ANNUAL REPORT 2021
THE ROYAL CROWN DERBY MUSEUM CHARITABLE TRUST
Email address: ewoledge@royalcrownderby.co.uk
Website: www.royalcrownderbymuseum.com Charity Number: 1179781
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DETAILS
Reference and Administration Details
Registered charity number 1179781
Address Royal Crown Derby Museum 194 Osmaston Road Derby DE23 8JZ Trustees Kevin Oakes (Chair February 2020 – 30 July 2020) David Williams (Chair 30 July 2020 to present) Colin Butler John Coyne Olivia Dean Richard Horsley James Lewis Stephen Smith Claire Tonks
Bank HSBC Crown Bank Hanley Stoke on Trent Staffordshire ST1 1DA
Structure, governance and management
Governing document Declaration of Trust adopted 25 September 2018. Trustees are appointed to represent a range of skills and knowledge. New trustees are briefed on their role and responsibilities and on the Trust’s principal policies and procedures.
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Organisational structure All policy and strategic decisions are taken by the Trust. The Trust normally meets every 3 months. Day to day management is delegated to the Museum Director. Additional issues The Trust operates on the premises of the Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company under a Licence Agreement. The museum displays form part of the Visitor Experience which includes factory tours.
Dr. E. Woledge had been appointed Museum Director with effect from 1 March 2020 (two weeks prior to the initial covid-19 lockdown).
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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objects
The objects of the Trust are the advancement of public knowledge, appreciation and awareness in respect of porcelain, china, pottery, earthenware and ceramics of any other kind or artistic, historic, scientific or cultural interest (“ceramics”) and in particular in respect of Royal Crown Derby products and its predecessor Derby factories first established in 1750.
To support our objects in 2020 we developed the following mission statement.
It is our mission to celebrate and share the stories and experiences associated with Royal Crown Derby to awaken curiosity, inspire creativity, encourage innovation, and to transform people’s relationships to ceramics
Activities
In planning our activities, we keep in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. The museum’s activities have been restricted in 2020-2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, however we have continued with our public engagement through
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Launching a new website for the museum www.royalcrownderbymuseum.com. It is our intention to merge our online content with Royal Crown Derby’s in a site covering both operations, but this independent website bridges a gap whilst Royal Crown Derby upgrades its own website.
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Creating a new Facebook page with daily posts Monday to Friday with 350 followers and posts reaching up to 2,500 people.
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Setting up a new newsletter with fortnightly mailing to a subscriber list of 156 people as of March 2021.
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Investing in renovation of the lower floor exhibition and working with Royal Crown Derby on inclusion of a small gift shop to create a single entry point for the museum and shop.
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Securing funding from MDEM (Museum Development East Midlands) to purchase an AV touchscreen for the museum.
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Securing funding from Arts Council England (ACE) to engage digitally with Gypsy Romany and Traveller communities who are keen collectors of Royal Crown Derby. This project is ongoing.
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Working with Royal Crown Derby to launch a competition for young people to design a mug celebrating the NHS, which attracted 600 entries from all over the UK.
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Maintaining an ‘ask an expert’ service manned by volunteers responding to 308 queries up to March 2021.
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Working with volunteers to give an estimated 350 volunteer hours up to March 2021.
These activities provide public benefit by encouraging interest and providing a resource for knowledge exchange. They also provide opportunities for people to meet with friends or to meet new people, or to get involved through volunteering.
The museum has been supported by a dedicated team of volunteers who spend many hours working behind the scenes to answer queries, improve documentation and aid in the accessibility of the collection. They also work to improve their own knowledge and skills, contribute to focus groups and support many engagement activities.
Summary of the main achievements during the year
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Investment of £16975 in the refurbishment of the ground floor area of the Museum to bring key stories to the fore and to frame the factory tours when they are able to relaunch.
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Discussions continue on the future relationship of Royal Crown Derby Ltd and the museum, with the museum modelling various routes to greater financial independence.
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Strategic developments have seen a review of loans, a review of accreditation status prior to resubmission, the creation of an audience development plan and policies on volunteering, safeguarding and data protection. The Museum would like to thank Royal Crown Derby Ltd for its support during the pandemic.
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A new pricing structure has been developed with a free museum at its heart with premium paid for factory tours and for special tours of collections and archives.
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The Museum opened briefly between lockdowns and welcomed 15 visitors to its premium collection and archive tours, and 190 visitors to the free museum.
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Fundraising
This year the museum has received a total of £13,598 in public funding from ACE in two grants, one project grant, and one development grant from MDEM
The project grant supports the project ‘The pattern of life’ which is collecting and collating stories from Gypsy, Romany and Traveller collectors of Royal Crown Derby and will share those stories in a digital interactive within the free museum area.
This Image shows the Pattern of Life Webpage
Applications were also made to:
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AIM Biffa
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Respond and Reimagine.
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Space (ACE)
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Paul Hamlyn
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UK Windrush Scheme (pending)
Larger funding bids are pending a fuller understanding of the future of the museum site which is currently leased by Royal Crown Derby.
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Statement from the Director
It has been a challenging year, but one in which I think the museum has demonstrated its potential for creative expansion. I am grateful to Royal Crown Derby Ltd for supporting us during this difficult time and exploring possibilities for joint working. We have taken the first steps towards fully delivering our mission and I have every confidence that the future will see us both survive and thrive within an increasingly agile and creative sector
Dr Elizabeth Woledge
Statement from the Chair
In addition to the projects delivered by Elizabeth during the year, we have also started bringing to life a shared vision and commercial strategy to move the museum towards financial independence. I look forward to working with the team developing this over the coming year.
My thanks to Elizabeth, the trustees, volunteers and particularly Chris & Kevin from Royal Crown Derby for continuing to make time and resource to support the museum during an incredibly difficult time.
David Williams
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
………………O Dean……………… Olivia Dean, Trustee Date: …………29/09/21……………………………….
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Statement of Financial Position
| Statement of Financial Position | Statement of Financial Position | Statement of Financial Position | Statement of Financial Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| INCOME | |||
| 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | ||
| Interest | 16 | 63 | |
| Funding | 13,598 | 1,500 | |
| Donations | 20,314 | 0 | |
| Other | 150 | 0 | |
| Viewing Fee | 115,200 | 0 | |
| Total | 149,278 | 1,563 | |
| EXPENDITURE | |||
| Consultancy fees | 9,407 | 5,060 | |
| Licence Fee | 103,000 | 0 | |
| Exhibition upgrade | 16,975 | 0 | |
| Cost of delivery | 483 | 0 | |
| Total | 129,864 | 5,060 | |
| Net income for the year | 19,414 | -3,497 | |
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| Opening assets and liabilities at 31 March 2020 | Opening assets and liabilities at 31 March 2020 |
|---|---|
| Museum Inventory at cost | 340,200 |
| Creditors (Licence fee) | -36,000 |
| Debtors (Viewing fee) | 38,400 |
| Bank Account | 37,628 |
| Total | 380,228 |
| Net income for the period (as above) | 19,414 |
| Closing assets and liabilities at 31 March 2021 | |
| Museum Inventory at cost | 340,200 |
| Creditors (Licence Fee) | -139,000 |
| Debtors (Viewing Fee) | 153,600 |
| Bank Account | 44,842 |
| Total | 399,642 |
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