## **Report of the Trustees for the year ending 5[th] April 2022** ## **Purpose and objectives** York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust is made up of volunteers committed to supporting the existence of the City of York’s medieval Mystery Plays, working both independently and in partnership with city organisations who may produce or support productions of the Plays. The Trust is now in its tenth year following its creation after the 2012 production in York’s Museum Gardens and the consequent decision to create a community group whose purpose was to ensure that the tradition of community drama, awareness of and participation in this feature of York’ cultural heritage was sustained in the advent of a more financially constrained public climate. It was recognised at the time that the Plays belong to no one organisation but are essentially in the ownership of York’s citizens and that the establishment of a community group would recognise this commitment. That position is unchanged after ten years and indeed, the climate for theatre and the arts is more constrained than in 2012 and the commitment of an organisation such as the Trust critical. The Trust’s objectives are: - Disseminating historical and contemporary information about the York Mystery Plays including by operating a website; - Supporting and promoting the performance of the Plays by and for the people of York; - Working to make productions accessible to all, regardless of age, gender, ability, race or belief; - Developing strong working relationships with the arts and culture sectors to support public access to performances. In this respect, the Trust has a clear mandate to operate as an organisation whose activities are wholly governed by benefit to the community. In supporting or producing the Mystery Plays the Trust seeks to create opportunities for people not only to see the Plays but to join in the creative and cultural activity, be that as actors, fundraisers, production team or stewards. The ethos of the Trust is one which commits to ensuring that access to productions is facilitated by its recruitment processes as well as its decision making, for example, on venues and pricing. The Trust’s financial management works to ensure that membership fees of £10 per annum are affordable to the majority and that those fees, supported by donations, are used to sustain the administrative costs of the Trust (e.g. insurance, postage, web maintenance, members’ meetings) while any surplus plus fundraising income is used to support Mystery Play productions. Despite the problems of rising costs, the Trust has maintained its £10 membership fee for adults as a measure of inclusion. LT/PT/TAR21-22/Aug22 ## **Activities and achievements** In the period 2021-2022 the Trust engaged in a number of activities to fulfil its objectives: Objective 1: Disseminating historical and contemporary information about the York Mystery Plays including by operating a website; The Trust’s principal means of communication remains its website, its newsletter and, increasingly, its use of social media. The period of the report has seen an expansion of the use of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and in particular the expansion of its YouTube site featuring YMPST productions and interviews. Co-ordination of social media activity is undertaken by a Trustee. The Trust’s e-newsletter is produced approximately every 6 weeks and is circulated to an audience of members and interested parties (some 1100 subscribers). In addition, a second audience consisting of city organisations, press and local churches receives specific news at appropriate times – e.g. featuring production details. The newsletter is overseen by the Chair of Trustees and is produced by a member of the Trust. Objective 2: Supporting and promoting the performance of the Plays by and for the people of York; Objective 3: Working to make productions accessible to all, regardless of age, gender, ability, race or belief. With opportunities for performance limited in this period by restrictions created by the pandemic, the Trust undertook several initiatives: The Trust developed a tripartite relationship with York Festival Trust and York Minster for a Mystery Play production: _A Resurrection for York._ This was a unique partnership linking three organisations with a commitment to the Mystery Plays. Initially the production was planned for the Easter period of 2021 but Covid restrictions delayed the possibility of performance to July 2021. This was a community production, acted and supported by local people under the artistic control of a professional director. The performance was staged in the gardens of York Minster with social distancing in place for cast and audience. Ticket prices were kept low (£5) to make them as affordable as possible and all the performances sold out. The production was accessible to the disabled with free access for carers accompanying wheelchair users. The Trust successfully applied for grants to enable the production to be filmed and broadcast live with subsequent posting to YouTube free of charge for viewing. The production was subtitled to promote ease of access for viewers and listeners. The Trust planned to stage its second production of _A Nativity for York 2021_ in December. A community cast and director were appointed and the production was to be staged, as in 2019, in the Spurriergate Centre in the centre of York. Ticket prices were kept at the minimum necessary for us to recoup our costs and the venue was chosen in part for its accessibility. However, the production was cancelled one week prior to opening due to the increase in Covid infections. An opportunity arose in January 2022 to stage a shortened version of the play at the Spurriergate Centre for the benefit of a group of American students on a study tour. The Trust organised speakers: Trustees, the Director of York Festival Trust and the city’s Mystery Play archivist, together with a half hour performance of _The Nativity_ . The January cold was diminished by the provision of mulled wine and a Yorkshire buffet. LT/PT/TAR21-22/Aug22 During the period of this report, the Trust began its preparations for staging a Wagon Play in the York Festival Trust’s pageant of wagon plays, scheduled for June 2022. In partnership with the Guild of Cordwainers, the Trust began the process of organisation and the appointment of a director through an open application and interview process. One of the Trust’s most important fundraising initiatives was restarted during the year. A cafe and stalls at St Crux, a local charity venue, staffed by Trust members and volunteers, enabled valuable funds to be raised on two occasions, importantly providing another activity in which members could participate. Objective 4: Developing strong working relationships with the arts and culture sectors to support public access to performances. In furtherance of its aims, the Trust worked to maintain active networks within the city’s artistic, business and religious groups. It was able to hold its annual meeting of stakeholders, those city institutions with an interest in the Mystery Plays, in person. This facilitated opportunities for initiatives – e.g. the June 2022 Wagon Plays, the Trust’s aims, – to be shared among participants. The participation of Make It York at the stakeholder meeting has had the benefit of the Mystery Plays now being featured prominently in York’s Cultural Strategy which aims to enhance community contribution to the cultural life of the city. ## **Financial review** Our total income for the year returned to pre-pandemic levels at £10,489, of which £3,680 were restricted funds related to specific productions. Our primary sources of income were: £2,204 from general fundraising (two successful sales at St Crux plus the balance of sponsorship from a sponsored run held the previous financial year); £1,882 from general donations (including gift aid); £810 from membership subscriptions; and a fee of £500 for the workshop we ran for visiting American students. Our production of A Resurrection for York attracted £2,620 in grants and £1,413 in ticket sales (a further grant of £2,000 had been made before the start of this financial year). Overall the Resurrection generated a surplus of £565 which was carried forward for future productions. We also received £1,050 in grants to offset the costs of A Nativity for York prior to its cancellation. Total expenditure for the year was £8,510. The most significant item was the cost of staging A Resurrection for York at £4,792. Our cancelled production of the Nativity also incurred costs of £1,657. Other significant areas of expenditure included: fundraising at £641 (primarily costs involved in running the two St Crux fundraising events); insurance (£470); and costs associated with the student workshop (£182). The cost of maintaining the website, including the renewal of domain names, was £128. The Trust’s funds at the end of the year were £13,099, the majority of which have been earmarked for future productions including the 2022 Wagon Plays (£4,000) and A Nativity for York 2022 (£6,000). £620 in restricted funds were carried forward to cover the cost of fitting a new wagon bed. ## **Accounting and reporting by charities** The Trust’s main area of expenditure (and income) is intended to be its annual Nativity production, performed for the first time in 2019. This production was funded entirely by LT/PT/TAR21-22/Aug22 fundraising and donations, with the intention that income from ticket sales and refreshments for the 2019 production would form the core funding for the 2020 production and that this model would repeat in subsequent years. This ensures that if a future production were to run at a loss (as happened in 2021 with the cancelled production), the financial viability of the Trust would not be at risk. As we were unable to stage a production in 2020, that funding was carried forward to 2021 and, as the 2021 production was cancelled, to 2022. Not all of the Trust’s productions or activities generate income; for example the Wagon Plays, which will take place in 2022. The Trust therefore aims to budget to carry forward sufficient funds to cover the main activities planned for the upcoming year. Budgets and plans are reviewed by the Trustees throughout the year. ## **Structure, governance and management** Trust has been a Charitable Incorporated Organisation since December 2017. and is a registered charity number 1176113. It is governed by its constitution. Its official address is: York Theatre Royal, St Leonard’s Place, York YO1 7HD. The Trust has no paid employees but may pay a nominal fee to the director of its productions. It does not own or rent property. The Trust is run by a management committee of trustees who carry out the majority of their duties in their own time and from their own homes. Trustees at start of 2021-2022: Linda Terry (Chair), Maurice Crichton (Secretary), Philip Turner (Treasurer), Gary Bateson, Anna Briggs, David Denbigh, Colin Lea, Ged Murray, Simon Tompsett, During the year Ged Murray and Colin Lea resigned; David Harrison and Janice Barnes-Newton were co-opted with Janice Barnes-Newton being elected to the Committee at the February Annual General Meeting (AGM). Members seeking to join the Committee as a Trustee are advised to meet with the Chair to discuss the requirements and commitment needed for adoption as a Trustee: this involves not only their personal aspirations but an understanding of the time required (e.g. to attend monthly meetings, to undertake work outside those meetings), an identification of the skills they can offer and their fitness (as a Fit and Proper Person) to undertake the role. Applicants must complete an application form detailing the above with a signed declaration of financial probity for consideration by the Trustees. If the Trustees feel the applicant meets the criteria, the applicant can be co-opted during the year; recommendation by the Trustees of those applicants must be carried out at the next AGM for members’ approval of the applicant. Trustees are subject under the constitution to a given period in office and are required to step down at the appropriate time. The Trust has a timetable for managing this to ensure that key skills are not lost by long-serving Trustees retiring during the same period. The Trust determines its priorities for meeting its objectives through its planning and meeting processes. The Trust normally meets every month; meetings are held in a cost-free venue to ensure the most efficient use of administrative funds. Trustees are expected to attend routinely. Work outside the meetings can be continued via email or by special meetings. Following confirmation of the Trustees for the year at the AGM, the Trust holds a business planning event. The AGM was held on 23 February 2022 on Zoom, partly due to ongoing concerns about Covid but also to facilitate access for members outside York and outside the LT/PT/TAR21-22/Aug22 UK. The Trust is considering holding its next AGM in October 2022 to bring it closer to the period of the annual report and may hold a hybrid event, using a combination of Zoom and physical attendance. Following the February AGM, a planning meeting was held to review the Trust’s progress and determine its objectives for the short and longer term. Trustees focussed on succession planning, youth engagement, raising the visibility of the Plays in the city and the implications long term of the Trust’s potential expansion of its management role in the Wagon Play tradition. Review of the aims takes place at Committee meetings. LT/PT/TAR21-22/Aug22 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES f171113 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a To Section A Receipts and payments funds funds funds Total funds Last year ) th• nw••t£ knlb• n•¥•stÉ tr¥ tho nwut£ * ¢h• ¥ww•st£ AI RK•l stsbscn￿0r 010 810 1204 1.715 167 1h13 1.715 167 41)43 1.OSO 165 1091 P8sg*w fvnd 1.09) Sub lotal(Gross incoffle for AR) 10 Is•• tab￿ Sub total 10A89 964 61 47 103 19 182 470 641 siabonery Refie8hmen Evants In$uran¢e Fundra￿￿ PayP*fé65 2021 103 18 182 12 393 41 12 1.8FI 4.792 4101 YrR ￿¥￿JUL￿On SFn of the Trust's accx)unts carrTred out under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have fdlowed the ap￿1¢able Diredions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) (rf the Act. I have c4xnpleted my examination. I ￿nfirM that no material matters have COffh8 to my attentK>n (other than that disdosed below") in connectTron wilh the eXaMinat￿n which gives me cause to believe that in, any material Independent examinerfs Statsment aCcoU￿1ng records *re not kept in a(￿rdanC2 ￿1th seCt￿n 130 of the Act or the accounts (ki not accord with the ac£i)unting records I have no con￿M5 and have come &ross no other matters in Connection wrth the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delete in Ihe brad(ets rflhey do not apply. Signed: Date: ZGLL Nam•: Bemard Lyf Relevant profosslonal qualiflcatknls) or body (rf any): Addrnss: 39 Usher Park Ro Haxby York Y032 3RX Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to h￿hlIght matters of concern {see CC32, Independent examination of chanty ￿Ounts. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detslls of any items that the examiner wishos to disclose.