Annual Report of Bispham CastAways CIO RCN - 1182404 Address - 40 Cavendish Road, Bispham, Blackpool, FY2 9JR
FINANCIAL YEAR September 2020 - August 2021
TRUSTEE REPORTING PERIOD September 2020 - August 2021
TRUSTEES Susan Hope Angela Crossley Hayley Price Debbie Flavell Martin Thompson Colin Maycock Suzanne McEachran Siânan Conroy (voted in but unable to take up position)
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Bispham CastAways CIO is governed by a Constitution together with a set of policies including Safeguarding, Social Media and Public Benefit policies. Each member has also been given a copy of (and on joining the group signed their agreement to) our Member Code of Conduct, Privacy Notice and Netiqette Policy. At the moment, we do not have any policies or procedures for induction or training of trustees. We believe that as we are such a small charity and have a stable group of trustees, this is not a priority at the present time. Currently we have had to deal with adding extra precautions and policies in place to tackle COVID.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The charitable purposes of Bispham CastAways CIO are:
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(a) the advancement of arts, culture and heritage, particularly relating to theatre and performance, through the presentation of theatre performances and other performance arts for the public benefit and by providing opportunities for people to learn about, participate and engage in theatre, in particular but not exclusively for those people living in Bispham and the surrounding areas.
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(b) the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health and disability through, but not exclusively, the provision of theatre performances, outreach and awareness programs, for the public benefit, with a view to improving the conditions of life for such people living in Bispham and the surrounding areas.
What this actually means is as follows. Firstly, that we take anyone from the area who wants to become a member of Bispham CastAways and experience the benefit of participating in theatre, no matter age (as long as 16+), gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, past experience or confidence in their own ability. Secondly, that we strive to perform as many different, high quality shows throughout the year for the public in the Bispham and Blackpool areas, so they can engage with good theatre at as low a cost as possible. Finally, that through “going on the road”, developing relationships and programmes with social prescribers and other charitable organisations that we can help those in need in the area, especially to help those with mental health issues.
Our Public Benefit Policy is followed at all times and any monies made are funnelled back into the objectives of Bispham CastAways with all Trustees and members being volunteers, with zero employees.
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ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
(Including future plans)
Our policies and dedicated board of trustees have allowed us to grow a diverse range of members of Bispham CastAways from the Bispham and Blackpool area. We have helped many of them to use theatre to grow in confidence. Participation in our group has supplied essential support to several members who have had a difficult time and the Trustees have received reports that simply ensuring a Christmas card got to each member during lockdown and an organised group card and flowers to a bereaved member has meant a lot for their mental health. Through a recent member survey, we found from the responses to a question about how missing Bispham CastAways meetings during lockdown had affected them, 100% missed the social aspect, 32% said it affected their mental health, 37% said they felt more isolated and 74% missed the creative outlet the meetings give them. We feel that shows our activities have improved the lives of our members. We now have a planned annual member survey to be sent out using Survey Monkey, starting in August 2022, to check that our activities are still appropriate and having the effect on members that the trustees envisage.
During the reporting period, we spent the majority of the time in lockdown and/or under COVID restrictions. We managed to meet at Bispham United Reformed Church, following governmental guidance, in September 2020 and had our Second AGM before we were locked down again. During early 2021, we lost our theatre home at Bispham United Reformed Church as the property was being sold. This lead to us needing to store our multitude of equipment at three different member homes. It was not ideal and continues to show how our charity is massively effected by having to rent a space to perform and for storage.
In order to keep our group together and provide some support during lockdown, we started in April 2021 to meet in several groups of six, outside in a public gardens during the summer months of 2021 to do script read throughs. We even managed to attract some new members during this time. At the end of July 2021 to August 2021, under strict COVID policies that were put in place, we started to meet for free in a hotel and for a nominal fee at the 1st Bispham Scout Hut on a Sunday night to
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rehearse The Clamourings At Giggly Halt by Richard Coleman. We planned to perform this in an outside space for two different care homes that had been so affected by COVID. In the end, one home was locked down the morning of the performance, so we only performed for Glen Tanar Care Home on Saturday the 28th of August 2021. They were very impressed with the transportable set, sound effects, performance, extra bingo and raffle. We did not ask for payment, choosing to give back to the community. However, the care home staff did a quick whip around to say thank you and made a donation of £6o to Bispham CastAways. We are planning to continue and develop this method of performing for care homes starting in 2022.
We will also be performing The Clamourings in September 2021 at our new home, Holy Family RC Church Hall, that we have just managed to secure for the future.
There have been no other community events to get involved in during the reporting period due to COVID restrictions.
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Now we have secured a new home, we hope to look into more social prescribing initiatives and look at having regular activities for those who are not directly involved in the current production to boost member engagement and attendance.
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT
We have a current Public Benefit Statement that has not been changed within the reporting period. Please see attached.
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Public Benefit Statement for Charitable Purposes of Bispham CastAways
The benefit that flows from the purposes:
Promoting the enjoyment and better understanding of the arts, culture, heritage and science, in particular those relating to theatre and performance, through exposure to and participation in (either as audience member or physical participant) the art and culture of theatre and performance. Independent research (although gaps have been identified in their data) has found that exposure to cultural experiences and participation in the arts, can have deep value to the individual and the wider community. (See the table below taken from ” Understanding the Value and Impacts of Cultural Experiences - A Literature Review” prepared for Arts Council England by John D. Carnwath and Alan S. Brown for the value which the arts, culture, heritage and science can have.)
| CONCURRENT IMPACTS (Those that occur during the experience) |
EXPERIENCED IMPACTS (Observed post-event, hours or days later) |
EXTENDED AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS (Lifelong engagement/ memory, weeks or years later) |
|---|---|---|
| Unconscious psycho- physical responses and states, such as: - Physiological response (heart rate, skin conductance) - Pre-cognitive response (arousal) - Captivation (flow, awe, absorption, concentration) - Energy and tension |
Short-term experienced impacts, such as: - Emotional affect and meaning - Spiritual uplift - Learning and critical reflection - Social connectedness - Aesthetic enrichment and creative activation These impacts can occur before, during and after experiences, but are typically measured afterwards. |
Delayed impacts of individual events and impacts that accrue through repeated engagement in cultural activities over time, such as: - Memory of event - Sense of social belonging - Increased cultural capacity - Increased capacity for empathy - Expanded worldview - Health benefits - Subjective well-being |
These benefits will be evidenced through:
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Photo and video documentation.
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Regular internal and external qualitative assessment.
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Regular collation of quantitative data on charitable activities, audiences and participation.
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Regular collation of qualitative data on charitable activities using surveys (some based on those used in independent research into the value of cultural experiences) of the general public in Bispham and the surrounding areas,
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audience members and participants, some targeted to specific groups of the general public if the need arises.
- Regular reporting of charitable activities and financial performance in annual trustee reports, audited annual accounts and other reports where necessary.
The beneficiaries are:
The beneficiaries are the general public, in particular but not exclusively those living in Bispham and the surrounding areas. However, some projects may address the needs of specific sections of society, for example access to a one act play festival targeting young people to increase their confidence, social connectedness, exposure to cultural experiences, health and wellbeing, etc.
The possibility of harm:
The possibility of harm, for example by physical or emotional injury incurred through participation in or experiencing of theatre performances or workshops, are outweighed by the benefits. The risks are significantly reduced by the policies and procedures in place to address them, such as the health and safety policy, rules and safeguarding policies.
The possibility of private benefit:
Any private benefit gained, for example through rental or improvement of rehearsal space, exposure of and payment for specific artists’ works, advertisement of or increased use of goods and services from the local area, are ancillary to the charitable purposes and is greatly outweighed by the public benefit. No trustee or member of the CIO, nor any connected person to them, will make a financial gain from it’s activities. (See the Constitution for further detail on this.)
Provision for the poor
The CIO will charge for membership and performances, so to ensure we have made provision for people who are financially struggling to benefit from our services, we may:
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Regularly review the cost of our membership and tickets.
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Membership fees will be broken into four instalment payments.
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Offer concessionary ticket prices.
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Offer free or reduced price membership, where needed.
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Offer additional free or low cost performances of a play or event, for example a dress rehearsal performance.
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Offer family tickets.
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Perform in other venues like state schools and other community facilities.
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Accounts
| BISPHAM CASTAWAYS BALANCE SHEET FROM 01/09/2020 TO 31/08/2021 | BISPHAM CASTAWAYS BALANCE SHEET FROM 01/09/2020 TO 31/08/2021 | BISPHAM CASTAWAYS BALANCE SHEET FROM 01/09/2020 TO 31/08/2021 | BISPHAM CASTAWAYS BALANCE SHEET FROM 01/09/2020 TO 31/08/2021 | BISPHAM CASTAWAYS BALANCE SHEET FROM 01/09/2020 TO 31/08/2021 | BISPHAM CASTAWAYS BALANCE SHEET FROM 01/09/2020 TO 31/08/2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCOME | EXPENDITURE | ||||
| Production | 0 | Rent | 0 | ||
| Memberships | 100 | Set & Props | 0 | ||
| other | Costune | 0 | |||
| Catering | 0 | ||||
| Other | 50 | ||||
| Total | £100 | £50 | |||
| B/F | £360.7 | ||||
| Income | 100 | ||||
| Expenditure | 50 | ||||
| Total on hand | £410.7 | ||||
| Bank | £221.50 | ||||
| Cash | £189.20 | ||||
| £410.7 | |||||
| Angela Crossley | Financial Manager |
Bispham Castaways Community Theatre Group CIO |
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