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2025-03-31-accounts

ANNUAL

A LIGHT GLOUCESTER

2025

ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025

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STRIKE A LIGHT
CONTENTS
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Reference and Administrative Information

Chair’s review of 2024/2025

Artistic Director’s Review

Trustees’ report including:

About the Charity

Vision, Mission and Values

Co-created Programming in Community Spaces

Let Artists Be Artists

Learning & Development

Sharing Methodology

Audiences

Governance, Management and Staffing

Financial and Reserves Position

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REFERENCE AND
ADMINISTRATIVE
INFORMATION
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THE 2024-2025 TRUSTEES

Co-Chairs: Andrew Zihni Rachel Bell

Trustees: Zara Portlock Eleanor Harris Nadja Gajadharsingh Thomas Bevan Alison Byard Jay Tyler Danny Thompson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lynette Dakin

CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

Emma-Jane Benning and Sarah Blowers (Sarah Blowers stepped down in December 2024)

CHARITY NUMBER

1178449

REGISTERED ADDRESS

Enterprise Hub, 10 Commercial Road, Gloucester, GL1 2EA

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CHAIR’S REVIEW
OF 2024-2025
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This year has been a powerful reminder of what Strike A Light stands for: bold ideas, deep community roots, and the courage to keep evolving.

Our Community Producers and Let Artists Be Artists projects are established, leading to some truly powerful moments and deep connection with Gloucester. Some highlights include our co-creation of “She Spoke Out” which went across international boundaries, communities coming together to watch Peaceophobia in Asda car park and a dance takeover of King’s Square. This is the result of longterm, thoughtful investment in people and places. We’re especially proud that this work is consistently reaching those who face multiple barriers to the arts. It’s proof that inclusive, community-led programming works.

We have remained financially responsible and ambitious. We've grown our reserves, taken bold creative risks, and continued to embed long-term work that genuinely makes a difference in Gloucester.

This year we have adapted to change, marking the departure of our Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director, Sarah Blowers, whose leadership has shaped the very DNA of Strike A Light. We thank her for her extraordinary vision and impact.

Thanks to our team, trustees, partners, and the continued support of funders, we’re entering a new chapter with energy and clarity. We’ll keep listening, keep learning, and keep delivering work that brings people together and changes lives. Here’s to another year of art that is rooted, risk-taking, and life-changing.

RACHEL BELL, CO-CHAIR OF STRIKE A LIGHT

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EXECUTIVE
TEAM’S REVIEW
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2024-2025 has been a busy year; our work has continued to grow and evolve and the organisation has taken a shift with it. This year the programmes and models of working we began in 2023, Community Producers and Let Artists be Artists, have had time to take root, develop and grow. Stand out moments have included: audiences gathering outside the barriers of Peaceophobia at ASDA car park to fit into the show’s final performance, or the installation of our “Promise Board” as part of Public Trust during the election campaign, with our new MP coming the day after election to make his promise to Gloucester. Away from the larger-scale outdoor programme, we also have had other moments of joy. Such as the Westgate Community co-creating lyrics and music with our Let Artist be Artist, Ed Patrick, and recording them professionally at the Music Works studio, watching our Youth Theatre show performed at Gloucester Guildhall to a sellout crowd, or witnessing the development of 4 Global Majority artists as part of the Take Space to Lead scheme, delivered in partnership with Beyond Face.

We are so pleased to see, year on year, the audiences we achieve at our work, with 69% in the top 20% of areas of deprivation nationally and 49% from the global majority. It is evidence that the long-term engagement work we do with communities does translate to reaching those audiences regularly.

Despite a challenging environment, we have been dynamic to still take risks on big projects, while ensuring we are financially viable for the future. We were able to grow our reserves last year but still delivered large-scale, outdoor projects and longer-term, embedded community work. We have utilised partnerships, sought new funding opportunities

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and have been led by our communities in the creation of our programme. Building on that work we continue to identify the successes and challenges within the organisation and looking forward we will continue to refine and redefine Community Producers and Let Artists be Artists programmes to ensure best practice.

The end of 2024 saw our Co-Artistic Director and CoFounder, Sarah Blowers, step down after 11 years. Since cofounding Strike A Light in 2013, Sarah has led with ambition and drive, bringing endless integrity, skill and vision to her work and a fierce passion for the world-class creative potential of our city and its communities. She will be missed and we thank her for her time and ambition which made Strike A Light what it is. The ripple effect has been a wider change on the organisation’s structure and, while always a challenge, with support of our board, we have been able to adapt effectively to the current funding environment and our programme of delivery.

As ever, we are thankful to our funders, partners and supporters who continue to support our mission. We were delighted at the end of 2024 to receive 4 more years of funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation which supports the longer-term nature of our work. We also thank our trustees for their support and guidance and the whole team who dedicate themselves to the work we do. We are looking forward to another year delivering work, led by our communities, which changes lives

LYNETTE & EMMA-JANE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)

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Our charitable purpose is:

TO ADVANCE EDUCATION IN AND INCREASE APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF ALL FORMS OF THE ARTS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THEATRE AND DANCE. TO PRESENT, PRODUCE, ORGANISE AND PROMOTE HIGH QUALITY ARTS ACTIVITY FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT AND IN PARTICULAR THOSE OF THE CITY OF GLOUCESTER.

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Strike A Light (SAL) began in Gloucester in 2013 as part of the Collaborative Touring Network (CTN), initially funded by Arts Council England (ACE) Strategic Touring Fund and Esméee Fairbairn Foundation amongst others, spearheaded by Battersea Arts Centre. CTN was a new touring programme bringing national touring work to ‘cultural cold spots’. In 2018 SAL became a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funded by ACE.

SAL is a registered charity with a board of active trustees that have a diverse range of knowledge and expertise.

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WORLD-CHANGING CULTURE AND CREATIVITY FOR ALL. CREATING SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH

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CREATING SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE EVENTS, CREATIVE PROJECTS WITH COMMUNITIES AND PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

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DIVERSITY

GENEROSITY

CHANGE

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HOW WE DO IT

Our vision is of a world-changing culture and creativity for all. We achieve this through:

Each year, we:

Strike A Light work under 4 strands of work. They are: CO-CREATED PROGRAMME

PARTICIPATION

LET ARTISTS BE ARTISTS THIS IS HOW WE DO IT

Through these strands, we aim to make Gloucester a better place to live.

IN 2024/2025 WE STAGED 16 SHOWS TO AN AUDIENCE OF 3848 AUDIENCE MEMBERS.

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STRAND ONE:
CO-CREATED
PROGRAMME
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We’re changing the way the arts work, to address systemic inequality. We share power and decision-making, collaborating with communities who are least represented in the arts. We give artists paid time to build meaningful relationships here and work with key partners in the city to deliver against the city’s cultural strategy. We know that unlike 'traditional' programmes, this approach reaches people who never normally engage in arts activity.

This work is all underpinned and driven forward by our Community Producers, representatives from the community who work with SAL to create events, see national touring work and programme shows/events with and for communities. This is a measured shift away from the traditional ArtisticDirector lead programming to devolve decision making and ensure that communities have their say in programming. This shift takes time and care. Our Artistic Director continues to offer programming support and direction to the Community Producers to consider the needs of the community, present a broad balance of artists, consider unusual spaces and locations to present the work and introduce and mentor them through producing until a time when they can be independent. Our approach is deliberately non-venue based. We work with our Community Producers to programme work across Gloucester into unconventional spaces from car parks to church halls. It is important for all of the work that we deliver to reflect the rich diversity of the Gloucester community. We build long-term and sustainable relationships with our local communities that are least represented across the national arts landscape and that deal with significant social and socioeconomic deprivation.

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THE COMMUNITIES WE WORK WITH

We fund the work of the 4 Community Producers and support them to become cultural leaders, developing their experience and presence within the organisation and on a local and national level.

In 2024-2025 we built on our learning to co-create a vibrant cultural programme and decision-making with Gloucester’s Black, Caribbean, Muslim, working class and LGBTQ+ communities for an audience of 10,000+.

Specifically we:

The Community Producers and communities we work with are:

HALIMA MALEK works with the South Asian community in Gloucester and has worked with SAL for over 4 years. Halima's work focuses on the oral histories of female South Asian migrants and their families.

PHILIPPA SMITH, a long-term supporter and member of SAL, works with the African and Caribbean communities of Gloucester, and in particular the stories of the Windrush

generation, focusing on the trauma of families separated by this migration.

ZARIQ HANIF joined us in 2023 when she was in the process of receiving her refugee status. Her work focuses on offering support to LGBTQ+ migrants coming into the city, and to raise awareness of their experiences.

KATRINA MCGONAGLE lives within the Westgate Community and began as a volunteer on the Heritage High Street Action Zone project in 2022. Katrina's work aims to restore a sense of pride of place amongst her community in the Westgate ward, ranked amongst the 10% most deprived areas in the country.

“I WANT TO WORK WITH MY NEIGHBOURS IN THE WESTGATE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF OUR FLATS… WE NEED TO BUILD SOME PRIDE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND NOT FEEL ISOLATED”

KATRINA MCGONAGLE

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WHAT WE DID

A. CO-CREATED NEW PIECES OF WORK IN COMMUNITY VENUES

Haneen Ameen who translated to Arabic and English. Through additional support from Together Gloucester, the project was able to be staged at Gloucester Guildhall in January 2025 as a live exchange with live performances and Palestinian food.

THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS EVENT WERE:

74% 36% GLOBAL DISABLED MAJORITY

73%

We co-created 4 new pieces of work with our Community Producers and communities. These were performed in community settings and were created by our 4 Community Producers (CP). They included:

BASED IN GLOUCESTER IN THE TOP 20% OF DEPRIVED AREAS NATIONALLY

SHE SPOKE OUT (LED BY HALIMA MALEK) 28TH JANUARY 2025:

A project created between Strike A Light and Fragments Theatre (Palestine) in June 2024. The project looked at a poetry exchange between a poetry group, She Spoke, set up by Halima Malek in Gloucester and a group of women in Palestine, recruited through our partnership with Fragments Theatre. Each week the women met online to exchange their poems, with professional facilitators Tasneim Zyada and

“BEAUTIFUL, INSPIRATIONAL, MOVING, IMPORTANT. THE FOOD AND STAFF WERE EXCELLENT.”

AUDIENCE MEMBER, SHE SPOKE OUT

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THE GRIP (LED BY PHILIPPA SMITH) 20TH MARCH 2025

The Grip first took place at Gloucester Guildhall in 2023. In March 2025 we replicated The Grip in Bristol in a rare moment of touring work for the organisation, at Trinity Arts Centre. The Grip is a one-off, one-hour radio production discussing families, separation and the Windrush, drawing on real interviews and films from filmmaker Daniel Folley and curator Donville Williams. New stories were added to the piece, following a longer engagement programme in Bristol led by Philippa Smith (Community Producer), hosted by BBC’s Kevin Philemon with guests including Bristol’s first Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers, and Gloucester psychotherapist, Audrey James. Philippa produced, directed and took part in the recording.

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THE AUDIENCE DATA FROM THIS EVENT SHOWED US:

80% 62% GLOBAL + CARIBBEAN MAJORITY

88% OVER THOUGHT 88% THE EVENT WERE WAS “AMAZING” OVER 60

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MUSES OF GLOS (LED BY ZARIQ HANIF) 26TH OCTOBER 2024:

Zariq programmed and curated Muses of Glos, an independent LGBTQIA+ cabaret and arts group aiming to bring more diversity and inclusivity into the queer scene in Gloucester. Zariq worked with the group to curate a selection of performances and a night of performance.

"HAVING A SAFE INCLUSIVE QUEER SPACE IN GLOUCESTER JUST MEANS SO MUCH AND IS EXACTLY WHAT IS NEEDED!”

AUDIENCE MEMBER, MUSES OF GLOS

90% OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED WERE FROM THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

37.5%

IDENTIFIED AS DISABLED

"ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE LINE UP OF TALENTED PERFORMERS, I WAS THRIVING IN THE QUEER CHAOS OF IT ALL"

AUDIENCE MEMBER, MUSES OF GLOS

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WESTGATE CHOIR “SACRED FOLK” AND FESTIVE WINDOWS (LED BY KATRINA MCGONAGLE) THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2024:

Katrina worked in the Westgate community throughout 2024, delivering a weekly choir and a series of art classes, which culminated in a Christmas celebration in December 2024 and window art displays. The group is made up of individuals who feel low self-worth, identify as neurodivergent and have a low income status; most also have mental health and physical health difficulties. Over tea, biscuits and choral music every week, Ed (Kid Carpet) worked with the group to bring out their stories to form lyrics, supported by our Co-Artistic Director, Sarah Blowers, who provided piano accompaniment and choral expertise. The Westgate Choir takes place in a bunker underneath a housing estate in the Westgate area of Gloucester, located in the top 10% most deprived area of the country (IMD, 2019). The group did a local professional studio recording in March 2025 and has led to further development of the piece, with the hope it will form part of the prestigious Three Choirs Festival in July 2026.

“IT WAS SO GOOD TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THE GROUP TO THE MUSIC WORKS RECORDING STUDIO FOR TWO SESSIONS. X, WHO HAS LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BEING SECTIONED, HAD TOO MUCH DIFFICULTY WITH THE ENCLOSED SPACE OF THE STUDIO AND UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO LEAVE....MIRACULOUSLY WE MANAGED TO COAX HER BACK IN AND SHE EVEN CAME INTO THE RECORDING SPACE IF WE LEFT THE DOOR OPEN, AND X SANG OUR SONGS WITH US THAT SHE HELPED TO WRITE. I'M REALLY PROUD.”

KID CARPET, COMPOSER

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WHAT WE DID

B. CO-PROGRAMMED WORK IN COMMUNITY SPACES

3 of our Community Producers and our Future Producers consulted with their communities to bring the following pieces to Gloucester:

PEACEOPHOBIA BY COMMON WEALTH THEATRE AND FUEL THEATRE (PROGRAMMED BY HALIMA MALEK)

26TH-28TH SEPTEMBER 2024: An unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world, conceived and created in Bradford. Featuring cinematic lighting, modified cars and an original electronic sound score. The piece was performed over 3 days at ASDA Car Park, in the centre of Gloucester.

INSCRIBED IN “ME” BY ALETHIA ANTONIA (PROGRAMMED BY ZARIQ HANIF) 14/09/24: Incredible contemporary

choreographer, Alethia Antonia, and 2 local dancers brought this intense dance performance to Gloucester Pride. A fierce piece about feminine blackness and self-authorship.

THE DISSIDENT ASSEMBLY CREATED BY THE “FUTURE

PRODUCERS” 14TH JULY 2024: An installation performance piece with each marking a different group standing up for justice in our city – from asylum seeker’s rights to LGBTQ+ Pride to climate action, finishing in a musical performance. The piece was performed by local artists and programmed by 12 producers on a development scheme with Strike A Light.

Unfortunately Katrina’s programmed piece “After All” was cancelled due to ill health of the performer.

“SOME AMAZING PERFORMANCES ALL ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE. OUR YOUTH CLIMATE GROUP LOVED IT!”

AUDIENCE MEMBER, THE DISSIDENT ASSEMBLY

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CASE STUDY: PEACEOPHOBIA

A recent example of how our approach has worked successfully was in September 2024; we held performances of Peaceophobia, by Common Wealth Theatre and Fuel Theatre, which took place in Gloucester’s Asda car park in September 2024. The piece was initially seen by Halima Malek in Bradford, who stated, “this has to come to Gloucester”.

It took 2 years for the SAL wider team to negotiate bringing it to Gloucester and, when it did, it had an extraordinary effect. We sustained 5 performances and, on the final night, had local people crowding outside the barriers to try and catch the show. We found that 28% of the audience were under 25, 60% were Global Majority, 68% non-regular arts attendees and 40% walked to the event. The performance resonated with the community Halima brought to the event as these audience responses demonstrate:

“I FOUND THE WHOLE EVENT REALLY INSPIRING AND MOVING…I FEEL DEEPLY SAD AND ANGRY ABOUT THE LEVEL OF DIVISION BETWEEN US AND I’M GRATEFUL TO EACH OF YOU FOR CREATIVELY ENGAGING WITH MY FAMILY.”

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“I LOVED IT! IT WAS SUCH A CREATIVE USE OF SPACE AND STORYTELLING AND MADE MY BRAIN LIGHT UP WITH IDEAS. THE STORIES WERE SO PERSONAL AND YET SO FAMILIAR TO THE STORIES OF MEN IN MY LIFE.”

Peaceophobia could have been programmed and marketed via traditional routes (targeting an arts-attending audience) but, by working collaboratively with Halima over a sustained period, our marketing team worked hard to ensure it reached her community. Halima also gained the experience of working with a national show and companies over a prolonged period, supported by the SAL team. This experience and networking adds to her own development as a future leader, and her employment on 1 day a week meant she was involved in each step of the process.

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WHAT WE DID

C. PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMMING

In 2024-2025 we continued to focus on programming and commissioning events people could never have imagined coming to their city. By working in partnership, we have been able to bring national and international work into the city, creating extraordinary moments and raising aspirations.

We wanted these events to enable residents to:

Shopping Centre. On the weekend of the UK general election, Gloucester audiences came to take a pause for a totally unique experience all about promises. The experience lasted about 15-20 minutes and each person was able to make a promise, place it on the board and take an artwork home.

FUTURE DANCE FEST (6TH JULY 2024): A full dance

takeover of Kings Square which platformed our young people and performances by nationally recognised artists including Stacked Wonky, ConTakt Circus and Jamaal O’Driscoll. We engaged just under 600 audience members during the day and had 100 young people performing as part of the day.

SHED BY NORTHERN RASCALS (6TH MARCH 2025):

Shed was delivered in partnership with Rural Touring Dance Initiative. Performed by a cast of four skilled young dancers in a wooden shed, the show invites its audience to be on the outside and look in. Real-life experiences told in a series of three shorts. A group of local young people worked with the company over 8 weeks to create a curtain raiser performance inspired by the themes of SHED. The piece was performed at Gl1 Leisure Centre.

WHAT CAN I DO? (1ST SEPTEMBER 2024): Created in

This year this included:

PUBLIC TRUST BY PAUL RAMÍRES JONAS (4TH-6TH

JULY 2024): Public Trust was programmed in Partnership with Global Streets and Fierce Festival. The partnership allowed us to bring a striking art installation and event into Gloucester City Centre, with the piece placed in Kings Walk

partnership with Gloucester Culture Trust and Creative Sustainability CIC at Jolt. The event delivered music, food, talks and workshops for inspiring activists and artists. The day festival built and celebrated youth activism in Gloucestershire.

STRIKE A LIGHT YOUTH THEATRE X COMPLICITÉ (2ND APRIL 2025): An ensemble piece devised by Strike A Light’s

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“I FEEL PROUD THAT I WORKED SO HARD AND STUCK AT IT”

CHURCHDOWN PARTICIPANT

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Youth Theatre, in association with Complicité and directed by the company’s associate artist, Mae Munuo. Strike A Light Kitchen was an exploration of community and connection when everything else falls away. All of the pieces were devised by the young people in our Youth Theatre and performed at the Guildhall on Wednesday 2nd April.

CASE STUDY: PUBLIC TRUST AND FUTURE DANCE FEST

On Saturday 6th July we took over King’s Square in Gloucester’s city centre to perform our Future Dance Fest to an audience of 600 people throughout the day. The festival looked to showcase the work of national talent alongside young people from Gloucester who have a passion for dance. The 1 day dance event brings together local youth dance groups, local musicians and professional dancers.

A day intended to engage young people both as participants and audiences to experience high quality engagement and performance in their own city. We staged:

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dance performance.

All of the day was performed in a public square with no cost to audience members.

“OUR CHILDREN WOULD NEVER GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, MOST OF THESE CHILDREN HAVE ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE SO TO SEE THEM SO ENGAGED IS INCREDIBLE. KAMEEL HAS BEEN FANTASTIC WITH THE CHILDREN AND IF THERE IS A POSSIBILITY WE WOULD LOVE TO BE INVOLVED IN MORE THINGS. IM SO PROUD OF THEM”

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GEMMA BISHOP, WIDDEN TEACHER

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“IT’S AMAZING, SINCE YOU BUILT THIS, THERE’S SO MANY NEW DANCES, SO MANY NEW STYLES AND I FEEL LIKE EVERYONE HAS SEEN THE DIFFERENT STYLES AND DIFFERENT CULTURES IN DANCE… YOU CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE A FUTURE IN DANCE”

RENE NISTOR, UOG STUDENT

A video here shows the impact of the day.

The day sat along our installation of Public Trust, a giant billboard in the middle of Kings Walk Shopping Centre by artist, Paul Ramíres Jonas, and delivered in partnership with Fierce Festival and the Global Streets Project. The experience allowed a 1 on 1 performance experience where promises were discussed and people were invited to make a promise which formed part of the installation. We offered translations and a BSL interpreter to ensure the performance was as accessible as possible. 42% of our audiences were Disabled/deaf, and or have a physical or mental health condition or illness.

“DAYS LIKE THESE ARE IMPORTANT TO GLOUCESTER SO THEY CAN SEE THEMSELVES ON STAGE, SO THEY CAN SEE AMAZING ART HAPPEN IN PUBLIC SPACES AND TODAY IS ALL ABOUT ANIMATING GLOUCESTER CITY.”

EMMA-JANE

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“IT WAS FANTASTIC TO BE IN KING’S SQUARE TODAY FOR THE FUTURE DANCE FEST-SO MANY TALENTED LOCAL PERFORMERS FROM SCHOOLS AND ORGANISATIONS ACROSS THE CITY…ART AND CULTURE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY AND THIS FREE EVENT BROUGHT LOTS OF FAMILIES INTO THE CITY CENTRE FOR THE DAY.”

ALEX MCINTYRE, GLOUCESTER’S MP

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“ONE PARTICIPANT THAT HAS STUCK IN MY MIND WAS A PERSON IN RECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE MISUSE. THEY WERE SO THANKFUL FOR GETTING INVOLVED AND PROUD ABOUT MAKING A PROMISE TO THEMSELVES.”

SAL STAFF MEMBER, PUBLIC TRUST

“WE NEED MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS IN GLOUCESTER!”

AUDIENCE MEMBER

SAL STAFF MEMBER, PUBLIC TRUST

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WHAT WE DID

D. COMMISSIONING At SAL we want to invest in new, exciting work on a national level. In 2024-2025 we continued to do this by commissioning the following:

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SAL offers opportunities for diverse and emerging artists and producers to progress their careers. Through residencies, employment training and artist support, we develop local and national talent and advocate for new ways of supporting careers in the industry.

This strand ensures that Gloucester and South West creatives can start and sustain careers, particularly those underrepresented in the sector.

A. RESIDENCY PROGRAMME

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ARTIST
DEVELOPMENT
AND LET ARTISTS
BE ARTISTS
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We awarded money, time and resources to our residency programme. We worked in partnership with Hawkwood to offer our 4 LABA artists a week each at Hawkwood and they each had the opportunity to take collaborators with them. 12 artists attended in total and they had rehearsal space, accommodation and food provided for them for the week so they could fully concentrate on their creative practice away from distractions of the real world. October & December 2024.

COMPLICITÉ MUDLARKS INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCY: 10-14 MARCH 2025

We became a partner on Complicite’s Mudlarks Residency this year. We partnered alongside In Good Company, Polish Cultural Institute London, DanceEast, Nederlands Dans Theater, Cambridge Junction, Brixton House,Opera North, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Activate Performing Arts. We supported Munotida Chinyangam to take up the residency as part of her LABA time where she joined 14 other artists. The artists had access to Complicitié’s expertise and were allocated a mentor for the period.

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Artist feedback:

“It's been a long time since I spent a week on my own writing - I discovered I pace a lot (I walked miles around that lovely room). I wrote rubbish, I wrote things that made me laugh out loud. Most importantly, I wrote and now have at least half of the skeleton of a new show. Hawkwood, with its beauty, kindness and daily rhythm, holds creative, radical work gently and implicitly. The grounds and beyond are beautiful. Creativity, thoughtfulness and care are in the bones of the place. For me, meals were shared with a table of others working alone that week - and what started as polite enquiries into our solo practices unfolded into a gorgeous accompanying of each other, belly laughs and new friendships and collaborations.”

B. LET ARTISTS BE ARTISTS

In 2021-22 we ran a radical employment experiment to test out a different way for arts organisations to work with artists: Let Artists Be Artists (LABA), employing 3 artists in full or part-time roles for a year to be an artist without preconceived outcomes. In 2023 we launched the scheme fully thanks to support of an uplift from Arts Council England. We employed 4 more artists on 0.5 FTE contracts; all from different art forms and with a range of barriers to maintaining their freelance careers in the arts, all from global majority and/or workingclass backgrounds. The artists work to no predetermined outcomes but some of their practice has to be based in Gloucester. This allows for collaborations to arise, stimulate

new companies/partnerships between organisations, artists and producers and continues to offer the cultural infrastructure to grow in our city. This experimental and bold programme allowed us to ask what can happen when you employ artists and give them wider freedom to make and develop their work.

The artists are:

All of the artists above have faced multiple barriers to working in the arts. LABA has allowed them to take risks, pursue new work and take time.

The artists have been working hard to produce work, develop their craft and embed themselves within Gloucester. All of the 4 artists state the work they have been able to achieve in the last year would not have been possible without LABA.

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This has included:

• MUNOTIDA CHINYANGAM has taken part in a range of pieces of work in the city; including working with the Young Programmers at Gloucester Guildhall and designing sound for a local scratch night. She has received a PHD placement with Central (fully funded) as a result of her work on LABA. Munotida has been working on developing her show and applied for a Project Grant to fund an R&D of a production

in Gloucester. She has been able to turn down sound design work, for the first time now with a combined FT salary, and focus on her own practice. She has also begun work with different groups in Gloucester including helping Fifi with the youth theatre project and Halima’s She Spoke Group.

VIV GORDON has been working with Halima Malek and local charities to develop her work. Viv took up a residency in an empty shop in Gloucester at the end of March for a week & performing a Restless punk gig. She has her piece “Cutting Out” programmed at Gloucester Guildhall in May 2025 which is touring to other venues. LABA has allowed Viv to leverage additional funding and bring together a touring programme for her show. It has also leveraged additional funding, including from local funder, the Barnwood Trust.

“OMG I HAVE DONE SO LITTLE OF THIS PREVIOUSLY: NETWORKING, FUNDING RESEARCH, FUNDING APPLICATIONS, MENTORING, BOOKING IN SOME TRAINING, GOING TO A SHOW IN THE DAYTIME”

ED (LABA)

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C. FUTURE PRODUCERS

Photo credit: Jess Gibbs

Gloucester Future Producers is a chance to develop skills and learn more about being a producer in the city. The programme is delivered in partnership with Gloucester Culture Trust and Gloucester Guildhall. What is it?

Gloucester Future Producers is a chance to develop your skills in, and learn more about:

MANAGING EVENTS PRODUCING FESTIVALS TOURING SHOWS PROMOTING GIGS

Over 10 weeks the cohort of 10 individuals worked with other aspiring producers and met and heard from different arts and events professionals to build their network.

Future Producers is open for applications for anyone over the age of 18, who lives in Gloucestershire and wants to get involved in the Gloucester arts and events scene. We found that through the programme we have been able to engage those who are underrepresented in the arts.

This year, supported by Gloucester Guildhall, the course culminated in the producers delivering “The Dissent Assembly” at Gloucester Guildhall.

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THE FUTURE PRODUCERS FROM 2024 WERE:

22% 67% IDENTIFY AS LIVE IN TRANSGENDER GLOUCESTER IN AN AREA IN THE 44% TOP 10% AREAS IDENTIFY AS OF DEPRIVATION BEING DISABLED NATIONALLY

"Overall, I feel like being part of Future Producers has been a turning point for me in my career, and so many opportunities have opened up for me. I really am so glad I applied!”

“I felt so safe and understood - I’ve never felt a sense of community and family(?) in the same way before. I just felt like I belonged with everyone and that was a new experience for me.”

44% 44% IDENTIFY AS BEING 18-25 YEAR NEURODIVERGENT OLDS

FUTURE PRODUCERS COMMENTS:

"Without this course I would not have even thought about applying for Arts Council funding for my latest project, it has opened so many doors. The support from Strike A Light has been unbelievable with one-to-one sessions and support even after the course has finished. I am thinking bigger, I feel empowered and resourced to make my dreams happen."

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Provides year-round opportunities for Gloucester residents from all backgrounds to actively participate in regular creative activity. Our participation work develops new skills, improves wellbeing & nurtures our next generation of creatives.

WHAT DID WE DO?

A. WEEKLY CLASSES

In 2024/25 we continued to deliver weekly classes for children and young people in Gloucester including;

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We continued to deliver the weekly classes for children and young people (CYP) in Gloucester in accessible community spaces with low access to culture. This year, 157 young people attended our classes and over 80% of those attending qualified for free spaces based on need. 2024 saw the launch of a new Youth Theatre in the Tredworth and Barton area of the City and Youth Dance at Widden Primary School. The after school provision allowed easier access for young people, and their families, to access the provision and increased numbers.

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The schools we have provided after school provision have a high rate of pupil premium: 45% of pupils at Widden Primary School are eligible for Pupil Premium (22-23), 55.9% of pupils at Tredworth Schools were eligible for Pupil Premium (22-23). Launch of new youth theatre and dance in the Barton and Tredworth area of Gloucester increasing the diversity of young people attending the provision. 60% of CYP who attended the Tredworth school provision were from the Global Majority and 100% of CYP were from the global majority.

Quotes from those taking part in weekly classes:

“STUDENT F STARTED OUT SAYING THINGS LIKE "I CAN'T DO IT" AND WENT ON TO SAYING "THIS IS HARD" AND "I CAN'T DO IT YET" SHOWING INCREASED SELF-BELIEF THAT THE MOVEMENT WAS NOT IMPOSSIBLE.” PRACTITIONER JOURNAL

CASE STUDY:

“PERFORMING WAS SO FUN, IT WAS GOOD TO WORK WITH A CLOSE KNIT GROUP, SOME OF MY FRIENDS NOW WANT TO JOIN YOUTH THEATRE AFTER SEEING THE SHOW”

YOUTH THEATRE MEMBER

YOUTH THEATRE SHOW WRITTEN BY FIF DELANEY

On Wednesday 2nd April 2025 we delivered the youth theatre show. The young people, who form our Youth Theatre, were part of a rehearsal process starting in January 2025 with a Complicité director. Fifi, our Participation Producer, who worked on the show reflects on the process:

“This creative process boosted the group’s confidence and their bonds with one another. It was a chance for them to share creative ideas and personal stories which shaped the piece of theatre they made and performed together. At the start of the process, we had a few new participants and some of the older participants had moved on. A few participants left the group during the process due to GCSE pressures. Even though the group had these shifts throughout, the group grew closer and gained genuine friendships with one another. The group at the end of the process was a real ensemble that

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had built trust when working together.This enabled some participants to move away from their shyness and use their voice in a big and impactful way. One of the participants' parents said “I’ve never heard her sound like that!” As the piece we made was devised from their ideas, the participants could see their input which meant they could be proud it was something they created. One participant said “We created everything. It was funny that they started as little scenes of improv and then it was pieced together to make a coherent show.”- Fif Delaney

B. STRIKE A LIGHT IN SCHOOLS

Our Strike A Light in Schools programme delivers 3 terms of Theatre, Dance and Music into a local junior school and is led by national organisations and artists. In 2024-2025 these were delivered by Ed Patrick, Multi Story Orchestra and ACE Dance and Music (delivered in June 2025). Each genre had a callout for a local practitioner at the start of their career to work with one of the organisations to be able to develop their skill set and provide on the job training. It was through this program we started working with undergraduate Kameel Myrie, who has gone on to be supported to attend dance festivals such as GDIF, be a paid supporting artist on projects such as SHED

Photo credit: Jess Gibbs

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with Northern Rascals and facilitate our after school dance programme. Kameel is an example of what continued support at early career stages can provide to an artist.

For an academic year we provided a continuation of cocreating work with 80 young people, developing audiences and providing training opportunities for 3 local practitioners (two of which have since been able to access paid work with SAL) and built the performances into a programme of work. This year we also delivered an additional term at Widden Primary School working with an extra 35 pupils and reaching over 145 pupils and parents as audience members.

The schools programme is proving to be a successful model in engaging children who attend a school that currently sits within the top 20% IMD. It improves children holistically, as the Year 5 Teacher explains:

AIMS OF STRIKE A LIGHT IN SCHOOLS:

  1. To improve health and wellbeing of CYP through theatre, dance and music

  2. To build confidence and resilience in the CYP we work with

  3. Provide a primary school with long-term support to provide a high quality cultural offer and ensure arts and culture is not lost in schools due to budget constraints

  4. To improve the spaces and places that matter to people - bringing families together to share in performances and build pride of place

  5. Provide paid traineeships to local artists to work alongside a national arts company, improving employability and skills

TEACHER FEEDBACK

Feedback from the teachers of the CYP involved showcase the positive effects the work has had:

“One of the biggest things I wanted to do with these children is develop their confidence. If we have confident children whatever we’re doing, if people have a bit of self belief about them, they can take that into so many different aspects of their lives….sometimes as teachers we need help from experts to really bring out people from themselves to be performers, to have confidence and to work as a group and that's where the school have been so fortunate to have the services from Strike A Light. From what I've seen of these children working with Ed (Kid Carpet) and Fifi (SAL practitioner) they’ve had a huge amount of fun but actually some of the things they have been able to develop are very difficult to measure; being able to stand up, perform, work together, sing and at some point even laugh at themselves is a great testament to the work that Strike A Light do.”

“Many children were involved in the shared element of composition through openly contributing ideas. It allowed for EAL children to participate in the rhythmical games even if vocabulary was a challenge at the beginning, A few children find it very challenging to respond emotionally to music but your workshops saw these children participate fully in the performance of the composition with life, vigor and genuine enjoyment.The children were so pleased with themselves in being part of a working ensemble performing to a live

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audience. Initially, there were nerves for the performance, but once they were performing, nerves ceased and genuine enjoyment and confident musicianship took over. By the nature of our school’s demographic, these opportunities are not always available outside of school.”

C. WORKSHOPS FOR CYP AND FAMILY PERFORMANCES

Alongside our regular weekly work and SAL in schools work we have had the opportunity to provide some fantastic moments of engagement for young people across Gloucester with our programmed work of 24/25.

As part of our large scale work, in 2024 we took over Kings Square to hold performances that would platform and embrace family audiences.

Future Dance Fest was a combination of programmed work from National Artists and created work with young people. Over 10 weeks 90 young people worked with Alleyne Dance to learn a dance as part of their Close to Home series exploring immigration and communities. Through this we worked with 4 schools and two community dance groups. Supporting the

day we offered other local dance groups the opportunity to perform in the City centre without any cost to them removing barriers to groups who wouldn’t be able to platform their work.

This year we have been able to work with schools we have had little or no engagement with. Al-Ashraf Girls school opened their doors to us and took part in a workshop as part of the wrap-around activity for Peaceaphobia in September 2024. The workshop acted as a platform for the girls to attend the matinee performance supported by their teachers and gave some great feedback on their experience;

“THE SHOW WAS THE BEST I HAVE EVER COME TO SEE. HONESTLY MADE MY ENTIRE DAY AND IT COULDN’T BE MORE PERFECT, I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR EFFORTS WHICH CLEARLY PAID OFF. MY ENTIRE CLASS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE EVENT FOR AGES, EVERY ASPECT WAS EYE OPENING, IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND WILL DEFINITELY COME TO SEE IT AGAIN INSHALLAH”

AUDIENCE MEMBER

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In March as part of the Rural Touring Dance Network we worked with Northern Rascals over an 8 week period to choreograph a curtain raiser for the main performance SHED. Building upon our relationship with Churchdown school we also engaged with a school we haven't been able to work with for sometime, Barnwood Park. Over the 8 weeks practitioners engaged with 27 pupils and raised aspirations for both schools who have dance within the curriculum to extend their learning and provide professional insight for the pupils who are interested in taking dance as a career path.

KAMEEL MYRIE (CASE STUDY)

My name is Kameel, and I have worked for Strike A Light as a dance practitioner for nearly 3 years now. I originally began working for Strike A Light as a student looking for more experience in the teaching field. As a mixed race, neurodiverse artist, who grew up poor and in the social services system, from a young age I have had to find my place in the world and approach it creatively; I have always known I looked 'different' and acted 'differently', dance for me has always been a place that accepts my creativity and difference especially within the street dance scene. My past and childhood are why I have such a passion for teaching all age ranges and abilities. I aspire to make dance a safe place for everyone as it was for me, but I needed and still need direction to make this happen. Strike A Light have provided multiple platforms for me to build myself as a professional artist and have offered opportunities that have refined my skills as both dancer and teacher. I have faced many challenges whilst building my career to which Strike A Light have always offered the support needed to conquer

those challenges and given me the tools needed to improve as an artist. Without Strike A Light I would not be the professional artist I am today, and for that I am eternally grateful for the time and effort Strike A Light have put into me. The work Strike A Light do is a credit to the performing arts industry and is absolutely necessary to us in the Gloucestershire community.

D. PRACTITIONER TRAINING AND TAKE SPACE TO LEAD

This year, we were able to go beyond our original ambitions and offer a new type of practitioner training. Our Head of Participation, Charlene, has been working with partner organisation, Beyond Face, to offer a series of practical workshops to support practitioners from the global majority. This has expanded into a full programme, supported by ACE, called Take Space to Lead. On this programme the candidates received:

• 12 face-to-face training days and 3 Masterclasses

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The 5 month programme allowed practitioners real opportunities across Strike A Light, Beyond Face and associate Travelling Light.

The program, over the last 5 months has allowed four practitioners at different stages of their careers to shadow leading practitioners across sessions and they have been able to identify through mentoring areas of improvement and areas of challenge for them and their practice. Each individual has finished the pilot programme with a wider network and plan for moving their careers forward.

“I HAVE ENJOYED WORKING ALONGSIDE EXCELLENT PRACTITIONERS. I HAVE GAINED VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE INDUSTRY, INCLUDING HOW TO STRUCTURE A PROGRAM AND VARIOUS OTHER TEACHING TOOLS. THIS COHORT HAS ALSO HELPED ME WITH MY MANAGED AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS”

KIERON, TAKE SPACE TO LEAD PRACTITIONER

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ADDITIONAL PRACTITIONER TRAINING

We continued to offer open Practitioner Training to practitioners across the Southwest who want to develop their practice whilst being led by exceptional performing arts specialists who have included Complicité, Yolanda Mercy and Aisha Ali. We have also continued to develop our first cohort of Strike A Light In Schools local practitioners with ongoing training and paid work with national artists such as Northern Rascals, Complicite and Alleyne Dance.

The training, delivered in partnership with The Everyman, will continue into 2026 which will also attach some R&D to make sure we are delivering what practitioners need in order to enhance their work.

PARTICIPATION PRODUCER SCHEME

As part of our Paul Hamlyn Foundation funding we have funded a 2 year scheme for a global majority Participation Producer to join the team on a development programme (2 days per week). As part of the scheme, the Producer delivers the weekly classes programme in schools but also has access to a CPD pot and mentoring. Fifi Delaney took up the post and has been thriving in the post:

“It’s rare to come across an opportunity that has the purpose of supporting your development. It alleviates the pressure of getting everything perfect because there is space for me to grow with the support of SAL.

I feel very lucky to have a job in this industry and budget for CPD. It allows me to do things that would be harder to do on my own. An example of this would be an Origin Story workshop I took part in with Punchdrunk Enrichment. It taught me how to build worlds from scratch which, creatively, would help me in theatre-making, writing, directing - in a lot of different areas of my practice. It’s also learning I can pass on to the young people I work with, making the workshops I facilitate richer.

It’s even pushed me to look further for training than I may have before as usually, I would prioritise being creative, however I took part in a funding bid workshop that gave me useful tools when it comes to writing bids. I’ve been able to learn new techniques and skills that have enabled me to develop as a person.” - Fifi, Participation Producer

“In the year that Fifi has been with us she has undertaken a range of tasks and opportunities which is progressing her development steadily. Being able to have contact time with myself and the team creates a safe environment to learn and not be expected to know everything all at once. It also is giving her the opportunity to gain more awareness of the Arts sector through partnership meetings, sector gatherings and networking, and the areas she wants to develop in her career.” - Charlene, Head of Participation

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INTERNSHIPS

Photo credit: Jess Gibbs

We’re one of the organisations working with the University of Birmingham’s ‘B-Experienced’ Internship Programme . In 2024-2025 we delivered 2 part-time internships for 10 weeks for University of Birmingham students at a living wage and travel to the office covered. The internships are aimed at those less able to secure work experience placements. Below is a blog from intern, Sheryl, who joined us in September 2024:

"When I’d begun applying for internships, I’d been quite nervous, not knowing what to expect in a foreign country. As I write this post, I feel a bit sad but only in the best way, because my time with Strike A Light (SAL) has only made me hopeful about everything that’s out there. I couldn’t have imagined a workplace that felt the way SAL has, and boy have the last 10 weeks flown by…Everyone here in the office has created a space perfect for learning. Questions were not entertained but encouraged. Every meeting I’ve been a part of has taught me a little more about not only the logistics of hosting an event and targeted marketing, but also how to communicate with the different stakeholders involved in the production process. I was never restricted to any type of work that didn’t interest me. This type of flexibility was unexpected but so important; the week where I worked front-of-house instead of marketing gave me a whole new perspective on SAL’s work and if I hadn’t been given that chance, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to appreciate my time here as much as I do now."

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THIS IS HOW
WE DO IT
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A. ONLINE SESSIONS

An expanding part of our work is ensuring we share our practice, develop discussions and learn from each other. We don’t think we have all the answers but we believe conversations and collaboration is the way we can create a more positive and hopeful future for the arts, particularly in such a challenging time for our industry. In 2024-2025 we reached 421 engagements digitally through our blog posts as part of our “This is How We Do It” strand.

WE DELIVERED:

• 3 digital sessions for up to 30 people per session with invited partners on a particular topic we’ve been requested to consult on. For 2024-2025 this included: CoCreation, Pitching to Non-Arts Attenders, Environmental Consultancy. We invited other organisations, artists and community members to join us in discussions, including GL4 and Create Gloucestershire.

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"I ATTENDED ONE OF YOUR PRODUCING WORKSHOPS ON PITCHING TO NON-ARTS AUDIENCES A COUPLE MONTHS BACK! WANTED TO SEND MY APPRECIATION TO BEN FOR CONDUCTING THE WORKSHOP (ALTHOUGH I HEARD HE’S LEFT)! I THINK IT WAS PIVOTAL FOR ME IN SHIFTING MY PERSPECTIVES FROM FILM PRODUCING TO ARTS PRODUCING - VERY DIFFERENT BRAINS!"

B. CONSULTANCY

We continued to offer a consultancy service to a range of organisations this year consulting on our co-creation model, offering peer support and a reflection on our youth board members. This year this has included: Trinity Arts Centre, Malvern Feast Festival, Severn Arts, Artswork, Knowle West Media Centre and Esmee Fairbairn.

“SO COMPREHENSIVE AND GENEROUS. THE SESSION REALLY INFORMED THE BID WRITING TODAY. SO MUCH GRATITUDE FROM US.”

MALVERN FEAST FESTIVAL

ONLINE SESSION ATTENDEE

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STRIKE A LIGHT

Photo credit: George Robotham

Our work continues to reach a range of communities over Gloucester.

In 2024-25 we reached over 3848 audience members in our events. We engaged 8137 community members, young people and families in world class arts and engagement activity.

We saw once again our audience representing the communities we serve. Our audience in 2024-2025:

26% 49% DISABLED GLOBAL MAJORITY

14% BLACK/BLACK 9% BRITISH ASIAN/ ASIAN CARIBBEAN BRITISH INDIAN

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61%

IN THE TOP 20% AREAS OF DEPRIVATION NATIONALLY (IN GLOUCESTER)

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Photo credit: Bobby Johnstone

We are a registered charity (we reviewed our structure and governing document for suitability, re-registering as a CIO in 2018) and have a well-established independent, voluntary board. Our diverse, active trustees ensure we deliver against our arts and education objects, with a particular focus on Gloucester communities.

Communication is based on real conversation and relationships of trust between board, staff, artists and freelancers. This is underpinned by a rigorous structure of accountability and reporting, ensuring compliance, that we deliver against our funding agreements and that decision making is data informed. This includes:

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GOVERNANCE,
MANAGEMENT
AND STAFFING
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Board and staff work closely together, and establish working groups for key funding agreements or big decisions. Our business plan is created collaboratively in away days with the board and wider staff team, with trustees overseeing, feeding into and signing off an annual plan, fundraising strategy and budget. Our board terms of reference reflect this.

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BOARD & STAFF

STAFF

We currently have 14 staff PAYE, all part time. In 2024-2025 we worked with an additional 73 freelancers to support and deliver our work.

In 2024-2025 we went through a shift as an organisation. Our Co-Artistic Director and founder, Sarah Blowers, stepped down over a prolonged period. She officially resigned in January 2025 after 11 years of incredible work and dedication to Strike A Light. Our Marketing Manager, Ben, of 6 years also left in October 2024. This meant a reflection on the overall structure of the organisation and led us to reshape the job roles within the organisation to best serve our mission and respond to the current challenges within the wider arts environment. The new structure has been in place since March 2025 and has allowed:

This has resulted in the redundancy of the following posts: Co-Artistic Director, Marketing Manager and Producer and the creation of new posts: Artistic Director, Senior Producer, Assistant Producer and Marketing and Communications lead.

TRAINING

This year we ensured to respond to the priorities identified within our Arts Council Investment Principles and the aims of the organisation. We received training in:

NEURODIVERSITY AWARENESS IN SEPTEMBER 2024

The workshop covered how to ask for and accommodate the needs of neurodivergent staff, Access Riders and Access to Work. Tom shared insights from his co-working project DIVERGE (which he runs monthly in Cardiff for neurodivergent creatives) and some of his lived experience of managing his own ADHD and dyslexia at work and in his personal life.

TRANS & NON-BINARY AWARENESS IN JANUARY 2025

An introduction to trans inclusion, understanding the terms and who might use them, key concepts crucial to understanding trans and non-binary people, the main legislation relating to trans identities and exploring ways organisations can work towards being trans-inclusive.

THE BOARD

Our board retained its existing members from the previous years. Our Co-Chairs, Rachel Bell and Dean Andrew Zihni, continued to brilliantly lead the organisation and navigate through these changing times. This was supported by the organisation's 9 trustees who continued to offer their broad range of insight and perspectives.

Our process and procedures have continued to evolve and improve, with new financial procedures.

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STAFF AND BOARD STRUCTURE

The team was supported by a wider team of freelancers. In 24-25 we contracted 73 freelancers and worked with 50+ different artists/companies on live events. 50% of productions were presented by Global Majority companies/artists.

Below are our responses from the Arts Council England (ACE) annual survey 24-25 of staff and freelancers. Please note that this is on the basis of 55 responses.

STAFF TEAM:

DISABILITY

GENDER IDENTITY

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Deaf and/or disabled
person or have a long term
Man
health condition
7.7%
Prefer not to say 15.4%
23.1%
7.7%
Not Known
84.6%
Woman
61.5%
Non-Disabled
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SEXUAL ORIENTATION ETHNICITY
Bisexual Prefer not
to say
7.7% 7.7%
7.7%
7.7%
7.7%
38.5%
8
15.4%
84.6%
23.1%
Heterosexual / Straight
39 White British
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Mixed Background White & Black Caribbean Any other Mixed Asian British Black British Any other Ethnic group

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND
(OCCUPATION OF MAIN/HIGHEST INCOME EARNER IN
HOUSEHOLD AT AGE 14)
7.7%
7.7%
23.1%
15.4%
7.7%
15.4%
7.7%
7.7% 7.7%
Modern Professional Occupations
24
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Clerical & Intermediate Occupations

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NEURODIVERGENT
Neurodivergent
30.8%
69.2%
Not Neurodivergent
69
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Senior Managers & Administrators

Routine Manual & Service

Traditional Professional Occupations

Self Employed

Long Term Unemployed

Retired

Not Applicable

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DISABILITY GENDER IDENTITY
Not known
Man
11.1%
11.1%
44.4%
Prefer not to say 55.6%
77.8%
Woman
Non-disabled
7 5
SEXUAL ORIENTATION ETHNICITY
Heterosexual / Straight White British
11.1% 11.1%
Gay Man White & Asian
11.1%
Queer Mixed White
44.4% 44.4% & Black African
11.1% Bisexual
44.4%
Prefer not to say
22.2%
4
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NEURODIVERGENT
Neurodivergent
33.3%
66.7%
Non-Neurodivergent
67+
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The final annual accounts presented show our current position.

We have a surplus this year of £50,066 due to some savings on projects and staffing costs. Of this surplus, £10,000 will be put into reserves to raise the reserves to £105,000.

The remaining surplus has been used towards our fundraising target for the 2025-2026 year.

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Registered Number:_ 11784491 ￿014141 Report of the Trustèes and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 for Strike a Llght IGlouce5terl Strike A Light IGloucesterl

Financial Statements for the YÈar Ended 31 March 2025 Contents of FinaKtal Statements Page Independent Examinerfs Report Rèport of the Trustees Statement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet NotEs to the Financial Statemenrs 6t07 Detailed Statement of Fin3rTrcial Activities

Strike A Light IGloucestÈrl ReElstered NumbÈr'.- 11784491 CE014141 Independent examtner'5 reportto thetrustees of Strike A Ught IGloucesteTI for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 I report on the aeeounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on pages 2 to 8 Respettive responsibilities of trustees and Èxaminer The charit¢s trustees are responsible for the preparation ol the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not requ¢red for this year undèr section 144121 of the Ch3rities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination 15 needed. 11 is my responsibility to:_ examine the accounts undei section 145 of the 2011 Act. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Direction58iven bythe crjmrnission U¢Klersection 14515llbl of the 2011 Act, to state whether particular matters have totne to my attention. Ba$ls ot independent emaminer's report My examination was carried oui in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commlsslon. examination includes 3 review of the accounting record5 kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with thoso records. li also includes consideration ctf any unusual items or disclosure in the 8ccDunt5. nd seeking explanations from you a5 trustees concerning any such m3tters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence thit would be reguired in an audit 2nd consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a'true and fair view" and the reportls limited to the matters set out in ttrte next statement. Independent examlner's Statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention.. 111 which gives rne reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the reouirements-.- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and to prepare accounts which atcord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirement5 of the 2011 Act havè not been met or 121 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn to enable a proper undeistanding of the accounts to be reached J HARRIS ACMA CGMA MA, Accountin84Actors Ltd Independent Examlner 7 Oct 2025

Strlke A Llght IGlouce5terl Page 2 Registered Number:_ 1178449 1 ￿014141 Report of the Trustee5 for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 The trustees present their reportwlth the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopied the piovi5ions of the Statement of Recommended Practice150RPI 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities" issued in January 2019. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered awAty Number 1178449 Trustees R Bell A Byard D Thompson E Plarris Z Poruock N Galadharsin8h l Tyler Azinhi TBevan STRUCTURÉ, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governlng L7ocument The charity is controllèd by it5 constitution and constitutes a Charitable Incorporated Organisation iaoi. Risk ManaEemert rhe trustees have a duty to identify and review the lis￿ to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance agiinst fraud and error. Approved by order of the board of trustees on......g July 2025.. and signed on its behalf by.. Nadja Gojadh Trustee slngh

Strike A Llght IGlouce51erl Page 3 RegSstèred Number... 1178449 1 CE014141 Statement of Flnancizl Activlties forthe Year Ended 31 March 2025 Unrestrlcted Funds Re51ricted Funds 31.03.2025 Total Funds 31.03.2024 Total Funds INCOMING RESOURCES Incomin8 Resources from generated funds Voluntary Incorne 51.633 416.319 467,951 490,249 RESOURCES EXPENDED Charttable activitie5 Production Insurance GovernanTr costs 416,319 416,319 1,250 317 435.543 1,256 118 1,250 317 Total re50urre5 expended 1.567 416,319 417,886 436,917 NET INCOMINGIIOUTGOINGI RESOURCES 50.066 50,066 53,332 Total funds brought forward 150.177 150,177 96,845 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 2CM),243 200.243 150,177

Page 4 Strike A Light IGloucesterl Registered Number:. 11784491 CE014141 Balance Sheet for the Year Ended 31 Marth 2025 u￿r￿n¢ted Funds Restricted Funds 31.03.2025 Total Fund5 31.03.2024 Total Funds Notes CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank and in hand Debtors and prepayments 200,243 166,671 3,606 170,277 366.914 3,606 370,520 297,975 5,302 303,277 2￿,245 CREDITORS Amount5 falling due within one year 1170,2771 1170,2771 1153,1001 NET CURRENT ASSETS 150.177 TOTAL ASSEfs LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 200,243 2Q),243 150,177 NET ASSETS 2(K),243 2LY1,243 150,177 FUNDS Rèstricted fund5 Unrestricted funds 200,243 150,177 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 200,243 150,177 Thelinantial statements were approved by the Board ofTrusteeson...9 July 2025,. and were signed Fts behalf N Gajadharsi Trustee

Page 5 Strike A Light [G￿uCe$tef) ReÉlsterèd Number:_ 11784491 CE014141 Note5 to the Financial Statements forthe Year Ended 31 March 2025 ACCOUNTING POLICIES AtcountSn8 conventlon The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles ol Association, the Companies Act 2006 and"Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accwdance with the Financial Reportin8 Standard applicable in th8 UK and Republic of Ireland (FR5 1021 leffective l January 20191. The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102. The charity has taken advantage of Ihe provision5 in ihe SORP lor charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin I r>ot tts prepare a StateTn2nt of Cash Flow5. In¢oming re50urte5 All incoming resources ale tmcluded on the Siatement tsf Financial Activitles when the charity is legallv entitled to the income and the amount Can be quantifièd with reasonable accuracv. Resources èxpended Expenditurè is accounted foron a cash basis and have been classified underthe headin8S that agBregaté all the cost relating to the catÈ8ory. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they h3ve been allocatecl to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Taxation The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities. Fund accounting Uniestricted fund5 can be used in accordance with the eh3ritable objectives at the dlstretion of the trvstees. Restricted funds can only be used lor particular restricted purpos&s ￿thi￿h the objects of the charlty. Restrictions arrse when specilied by rhe donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. FurthÈi explanation of the nature and purp95e of each lund is included in the note5 to the financial statements. TRU5TEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS Trustee5 remuneratlon and expenses There were no trustees, remuneration or expenses paid for the year Ènded 31 March 2025 or 31 March 2024. DE8foRS.. AMOUN75 FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2025 2024 Trade debtors Accrued income and prepayments I,o(KJ 2,606 5,302 5,302

Page 6 Strike A Llght (Glouterterl Re8lstered Number'.- 11784491 (S014141 Notes to the Financlal Statements Icontinuedl for the Year Ended 31 Maich 2025 CREDITORS.. AMouNfs FALLINfj OUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2025 2024 Trade creditors and accruals Accruals and deferred income 17.742 152.535 170.277 11,753 141,347 153,100 STATEMENT OF MoVEmE￿r5 Asat 01.04.2024 Net movement in funds At 31.03.2025 Unrestrided fund5 Designated fun4J Core *und Restrided funds TOTAL FUNDS 95.DtK) 55,177 10,000 45,066 105,000 95,243 150,177 55,066 2CQ,243 Net movement in funds, included in thè above are as fDIIows= Incoming Resources Resources Expenses Movement In fvnds Unrestrirted funds De5i8nated fund Cole fund Re5trlcted fund TOTAL FUNDS 10.000 41,633 416,319 467,952 10,000 40.066 11,5671 1416,3191 1417,8861 50,066

Page 7 Strike A Light IGloucesterl Register&l Number... 11784491 CE014141 Detailed Statement of Fln3nclal Adivitles for the Year Ended 31 March 202S 2025 2024 INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary income Grant Income frtsm Trusts Arts Council NPO Giant Local Authority Funding Partnership Income Julia and Hans Rausing Trust Government FuJ)ding Corporate Giving Earned Income Individual Givin 150,102 249,113 20,950 14,715 232,747 215,534 14,250 2,064 S,602 50 7,943 8.232 18,581 11.703 Other income Government furlough payment5 Bank interest received 465,164 486,422 2,787 3,827 2.787 3.827 Ttstal Incoming rèsources 467,951 490,249 RESOURCES EXPENDED Charitable activltles Production costs 416,319 435,543 Support Costs Insurance 1,250 1,256 Governance tosts Accountancy 317 118 Total resour¢•5 expended 417,886 436.917 Net IncomÈ/lexpenditurel 50,066 53,332

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