2025-12-31-accounts

POOLE and EAST DORSET ART SOCIETY TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT From 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

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
Mike Gee	Treasurer	Appointed at AGM March 2025
David Marshall	Secretary	Appointed at AGM March 2025
Pam Marshall	Retiring Treasurer
Sally Holland	Publicity
David Roberts	Programmes

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:

1

Constitution

2. How the charity is constituted:

CIO

3. Trustee selection methods:

Elected by Members at AGM. In addition to 6 Trustees, our executive Committee consists of an additional 4 members. We also have a President who is invited to attend all Committee meetings.

4. Additional governance issues:

Trustees meet on alternative months. The Gallery Upstairs (GUS) SubCommittee meet on each alternative month. Co-ordination is by Gallery Coordinator of GUS, who sits on main PEDAS Committee.

r

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 available and actively promote both the appreciation and production of art for the community of Poole and its wider area in Dorset. We run art related activities and events that are available to the public, in addition to our membership of 97 in 2025, including 9 new members during that year.

On behalf of the management of Upton Country Park (UCP) and Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, we also run a community art gallery where non-commercial amateur 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 actively 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

2

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

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.

In these ventures we may also work in partnership with other individuals/ organisations involved in community art.

7. Review of activities in 2025 to further our charitable purposes.

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

Following our very active and high-profile activities in 2024 to celebrate our Centenary year, our activities during 2025 were more limited.

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 held 30 Wednesday afternoon sessions, all of which were promoted to the public, using social media, alongside our website. We had an average attendance of 20 and a maximum of 36. We had 38 non-members attending across that time period of which 9 subsequently became members. This is the only measure we can use to evaluate the benefit achieved for the community. 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 104 Sunday attendances across the year.

We also run day coach trips to popular exhibitions within a suitable radius, with an emphasis on London, and promote these to external members. We frequently operate these jointly with other local art groups. During 2025 we organised 2 trips to London exhibitions. 32% of attendees were nonmembers.

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.

We operate a mailing list that visitors can sign up to and receive regular blogs as ‘Friends of PEDAS’. This was sent to 170 non-members and this increased

3

during 2025 by 7. 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. Over 2025 we reached over 1500 people using social media.

Running the local Community Art Gallery

The Gallery hosted 22 separate exhibitions over the year. Two exhibitions combined poetry featuring local poets working with artists' interpretations. The gallery also welcomed exhibitions of pottery, glasswork and miniatures by members of The Hilliard Society.

An exhibition by students from local art classes attracted many visitors and gave the students an opportunity to exhibit in a first class gallery.

.

‘Our Heathlands’ exhibition drew attention to the vulnerability of local heathlands and raised money to support this cause.

‘A community art exhibition that celebrates the unique beauty and ecological importance of Dorset’s heathlands, an integral part of our local heritage, culture, and natural landscape across BCP and Dorset County. This exhibition will feature a variety of artistic works, ranging from individual projects to collaborative pieces, with contributions drawn from an open call for submissions. I aim to include a diverse mix of creatives, local community groups, and students, all responding to a heathland-themed brief. Additionally, the exhibition will highlight local conservation efforts, underscoring the importance of protecting these increasingly rare habitats for future generations.’

Several of these shows involved demonstrations and hands on activities for visitors.

A comment received by email:

"I just wanted to.say thank you. I'm quite new to the art world and I found you all really professional and welcoming. I really enjoyed stewarding and meeting the artists that I did. I've done other Open exhibitions and this has not been the case, so thank you very much.."

In December PEDAS and the Gallery hosted a biennial Open exhibition, which invites all artists within a 30mile radius to submit artwork for a selected exhibition. This attracted over 200 submissions in 2025, 165 of which were accepted. Our judge was the Creative Director of the Dorset Visual Arts, and prizes are awarded, paid for by entry fees.

4

The Gallery attracted 10,230 visitors across 2025, and 454 artists exhibited their work. We are disappointed to note this continues to show a slightly declining trend since Covid. The Gallery has 2000 followers across social media sites. The Gallery generated £19,000 in sales. Exhibitors pay £12/18 a day to hire and pay PEDAS 10% commission.

Comments from our Visitors book included; ‘It is so nice to have a community art gallery in this area, instead of big galleries selling expensive artwork.’

Community OutReach

We had planned 3 community events for 2025, including the biennial Open exhibition, detailed above, but as it turned one, one did not come to fruition for reasons beyond our control.

We held a Community ‘En Plein Air’ event at Bournemouth beach in July. We hired the Branksome Dene Chine hall as a base and provided refreshments, and 2 paid Tutors were in attendance. We publicised the event widely and had 32 attendees in excellent weather conditions. Unfortunately, we lost money on this event.

We had been planning a big joint venture with Poole Museum to celebrate their re-opening following a significant refurbishment which had entailed closure for well over a year. They had asked us to partner them in developing an exciting exhibition along with community activities in the museum over an extended period of time. We had held 3 encouraging meetings and had ongoing email communication when we were told that management had changed their minds about our involvement and wanted something more high profile for the launch. Instead, we went ahead with our own exhibition with the theme of ‘ Poole: what it means to me, ’ which was a great success.

Our voluntary involvement in the Wellbeing programme held at Upton Country Park in conjunction with BCP Skills and Learning service has now finished due to funding constraints within the service. This involved PEDAS leading one of the practical sessions to help engagement with creative activities outside in nature.

All our policies were reviewed and where appropriate updated during 2025. We added a policy on our use of Social Media during 2025 following CC guidelines.

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

5

reliable income from membership contributions, our only main source of income, and the gallery covers its expenses which consist largely of maintenance.

9. Finance:

We did not have extraordinary expenditure in 2025, although, as the accounts show, we finished the year down on 2024 closing balance.

We did increase our attendance fees in 2025, (only applicable during winter inside sessions when venue charges are incurred) from £3 to £5 for members and £5 to £8 for non-members. We realise this may be a deterrent to visitors, but to offer a tutored art workshop for this price is extremely cheap compared to commercial charges by professional tutors. Many of our guest tutors are professional and now charge in the region of £200 a session. We lose money on our regular programmed activities, but recognise that this is what members pay a membership fee for. However, with rising costs, we need to ensure an adequate end of year balance.

We did not increase our membership fees in March 2025 and this remained at £35pa. However, we will be looking to increase this to £40 at our AGM in 2027.

We pay for professional IT services where necessary at a rate of £25/hour.

Our Gallery has been re-carpeted in 2025 and incurred ongoing maintenance and re-decoration charges.

This year our Gift Aid scheme returned us £481.

All income from sales in our Gallery go to the artists, except for a 10% commission which goes into the GUS account and 5% to PEDAS. This helps towards the costs of maintenance.

We now pay Upton Country Park a Licence fee of £1710 pa inclusive of VAT.

Summary of accounts for 2025.

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 2025 was £16967. The closing balance on 31[st] December 2025 was £13334.

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:

6

We will continue with our basic programme of events, exhibitions and running the gallery as our ‘core business’ activities.

We are working with Dorset Visual Arts to try to create an Eastern Hub during Dorset Art Week, (part of the national art weeks scheme) each May-June. This initiative aims to signpost visitors and promote artists’ studios in the sometimes overlooked creatively, eastern region of the county.

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.

Declaration:

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above on 16/7/2026.

Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees:

Signatures: ____ ______ Full name: JACQUELINE GUSH

Position: Chair Full name: PAMELA MARSHALL Position: TRUSTEE (retiring Treasurer)

Date: 16[th] July 2026

7

PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS

Advisers: Sarah Pickering ([e-mail]).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, Lytchett Minster, Poole, Dorset BH16 6JE

8

Poole and East Dorset Arts Society

Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered Charity no 1184632

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Unaudited)

As At 31 Decemer 2025

Subscriptons Social Events / Gallery Hire Commission Trips Exhibiton donatons Donaton Meetngs & Sales Misc Other Entry Fees Total Income Admin Tutor Venue Hire Social Exhibiton costs News Leter Other event costs Teas & Cofees Website Gallery costs Other costs Artst payment Donatons Trip Costs Maintenance Equipment Insurance Model Hire Prior Year adj Total Expenditure Net Gain / Loss Opening Positon Net Movement Closing Positon Balance Sheet Bank Cash in Hand	2025 2025 2025 PEDAS GALLERY AGGREGATED £ 3,255 £ 3,255 £ 76 £ 4,608£ 4,684 £ 1,889£ 1,889 £ - £ - £ 11,856 £ 11,856 £ - £ 1,095 £ 1,095 £ 2,435 £ 2,435 £ 18,717 £ 6,497£ 25,214 £ 33 £ 33 £ 3,936 £ 3,936 £ 1,965 £ 1,710£ 3,675 £ - £ 643 £ 643 £ 45 £ 45 £ 801 £ 801 £ - £ 128 £ 128 £ 1,171 £ 1,171 £ 1,541 £ 3,337£ 4,878 £ 8,612 £ 8,612 £ - £ - £ 3,975£ 3,975 £ - £ 122 £ 619£ 741 £ 210 £ 210 £ 19,207 £ 9,641£ 28,847 -£ 490 -£ 3,144-£ 3,633 £ 2,731 £ 14,236£ 16,967 -£ 490 -£ 3,144-£ 3,633 £ 2,241 £ 11,092£ 13,334 £ 2,219 £ 11,092£ 13,311 £ 55 £ 2,273 £ 11,092£ 13,366	2024 2024 2024 PEDAS GALLERY AGGREGATED £ 3,217 £ 3,217 £ 3,128 £ 4,986£ 8,114 £ 1,745£ 1,745 £ 1,200 £ 1,200 £ 9,727 £ 9,727 £ - £ - £ 1,148 £ 2,000£ 3,148 £ 1,180 £ 1,180 £ 19,600 £ 8,731£ 28,331 £ - £ 2,188 £ 2,188 £ 1,643 £ 1,500£ 3,143 £ - £ 849 £ 849 £ - £ 5,840 £ 5,840 £ 218 £ 218 £ - £ 465 £ 465 £ 5,164 £ 547£ 5,711 £ 4,713 £ 4,713 £ - £ 1,200 £ 1,200 £ 1,863£ 1,863 £ - £ 572£ 572 £ 250 £ 250 £ 22,530 £ 4,482£ 27,012
		-£ 2,930 £ 4,249 £ 1,319
		£ 5,661 £ 9,987£ 15,648 -£ 2,930 £ 4,249£ 1,319 £ 2,731 £ 14,236£ 16,967 £ 2,731 £ 14,237£ 16,968 £ 1 0 £ 2,732 £ 14,237£ 16,969

Poole & East Dorset Art Society (PEDAS) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered Charity no 1184632

Martin Arthur

Skye Cottage, 8 Bennett Road Bournemouth, Dorset BH8 8QF e-mail: [e-mail] Telephone: [phone] Mobi: 07980668990

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 2025.

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:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. 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. 26[th] February 2026

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