Trustees' Annual Report for the period
| Period start date | Period start date | Period end date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **From ** | 09 | 10 | 2019 | To | 31 03 |
2021 |
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name
The Poetry Exchange
Other names charity is known by
Registered charity number (if any) 1185714
Charity's principal address
26 Monument Court
Woolners Way
Stevenage Postcode SG1 3AD
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Prebble | Secretary | |||
| Fiona Bennett | ||||
| Alison McManus | Chair | |||
| RoyMcFarlane |
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Type of governing document
Constitution
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
How the charity is constituted
Charitable Incorporation Organisation
(eg. trust, association, company)
Appointed by current trustees at meeting, for minimum of 3 years Trustee selection methods
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Section C Objectives and activities
The objects of the CIO are:
To advance the arts and culture, in particular poetry, for the public Summary of the objects of the benefit, by producing events and activities that promote the public’s charity set out in its engagement with and appreciation of poetry, for the general public governing document around the UK and worldwide.
| Objectives and activities | |
|---|---|
| The objects of the CIO are: To advance the arts and culture, in particular poetry, for the public benefit, by producing events and activities that promote the public’s engagement with and appreciation of poetry, for the general public around the UK and worldwide. |
|
| Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit) |
The Poetry Exchange carries out a wide range of public events and activities that allow people from all walks of life to explore and connect with poetry. Over 2020-21 we have have run our activities online as well as in person when possible, maintaining many forms of public engagement with our work, in spite of the pandemic. The main activities undertaken towards our charitable objects have been: - Public events that invite people to read, share and explore poems together – revealing and celebrating how poems speak powerfully and personally to people in their lives. Our events & activities range from individual conversations to large-scale gatherings and performances, taking place in libraries, festivals, arts centres and other public spaces – as well as online. We seek to offer something for everyone – whether they are avid poetry readers or people coming to poetry for the first time. - An award-winning podcast and digital programme that reaches thousands of people around the world – sharing the stories of people’s connection with poems as friends and opening up poetry to a much wider audience. (Silver Award, Most Original Podcast, British Podcast Awards). - Workshops and interventions in various public settings, exploring the possibilities of poetry as a form of social encounter – creating shared experiences with poems in universities, workplaces, wellbeing groups, community centres and more. - Building a diverse community of poetry lovers, brought together through our wide-ranging work with poems as friends – readers, artists, listeners, followers, event-goers and more. We maintain & support this community through regular events, gatherings, newletters, social media and more. The Poetry Exchange’s trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. |
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
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You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
The Poetry Exchange is not a grant-making organisation, nor does it have any investments at this stage.
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policy on grantmaking;
-
policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
Whilst we aim to pay our team and associates professional rates, our work benefits from a wide range of voluntary and in-kind support e.g. our network of associate artists promoting our work widely; partners and supporters hosting activities in their properties or venues in-kind; our producing team putting in a lot of additional, voluntary time when launching or developing new initiatives.
Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
Summary
Whilst the pandemic inevitably had a major impact on our work in 202021, this was also a very fruitful time for The Poetry Exchange, as we continuously adapted our work to new formats and technologies, offering thousands of people around the world community & connection with poems as friends during a very challenging time.
Digital innovation
The Poetry Exchange has always offered a mix of online and in-person encounters with poetry, so we were quickly able to adapt our work to reach people as fully as possible over 2020-21. Innovations included:
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Hosting conversations with readers from around the world – making the experience of The Poetry Exchange more widely available than ever before.
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Live-streaming major events such as ‘In The Company of Poems’, which brought some of the best voices and poems in the world directly into people’s homes ( “the cultural highlight of my lockdown” as one audience member put it).
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Maintaining and supporting our diverse community of readers, writers, associate artists, partner organisations and followers, through regular online gatherings e.g. ‘Bring A Poem Nights’ and poetry lunch hours. “These sessions have been a life-line for me, as an artist and as a person living through this.”
As a team we have combined our growing digital skills with a deep and nuanced curatorial approach to poetry – allowing us create a wide range of powerful yet accessible experiences that have kept people feeling human and connected during the pandemic:
“Sharing poetry as a vehicle for human intimacy in a difficult time.” “The incredible voices are all still resonating with me now. Thank you for making an otherwise ordinary night EXTRAORDINARY.”
Widening reach
As the words above make clear, there has been an incredible public response to The Poetry Exchange’s work this year. We have seen a vast increase in our audience during 2020-21, as more and more people turn to our work with poetry as a source of deeper understanding and closer connection in their lives. Our podcast listening figures grew by over 12,000 to 37k listens worldwide – creating countless moments of intimacy and honesty during the upheaval of people’s lives this year.
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Section D Achievements and performance We also invested in a full re-brand across all our work and channels – collaborating with Duzi Studios to create a tender yet contemporary design that chimes with and communicates the essence of The Poetry Exchange to wider audiences.
Fundraising successes
In spite of the pressures people were facing, we also saw the warmth and support from our community translate into increased private giving. Spurred on by our new, flagship fundraising event – In The Company Of Poems – we raised £5,766 in individual donations.
Artistic highlights
Our Artistic Director Fiona Bennett curated and directed the poetry for an astonishing new piece by Ballet Black - Then Or Now – featuring the poetry of Adrienne Rich. Rich’s poetry is voiced by The Poetry Exchange associate artists Michael Shaeffer, Natasha Gordon and Hafsah Bashir.
The piece was due to be premiered at the Barbican Centre in March but was postponed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. However, in May we were thrilled to release the poem-score to this new ballet as our first Special Episode of The Poetry Exchange podcast. This collaboration is a shining exemplar of the powerful, interdisciplinary work with poetry that our team can create, and we look forward to more unique co-productions like these in the coming years.
We are proud to have shared a wonderful range of voices and stories on The Poetry Exchange podcast this year – featuring well known figures and members of the public alike. Our guests have included actor Brian Cox, writers Stephen Beresford and Rachel Eliza Griffiths, as well as students, publishers, teachers, parents and more. We have heard lifechanging stories of loss, motherhood, childhood, resilience, feminism, hope and beauty – all told through people’s intimate friendships with poems by Maya Angelou, Dylan Thomas, Emily Dickinson, Philip Larkin and many more.
Section E Financial review
The Poetry Exchange seeks to build a reserve of four months’ operating Brief statement of the costs in place. As 2020-21 was our first financial period of operation, this charity’s policy on reserves is currently an ambition that the Trustees will set a strategy around during - the current financial year (2022 23). Details of any funds materially in deficit
Further financial review details (Optional information)
Please see attached accounts for breakdown of funds and expenditure You may choose to include during the period 09/10/2019 – 31/03/2021. additional information, where relevant about:
- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Fiona Bennett Full name(s) John Prebble Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Secretary etc) Date 30.01.2022
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| The Poetry Exchange | The Poetry Exchange | The Poetry Exchange | 1185714 | 1185714 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
09/10/2019 | To | 31/03/2021 | |||
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ - 4,629 2,432 3,334 10,395 - - 10,395 2,977 400 875 1,446 472 837 7,007 - - 7,007 3,388 20 3,408 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ 24,030 24,030 - - 24,030 3,947 1,468 5,470 7,229 1,000 1,008 1,934 22,056 - - 22,056 1,974 - 1,974 |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 24,030 4,629 2,432 3,334 34,425 - - 34,425 6,924 1,868 6,345 8,675 1,000 1,480 2,771 29,063 - - 29,063 5,362 20 5,382 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Arts Council England National LotteryGrant | - | |||||
| Fees for charitable work | 4,629 | |||||
| Fundraisingevent | 2,432 | |||||
| Individual donations | 3,334 | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 10,395 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | |||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
Artists' fees & expenses for charitable work |
2,977 | |||||
| Venue hire & materials for charitable work | 400 | |||||
| Staffing-producing& marketing | 875 | |||||
| Staffing- digitalproduction | 1,446 | |||||
| Other freelance support | ||||||
| Advertising&promotion | 472 | |||||
| Software,subscriptions,insurance | 837 | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 7,007 | |||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | |||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| 3,388 | 1,974 | 5,362 | ||||
| 20 | - | - | 20 | |||
| 3,408 | 1,974 | 5,382 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
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| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end | of the period | of the period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature Details Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 3,408 1,974 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - Print Name John Prebble Fiona Bennett |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| When due (optional) |
||||
| Date of approval |
||||
| John Prebble | 31.12.2021 | |||
| Fiona Bennett | 31.12.2021 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of The Poety Exchange On accounts for the period ended 31 March 2021 Charlty no {if an 1185714 Set out on pages 1and2 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the period ended 31103r2021. Responsibilltles and basis of report As the thaiity trustees. you are responsible for the pparation of the accounts in accordance with thè requirements of the CharrtTres Act 2011 (Yhe Ad.). I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145 of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any malenal respect: - accounting records Vre not kepl in accordance with section 130 of the Act or - the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. Inde endent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be dravm in order to enable a proper understandi of the accounts to be reached. Slgned: Date: Name: Mr Philip Gambrill FCCA
pts Lemon LLP Relevant prolesslonal qualificationls) or body (if Association of Chartered Certrfied Accountants Address: 134 H. h Street Hythe Kent. CT215LB Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to hjhIlght matters of COnM (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). NIA. Give here brlef details of any items that the examinèr wishes to disclose.