POOLE and EAST DORSET ART SOCIETY TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT From 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Charity Name:
Poole and East Dorset Art Society (PEDAS)
Registered charity number: 1184632 Principle/Registered office: Poole and East Dorset Art Society c/o Upton House Upton Country Park Poole Road Poole BH17 7BJ
Names of Charity Trustees during the period:
| Name | Office (if any) | Dates appointed or resigned in the year |
|---|---|---|
| Jacqui Gush | Chair | |
| Pamela Marshall | Treasurer (retiring) | |
| Sue Huskinson | Secretary | Resigned at AGM March 2024 |
| Carol Cox | ||
| Sally Holland | ||
| David Roberts | ||
| John Biggs |
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity:
| Trustee name | Dates acted if not for wholeyear |
|---|---|
| None | |
Bankers:
Lloyds Bank plc PO Box 1000 BX1 1LT
1. Type of governing document:
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Constitution
2. How the charity is constituted: CIO
3. Trustee selection methods:
Elected by Members at AGM
4. Additional governance issues:
Trustees meet on alternate months. The Gallery Upstairs sub-Committee meet on the other alternate months. Co-ordination is by attendance by all or a Trustee.
5. Objects of the charity:
Our objective as a charity is to foster, promote and increase, amongst the general public in the local area, the knowledge, practice and appreciation of art.
6. Summary of the main objectives:
Poole & East Dorset Art Society is a Membership Society.
PEDAS aims to make both the appreciation and production of art, available to the community in the vicinity of Poole. We run activities and events that are available to all, we had a membership of around 95 in 2024 and we run a community gallery where non-commercial groups and individuals can exhibit their work to the public.
The art society is open to anyone to join, regardless of ability or experience. The activities run by PEDAS include workshops, demonstrations, ‘en plein air’ activities and trips to visit art and cultural destinations and events. All these are open to members of the public and are promoted as such.
We run weekly and monthly programmes of events, involving a wide range of topics relating to art practice and appreciation. These are advertised on our website and social media and we encourage visitors and non-members to attend and join in.
The Gallery Upstairs
We run a viable, high quality community art gallery which offers an opportunity for local artists or groups – including other charities, to gain exposure for their work throughout the year with exhibitions managed on a two-week rotating basis. The gallery is open and free of charge to visit by the public and is situated within the local council run Upton Country Park (UCP), Poole and forms part of their leisure and recreation facilities.
Community OutReach
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We aim to participate in and/or organise two events specifically for the general public every year. They will include partnership with the management of Upton Country Park, part of the BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) Council as part of their public programme of activities and events in the recreational park.
We may also work in partnership in these ventures with other individuals/ organisations involved in community art.
- Summary of the main achievements and benefits during the year: In planning our activities for the year, we kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at our trustees’ meetings.
Art activities for members and non-members
As 2024 was our Centenary year, we held an expanded programme of events and activities during the year which had been in the planning for 2 years. As several of these events involved financial transactions using the facility of the PEDAS bank account, these are reflected as extraordinary entries in our accounts for the year.
In April, a celebratory dinner was held for members of PEDAS and partners. Attendees paid in full for this. We also had 3 guests. This was attended by over 80 people.
In June, members were offered an opportunity to visit Brownsea Island to participate in a special En Plein Air art activity and a prepared cream tea in the Castle. The costs were borne by participants.
In terms of our regular activities, we continued to hold our regular weekly art activity sessions each Wednesday afternoon between September and early May.
We had 566 member attendances over 30 Wednesdays giving an average of 19 per week. There were 82 visitor attendees, well up on last year. We also hold a session on the first Sunday of each month. This gives an alternative to people who cannot attend on Wednesday afternoons. There were 106 Sunday attendances across the year.
In June there was a coach trip to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy arranged jointly between 3 local art societies and attracting members of the general public.
Over the summer period we operate an ‘En Plein Air’ weekly programme for members and non-members alike. During this summer period we schedule collegial meet-ups with other art groups.
Unfortunately, our legacy of annual PEDAS art holidays came to an end in 2024, owing to a decline in support and the difficulty of securing required accommodation making it no longer feasible. The management of this made it too challenging for us to continue.
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2024 finished with a membership of 95, an increase of 5 on the previous year. We introduced a new on-line application form which is already streamlining the process of renewals and applications.
In 2024 our membership fee remained at £35pa. The majority of our income derives from membership fees.
This year our Gift Aid scheme came into force and in the first year we benefitted from a return from HRMC of £660.
We operate a mailing list that visitors can sign up to and receive regular blogs as ‘Friends of PEDAS’. By the end of 2024, we had over 255 willing subscribers. We have also been developing the society’s use of social and digital media for more effective publicity and promotion. It answers our objective to broaden our communication about PEDAS and our activities within the local community. Our Facebook and Instagram accounts now augment our website and blogs. We monitor the number of ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ regularly and both have continued to expand. We have a steady following of over 600 across both Instagram and Facebook. The Gallery Upstairs is active and is nearing 1000 followers on Instagram and Facebook. We are sharing to lot of different groups such as Poole Community , Dorset Artists and creatives to name a few. Instagram reels are popular (these are shared over both platforms) and are regularly seen by over 200 people each time.
Running the local Community Art Gallery
The Gallery hosted 24 separate exhibitions over the year. This community art gallery allows a range of amateur artists from the local area to exhibit and sell their work. Two exhibitions were selling in support of charities. One of these attracted 820 visitors and raised £3000 for MND.
The breakdown was as follows; 7 individual amateur artists
1 pottery show 1 textile group 8 art societies
4 small groups showing a mix of fine art and other creative artifacts
1 show of students work
Several of these shows involved demonstrations and hands on activities for visitors. Visitor numbers totalled 14385, which was up on 2023 (13900). However, we still have not reached our pre-Covid annual visitor numbers. Evidence of feedback comes mainly from the Visitor book in the Gallery.
What a beautiful and thought provoking exhibition Wonderful to see how much your work has developed Amazing gallery, and a please to meet one of the artists and have him explain his work to us.
High profile PEDAS exhibitions featured strongly during our Centenary year. We were privileged to be given extensive exhibition space in ‘The Lighthouse’, our prestigious Poole centre for the arts, which ran for 5 weeks from 21[st] June
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– 27[th] July. Our theme was ‘1924 to today’ and we aimed to exhibit artworks from members representing the history of the Society. We managed to secure many pictures for exhibition from members both alive and deceased, as well as being able to exhibit extensive work from current members. Archive material also featured and we also ran audio recordings from an eminent past member, recently deceased, well known in the local Poole community. The exhibition was opened by the Mayor on 22[nd] June. There was no way to record attendance over the 5 week period.
We also held an exhibition in our Gallery Upstairs from 24[th] May – 10[th] June, with the theme of ‘Celebrate’. This exhibition was part of the county wide Dorset Art Week open studios initiative and again promoted our Centenary amongst the community.
Community OutReach
As party of the Centenary activity programme we held 2 high profile and well publicised community art events.
The first was an Art in the Park event 29[th] – 30[th] June. Working with Upton Country Park this joint event attracted over 60 participants. We invited a well known artist to be our guest artist and judge, and generous prizes were sponsored by Daler-Rowney.
In October as the year drew to a close, we looked forward to recognising and celebrating artists of the next generation. We invited 2 Poole schools to work with us and exhibit their work in the community space in the Poole shopping centre. This exhibition was accompanied by a series of creative and varied hands-on activities and workshops run by several willing members. We experienced a good level of attendance and participation, and the schools expressed delight in having an opportunity to have their artwork showcased.
124 members of the public voted for the best picture from respective schools and small prizes were awarded, sponsored by a local art supplies retailer.
Wellbeing Events in Upton Country Park (UCP)
PEDAS continued to participate in Wellbeing Events with UCP, in conjunction with BCP Skills and Learning service. Participants attend UCP each Thursday morning for a six-week programme which involved PEDAS leading one of the practical sessions to help engagement with creative activities outside in nature.
8. Policy on reserves:
We do not hold a specific reserve. Our unallocated income is less than £5,000 pa and our expenditure is geared to that on an ongoing basis. We have a reliable income from membership contributions and the gallery covers its expenses which consist largely of maintenance.
- Finance:
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Owing to the planned activity levels in 2024, the impact on our finances needed to be carefully considered. Our end of year balance has suffered, but the expenditure was planned and carefully controlled. We end the year with a significantly lower balance, but still a relatively healthy one. A few expenses not budgeted for, included the loss of £250 on our deposit paid at the Poole Quay hotel when it went into administration. As previously reported, we now pay for essential IT skills. In preparation for our Centenary we needed to give serious consideration to our Archives, and we now pay an Archivist a small annual retainer. There has been significant expenditure in the Gallery to prepare for a new hanging system, installed in January 2025, for which we did receive a grant of £1000. Payment for the independent examination of our accounts cost us £450 in 2024.
Summary of accounts for 2024
The amalgamated accounts for the past year are presented to the members at each AGM and reviewed by an independent examiner. The opening balance for PEDAS/GUS account in 2024 was £15648 The closing balance on 31[st] December 2024 was £16967.
We do not have “restricted” funds. Only a small amount around £50 is retained as a cash float. We do not own property and our assets consist of tables and chairs for use in the gallery, of insignificant value.
10. Future plans:
We will continue with our basic programme of events, exhibitions and running the gallery as our ‘core business’ activities.
We have an objective to continue to increase our social media presence as we see this as the most effective vehicle with which to connect with the local public and communities.
As a small charity with a limited number of Trustees and other volunteers, we are conscious that we need to limit our activity levels to within our resource capability. We are planning for Trustee succession, which is likely to present a challenge as fewer members are now willing to step up to take committee roles and responsibilities.
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Declaration:
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above on 6[th] August 2025.
----- Start of picture text -----
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees:
Signatures: Jacqui Gush____
Pam Marshall___
Full name: Jacqueline Gush___
Position: Chair____
Full name: Pamela Marshall________
Position: _Treasurer___
Date: 6 [th] August 2025______
----- End of picture text -----
PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS
Advisers: Steve Place, Community Action Network (Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole) Bankers: Lloyds Solicitors: Dutton Gregory Insurance Brokers: Eastlake Beachell Independent examiner: Martin Arthur, The Old Post Office, 56 Dorchester Road,
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Lytchett Minster, Poole, Dorset BH16 6JE
Poole and East Dorset Arts Society
Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered Charity no 1184632
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Unaudited)
As At 31 Decemer 2024
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income | PEDAS | GALLERY | AGGREGATED | PEDAS | GALLERY | AGGREGATED | ||||||
| Subscriptions | £ | 3,217 |
£ | 3,217 |
£ | 3,043 |
£ | 3,043 |
||||
| Social Events / Gallery Hire | £ | 3,128 |
£ | 4,986 |
£ | 8,114 |
£ | 1,675 |
£ | 4,400 |
£ | 6,075 |
| Commissions | £ | - |
£ | 1,745 |
£ | 1,745 |
£ | - |
£ | 1,792 |
£ | 1,792 |
| Trips | £ | 1,200 |
£ | 1,200 |
£ | 12,254 |
£ | 12,254 |
||||
| Exhibition donations | £ | 9,727 |
£ | - |
£ | 9,727 |
£ | 6,417 |
£ | - |
£ | 6,417 |
| Other | £ | 1,148 |
£ | 2,000 |
£ | 3,148 |
£ | 428 |
£ | 50 |
£ | 478 |
| Entry Fees | £ | 1,180 |
£ | 1,180 |
£ | 1,296 |
£ | 1,296 |
||||
| Total Income | £ | 19,599 |
£ | 8,731 |
£ | 28,331 |
£ | 25,112 |
£ | 6,242 |
£ | 31,354 |
| Admin | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 147 |
£ | 147 |
||||
| Tutor | £ | 2,188 |
£ | 2,188 |
£ | 2,705 |
£ | 2,705 |
||||
| Venue Hire | £ | 1,643 |
£ | 1,500 |
£ | 3,143 |
£ | 1,506 |
£ | 1,500 |
£ | 3,006 |
| Social | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||
| Exhibition costs | £ | 849 |
£ | 849 |
£ | 886 |
£ | 886 |
||||
| News Letter | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 177 |
£ | 177 |
||||
| Other event costs | £ | 5,840 |
£ | 5,840 |
£ | 720 |
£ | 720 |
||||
| Teas & Coffees | £ | 218 |
£ | 218 |
£ | 207 |
£ | 207 |
||||
| Website | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 108 |
£ | 108 |
||||
| Gallery costs | £ | 465 |
£ | 465 |
£ | 352 |
£ | 352 |
||||
| Other costs | £ | 5,164 |
£ | 547 |
£ | 5,710 |
£ | 1,518 |
£ | 554 |
£ | 2,072 |
| Artist payment | £ | 4,713 |
£ | 4,713 |
£ | 4,200 |
£ | 4,200 |
||||
| Donations | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||
| Trip Costs | £ | 1,200 |
£ | 1,200 |
£ | 12,254 |
£ | 12,254 |
||||
| Maintenance | £ | 1,863 |
£ | 1,863 |
£ | 1,769 |
£ | 1,769 |
||||
| Equipment | £ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Insurance | £ | 572 |
£ | 572 |
£ | 427 |
£ | 427 |
||||
| Model Hire | £ | 250 |
£ | 250 |
£ | 495 |
£ | 495 |
||||
| Prior Year adj | £ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Total Expenditure | £ | 22,530 |
£ | 4,481 |
£ | 27,011 |
£ | 25,274 |
£ | 4,250 |
£ | 29,525 |
| Net Gain / Loss | -£ | 2,931 |
£ | 4,250 |
£ | 1,320 |
-£ | 162 |
£ | 1,992 |
£ | 1,829 |
| Opening Position | £ | 5,661 |
£ | 9,987 |
£ | 15,648 |
£ | 5,823 |
£ | 7,995 |
£ | 13,818 |
| Net Movement | -£ | 2,931 |
£ | 4,250 |
£ | 1,320 |
-£ | 162 |
£ | 1,992 |
£ | 1,829 |
| Closing Position | £ | 2,730 |
£ | 14,237 |
£ | 16,967 |
£ | 5,661 |
£ | 9,987 |
£ | 15,648 |
| Balance Sheet | ||||||||||||
| Bank | £ | 2,730 |
£ | 14,237 |
£ | 16,967 |
£ | 5,651 |
£ | 9,987 |
£ | 15,638 |
| Cash in Hand | £ | 1 |
0 | £ | 1 |
£ | 10 |
£ | 10 |
|||
| £ | 2,730 |
£ | 14,237 |
£ | 16,967 |
£ | 5,661 |
£ | 9,987 |
£ | 15,648 |
|
| Poole & East Dorset Art Society | (PEDAS) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, | Registered Charity | no | 1184632 |
Martin Arthur
The Old Post Office 56 Dorchester Road, Lytchett Minster,Poole, Dorset, BH16 6JE Telephone: 01202 621622 Fax: 01202 621488
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Poole & East Dorset Art Society, c/o Upton House, Upton Country Park, Poole, Dorset
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Poole & East Dorset Art Society, c/o Upton House, Upton Country Park, Poole, Dorset.
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the PEDAS (Charity) for the year ended 31[st] December 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I confirm that there are no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Martin Arthur FMAAT, FFA, FIPA, FFTA, MIH, ACIE. 16[th] July 2025
Martin Arthur is licensed and regulated by the Association of Accounting Technicians to provide services in accordance with License No. 2208 details of which are displayed at the registered address shown below.
Owner: Martin Arthur FMAAT, FFA, FIPA, FFTA, MIH, ACIE