,817
30,202
£26,726
£28,338
£4,337 £35,634
£39,971
2023
£
2022
£
2,026
399
15,289
7,235
59,487
-
£76,802
£7,634
2023
£
2022
£
26,718
19,002
823
499
10,817
9,879
3,712
2,470
69,933
36,912
£112,003
£68,762

42

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

12. Analysis of Net Assets between Funds

Fixed Assets
Debtors
Cash at Bank and In Hand
Creditors – Amounts Due Within 1 Year
nalysis of Charitable Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Charity General Fund
Restricted Funds
#I Wlll Fund via the Community
Foundation
Dwellbeing Shieldfield – Shieldfield
Youth Programme
DWP - Kickstarter
Jerwood Foundation - Creative Bursary
Newcastle City Council – Ouseburn
Ward
Newcastle City Council – Winter
Wellbeing Fund
Newcastle Cultural Investment Fund –
Core Programme
Newcastle
University
–
Collective
Studio
North of Tyne Combined Authority
Sustainability. Health. Environment.
Development.
Total Restricted Funds
Total Funds		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
2023
Total
2022
£
£
£
£
28,338
-
28,338
39,971
17,315
59,487
76,802
7,634
243,086
47,985
291,071
368,951

(112,003)
-
(112,003)
(68,762)
£176,736
£107,472
£284,208
£347,794
Fund at 1
April 2022
£
Incoming
Resources
in Year
£
Resources
Expended
in Year
£
Fund at 31
March 2023
£
158,669
228,199
(210,132)
176,736
-
9,820
-
9,820
-
1,348
(1,348)
-
1,500
6,266
(7,766)
-
-
1,453
(1,453)
-
2,615
(2,615)
-
-
5,252
(5,252)
-
5,243
20,000
(21,783)
3,460
9,442
30,000
(15,006)
24,436
-
59,487
(59,487)
-
172,940
-
(103,184)
69,756
189,125
136,241
(217,894)
107,472
£347,794
£364,440
£(428,026)
£284,208

13. Analysis of Charitable Funds

43

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

13. Analysis of Charitable Funds (Cont.)

Name of Restricted Fund Name of Restricted Fund Description,
Nature
&
Purpose
of
the
Restricted Fund
#I Wlll Fund via the Community Towards the cost of the delivery of Shieldfield
Foundation Youth Voice, a new programme for young people
on our youth programme over the age of 10
Dwellbeing Shieldfield – Shieldfield Towards the cost of a programme for young people
Youth Programme in Shieldfield
DWP – Kickstarter Towards the costs of employing a young person
Jerwood
Foundation		 -
Creative		 Towards the cost of participation in the Weston
Bursary Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme
Newcastle City Council – Ouseburn Towards the cost of a programme for young people
Ward in Shieldfield
Newcastle City Council – Winter Towards the cost of a Winter Wellbeing Hub
Wellbeing Fund
Newcastle Cultural Investment Fund – Towards the Practice Makes Practice programme,
Core Programme and related staff costs
Newcastle University – Collective Towards the Collective Studio inc. staff costs
Studio
North of Tyne Combined Authority Towards the cost of Collaborate: Skills and talent
development pathways for creative practitioners
Sustainability. Health. Environment. Towards the cost of For Solidarity project, Youth
Development. Programme, project work and events in
Shieldfield, and associated staff costs

44

The NewBridge Project (A Company Limited by Guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

14. Taxation

The company is a registered charity and no provision is considered necessary for taxation.

15. Financial Commitments

No material financial commitments have been made in respect of future financial years.

16. Company Limited by Guarantee

The charity is incorporated under the Companies Act 1985 and is limited by guarantee, each member having undertaken to contribute such amounts not exceeding £1 as may be required in the event of the company being wound up whilst he or she is still a member or within one year thereafter. There are currently 6 (2022: 5) members of the company.

45