Compass Live Art Limited
Charity number 1177590
A company limited by guarantee number 09176219
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 March 2025
Compass Live Art Limited
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 6 |
| Examiner's report | 7 |
| Statement of financial activities | 8 |
| Balance sheet | 9 |
| Notes to the accounts | 10 to 12 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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Compass Live Art Limited
Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2025
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position Dates Manpreet Dhadda Chair Bronagh Daly Appointed 21 October 2024 Shona Hunter Resigned 21 August 2024 Fe Uhuru Sam Day Wendy Denman Leah Francis Benjamin Mills Appointed 21 August 2024 Charity number 1177590 Registered in England and Wales Company number 09176219 Registered in England and Wales Registered and principal address Bankers Yorkshire Dance NatWest Bank plc 3 St. Peters Square Leeds City Office Leeds 8 Park Row LS9 8AH Leeds LS1 5HD
Appointed 21 August 2024 Registered in England and Wales Registered in England and Wales
Independent examiner
Simon Bostrom FCIE
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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Compass Live Art Limited
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2025
Structure, governance and management
Compass Live Art Limited is a company limited by guarantee (no. 09176219), formed on 14 August 2014, governed by a memorandum and articles of association as amended by special resolution on 9 March 2018. It was registered as a charity in March 2018.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law and who served during the year are listed above. None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All the Trustees are members of the company and the liability of the members in the event of the company being wound up is limited to a sum not exceeding £10.
The charity is run by the Board of Trustees, which meets every 3 months. Day to day management of the organisation is delegated to the two Co-Directors, who lead the delivery of activity with a core freelance team, commissioning additional freelance support, artists and creative professionals as needed.
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
The trustees of the charity are also the directors for the purposes of company law and are appointed by the members at the AGM.
Two of the charity’s board members resigned in October, we thank them for the huge contribution they have made to our work and progress. In January 2023, following an open, public recruitment process, we were delighted to welcome three new trustees, bringing valuable new creative, technical and community engagement skills to the board.
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects
To advance art for the benefit of the public, in particular through the promotion, exhibition and facilitation of live art and contemporary performance, both nationally and internationally, by means of public performance, broadcasts, exhibitions and other suitable means.
The charity's main activities
Based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Compass Live Art is a contemporary arts organisation specialising in live, interactive and cross-disciplinary arts practice. We commission outstanding professional artists – local, national and international – to create bold and ambitious pieces, which resonate with the people, spaces, life and heritage of our home city. We work across the spectrum of art forms - dance, music/sound, performance, digital and visual arts.
Through the commissioning and development of new artist projects we animate spaces not normally associated with contemporary art and culture. Every two years we deliver Compass Festival a 10-day celebration of interactive art projects across Leeds.
Public benefit statement
Compass works for the benefit of the general public by brokering new connections and friendships, offering enjoyment and memorable experiences and shining a new light on our city and on the lives of its people. Our free, inclusive activities, performances and creative interactions challenge the perception that the arts, especially bold and innovative arts, are only for a privileged few. Our programmes reach and inspire many who are accessing the arts for first time – inviting them to enjoy shared experiences, happening in real time and anchored in their own communities and familiar spaces.
The trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in agreeing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning its future activities.
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Compass Live Art Limited
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2025
Achievements and performance
In 2024, Compass delivered the fundraising, planning, delivery and evaluation of Compass 2024, the 7th edition of our biennial festival celebrating live and interactive contemporary art.
The programme was developed from a range of projects developed by artists both through the Compass Artist Residency Programme 2023 the previous year and those selected from a National Open Call for Projects which received over 180 submissions. As ever, Compass’ artistic policy focused on works made by artists for whom socially engaged and interactivity are embedded deeply and meaningfully within their practices.
Many works were developed with and by communities from across Leeds through a range of innovative artistic processes that included workshops, discussion events, walks and other activities.
Having launched the full programme in early September, Compass presented preview events of two artist projects in partnership with other Leeds cultural events and organisations. In September, Slap Collective were commissioned to present an extract of their performance installation ALT+R in partnership with Bruntwood’s Platform building as part of Leeds Digital Festival. Following this in October, Compass presented a preview of Melanie Whitehead Smith’s screeendance project HERE MARKS THE SPOT in partnership with the Cultural Institute at the University of Leeds and Light Night Leeds, welcoming over 700 visitors to the installation at Leeds University Union.
The main Compass 2024 programme ran for the full month of November, launching with a free event at Fearns in partnership with Leeds Dock where a programme theme of Food Systems and Climate was introduced. Then followed the inaugural Leeds Sauce Week, a celebration of a past Compass commission by Popeye Collective LEEDS SAUCE, which ran 2021-2023. This week celebrating food, locality and place was developed in partnership with 9 different independent food businesses across the city, distributing a limited-edition batch of Leeds Sauce.
Ling Tan’s Low Carbon Chinatown opened as a fully recyclable pantry, grow space and multimedia installation inside Leeds Kirkgate Market for 1 week ahead of the performance and supper club part of the project which saw 60 guests join Compass, the artist and guest contributors for dinner after hours in the 1904 hall of the market.
Manchester based company Quarantine presented Building of Spines in which they created a book in a week within Leeds Central Library. The content was informed by the answers to questions based on the Dewey Decimal classification given by library users, workers and festival visitors. The public could watch every stage of the process from interviews to book binding. The book is now held in the permanent collection of the library.
Later in the month Alisa Oleva led groups of audiences on a weekend of walks created with people who had moved to Leeds from other cities around the world, exploring the theme of home. The walking route led visitors from the city centre to Chapeltown, all whilst listening to live streamed audio from the participants former homes in Buenos Aires and Kamianske, Ukraine. A publication was created for the weekend which audiences could take away with them.
SLAP Collective presented two projects focused on the tech and wellness industries at Leeds Dock. BRIGHTSIDE returned from Leeds 2023 for a run of evening performances in which the audience took part on spin bikes and ALT+R offered the public (and their devices) a range of treatments for their digital selves.
At Trinity Leeds, Polite Rebellion presented LOOSE ENDS, a moving textile installation exploring the notion of the chosen family and the composition of family trees. The public could spend as long as they liked in the space, planning and designing their own bespoke family trees.
The full week of screenings of Melanie Whitehead Smith’s HERE MARKS THE SPOT saw a roving range of screendance projections across the city, locating moments of queer joy as experienced by participants who developed choreography with Melanie through a workshop process that ran across 2024. Screenings saw audiences gather at University of Leeds, Sunken Studio, Meanwood Park and Wharf Street.
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Compass Live Art Limited
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2025
Achievements and performance continued
The final weekend of the festival saw the conclusion of Amy Lawrence’s project SHARING PLATTER (formerly presented as HUNGRY GHOSTS) supported by National Heritage Fund and presented by Compass between 2022 and 2024. The concluding weekend featured a two day programme of gathering and finding, picking and prepping and concluding with ‘leftovers’. Guests enjoyed a bespoke programme curated by Amy around a bespoke modular dining table set up at Leeds Cookery School within Leeds Kirkgate Market. Contributors to the event included artists, gardeners, holistic therapists, sound artists, cooks and chefs.
Through the Compass 2024 programme we were able to engage a range of FE and HE students through paid work based learning placements, making invaluable connections ahead of the re launch of Compass.
Plans for future periods
We will be focused on the delivery of delivering Compass Artist Residency Programme 2025 alongside bringing some Compass 2024 projects back to Leeds in new contexts, continuing to create spaces for interactive art across Leeds engaging thousands of local people as participants and audiences.
Following this we will begin developing Compass 2026 and beyond, developing new projects in the spheres of heritage, food science and neighbourhood design for local people.
Financial review
The net income for the year was £19,078, including net income of £9,778 on unrestricted funds and net income of £9,300 on restricted funds.
Reserves policy
The Trustees aim to hold a balance in free reserves equal to at least three months’ of core expenditure (costs of core team, office rent, insurances etc, equivalent to £12,000) so as to enable the charity to operate in the short term in the event of unexpected delays in the receipt of income or unexpected expenditure.
The charity's free reserves, excluding fixed assets, at the year end were £26,425.
We acknowledge that the reserves have increased by approximately £9,700 during the year. This is as a result of earned income through sales and fees for projects delivered.
Our year end reserves were therefore in excess of our policy target and we are currently considering both how best to utilise those funds in the current year to develop further programming and revisiting the policy in light of our increased annual spending.
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Compass Live Art Limited
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2025
Statement of trustees' responsibilities
The trustees (who are also the directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees report and the financial statements in accordance with the applicable law and UK Accounting Standards.
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial accounts 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 the year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the accounts on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (Charities SORP (FRS102)), and in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Approved by the board of trustees on Bronagh Daly
19/12/2025 (Trustee)
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Compass Live Art Limited
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Compass Live Art Limited
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on pages 8 to 12.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees of the charitable company (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 charitable 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 ('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
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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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
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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
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4 the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and 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 (FRS 102)].
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.
Simon Bostrom FCIE
19/12/2025
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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Compass Live Art Limited
Statement of Financial Activities
(including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Notes 2025 Unrestricted funds £ Income from: Grants and donations (2) 5,000 Sales and earned income 9,645 Other income 400 Total income 15,045 Expenditure on: Core team 4,481 Casual team 125 Associate team - Artists fees - Materials and resources 563 Travel and accommodation - Training and conferences - Marketing 98 Rent, room hire and storage - Insurance - Independent examination - Memberships and subscriptions - Admin and office costs - Bank charges - Fundraising - Hospitality - Total expenditure 5,267 Net income / (expenditure) 9,778 Fund balances brought forward 16,647 Fund balances carried forward (3) 26,425 |
2025 Restricted funds £ 156,437 - - 156,437 51,994 1,870 22,721 37,965 5,153 3,746 - 9,216 9,896 2,218 1,080 437 421 167 - 253 147,137 9,300 6,071 15,371 |
2025 Total funds £ 161,437 9,645 400 171,482 56,475 1,995 22,721 37,965 5,716 3,746 - 9,314 9,896 2,218 1,080 437 421 167 - 253 152,404 19,078 22,718 41,796 |
2024 Total funds £ 53,207 - 406 53,613 41,337 - 7,150 21,801 1,266 2,931 192 - 8,183 2,388 1,500 393 170 70 2,850 405 90,636 (37,023) 59,741 22,718 |
|---|---|---|---|
All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.
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Compass Live Art Limited
Balance sheet
| as at 31 March 2025 2025 Unrestricted £ Current assets Debtors and prepayments (4) - Cash at bank 26,425 Total current assets 26,425 Current liabilities: amounts falling due within one year Creditors and accruals (5) - Total current liabilities - Net current assets / (liabilities) 26,425 Net assets 26,425 Funds Unrestricted funds 26,425 Restricted funds - Total funds 26,425 |
2025 Restricted £ 14,158 2,293 16,451 1,080 1,080 15,371 15,371 - 15,371 15,371 |
2025 Total £ 14,158 28,718 42,876 1,080 1,080 41,796 41,796 26,425 15,371 41,796 |
2024 Total £ 12,399 11,399 23,798 1,080 1,080 22,718 22,718 16,647 6,071 22,718 |
|---|---|---|---|
For the year ending 31 March 2025 the charitable company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476. The trustees (who are also the directors for the purposes of company law) acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime and with FRS 102 (effective January 2019).
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on Bronagh Daly
19/12/2025 (Trustee)
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Compass Live Art Limited
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 March 2025
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) and with the Charities Act 2011.
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
Going concern
The trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.
Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources, if it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources and the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Grants and donations
Grants and donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.
Where grants are related to performance and specific deliverables, they are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.
Expenditure and liabilities
Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out the resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.
Leases
Rents under operating leases are charged on a straight line basis over the lease term or to an earlier date if the lease can be determined without financial penalty.
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Compass Live Art Limited
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 March 2025
| 2 Grants and donations Arts Council England (ACE) Leeds City Council (LCC) National Lottery Heritage Fund Mohn Westlake Rix-Thompson-Rothenberg (RTR) Foundation University of Leeds Other donations 3 Restricted funds Balance b/f £ ACE Residencies 2023 5,108 Leeds City Council - ACE Residencies 2024 - ACE Residencies 2025 - NLHF - Leeds City Council 963 6,071 |
2025 Unrestricted funds £ - - - - - - 5,000 5,000 Incoming £ - 12,000 106,249 25,000 13,188 - 156,437 |
2025 Restricted funds £ 131,249 12,000 13,188 - - - - 156,437 Outgoing £ 5,108 11,104 106,249 10,525 13,188 963 147,137 |
2025 Total funds £ 131,249 12,000 13,188 - - - 5,000 161,437 Transfers £ - - - - - - - |
2024 Total funds £ 25,934 5,000 - 10,000 5,000 7,273 - 53,207 Balance c/f £ - 896 - 14,475 - - 15,371 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund name ACE Residencies 2023 Leeds City Council
ACE Residencies 2024 ACE Residencies 2025 NLHF Leeds City Council
Purpose of restriction
Towards the costs of the festival artists' residencies for 2023. Leeds Cultural Investment Programme – Grow:Revenue. The balance remaining is prepaid insurance. The cash balance at the year end was £nil. Towards the costs of the festival artists' residencies for 2024. Towards the costs of the festival artists' residencies for 2025. Towards the Hungry Ghosts project. Towards the Return to Cultural Vibrancy 23/24 project.
| 4 Debtors and prepayments Prepayments Accrued income 5 Creditors and accruals Accruals |
2025 £ 896 13,262 14,158 2025 £ 1,080 1,080 |
2024 £ 963 11,436 12,399 2024 £ 1,080 1,080 |
|---|---|---|
6 Related party transactions
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
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Compass Live Art Limited
Statement of Financial Activities including comparatives for all funds (including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2025
| 2025 2024 Unrestricted Unrestricted funds funds £ £ Income Grants and donations 5,000 - Sales and earned income 9,645 - Other income 400 406 Total income 15,045 406 Expenditure Core team 4,481 - Casual team 125 - Associate team - - Artists fees - - Materials and resources 563 - Travel and accommodation - - Training and conferences - - Marketing 98 - Rent, room hire and storage - - Insurance - - Independent examination - - Memberships and subscriptions - - Admin and office costs - - Bank charges - - Fundraising - - Hospitality - - Total expenditure 5,267 - Net income / (expenditure) 9,778 406 Transfers between funds - 1,080 Net movement in funds 9,778 1,486 Fund balances brought forward 16,647 15,161 Fund balances carried forward 26,425 16,647 |
2025 Restricted funds £ 156,437 - - 156,437 51,994 1,870 22,721 37,965 5,153 3,746 - 9,216 9,896 2,218 1,080 437 421 167 - 253 147,137 9,300 - 9,300 6,071 15,371 |
2024 Restricted funds £ 53,207 - - 53,207 41,337 - 7,150 21,801 1,266 2,931 192 - 8,183 2,388 1,500 393 170 70 2,850 405 90,636 (37,429) (1,080) (38,509) 44,580 6,071 |
2025 Total funds £ 161,437 9,645 400 171,482 56,475 1,995 22,721 37,965 5,716 3,746 - 9,314 9,896 2,218 1,080 437 421 167 - 253 152,404 19,078 - 19,078 22,718 41,796 |
2024 Total funds £ 53,207 - 406 53,613 41,337 - 7,150 21,801 1,266 2,931 192 - 8,183 2,388 1,500 393 170 70 2,850 405 90,636 (37,023) - (37,023) 59,741 22,718 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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