Annual Report of Bispham CastAways CIO RCN - 1182404 Address - 40 Cavendish Road, Bispham, Blackpool, FY2 9JR
FINANCIAL YEAR September 2021 - August 2022
TRUSTEE REPORTING PERIOD August 2021 - July 2022
TRUSTEES Susan Hope Angela Crossley Hayley Price Debbie Flavell Martin Thompson Suzanne McEachran Henry “Harry” Chambers
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. During this period we were just coming out of lockdown and have continued to deal with the effects of COVID on our practices and audiences.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The charitable purposes of Bispham CastAways CIO are:
-
(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.
-
(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. We use our Artistic Merit policy to ensure we are not solely relying on “in-house” or unpublished scriptwriters, also maintaining NODA membership to ensure with included independent reviews of productions to make sure we are creating quality, varied theatre, within our means. Finally, that through “going on the road”, developing relationships and programmes with social
Page 2
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.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
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, especially coming out of COVID. Through conversations with members, the Trustees feel that our productions and activities have improved the lives and mental health of our members. Our group chat is regularly utilised to keep members in touch with each other and we are often quoted as being very supportive. We are hoping to setup an annual member survey, using Survey Monkey starting in December 2023, to check that our activities are still appropriate and having the effect on members that the trustees envisage.
During the reporting period, we started without a theatre home (demonstrating again the issues with renting spaces and storage) and met outside in public gardens during COVID lockdown, then at two different hotels and First Bispham Scout Hut under COVID precautions to create an outdoor show, “The Clamourings At Giggly Halt” by Richard Coleman, for local care homes. 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 late Summer 2023.
Page 3
When COVID restrictions on amateur dramatics groups meeting and performing to audiences relaxed a bit in September 2021, we set out to find a new theatre home and found Holy Family RC Church Hall that we started to rent weekly at the beginning of September along with a garage for storage (the first year of rental for which was donated by a group member). We performed The Clamourings At Giggly Halt there on the 18th of September as our first show.
Page 4
We went on to produce the first post-COVID, live theatre, affordable family pantomime in the area in December 2021, following all governmental procedures to make it as safe as possible for our audiences, including COVID check-in posters. This was “The Beauty Sleeping” by Peter Nuttall and was really well received by everyone who saw it, gaining us some new members as well. It was our pleasure to see kids a n d a d u l t s e n j o y i n g
participating in live theatre again, clearly showing public benefit. Some of our members also featured on the Our Lancashire radio programme on BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Sounds to promote both this and the group with the keyword that the host picked up on throughout the interviews being “supportive”, so we were very proud as a group of trustees.
After this we also produced an interactive murder mystery, “Cruise Of Carnage” by Belldonna Mysteries (in-house scriptwriter), in April 2022 which got a brilliant NODA review and later led to nominations for Best Drama and Best Director in the District 2 NODA awards, clearly showing our work on Artistic Merit.
Page 5
Following this, we became very busy towards the end of the reporting period! It started with a request for help from Glen Tanar care h o m e t o h e l p t h e i r residents, supporters and staff celebrate not only the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee but also a resident’s 101st birthday in June 2022. This got us back out into the community, performing outside in their garden with singing and then a short pantomime called The Princess And The Mouse which was written in-house. Everyone had a
great time. The one thing this did show us however, is that we want to look into getting a grant to invest in wireless headset theatre microphones and receivers to make it possible for the residents of care homes to hear us throughout performances.
Our final production of the reporting period was at the beginning of July 2022, it was “Old Boilers” by Adrian Cale and was well received by audiences and the NODA reviewer. A c o m e d y s e t i n a B l a c k p o o l guesthouse, made it a very apt production for our group and led to a great photoshoot on the promenade.
We then finished the reporting period by taking part in the first Bispham and Norbreck Gala for a couple of years following COVID in July 2022, joining the
Page 6
parade and performing after the crowning ceremony. This was to raise our profile within the community.
We are now planning to produce more affordable, quality theatre for the community at our theatre home and look at increasing our work out in the community and with care homes.
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT
We have a current Public Benefit Statement that has not been changed within the reporting period. Please see attached.
Page 7
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:
-
Photo and video documentation.
-
Regular internal and external qualitative assessment.
-
Regular collation of quantitative data on charitable activities, audiences and participation.
-
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,
Page 8
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:
-
Regularly review the cost of our membership and tickets.
-
Membership fees will be broken into four instalment payments.
-
Offer concessionary ticket prices.
-
Offer free or reduced price membership, where needed.
-
Offer additional free or low cost performances of a play or event, for example a dress rehearsal performance.
-
Offer family tickets.
-
Perform in other venues like state schools and other community facilities.
Page 9
Accounts
Bispham Castaways Balance Sheet 01/09/2021 to 31/08/2022
| INCOME | EXPENDITURE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Production | 2076.5 | Rent | 1480 |
| Memberships | 730 | Set & Props | 101.38 |
| other | Costune | 0 | |
| Catering | 595 | ||
| Royalties | 104 | ||
| Total | 2806.5 | Printing | 61.96 |
| 2342.34 | |||
| B/F | 410.7 | ||
| Income | 2806.5 | ||
| Expenditure | -2342.34 | ||
| Total on hand | |||
| 874.86 | |||
| Bank | £87.50 | ||
| Cash | £787.36 | ||
| 874.86 |
Angela Crossley Financial Manager Bispham Castaways Community Theatre Group CIO
Page 10