MeshWorks
Annual Report
9[th] October 2019 – 31[st] March 2021
MeshWorks is a CIO committed to producing and promoting Art by contemporary East African Artists, for audiences around, currently via the Artists residency, research and performance platform East African Soul Train.
Charity Name : MeshWorks
Charity Number : 1185702
Registration Date : 9[th] October 2019
Trustees:
Amanda Hill-Dixon (Chair) Peter Macdonald (Treasurer) Helen Nicholson
Registered Address:
3 Sovereign Crescent, Lexden Road, Colchester. CO3 3UZ
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Governance and Management:
With no paid staff, MeshWorks is a volunteer-led organisation, currently run by a small board of trustees who receive no remuneration for their participation. The board of trustees are supported day-to-day by researcher and producer Dr Poppy Spowage.
Current trustees include:
Amanda Hill-Dixon (Chair) Peter Macdonald (Treasurer) Helen Nicholson
Objectives and Activities:
MeshWorks’ main objective is to promote art for the benefit of the public by the production of contemporary East African performance and art projects in particular but not exclusively in SubSaharan Africa and England and Wales. Committed to producing and promoting art by contemporary East African artists, for audiences around the world, MeshWorks’ current focus is supporting the development and delivery of the artist residency, research and performance platform East African Soul Train (EAST). As well as providing training opportunities for East African artists, MeshWorks and EAST’s activities have a range of benefits for the public, including engaging local audiences from marginalised communities in East Africa, who do not typically have access to contemporary cultural practice and international audiences (in the UK and beyond) who similarly have not been exposed to cultural practice and work developed by and with East African artists and communities.
East African Soul Train
EAST is a 7-day pop-up residency centred around a journey on East Africa’s historic railways, which brings artists and people working in the creative sector together to explore their identity and collaborate. EAST is an emotional, physical and creative experience; it pushes boundaries, inspiring participants to experiment across disciplines and explore alternative narratives. At the end of the residency, there is a large public performance (in-person and online) and continued networking
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opportunities throughout the year for creative practitioners. As a collective, EAST has created opportunities for 170+ artists from 4 continents, catalysed over 50 on-going collaborations, and is lauded by many artists as a critical marker in their career development. To date, this has been achieved in 3 editions on a train (2016/17/19) and Lost+Found (21), which originally served as a pivot to respond to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Impact of Covid-19 on MeshWorks
The fourth edition of East African Soul Train was scheduled for summer 2020 but rendered impossible because of the global pandemic. It was then rescheduled for 2021, but as the pandemic progressed it became clear it was not possible in 2021. Simultaneously, two grants that Dr Poppy Spowage and MeshWorks had applied to in order to support EAST 2020 were pulled by funders due to the uncertain financial context: as a small voluntary team we took the decision to pause activity until after the pandemic, and as such no activity was possible in this reporting period. Our ambition is to resume activity post-pandemic.
Financial Review
Income in the period 9[th] October 2019 – 31[st] March 2021 from voluntary donations and fundraising activities was zero. With no activity in this reporting period, outgoing expenditure was also zero. See submitted receipts and payments accounts. The Trustees are satisfied that MeshWorks is entitled to exemption from the requirement to obtain and audit under Charities Act 2011, section 145. The Trustees acknowledge their responsibility for complying with Charities Act 2011 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. Annual Return and Financial Accounts Approved by Board on: 27[th] December 2021
Luisa-Amanda Hill Dixon Trustee, MeshWorks +447968593939 amandahilldixon@gmail.com
Helen Nicholson Trustee, MeshWorks +447929625244 H.Nicholson@rhul.ac.uk
Peter Macdonald Trustee, MeshWorks +447976494298 peter.macdonald@engie.com
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| MeshWorks | 1185702 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | CC16a | ||||
| For the period from |
9th October 2019 | To | 31st March 2021 |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | Last year to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
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Donations and Legacies |
- | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Charitable Activities | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
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| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| Sub total | - | ||||||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
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Charitable Activities |
- | - | - | - | - | ||||
| RaisingFunds | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
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| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | ||||||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
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| - | - | ||||||||
| - | **- ** | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) Categories B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B1 Cash funds |
1 Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs |
Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - |
20/04/2022 Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | |||
| 1 | - | 20/04/2 - |
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
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| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
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| Fund to which | Amount due | When due | ||||||
| Details | liability relates | (optional) | (optional) | |||||
| - | ||||||||
| - | ||||||||
| - | ||||||||
| - | ||||||||
| - |
| Signature | Print Name Peter Macdonald Helen Nicholson |
Date of approval |
| Peter Macdonald | 27.12.2021 | |
| Helen Nicholson | 27.12.2021 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
20/04/2022
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