OFFICIAL # **PARTINGTON THEATRE CLUB LIMITED (a company limited by guarantee)** **Report and Financial Statements** **Year Ending 31st July 2020** **Charity No. 1178767** **Company No. 08955606** OFFICIAL ## **Partington Theatre Club Limited** ## **Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31st July 2020** The Trustees present their annual report together with the consolidated financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31st July 2020. ## **CHAIR’S REPORT** To say that the last 12 months has been a challenge is clearly an understatement. What started as a year of promise ended with the theatre closed and a great deal of uncertainty as to the future. Back in March, during rehearsals for “Breaking The Code”, nobody could have imagined the impact that Covid19 would have on the world in general and the Partington Theatre in particular. When we had to shut down just hours before the opening night, the expectations were that we would be back to normal by the summer. We took the decision then, that if we were going to be closed, we would embark on a programme of much needed improvements. We began refurbishing the clubroom and bar, something that just could not be done if we were operating normally. We also, with the help of a small number of volunteers, repainted the dressing room and backstairs. And we also made plans to remodel the men’s toilets (not before time). With so much time and money being invested in the refurbishment, it was felt that a more professional approach would be needed in order to promote the Partington Theatre as a venue for local groups and events. Following a number of job adverts posted on social media, a new Bar Manager was appointed alongside a new cleaner to ensure that the previous high standards were maintained and improved wherever necessary. We are hopeful that the new clubroom and bar will prove to be an attractive venue and increase the use of the theatre building to bring in much needed revenue. All through the crisis a small number of dedicated officers and executive committee members have been working tirelessly to ensure that when we do see the end of this virus, we still have a theatre to perform in. It costs over £2,000 a month just to maintain the building and without any income we cannot survive indefinitely. With the help of Government grants and loans, and donations from the public, we are keeping the theatre going for now, but these loans will have to be repaid soon. Although we have made plans for the next season, there are still question marks over when we will be able to perform to a full house again. Now, more than ever, we need everybody to pull together or we will lose Partington Theatre for ever. Finally, I would like to thank my fellow Trustees, as well as the Officers of the limited company and the small band of dedicated volunteers for all their efforts to ensure that the next 12 months sees the Partington Theatre not only survive but flourish in a post-Covid world. ## Keith Livermore Chair. ## **HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE** Partington Theatre Club Limited has previously been functioning as a private amateur theatre society since 1958. In 2018 we became Partington Theatre Club Limited with Charitable Status. We own a Grade II Listed Edwardian Building (built as the headquarters of the Liberal Party in 1914) which is in the heart of Glossop Town Centre. An amateur drama society were approached to share the building and in 1957 the upper floor was transformed into a theatre. The building became known as the Partington Theatre and Social Club. Eventually the Liberal Party disbanded, whereupon ownership of the building was transferred solely to the Partington Players. We have been responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the building ever since. The theatre houses a compact stage complete with sound and lighting box. The auditorium has 119 seats and we have a large percentage of Season Ticket holders, who can reserve the same seat for the season. The building has six storeys. The highest storey has a staircase leading to the area above the stage, the theatre is below that. On the fourth storey are ladies’ toilet facilities and a foyer, below that is the OFFICIAL clubroom. Underneath the clubroom is the basement which houses the dressing rooms, furniture storage and costume and below that is another storage area and boiler room. The building is constructed of stone and is of historical significance as it was commissioned by Sir Edward Partington of Glossop. A Blue Plaque was awarded in July 2019 in honour of Mary Partington (wife of Herbert son of Edward) who was the first female mayor of Glossop in 1917 (following the death of her husband) and who was so greatly revered for her benevolent work in the community that she was awarded an MBE and Freeman of the Borough. ## **OUR PURPOSES and ACTIVITIES** The objects of the charity are specifically restricted to the following: - - **a. to advance the education of the public in the arts and in particular but not limited to the provision of a community arts centre.** - **b. to further the social and cultural welfare of the community of Glossop.** - **c. to maintain a Grade 2 listed building.** ## **ARTISTIC VALUES** We are aware that artistic tastes are not the same for everyone and that when addressing some of the more challenging themes the productions might give rise to offence. We take the views of our audiences very seriously and without compromising the integrity of the programme we seek to respect the diverse social, cultural and religious lifestyles of our community and audience. The strategies employed to achieve the charity’s aims and objectives are to: - **present a broad range of theatrical productions for the enjoyment and education of our local community;** - **offer opportunities for a broad range of people to get involved in arts activity exploring their own creative powers;** - **provide facilities for amateur and professional artists to develop.** - **concentrate on involving young people in the arts to help encourage a culture in which different age ranges play a complementary part;** - **To encourage community use of the facilities to promote education, health and social well-being.** To fulfil our artistic aims, Partington Theatre has maintained consistent artistic quality and content in the production of its play performances. This has been done under the management of an extremely pro-active executive committee of 12 members (which includes both directors and trustees of the charity). Many of the committee have decades of experience and expertise in amateur dramatics. We seek to choose a balanced program of six plays for our performance season. The choice of plays presented each year is taken through a rigorous process. Play directors from both within the club and external areas are invited to submit a selection of plays they would be willing to direct. They present their proposals to a Directors Meeting and the plays to be included in our season are chosen to give a varied selection to satisfy the taste of our patrons. Challenging plays with controversial themes are often represented along with comedy, drama and a pantomime. Our patrons are able to give feedback and the Executive Committee will review each and every production to ensure we are meeting our objectives. All productions are reviewed by the arts editor of the local press. We are happy to report that these reviews are very favourable and reflect the fact that we have very high attendances generally. We have maintained an open practice of auditions for actor selection for each play. This includes advertised audition dates to enable anyone to come along and read. Although we insist that any person given a part in a play should become a member of the club non-members are free to audition. This OFFICIAL promotes new faces and a growing membership. We are also happy to report that when a new person does join the society, they generally remain an active member of the company. The rehearsal periods are used, not just to learn the play, but also to give education into stage skills and presentation. We encourage new directors, who are mentored in the process by some of our more experienced directors. We are a small amateur theatrical society and many of our active members take on a range of official roles and duties as well as acting in and directing the plays. We work in close association with many local amateur theatre groups and often have guest directors and actors from other societies. In addition to our season of 6 productions we put on our annual One-Act Play Festival in July. Adult and Junior groups from around the country take part in this ever-popular festival of short plays which is adjudicated by an independent adjudicator who gives fair and honest critiques of the productions and provides constructive feedback to the directors, writers and actors with positive ways to develop and improve upon their skills. There is an array of awards and trophies which are presented on the final night. This year Partington Theatre’s entries in both the adult and Youth section did exceptionally well. ## Updated by JW ## **2019/2020 – SEASON OF THEATRICAL EVENTS** This year has proved a challenging one (as it has for all businesses and theatres around the country) due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Our planned programmed of plays for this season was curtailed when the lockdown came into force in March 2020 resulting in the cancellation, (on what would have been the opening night) of ‘Breaking The Code’ by Hugh Whitemore. Consequently, we were only able to put on 3 of the 6 planned productions. We opened the season in October with ‘Salt Of The Earth’ by John Godber. This was followed by our annual pantomime, which this year was ‘Babes In The Wood’ by Stephen Duckham. The January production was ‘Grow Up Grandad’ by Gordon Steel, which enabled some of our Youth theatre members to take on a main acting role in a full-length production. This proved a great opportunity for the young actors to be part of an adult play. To comply with the regulations for junior performers, we had two youth casts which alternated each night. All three plays proved highly successful and despite not being able to put on Breaking The Code in March, we had presold a high percentage of tickets (including Season Ticket holders) many of whom generously declined a refund. The last two productions of the season, ‘Roleplay’ by Alan Ayckbourn and ‘A Different Way Home’ by Jimmie Chin, were also cancelled and therefore our projected income from productions for the year was halved. Consequently, we have suffered financially, with no income from productions, community lettings, social events, private bookings, visiting theatre companies or bar sales. However, in order to bring in some income, we have endeavoured to raise funds with online events. We hosted a Zoom Murder Mystery in June, which enabled our regular actors to participate in their passion for performing. In addition, we have hosted several zoom quizzes. Our wardrobe mistress made face masks to sell locally, and generously donated a percentage of sales to the theatre and we set up a Paypal Giving Fund. These events proved very successful and helped us to raise some funds for the charity. Also, during lockdown, the directors and executive committee used the time effectively to evaluate the current status of the charity and to review the state of the building. Zoom meetings were held regularly; the outcome of which proved highly effective in making necessary improvements not only to the building but in the running and management of the charity. The theatre closed its doors on Monday 16[th] March 2020 and remained closed for the rest of the season. Therefore, whilst we did not completely fulfil our aims for the season (for reasons beyond our control) we are pleased to report that the theatre survived this difficult year. OFFICIAL ## **YOUTH THEATRE** We have a very vigorous youth theatre group in which we offer drama teaching workshops and performance opportunities. The youth group is run by qualified and well-paid professional drama teachers and is organised in five different age groups. Many of the children in the youth group also study for and achieve certification from LAMDA (London Academy of Dramatic Arts). Partington Theatre has run a Youth Theatre since 1985, which has grown in numbers and popularity. Currently we have 4 youth theatre groups ranging in age from Little Stars (under 5 years) through to the Senior Youth Group (16-18 years). The Youth Theatre is run by a teacher of Drama and Counsellor. There are approximately 125 members who regularly attend the sessions. The Youth Theatre are given the opportunity to showcase their talents with regular performances of their work to the public. We actively encourage the Youth Theatre members to audition for our annual Pantomime as well as any other production of the season that require young actors and as mentioned previously, we had youth members in both the pantomime and Grow Up Grandad. This progression from Youth Theatre to adult plays has led to some of the members going on to make a career in professional theatre. We value the positive contribution the youth theatre makes to our theatre and we encourage and welcome their input. Unfortunately, live classes were not able to be held after the theatre closed on 16th March 2020. However, zoom youth theatre sessions were held online in May and June. When the restrictions eased in July, classes of reduced numbers were able to be held. In order to accommodate all the youth theatre members, Penny Smith (our Youth Theatre Director) restructured her timetable and put on more classes to enable all the members to attend a class. The sessions followed strict Covid Safety Rules and ensured the children kept a socially acceptable distance during each activity. Despite the restrictions imposed by this method of working, the live classes enabled the youth theatre members to further develop their skills and to maintain communication and social interaction as a group. ## **VISITING THEATRE COMPANIES** Many professional touring theatre groups have requested to perform their work at our theatre. They generally perform in the clubroom (which is equipped with stage lighting and sound, as well as portable staging and curtains) preferring the more intimate atmosphere of a small studio space. This year we only had performances from two visiting theatre companies due to the lockdown enforcing the closure of the premises. ## **VOLUNTEERS.** The Charity is greatly involved with the community and relies heavily on a band of dedicated volunteers. As well as helping out to enable productions to be performed to the general public, many of the routine maintenance work on the building is carried out by volunteers. Most of the volunteers are members of the theatre and it was with their overwhelming support that the Charitable trust was set up and we wish to thank all those that give up their time to ensure the future of the theatre. At the beginning of July, the lockdown restrictions were amended (allowing groups to meet indoors provided they followed the Covid Safe Rules) this provided an opportunity for us to go into the building to begin our summer renovation work. The local newspaper wrote an article on our behalf requesting volunteers which proved successful, as we gained some new active volunteers. We organised socially distanced working parties to complete jobs that we do not usually have time to do, such as painting the interior walls of the entrance, staircases foyer and dressing rooms, clearing and sorting the furniture, OFFICIAL wardrobe, props and paint store etc. A small team of members (including the new volunteers) were proactive in assisting with these jobs and many improvements to the building were achieved. ## **COMMUNITY USE OF THE FACILITIES** Our building is used in a number of ways to fulfil another aim: - to promote education, health, and social well-being of the community. Immediately behind the entrance foyer is the theatre clubroom. This comprises of a well-appointed room of approximately 100 square metres, complete with a fully fitted bar at one end. Improvements to the interior of the building over the past few years, have included a sound system and stage lighting in the clubroom, new carpets in the auditorium and a complete renovation to the ladies toilet facilities. The clubroom is not only used for social evenings for club members and public such as murder mystery evenings, quiz nights, cocktail evenings, dances and such. The club have appointed a member as a Letting Agent to promote the use of the clubroom for one off hire or regular engagements. The rental charge for use of the room has been set at very competitive rates to encourage use and the take-up reflects this. One-off lettings include birthday parties, visiting theatre companies, first aid courses, tabletop sales, storytelling evenings, open mike evenings, The Glossop Guild of Enquiring Minds and Two Boards & A Passion (drama classes for children during the school holidays). Glossopera, an external company, are regular users professional opera singers who perform on two nights just before Christmas each year to sell out houses using the clubroom and the auditorium. Regular weekly and monthly lettings include: - - Yoga Classes - Jo Jingles (Baby Music & Movement) - U3A Groups (University of the Third Age), singing and dancing groups, - Peak Film Society who also make use of the auditorium. - Children's Choir - Military Fitness This year the regular community use of the clubroom ceased in March, due to the enforced closure of the building following the Covid 19 Pandemic. We have kept in regular contact with our lessees and are confident that once lockdown ends and the building can reopen safely, they will return to resume their activities. ## **MAINTENANCE OF THE CLUB PREMISES** It is clear that the club members take great pride in the ownership of their historic building, which is in a prominent position within the Glossop town centre. The age of the building and the fact that it is listed brings onerous challenges with its maintenance. These challenges are obviously taken up with vigour by a core of the club members. Maintaining a Grade II listed building of this size is a continual feat, but we endeavour to ensure that attention is given to the external fabric of the building with regular maintenance checks. The roof and leaded windows being a particular challenge with damage and blockages caused from the host of pigeons that nest on the roof. In addition, the internal fabric of the building is given due consideration and each year we endeavour to have a renovation project for one area of the building. This year our plan was to renovate the clubroom and bar area but with no income due to lockdown we thought we would need to put this on hold. When the government introduced a ‘Bounce Back’ loan for businesses, the committee voted to apply for a OFFICIAL loan and use the money to renovate the clubroom and bar. Lockdown proved an ideal time as the renovation work could be carried out without impinging on classes and events usually held in the clubroom, which otherwise would have had to be cancelled during the work schedule. The clubroom was proving a popular location for private functions, but we were losing potential bookings due to the lack of adequate facilities. Therefore, the opportunity to renovate the clubroom (whilst a potential risk – as no-one knew when the pandemic would end) was, we felt, a sound financial investment for the future of the theatre. Better facilities meant more income from potential lettings, which in turn would raise funds for the charity. We were successful in our Business Bounce Back’ loan application and with the knowledge that we would not have to begin paying back the loan until 2021 and at a substantially reduced rate than a regular loan, we chose to accept. One of our key members took on the arduous task of project managing the clubroom renovation and with another member they also undertook a lot of the groundwork of dismantling the clubroom and bar fixtures and fittings in order to reduce costs. The renovation work on the clubroom and bar began in June and work continued through July. The improvements are outstanding, and we are confident that we made the right decision in going ahead with the work. Pre-lockdown, Tuesday evenings are set aside for stage set building but also for miscellaneous maintenance projects. Always well attended these evenings are open both to club members and volunteers from the public. We have seen that these evenings are an easy way for people to come along to see what the club is all about and introduce them to our facilities. After lockdown in March all working parties ceased, however, when the lockdown restrictions were lifted on 1[st] July, we were able to organise socially distanced, Covid safe working parties on various days of the week. We were fortunate to gain some new volunteers during this time and this enabled us to repaint many of the interior walls within the building and start the process of getting the theatre ready for when we could open again. ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** This commentary supplements the enclosed audited accounts, which were prepared for the annual return to Companies House. OFFICIAL During the year from 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2020, Partington Theatre Club Limited (the Charity) started the year on a firm financial footing. The Charity’s income exceeded expenditure until the advice came from the government to close theatres as a result of coronavirus pandemic on March 16[th] 2020. This resulted in lost ticket sales from 3 productions, along with revenue which would usually be raised by ancillary trading at such events. We were further affected by the inability to hire out the venue or hold Youth Theatre sessions, all of which provide a secure monthly income to the charity. At the time restrictions came in we established that we had enough revenue in the bank to sustain 12 months with no income. Luckily, we were awarded a grant of £10,000.00 from the first round of Coronavirus funding for Small Medium Enterprises. Given the situation of the pandemic, we knew that it would be some time until the charity would be able to fulfil its primary aims and objectives i.e., to put on productions, hold fund-raising events or hire out the building. Consequently, the Executive Committee voted in favour of applying for a Business Bounce back Loan of £18,504.00 at a rate of 2.5%. A major expense, amounting to over £34,000, during the 2019/20 season involved refurbishing the clubroom and bar to sympathetically bring it up to modern standards and make it more user friendly, with accessible facilities for lessees. It was decided that by investing in the renovation in this area, it would be a more appealing room to hire out to the public and thereby would potentially attract new customers which would generate more income. Lockdown restrictions were lifted in July, allowing public bars to open and groups of 6 to meet indoors following Covid safety guidelines. As we had a newly renovated bar, the Executive Committee made the decision to open the bar to the public and to start secondary trading in order to secure some form of income when we were able to, although, this wouldn’t be until the following financial year. Total cash assets at the end of the year were £21,565.58, an increase of £57.92 on the previous year. The total income (less closing stock) for the year was £76,087 with an expenditure of £79,625 expenditure, equating to a loss of £3,538. Had it not been for the donations from our community, The business Bounce Back Loan and the government grants, the income (less closing stock) would have been £42,922. Maintaining a listed building presents a large financial burden, but the Charity continues to strive to finance whatever is necessary to continue its purpose in providing a service to the public within the community of Glossop and surrounding areas. During the year, our bank loan taken out previously was paid off with the bounce back loan in order to save on interest. Financial decisions made during the 2019/20 year include: - Assign budget of £35,000 to bar and Club Room renovation - Extending access to general public to the bar in order to secure some form of income. - • Registering with PayPal Giving Fund in order to bring our fundraising capabilities in to the modern era. This allowed for substantial online donations from the community. - Settling the HSBC loan with a lower interest loan. - Revision of bar prices to ensure a healthy profit margin was being made, this allowed for more funds to aid the charity in meeting its objectives and maintaining the building in which it is housed. - Increasing staff wages in line with legal minimum wage requirements. - Reviewing policies and structure to ensure efficient running of the charity and reduce financial risks. - Paid members of staff were placed on furlough. - Online quizzes and a Murder Mystery were hosted via Zoom in order raise funds. OFFICIAL ## **FUTURE PLANS** As the future is currently unknown and no-one knows when normal life with resume after the Covid 19 pandemic, our main focus for the future will be generate funds for the charity. We aim to promote the theatre and building as much as possible in order to reach out to the people of Glossop and the wider community to support us. We have planned the next season’s plays (2020/2021) in anticipation of being able to put productions on and with a newly refurbished bar and clubroom, we are hopeful that this will generate a substantial income from lettings, social events and private bookings. We have employed a part-time cleaner and a new bar manager, who can devote more time to the roles than the previous bar manager/cleaner was able to do. This we feel is a positive step forward with our plans to increase events in the clubroom. We hope to be able to renovate the gent’s toilet facilities and the dressing room toilet which are both in need of improvement. ## **ACHIEVEMENTS** This has been a challenging year due to the Covid Pandemic and subsequent loss of income for half of the year. However, despite all the obstacles, we have managed to keep the charity on a firm footing through online events and charity fundraising. In addition, the building has been improved, so that it can be utilised by a diverse range of community arts and leisure groups in the future. This is a huge achievement considering the fact that many businesses have been adversely affected. Thanks to the dedication of a small team of committed officers, we are confident that Partington Theatre, will survive and continue for a long time to come. 15/05/2021 **………………………………………………………. Date………………………………** ## **Signed by order of the Trustees.** **Keith Livermore, Chair Partington Theatre Club Ltd, Henry Street, Glossop. SK13 8BW**