Project Northmoor Limited Registered Charity number 1192314 Company number 13002586 TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT and ACCOUNTS for the year to 31 December 2023 Project Northmoor Limited Charity Registration CompanyRegistration 1192314 13002586 LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Charity Trustees and Company Oirectors Nigel Pearson Simon Sheldon Amelia Kya22e Chlef Executlve Julia Saunders Contact Details Registered Address.. The Charity School House Church Road, Blewbury Oxon OXII 9PY Telephone: E-mail.. Website: 07766 060603 info@projectnorthmoor.org xfofd entr forf ntas Independent Examlner M J Wright FCA For and on behalf of Just Audit and Assurance Ltd 37 Market Square, Witnev Oxon OX28 6RE Bankers Metrobank One Southampton Row London WC18 SHA Project Northmoor Limited (limited by guarantee) Trustees, Report The Trustees presenr their annu31 report together with ihe finanical si3iements of the charity for the period ended 31 December 2023, whtch are prepared to meet the requirements for a Director's ieport and account for Companies Act purposes. The reference and administrarive information on page I lorm5 pari of this ieport. The financial staiements comply wihte the Charities Act 2011, rhe Companies Act 2006. the Mernorandum and Articles of Assoc)ation and Accounting and Reporting by Charilies.. Siaiement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reportin8 Standard applicable in the UK and Republic ol Ireland IFRS 1021. Registered Chartty 1192314 and Company 130J2586 The Charity Trustees and Company Difeciors Ihereafter 'the Trustees'l submit iheir annual report and accounts lor the year ended 31st December 2023. Governance and Internal Control Project Northmoor Limited (hereafter 'ihe ChariiVI is tonstituted by a Memorandum and Articles ol Association dated 12th November 2020 Is a re8lStered charity No. 1192314 and a company limited by Guarantee No 13002586. Alm5 01 the Company The aims fof which the Project Nofthrnoor ts'mited is ￿tablished for the public benefit are- l. A major aim when we set up was to preserve 20 Northmoor Road. Oxford as the former home ol JRR Tolkien and where The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were written. We did not succeed in our bid to by the house through public donaiions this time but remain interested In the futufe ol the house. We were also established with the aim of advanclng the public knowled8e and appreciation of the life. faith and works of JRR Tolklen and the Inklin85. With our interest in entoura8in8 new creativity, we also aim to advance edvtation In the arts and crafts Including the art5 01 literalure and language. This includes courses in creative writing. illustration. screenwriting and arts more 8enerallv. Organlsatlonal Structure The Company is governed by a board of Trustees. Three were recruited at the beBinning of the charity's existence for their complimentary skills and l(Kal knowledge. In addition to their enihusia5m for the Inklings. Simon Sheldon is a professional accountant lor a non-profit. Amelia Kyazze brin85 her creative writing teachin& expertise and 18 years, experience working for charities. Nigel Pearson is ihe director of a sm311 medical charity and has vast experience of international relations, as well as bting Oxford-based. Project Northmoor Limited (limited by guarantee) Trustees, Report The Chief ExecLStive and first employee is Dr Julia Saunders who is an author writing under the names Julia Goldin& Joss Stirling and Eve Edwards. She prefers to use her professional name julia Golding when working in a creative context. She worked as a volunteer fulltime for the charity for the first five month5. An administrator Joyce Francois joined the team in April 2022. although support for marketing and publicity, plus ad hoc work on large admin tasks are contracted in as and when reqLtired. Freelance tutors and expert speaker5 are engaged for the courses. Tru5tee5' Responslbllitles The Tr¢Jstees are responsible for preparing the Trustees, Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulalitsns. The law applicable to charitbes in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under the law the Trustees have eleited to prepare ihe financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Pract¢ee (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable lawl. The Trustees must not approve the financial staiemenis unless satisfied that they are a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to.. - seleit suitable accounting policies and ihen apply them con515tently: observe the methods and principle5 01 the Charities SORP.. make judgement5 and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent.. stale whether applicable accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements., prepare the ftnancial statements on the going concern basTrs unless It is inappropriate to presvme that the charity will continue in operation. The Trustees are responsible lor keeping adèquate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and dtsclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the linantial statements comply with the Charities Att 2011. They are also responsible for safe8uardin8 the assets of the charity and hence for takine reasonable steps for the preveniion and detection of fravd and other iriegulafities. Trustee Recrultment & Meetln8s An introductory pack has been prepared for new trustees that will be given to each new trustee as part ol the introduction process. New trustees can be recommended by ihe Chief Executive or any of the existing trustees. For recommendation to take place the prospective trustee must be in sympathy with the objects of the trust.. and have skills and experience that will add to or replace the existing skills of trustees. The Trustees mei on four o£casion5 during the year to review the on-goin8 work of the Trust and its linancial position. The Trustees also maintain regular contact with each other by email. Risk Analys1S The Trustees have established policie5 in relation to 58feguarding. and all areas of operation as a charity. They keep these under regular review. especially as the charitys work is emerging ffom online to an in-person context.They consider these in connection with finance. strategic plarsning. operattons, environmental and regulatory issues. Public Benefit The trustees are aware of their duty, set out in the Charities Act 2011. to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. Project Northmoor Limited Ilimited by guarantee) Trustees, Report Re*iew of the yeai 2023 ha5 been an important year for the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. Having been established in 2020. è year with many hurdles to overcome. the charity is now hitting Its stride with Some fflajor milestones leèched. Three major achievements colour our view ol the vear. l. Centre for Tolkeln studles and creatl¥e wrltln8 In Northmoor ftaod The Oxford Centre for Fantasy now hès a base for all things Inklingl The renovations ol Number S Northrnoor Road was a bi8 project. It involved months of work ro transform the top two floor5 of a farnily home into a centre for living, collaboration and celebrarion in the spirit of Tolkien. CS Lewi5 and others who found su£h rich Iniellectual and creative ground in Oxford. The Centre now ha5 o firrn home-base i* Oxford, which we offer a5 è unique place for a community of re5earche¥5. P05t-Erad5 and writers io stay. Located in the same road as where Tolkien lived when he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. it 15 a highly atmospheric place foT livin& hosting evenrs. and creative connectior*s. 2. Prlie for ereatl¥e writln8 We held our Inau8ural Children's Fantasy Novel Prize, irb ￿rtnership w*th Pushkin 8ooks. The Oxlord/Pushkin Children'5 Fantasy Prize opened in Morch 2023 and drew nearly l(N) applications frorn all over the world. A longlist of 20 stron8 contenders wès distilled down to an incredible shonli5r of five. Working with Pyshksn's children's editor 3nd an agent from Davld Higharn Associate5, OCF Chief Execeutive Julia Golding and Trtssiee Arnelia Kyaize speTht lime dissecting these very diverse contenders to make our choice. The stories Vafied from classical fant•sy lo dystopia. neai-horror to circus settings. Some explored thÈ pèst, while others imagined alternative futures. The award niÉhi was our flrst In-person event at the new Northrnoor Road ientre, and it was Indeed a warm celebration ol lanièsy liteiature. We had three of the five shortlisted authors in attendance, with the oiher iwo on zoom from around the world. Guests and people in residence at Northmcx)f Road also were there. Mark Harnilton. 4 professlonal voSce artisi, read out excerpts from all shortllsted novels. to great drarnatie effert. The winner was Amy Bryant from New Zealand with her draft novel The Lion and the Mage. Thls Is a gripplng story about sireei thief turned apprentice Mage. Ezran. who is raised to believe he is faied io save the kingdom capture5 a girl with the healing tovch who challenges all his beliefg. 8ry3nt received £2.OCQ and a year of mentorin8 With Pushkin Books. The judglng pènel wè5 so impressed with all the shortlisted authors., all of them gained commendaiion from DHA, and they received free passes to OCF courses as rewards for iheir eftorts. 3. Advance edufativn In the •rts and drafts ol Tolkeln and the Inkllws. As pèrt of our celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Tolkien's death in September, the OCF held a fundraiser for children's libraries in South Africa. This was the country ol Tolkien's binh. and part of eharitable remit is l￿ftked to spreading literacy and the love of reèding abroad in the rnemory of Tolkien and the Inklings. We chose The Light lor Africa Foundation, a5 ihey are based on the conviction ihai 'Libraries Foster Social Cohesion. honourin8 the vital role librar125 play in fostering connection5 and promoting ￿nity. The Foundètion rofufbishes libraries a£r055 the pwre5t townships in South Africa., in some willage5 these are the onlv books that rhe children will a