Company number: 10823617 Charity number: 1176385
Venture Arts
Report and financial statements For the year ended 31[st] March 2025
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Venture Arts
Reference and administration information
For the year ended 31[st] March 2025
Company number 10823617 Charity number 1176385
Registered office and operational address
43 Old Birley Street, Hulme, Manchester, M15 5RF
Trustees
Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:
Stephanie Graham – Chair Vanda Hagan - Treasurer – retired 4[th] Nov 2024 and re-appointed 27[th] Feb 2025 Howard Rifkin – retired 4[th] Nov 2024 and re-appointed 27[th] Feb 2025
Atul Bansal Michelle Haller Dr Lynn Setterington Dalinder Sall Linda Pittwood Tanya Raabe-Webber - resigned 28th April 2025
Key Management Personnel
The key management personnel were Amanda Sutton (Director), Katherine Long (Head of Creative Development), Marisa Draper (Head of Operations and Internal Business Strategy), Anna Scarisbrick (Head of Finance) and Debbie Cowley (Marketing Manager).
Bankers
CAF, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA
Auditor
Third Sector Accountancy Limited, Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester M60 0AS
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Venture Arts
Trustees’ Annual Report
for the year ended 31[st] March 2025
The trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year to 31st March 2025. Included within the trustees’ report is the directors’ report as required by company law.
Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The charity's objects ("objects") are specifically restricted to the following:
- (1) Provide relief to learning disabled people in particular but not exclusively by providing:
(a) Help and support through the arts for them and their families, dependants and carers; and
(b) Support and facilities for the recreation and education of learning disabled people with the object of improving their conditions of life through the arts.
(2) Advance education in the arts, in particular but not exclusively by providing:
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Practical workshops, training courses and mentoring in various art forms;
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Events, festivals and work experience programmes in partnership with other
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organisations and schools; and
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Facilities and resources to enable the creation of art.
Ensuring our work delivers our aims
We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to the people we are set up to help. The review also helps us ensure our aim, objectives and activities remained focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
How our activities deliver public benefit
Our main activities and who we try to help are described below. All our charitable activities are undertaken to further our charitable purposes for the public benefit.
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Who we support
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We work most closely with learning disabled people and their families/carers.
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We work with young learning disabled people after school and at weekends, aged 8- 18.
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We work in schools, with young people of all ages, running a series of visual arts workshops co-delivered by learning disabled artists.
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We work with cultural organisations to support them to be more accessible to disabled people
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We work with artists, curators and art makers
Our Values
Venture Arts is:
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Artist led – Our artists drive everything that we do in partnership with the wider artist community.
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Ambitious – We are leaders in our work, fighting inequality and empowering learningdisabled people to succeed as individuals in society.
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Championing of diversity – We actively support, respect and champion all individuals and communities.
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A space for belonging – We bring people together in a welcoming and supportive space.
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Protective of our planet – We take responsibility for actively reducing our impact on the environment and being environmentally sustainable.
Our Vision
For learning disabled people to be recognised, celebrated and valued in the arts and in society.
Our Mission
To be leaders in the arts, striving for equity and supporting artists to excel.
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ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Our main activities and beneficiaries this year are described below. All our charitable activities focus on the artistic and social development of learning disabled people and are undertaken to further Venture Arts’ charitable purpose.
Summary
2024–2025 was an exceptional year of growth, influence and artistic excellence for Venture Arts. We deepened our national and international profile through exciting new partnerships, ground-breaking residencies, and increased opportunities for our artists to engage with audiences across the globe. We set in motion our plans to reconfigure and modernise our studios. Despite, the upheaval of moving into a temporary art space this nurturing, supportive and kind ambiance had been retained throughout.
The Studio
As always artists have been well supported to create fantastic works of art. They have collaborated widely with a number of partners. People have reported the real sense of respect, friendship and belonging that they feel within the walls of the studio, which is such a vital part of making that creative process follow. Our young people have thrived too, growing in confidence, supported into pathways in their lives and career, being involved in citywide events such as Macfest, Hulme Is Where the Art Is, Pride Week and so much more.
Beyond the Studio
Twelve of our studio artists have taken part in a range of diverse, rich and artist led cultural enrichment projects including:
Literature placements at the Portico, MMU Poetry Library, John Rylands and Elizabeth Gaskell House. An accessibility placement at the Whitworth over 36 weeks, an animation and Comic book placement at Salford Zine Library, Sale Waterside (Cosgrove Hall) and SODA (MMU) a placement working with local makers at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, a music venues placement with Unity Radio, Brighter Sound, Chethams School of Music, Band on the Wall, 53two and Factory International – 20 weeks and a placement about archives with the People’s History Museum and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah race Relations archive.
We were delighted to receive the news from the Henry Smith Foundation, that they were to continue to support this essential programme for the next three years.
Our work in schools was brilliantly led by our team of neurodiverse learning mentors: Rahima Imtiaz, David Parker-Conway, Amy Ellison, Bilal Khan, George Parker-Conway, Liam Ashworth and Sally Hirst. They worked at St John Vianney High School, Loreto College, Cavendish High School, Piper Hill High School, Bridge College and Manchester College on hugely varied projects including: collage, zine making, illustration and photography about identity and a huge ceramic tile making project, soon to be permanently installed within the school grounds.
We continued our long-term partnership with our friends at Down’s Syndrome Manchester through providing an art workshop at their monthly Chatterbox Club.
Key Highlights
- Venice Biennale – Venture Arts artists Michael Nash and Emelia Hewitt led the way in being the first neurodivergent, learning disabled artists to be accepted onto the
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British council led-Venice Fellowship, invigilating the brilliant show by John Akomfrah at the British Pavilion. They both spent the whole of October there, supported by their families and by a range of Venture Arts staff team. It was a fantastic opportunity for them and they both produced new bodies of work whilst there too.
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Wild at Manchester Museum - Launching in May 2024 this major year-long exhibition featured works by venture Arts studio Artists Andrew Johnstone and Emelia Hewitt. Both subsequently undertook exhibition tours, worked alongside neurodivergent students at Pinc College (located within the museum), and were in residence within the museum making new work and sharing this with wide audiences.
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Sally Hirst at the Whitworth. Sally continued with her permanent residency at the Whitworth, building on her arts practice and also playing an increasingly important role within the gallery supporting access initiatives and delivering accessible exhibition tours and becoming an integral part of the team there.
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Horace Lindezey had a brilliant year; firstly making new work in partnership with the National Festival of Making, leading to his own humorous, intricate and heartwarming show ‘We Are Gathered Here Together’ at Blackburn cathedral as part of the festival in July. This work then travelled down to London’s Fitzrovia Chapel in the most exquisite of settings. This incredible work was then featured in the Observer Review in December leading to significant sales and his first limited edition publication of his, now famous Blue Plaques. Some are destined for collections worldwide as well as the proposed hotel, Mollies Motel, to be housed beneath Manchester’s Soho House.
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November saw another fantastic show at the Manchester Contemporary which featured works from the year’s CoLab projects. Headed up by Sarah Boulter, our Producer, this year’s co-lab projects between artists from the studio and out of the studio were vibrant, diverse and demonstrated the effectiveness of artistic cocreation that the organisation is now so well known for. This show then moved on to Worcester School of Art in March.
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Studio artist Lesley Thompson also had a very productive year. Following on from his commission from the Government Art collection to depict the Coronation of King Charles, they acquired five of his pieces. Some of this work then went on to feature at Nottingham Museum and Art Gallery in a show called Kaleidoscopic Realms; running from May to November and showing eight of the UK’s leading neurodivergent artists.
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The whole team were completely delighted when Barry Finan was firstly nominated for, then awarded the Paul Hamlyn Award for Artists – only awarded to 5 artists per year, this prestigious award will support him to build on his work and practice for the next three years. Barry also had a brilliant show at Wigan Light Night ‘Jumping on Television Picturesses’ in November.
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Our ground-breaking Cultural Enrichment project continued to introduce our people to a wide spread of cultural opportunity in the city as mentioned above.
Venture Arts received the award for the Promotion of Equity and Social Justice in November 2024 at Manchester City Council’s Culture Awards, further embedding our standing in this city’s culture and signalling the continued appreciation for our work towards making culture a more accessible and welcoming place for learning disabled and neurodivergent people.
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It was a developmental year in terms of international development too. As mentioned above, we were very pleased to have been able to support artists to show and work at the Venice Biennale. We continued to build international links with artists and organisations in Germany feeding into a congress as part of Chemnitz 2025 – European City of Culture. We also built networks in Ukraine: Artem, a young autistic artist from Kyiv was able to come and spend two weeks on a residency with us in February, building his creative connections and practice. The work he made will lead into an exhibition at Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv and Liam Ashworth’s work will be shown with it under the title of ‘Friendship’. Aligned to this partnership, Amanda also presented to over 100 arts educators from across Ukraine.
The most significant organisational step forward this year was to make concrete plans and build funding to redevelop our art studios. This has been a long time in the planning as the staff team and board have long recognised the urgent need for contemporary facilities that are fit for purpose for our learning disabled creatives, partners and team. In May 2024 we were delighted to be offered by Arts Council England, £355,000 for our planned development. By the close of the year, plans were well underway with legal requirements and leases almost in place to get the project started. Within the first half of 2025 it is expected that the renovation will be completed with state of the art, art-making facilities in ceramics, printmaking, textiles and photography and more space for artists to make work on a larger scale. It will also contain two residency spaces for visiting artists and collaborators as well as more functional lunch, quiet spaces and meeting spaces. The all-new studios will be fully accessible and co-designed by neurodivergent artists and the wider team. This has been made possible to a large extent due to the immense support from Sheila Bird studios, to whom we are immensely grateful.
In January 2025 we moved out of our main studio spaces to make way for the planned works to be completed. We were fortunate to be able to re-locate temporarily to a studio space that had been recently vacated in the same building. The team worked hard to ensure minimal disruption to our work and people during this time which was undertaken efficiently, effectively and with great care. Our thanks go to our landlord Work for Change for supporting and facilitating this to happen too.
The team have shown exceptional care and resilience in supporting our artists to settle into our temporary studios and clearing the old studio site. As always, the whole team continue to show immense care and dedication to supporting our mission. We have been delighted to welcome Amie Kirby to the team as our new CEP coordinator working alongside Sarah Crosby, Thomas Yuen as artist facilitator as well as a new group of freelance studio facilitators.
The steering group continued to build, strengthen and find increasing agency on all levels of the organizational functionality, with their chair, Amber Stother reporting to the board at each board meeting. Board meeting minutes have been transcribed to easy read for consideration by the steering groups and they have been instrumental in decision making on many aspects of the capital project.
The EDI subgroup met six times in the year; supporting the organisation to make incremental progress in ensuring inclusive practice for all communities to our organisation as artists, team, members, volunteers and visitors.
Our Environmental Sub-group also met six times this year and it has been brilliant to see the whole team and artists put into effect simple energy and waste limitation initiatives in everyday working as well as launching our Big Green Summer, working with RNCM on a fantastic exhibition to raise awareness ('Green': a major collaboration with RNCM featuring Michael
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Beard, Violet Elmsley, Jennie Franklin, Teddy Flood, Josh Nisbett and Christina Kitromilides) and planning a major project with Castlefield Gallery for 25-26 to build representation and awareness of environmental issues to wider audiences.
Overall Activity (2024–2025)
| 105 | Artists attending |
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| 1,029 | In house studio sessions delivered |
| 488 | Young people engaged in 9 school projects co-led by 6 studio artist mentors |
| 62 | Young people aged 8-25 attending weekly sessions |
| 24 | Young people referred to other/ pathway opportunities at VA |
| 35 | LD people supported into external volunteering opportunities and involved in work placements (CEP) |
| 17 | Non-VA artists engaged in residencies/ support/ portfolios/ gallery pages/ blogs |
| 6 | VA studio artists engaged in residencies (Including Venice Biennale Fellowship |
| 30 | Artists employed |
| 16 | Freelance artists recruited and engaged |
| 24 | Young people referred to other/ pathway opportunities at VA |
| 32,308 | Website visits |
| 493,897 | Physical audiences |
| 14 | Exhibitions delivered |
| 14 | Works sold to national & international collections |
| 30 | Individual artists selling work |
| 51 | Prints/ reproductions of work sold in partnership with cultural orgs and commercial partners (Manchester Museum, Whitworth, LUSH, Dinosaur) |
| 29 | Partnerships developed (incl. regional, national, international + health & social care) to platform talent & promote ambition |
| 17 | Cultural enrichment project partnerships |
| 8 | Collaborative projects produced and curated (Co-Labs ana VA Collectives) |
| 6 | Commissions developed |
| 5 | City-wide festivals events engaged with (Manchester International Festival, Hulme is Where the Art is, Macfest) |
| 6 | Community events delivered (volunteer events, studio seasonal events, open studios) |
| 3 | Parent and carer sessions delivered |
Plans For 2025–2026
2025-2026 promises to be a time of exciting developments and progress as we look forward to the premises re-development. In addition, we are delighted to be working towards a major show at Manchester International Festival in partnership with Factory International in July ‘25 as well as a brilliant new partnership with the British Textiles Biennial later in the year.
Partnerships and Funds
We are immensely grateful to all our long-term partners who continue to support our artists to gain voice and representation in the arts including: the Whitworth, Manchester Museum, Castlefield Gallery, ActionSpace, Project Ability, Project Artworks and the Explorers Network, TJ Boulting, National Festival of Making, British Ceramics Biennial, British Textiles Biennial, Factory International, HOME, Things that Go on Things, Dinosaur, Sheila Bird Group and so many more.
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We are pleased that Arts Council England have extended their NPO application process for a further year and would also like to thank Henry Smith Foundation, Manchester City Council, National Lottery Community Fund, Joseph Levy Foundation, Art Fund and all our other donors, volunteers and supporters for their investment of funds and time without which we could not continue our essential work.
CHAIR’S REPORT
This is my first year signing off as Chair of the Board at Venture Arts, and I couldn’t be prouder of what the team and artists have achieved.
Reading through this report, I’m struck by just how much has happened in the past year. 2024/25 has seen international residencies, award-winning exhibitions, new partnerships, expanded cultural enrichment work, and most importantly, more opportunities for learning disabled and neurodivergent artists to develop and show their work. The Venice Biennale, the Wild exhibition at Manchester Museum, and our progress toward redeveloping our studio space are all standout moments.
I want to thank Amanda, the staff team, the artists and our volunteers - everyone has shown real resilience this year, not least during the move to a temporary studio space. So much has happened behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly, whilst maintaining a culture of care, creativity and collaboration.
I also want to give special thanks to Howard Rifkin, our previous Chair and now Vice-Chair, for his ongoing guidance and steady support. It’s been hugely helpful to have his knowledge and experience to hand as I’ve settled into the role.
Looking ahead, we’ve got a big year coming up: the new studio, a major show at Manchester International Festival, and even more chances to work with brilliant partners and reach new audiences. It’s an exciting time.
On behalf of the whole board, thank you to everyone who’s supported Venture Arts - our funders, friends, collaborators, families and especially our brilliant artists. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together, and even more excited about what comes next.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
At the end of 2024-25 Venture Arts was in a stable financial position.
We ended with an overall deficit of £4,212. During this year we started to incur costs and receive donations for our capital development project. Excluding these, our underlying financial result was a deficit of £22k. This was in line with the Board’s expectations. The prior year achieved a surplus of £25k and it was agreed to carry this over. We see this as a successful result overall given the organisation’s limited fundraising resource, the current grant-giving environment and the amount we have delivered over the year.
Income from grants and donations continues to decline, while workshop fees and commercial income has increased. Donation and legacy income of £262k was lower than the prior year by 13%, yet income from charitable activities of £408k was higher by 12%.
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Total expenditure of £707k was only £17k / 2% higher that of the prior year. This is attributed to staffing costs which were £20k higher than the prior year, partially offset by a reduction in support costs.
We ended the year with sufficient reserves. This, together with our robust approach to financial governance, puts us in a healthy position to continue with our plans to expand our premises and meet the needs of more beneficiaries.
Reserves Policy
Reserves held at 31 March ‘25 were £465,377. These funds are held in order to carry out Venture Arts’s core activities and outreach projects, to develop and/or expand the charity’s work, to ensure the continuity of running costs should a funding gap arise, and to cover costs of closure should the charity find itself in an unsustainable financial situation.
The amount of restricted reserves held at the end of year were £2,686. These are for the Cultural Enrichment Programme, kindly funded by Henry Smith Foundation until 2027.
Of the total unrestricted reserve of £462,691, the Board has designated a fund of £91,439 toward the project to develop our premises.
Excluding our tangible fixed assets of £30,792, our unrestricted, undesignated funds are valued at £340,460. The Board sees this as a satisfactory fund to cover three months’ general running costs and the unfortunate situation of redundancy and cost of closure. It also notes that the coming year will be challenging due to the need to fund its regular programme of artistic development alongside the development of our premises.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Venture Arts is a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity. The company was established under a Memorandum, and Articles of Association which established our objects and powers. The trustees are only entitled to voting rights and have no beneficial interest in the charity. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 12 to the accounts. We are governed by our Articles and a copy is available on request. Venture Arts is governed by the Board of Directors (referred to in this report as the Trustees), comprising individuals recruited from a wide range of professional backgrounds.
Trustees are appointed for a fixed term of four years and may serve a maximum of three terms.
We recognise the responsibilities placed by law on a trustee and a thorough induction programme is in place for all new trustees which includes visits to our service to meet staff and the people who use our services. All trustees are required to undergo Safeguarding training, have a current satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and agree to our Trustees’ Code of Conduct.
The board regularly reviews the skills required in order to properly govern the organisation and we intend to develop ways to increase the involvement of the people who use our services at board level.
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We hold Annual General Meetings at which the Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer are elected to serve for the year ahead.
One trustee resigned shortly after the accounting period on 28 April 2025. Two longstanding trustees came to the end of their terms and were re-appointed several months later following a small change to the articles of association. Venture Arts recognises that an effective board of trustees is essential to achieve our objects. The board must have available to it all of the knowledge and skills required to run the organisation. Individual trustees must have sufficient knowledge, both of trusteeship in general and of our activities, to enable them to carry out their role and to represent the charity at meetings and other events.
Venture Arts seeks to ensure diversity in its board as well as in its staff base and we continue to consider ways in which groups that are under-represented on the board might be reached and encouraged to apply. The board will not discriminate unfairly on any of the grounds listed in the Equal Opportunities policy.
Remuneration policy for key management personnel
As a charitable company, Venture Arts relies heavily on donated funds and the ongoing support of many volunteers and funders. Venture Arts employed 22 staff, the majority of whom are employed on a part-time basis (total 13.9 FTEs), and additional sessional workers who provide freelance arts work. Staff costs make up a large proportion of the annual cost of running Venture Arts as we are a people-centred organisation and the experience, skills, commitment and enthusiasm of our staff are our most important assets. Managing staff costs whilst ensuring that the charity has the appropriate mix of skills and expertise to achieve its objectives is an important part of ensuring the ongoing success and viability of the organisation.
Remuneration of key management staff is set based on a combination of affordability and benchmarking of third sector rates and is authorised by the Board. There are no employees who received benefits of more than £60,000.
Risk management
The management team carry out regular operational risk assessments. The senior management team and trustees review our Risk Register at quarterly Board meetings, to consider matters that present various organisational risks and agree appropriate actions.
Funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of others
Neither Venture Arts, nor its trustees are acting as custodian trustees.
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STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES
The trustees (who are also directors of Venture Arts 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 period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
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Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP.
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Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
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State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
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. They 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.
As far as the trustees are aware:
- There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware. The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Auditors
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime of the Companies Act 2006. The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by
Stephanie Graham (Chair)
Date 01/10/2025
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Independent auditors’ report to the members of Venture Arts
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Venture Arts (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of the charitable company’s incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;
• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
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Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information.
Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
• the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
• the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
• adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
• certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
• the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 18, the trustees (who are also directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary
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to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below.
Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities, including fraud
Based on our understanding of the charitable company and environment in which it operates, we identified the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to pension legislation, tax legislation, employment legislation, health and safety legislation, and other legislation specific to the industry in which the charitable company operates, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, the reporting requirements under the Charities SORP and FRS102, and the Charities Act 2011.
We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to:
-
Posting manual journal entries to manipulate financial performance, including the treatment of deferred income being inconsistent with FRS102 SORP income recognition; and
-
Management bias through judgements and assumptions in significant accounting estimates and significant one-off or unusual transactions.
Our audit procedures were designed to respond to those identified risks, including noncompliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) and fraud that are material to the financial statements. Our audit procedures included but were not limited to:
Compliance with laws and regulations:
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Discussions with management including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations;
-
Communicating identified laws and regulations throughout our engagement team and remaining alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout our audit;
-
Review minutes of meetings for issues relating to non-compliance;
-
Reviewing both the design and implementation of key policies, including safeguarding.
-
Review of correspondence with the regulators and with legal advisors;
Material Fraud in the financial statements:
-
Making enquiries of management and those charged with governance on whether they had any knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud;
-
Gaining an understanding of the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud;
-
Discussing amongst the engagement team the risks of fraud;
-
Addressing the risks of fraud through management override of controls by performing journal entry testing; and
-
Challenging assumptions and judgments made by management, including reviewing management’s recognition of income in line with FRS102 SORP, use of depreciation policies and the defined benefit pension liability and associated disclosures;
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
Use of the audit report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and, the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Patrick Morrello ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Third Sector Accountancy Limited, Statutory Auditor Holyoake House Hanover Street Manchester M60 0AS
Date 02 / 10 / 2025
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Venture Arts
Statement of Financial Activities
(including Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31[st] March 2025
| Note Income from: Donations and legacies 3 Charitable activities 4 Other trading activities 5 Investments 6 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds 7 Charitable activities 8 Total expenditure Net income/(expenditure) for the year 10 Transfer between funds 20 Net movement in funds for the year Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
Unrestricted funds £ 157,962 304,688 22,313 10,847 495,810 36,876 453,058 489,934 5,876 - 5,876 456,815 462,691 |
Restricted funds £ 104,061 103,200 - - 207,261 - 217,349 217,349 (10,088) - (10,088) 12,774 2,686 |
Total funds 2025 £ 262,023 407,888 22,313 10,847 703,071 36,876 670,407 707,283 (4,212) - (4,212) 469,589 465,377 |
Unrestricted funds £ 187,151 279,414 40,704 9,629 516,898 21,640 428,168 449,808 67,090 8,783 75,873 380,942 456,815 |
Restricted funds Total funds 2024 £ £ 114,358 301,509 90,850 370,264 - 40,704 - 9,629 205,208 722,106 619 22,259 246,450 674,618 247,069 696,877 (41,861) 25,229 (8,783) - (50,644) 25,229 63,418 444,360 12,774 469,589 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
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Venture Arts
Company Number 10823617 Balance sheet as at 31[st] March 2025
| Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 15 Total fixed assets Current assets Debtors 16 Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due in less than one year 17 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Net assets The funds of the charity: Restricted income funds 19 Unrestricted income funds 21 Total charity funds |
2025 £ £ 30,792 30,792 37,409 446,247 483,656 (49,071) 434,585 465,377 465,377 2,686 462,691 465,377 |
2024 £ £ 650 650 20,523 491,181 511,704 (42,765) 468,939 469,589 469,589 12,774 456,815 469,589 |
2024 £ £ 650 650 20,523 491,181 511,704 (42,765) 468,939 469,589 469,589 12,774 456,815 469,589 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 650 468,939 |
|||
| 469,589 | |||
| 469,589 | |||
| 12,774 456,815 |
|||
| 469,589 |
The notes on pages 19 to 32 form part of these accounts.
Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Vanda Hagan (Treasurer)
Date: 29/09/2025
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Venture Arts
Statement of Cash Flows
for the year ending 31[st] March 2025
| Note Cash provided by/(used in) operating activities 24 Cash flows from investing activities: Dividends, interest, and rents from investments Purchase of tangible fixed assets Cash provided by/(used in) investing activities Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year |
2025 2024 £ £ (49,665) 27,979 10,847 9,629 (6,116) - 4,731 9,629 (44,934) 37,608 491,181 453,573 446,247 491,181 |
|---|---|
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
1 Accounting policies
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
a Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), second edition - October 2019 (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
Venture Arts meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.
b Judgments and estimates
The trustees have made no key judgments which have a significant effect on the accounts.
The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.
c Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern.
d Income
Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
Income received in advance of a provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.
e Donated services and facilities
Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised.
On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
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Venture Arts Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
f Interest receivable
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.
g Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.
Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.
h Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:
-
Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of workshops and other projects undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs.
-
Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
i Allocation of support costs
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back-office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charity's programmes and activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 9.
j Operating leases
Operating leases are leases in which the title to the assets, and the risks and rewards of ownership, remain with the lessor. Rental charges are charged on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
k Tangible fixed assets
Individual fixed assets costing £1000 or more are capitalised at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful economic lives on a straight-line basis as follows:
| Refurbishment of premises | 20% |
|---|---|
| Fixtures and fittings | 25% |
| Computers and equipment | 33% |
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Venture Arts Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
l Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
m Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
n Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
o Pensions
Employees of the charity are entitled to join a defined contribution ‘money purchase’ scheme. The charity’s contribution is restricted to the contributions disclosed in note 11. There were no outstanding contributions at the year end.
2 Legal status of the charity
The charity is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The registered office address is disclosed on page 1.
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
- 3 Income from donations and legacies
| ncome from charitable activities Donation income Grant income Small grant income Total Grants Workshop fees External workshop fees Collaborations Exhibition fees Total |
Unrestricted £ 41,030 106,932 10,000 157,962 Unrestricted £ 26,757 227,999 31,028 11,497 7,407 304,688 |
Restricted £ 7,038 95,523 1,500 104,061 Restricted £ 103,200 - - - - 103,200 |
Total 2025 £ 48,068 202,455 11,500 262,023 Total 2025 £ 129,957 227,999 31,028 11,497 7,407 407,888 |
Unrestricted £ 30,219 156,932 - 187,151 Unrestricted £ 26,757 195,619 22,170 30,720 4,148 279,414 |
Restricted Total 2024 £ £ 6,151 36,370 93,657 250,589 14,550 14,550 114,358 301,509 Restricted Total 2024 £ £ 90,850 117,607 - 195,619 - 22,170 - 30,720 - 4,148 90,850 370,264 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- 4 Income from charitable activities
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
5 Income from other trading activities
| Artwork sales Merchandise sales |
Unrestricted £ 14,429 7,884 22,313 |
Restricted Total 2025 £ £ - 14,429 - 7,884 - 22,313 |
Unrestricted Restricted £ £ 36,051 - 4,653 - 40,704 - |
Total 2024 £ 36,051 4,653 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40,704 |
- 6 Investment income
All of the charity’s investment income arises from money held in interest bearing deposit accounts. All investment income is unrestricted.
- 7 Cost of raising funds
| Seeking grants & donations Cost of merchandise sold Community events |
Unrestricted £ 31,850 3,199 1,828 36,876 |
Restricted £ - - - - |
Total 2025 £ 31,850 3,199 1,828 36,876 |
Unrestricted £ 16,332 2,286 3,022 21,640 |
Restricted Total 2024 £ £ - 16,332 165 2,451 454 3,476 619 22,259 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
8 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities
| Staff costs Outreach Projects Freelance Workers Travel and Activities Training Other Governance costs (see note 9) Support costs (see note 9) |
Workshops £ 271,046 11,864 26,152 1,349 3,766 2,650 7,788 196,925 521,540 |
Other Projects £ 82,244 19,716 3,386 - 153 218 195 42,954 148,867 |
Total 2025 £ 353,290 31,580 29,539 1,349 3,919 2,868 7,983 239,879 670,407 |
Workshops £ 234,707 10,064 12,156 1,552 2,834 2,634 6,355 215,613 485,914 |
Other Projects Total 2024 £ £ 85,093 319,800 45,903 55,967 5,863 18,019 - 1,552 345 3,179 94 2,728 237 6,592 - 51,169 266,782 188,704 674,618 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- 9 Analysis of governance and support costs
| Staff costs Legal & Professional Travel Admin Marketing Depreciation Building costs IT Health & Safety Accountancy Trustee expenses |
Support £ 150,832 3,925 8,528 5,677 6,035 974 44,395 10,224 9,288 - - 239,879 |
Governance £ - 2,080 - - - - - - - 5,903 - 7,983 |
Total 2025 £ 150,832 6,005 8,528 5,677 6,035 974 44,395 10,224 9,288 5,903 - 247,862 |
Support £ 149,538 24,097 10,867 6,959 8,906 3,303 42,551 11,259 9,302 - - 266,782 |
Governance Total 2024 Basis of apportionment £ £ - 149,538 Individual role - 24,097 Total direct cost - 10,867 Total direct cost - 6,959 Total direct cost - 8,906 Total direct cost - 3,303 Total direct cost - 42,551 Total direct cost - 11,259 Total direct cost - 9,302 Total direct cost 6,514 6,514 Governance 78 78 Governance 6,592 273,374 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Venture Arts Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
10 Net income / (expenditure) for the year
This is stated after charging/(crediting):
| This is stated after charging/(crediting): | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Depreciation | 974 | 3,303 |
| Operating lease rentals: other | 34,907 | 34,081 |
| Auditor's remuneration - audit fees | 4,944 |
4,800 |
| Auditor's remuneration - accountancy fees | - | 900 |
11 Staff costs
Staff costs for the year were as follows:
| Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension costs Accrued holiday Accrued payrolled artist commission Staff related costs Training Allocated as follows: Charitable activities Support costs |
2025 £ 453,457 31,031 9,358 4,350 4,250 1,676 4,359 508,482 357,650 150,832 508,482 |
2024 £ 433,732 27,978 8,535 3,821 10,168 1,435 3,179 |
|---|---|---|
| 488,848 | ||
| 334,410 154,438 |
||
| 488,848 |
No employees had employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (2024: Nil).
Staff costs include amounts paid to artists/beneficiaries who are paid commission for art sales via payroll and amounts paid to freelancers who were not registered for self-employment. Excluding artist commission and payrolled freelancers, staff costs in 2025 were £488,487 (2024: £480,445).
The average monthly number of staff employed during the period was 22 (2024: 23) This excludes artist commission and freelancers mentioned above.
The full-time equivalent number of staff during the period was 13.9 (2024: 14.1). This incorporates additional hours worked above standard contractual hours.
The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees, Director, Head of Creative Development, Head of Operations and Internal Business Strategy, Head of Finance and Marketing Manager.
The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £167,079 (2024: £151,674).
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Venture Arts Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
12 Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions
No trustee or person closely related or connected with them received any remuneration during the year (2024: Nil).
No trustees received travel and subsistence expenses during the year (2024: £78.30).
Aggregate donations from trustees were £120 (2024: £120). There were no restrictions on these donations.
The charity benefitted from services in kind from Sheila Bird Studio, owned by trustee Atul Bansal. The services provided were drawings, specifications and project management services for the capital development project. The in-kind support provided up to 31st March has been valued at £17,500. (2024: £12,000). Sheila Bird also paid Venture Arts a total of £3,705 for artist workshops, valued at £2,205, and commissioned artwork, valued at £1,500 (2024: £1,774).
One related party provided building maintenance services to the value of £720. The supplier was the common law partner of the Head of Finance. This has been paid in full (2024: £1,335).
Venture Arts used the services of Grizedale Arts for an artist residency opportunity to the value of £1,099. This organisation is a charity for which the Venture Arts Director was a trustee up to 26th March 2025. This has been paid in full. (2024: £1,200)
There were no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no restricted donations from related parties.
No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity, including guarantees, during the year (2024: nil).
13 Government grants
The government grants recognised in the accounts were as follows:
| Arts Council - NPO MCC - Cultural Partnership Agreement MCC - Voluntary & Community MCC - Health Equities MCC - Cost of Living Grant MCC - International Womens Day Access to Work |
2025 2024 £ £ 106,932 106,932 26,757 26,757 55,000 55,000 10,000 - 15,000 - 500 - - 4,550 214,189 193,239 |
|---|---|
There were no unfulfilled conditions and contingencies attached to the grants.
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
14 Corporation tax
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the charity.
15 Fixed assets: tangible assets
| Debtors Leasehold improvements Cost £ At 1 April 2024 14,775 Additions 29,169 Disposals - At 31 Mar 2025 43,944 Depreciation At 1 April 2024 14,775 Charge for the year - Disposals - At 31 Mar 2025 14,775 Net Book Value At 31 Mar 2025 29,169 At 31 Mar 2024 - Trade debtors Prepayments and accrued income Cycle to work scheme |
Furniture & fittings £ 13,913 - - 13,913 13,263 325 - 13,588 325 650 2025 £ 17,433 17,871 2,105 37,409 |
Furniture & fittings £ 13,913 - - 13,913 13,263 325 - 13,588 325 650 2025 £ 17,433 17,871 2,105 37,409 |
Computers & Equipment £ 46,046 1,947 47,993 46,046 649 - 46,695 1,298 - 2024 £ 12,826 7,634 63 20,523 |
Total £ 74,734 31,116 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105,850 | ||||
| 74,084 974 - |
||||
| 75,058 | ||||
| 30,792 | ||||
| 650 | ||||
| 37,409 |
16 Debtors
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| Deferred income Accruals Trade creditors Short term compensated absences (holiday pay) Deferred income (see note 18) Taxation and social security costs Employee pension Deferred income brought forward Workshop fees received Released to income from charitable activities MCC Local Care grant issued relating to 25-26 Deferred income carried forward |
2025 £ 15,192 10,771 4,350 10,704 8,054 - 49,071 2025 £ 240 228,463 (227,999) 10,000 10,704 |
2024 £ 27,886 1,670 3,995 240 7,302 1,672 |
|---|---|---|
| 42,765 | ||
| 2024 £ - 195,859 (195,619) - |
||
| 240 |
18 Deferred income
Income received for workshop fees relating to the future period is deferred.
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19 Analysis of movement in restricted funds
Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
| Current reporting period Balance at 1 Apr 24 £ Art Fund - Reimagine 4,809.95 Henry Smith 21-24 7,964 Henry Smith 24-27 0 National Lottery Community Fund RC North West Reg - Manchester City Council VCS - Manchester City Council Cost of Living - Manchester City Council Community Health Equity - Manchester City Council IWD - Donations restricted to children's programme - Grand Plan - Total Restricted Reserve 12,774 Previous reporting period Balance at 1 Apr 23 £ ACE - NW Artist Development 4,233 Access to Work - NW Artist Development - Art Fund - Reimagine 38,045 National Lottery Community Fund RC North West Reg (579) Scope - Connecting Communities 9,990 Scope - Parent and Carers Group 1 500 Scope - Parent and Carers Group 2 - Manchester City Council VCS - Henry Smith 7,330 Ashley Family Foundation - Community Events 454 Ashley Family Foundation - Children 0 Manchester Guardian Society 2,000 High Lee House - Young People's Programme 1,000 Campaign Donations 445 Send Young Manchester - The Charity Service - Total Restricted Reserve 63,418 |
Income £ 5,000 0 18,200 95,523 55,000 15,000 10,000 500 7,038 1,000 207,261 Income £ - 4,550 - 93,657 - - 500 55,000 28,600 - 10,000 - - 6,151 3,750 3,000 205,208 |
Expenditure Transfers £ £ (9,810) - (7,964) - (15,515) - (95,523) - (55,000) - (15,000) - (10,000) - (500) - (7,038) - (1,000) - (217,349) - Expenditure Transfers £ £ - (4,233) - (4,550) (33,235) - (93,078) - (9,990) - (500) - (500) - (55,000) - (27,966) - (454) - (10,000) - (2,000) - (1,000) - (6,596) - (3,750) - (3,000) - (247,069) (8,783) |
Balance at 31 Mar 25 £ - - 2,686 - - - - - - - |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,686 | |||
| Balance at 31 Mar 24 £ - - 4,810 - - - - - 7,964 - - - - - - - |
|||
| 12,774 |
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Venture Arts Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
Analysis of movement in restricted funds continued
| Name of restricted fund | Description, nature and purposes of the fund |
|---|---|
| Art Fund - Reimagine | Funding to create a new collaborative arts network, Co-Lab, establishing connections between Manchester based LD artists and local, national, and international artist collectives, galleries and studio spaces. Over 18 months (Jan 23- Jun 24) deliver six projects, support LD artists' access to residencies, funding, exhibitions and commissions, produce ten public showcases and events. |
| Henry Smith Charity - Cultural Enrichment 21- 24 & 24-27 |
Funding towards running costs of a project providing work experience placements in cultural venues for adults with learning disabilities in Greater Manchester. |
| National Lottery Community Fund RC North West Region |
Funding for the “skills development programme,” to develop workplace skills, life skills and artistic skills. Developing the skills of people with learning disabilities to act as mentors and deliver arts workshops to children in schools. It also funded our workshops with artists who are young adults (Inbetweeners, aged 18-25). In addition it contributed to some of our core salaries and other smaller scale skills buildinginitiatives. |
| Manchester City Council VCS |
Contribution to the core VA programme including volunteer co-ordination costs, artist facilitation and overheads. |
| Manchester City Council - Cost of Living |
Contribution towards the running costs of the under 18s workshop programme. |
| Manchester City Council - Community Health Equity Manchester |
Contribution towards the running costs of the organisation, with the purpose of improving health outcomes for learning disabled people. |
| Manchester City Council IWD |
For holding an event to celebrate of International Women’s Day 2025. |
| Grand Plan | Funding for one VA artist to develop their artistic practice by working collaborativelywith an artistpeer. |
| Donations | Fundingforyoung peoples’ workshopsessions |
| ACE - North West Artist Development |
Funding from Arts Council England to cover the costs of developing visual arts by artists with learning disabilities across the North West of England, in collaboration with Outside In and The Whitworth. This project completed in Mar 2023. |
| Access to Work | Accessibility funding from the DWP to assist the manager of the North West Art Development Fund |
| Scope – Connecting Communities |
Contribution towards the running costs for adult studio sessions over six months and cultural trips. |
| Scope – Parent & Carers 1 & 2 |
Funding for creative workshops for parents and carers of VA learning disabled and neurodivergent artists, to socialise with peers, learn new skills, improve their wellbeingand discuss issues with those in similar situations. |
| Ashley Family Foundation - Community Events |
Funding for community events: two VA collectives, an open studio and festive fair |
| Ashley Family Foundation - Children |
Funding for young people and children workshop sessions. |
| Manchester Guardian Society |
Funding for young people and children workshop sessions in 23-24 |
| High Lee House | Fundingforyoung people and children workshopsessions in 23-24 |
| Send Young Manchester | Fundingforyoung people and children workshopsessions in 23-24 |
| The Charity Service | Fundingforyoung people and children workshopsessions in 23-24 |
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
20 Transfers between funds
| ACE - NW Artist Development Project costs were under-allocated in the 22-23 accounts but not for the whole project. Access to Work - NW Artist Development The grant was not confirmed until the application was submitted in 2023-24 after the project completed in 2022-23. |
2025 - - 0 |
2024 (4,233) (4,550) |
|---|---|---|
| (8,783) |
21 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds
| Current reporting period General fund Development fund Prievious reporting period General fund Development fund Post covid contingency YPAC Programme 23-24 |
Balance at 1 April 2024 £ 357,940 98,875 456,815 Balance at 1 April 2023 £ 266,262 90,000 8,875 15,805 380,942 |
Income £ 495,810 - 495,810 Income £ 516,899 516,899 |
Expenditure £ (482,498) (7,436) (489,934) Expenditure £ (434,004) (15,805) (449,809) |
Transfers As at 31 March 2025 £ £ 371,253 91,439 0 462,691 Transfers As at 31 March 2024 £ £ 8,783 357,940 8,875 98,875 (8,875) 0 0 8,783 456,815 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of unrestricted fund |
Description, nature and purposes of the fund |
|---|---|
| General fund | The free reserves after allowingfor all designated funds |
| Development fund | For expandingthe activities of the charityto serve more beneficiaries |
| Post covid contingency |
To cover increased costs and bear unexpected impacts as a result of the pandemic. This was deemed no longer necessary and the Board decided to transfer the remainingfunds to the Development fund. |
| YPAC Programme 23- 24 |
To cover the costs of the 23-24 children’s programme if further funding was not found throughout theyear. |
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Venture Arts
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)
22 Analysis of net assets between funds
| Current reporting period General fund £ Tangible fixed assets 30,792 Net current assets/(liabilities) 340,461 Total 371,252 Prievious reporting period General fund £ Tangible fixed assets 650 Net current assets/(liabilities) 357,290 Total 357,940 |
Designated funds Restricted funds £ £ - - 91,439 2,686 91,439 2,686 Designated funds Restricted funds £ £ - - 98,875 12,774 98,875 12,774 |
Total 2025 £ 30,792 434,585 465,377 |
|---|---|---|
| Total 2024 £ 650 468,939 |
||
| 469,589 |
23 Operating lease commitments
The charity’s total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:
| Less than one year One to five years Over five years |
Premises 2025 2024 £ £ 29,923 31,694 - 29,765 - - 29,923 61,459 |
Equipment 2025 2024 £ £ 3,030 3,030 4,057 7,087 - - 7,087 10,117 |
|---|---|---|
24 Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Net income/(expenditure) for the year | (4,212) | 25,229 |
| Adjustments for | ||
| Depreciation charge | 974 | 3,303 |
| Donations in kind capital additions | (25,000) | - |
| Dividends, interest and rents from investments | (10,847) | (9,629) |
| Decrease/(increase) in debtors | (16,886) | 1,707 |
| Increase/(decrease) in creditors | 6,306 | 7,369 |
| Net cash provided by /(used in) operating | (49,665) | 27,979 |
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