What a Wonderful World Trustee Report
AGM November 16 2023
The What a Wonderful World Trust has just completed its second full year of operaBon, having been registered with the ChariBes Commission as a Community Interest OrganisaBon in August 2021. Its mission is to use arts and science fesBvals and similar events to educate the public of all ages in Northumberland and the surrounding areas on the subjects of climate change and biodiversity loss, including their potenBal impacts and how they may be addressed.
In June 2023 WaWW delivered its second full weekend fesBval at Alnwick Playhouse and The Alnwick Garden. Highlights included a sell-out concert from ScoPsh folk arBst Karine Polwart and a packed theatre for ‘Watershed’, a dance and drama producBon by students from two local first schools and the Alnwick Duchess High School. Other well-aVended events included a ‘Deep Dive into Water’ where speakers from our local water company, two local chariBes, a farmer and the NaBonal Trust explored the issues of water polluBon and the challenges of restoring the marine and riverine environment through partnership working. Poets met at a local nature reserve to perform their work to an appreciaBve audience and in the Playhouse gallery viewers were moved by an exhibiBon of small collage art works highlighBng climate issues. Films put a spotlight on the oil industry and the problems of marine polluBon, and a session on ‘Imagining the Future’ looked for hopeful soluBons to some climate emergency challenges and included a moving contribuBon from a 22-year old.
We undertook an audience survey over the FesBval weekend with quesBonnaires given out at each event at the Alnwick Playhouse. Tickets at the Playhouse were for individual events. We sold a total of just over 800 Bckets but as some people went to several events, we esBmate that some 500 people aVended. 217 survey forms were returned represenBng about 40% of the audience, a very high response for an audience survey.
The average score for event quality across all events was 4.8 (where 5 was excellent and 1 poor) i.e. the majority thought the event they aVended was excellent. We also asked to what extent people thought the event affected their understanding of the climate and biodiversity emergencies. The average was 3.7 (5 was very significantly and 1 not at all) i.e. most people did feel the event increased their understanding. The scores probably also showed that some of the audience were already well aware of the problems. InteresBngly the response from the audience for Watershed was 4.4 i.e. they felt their understanding was more significantly increased. The audience for Watershed was mainly the parents of the young people performing including 2 whole classes (i.e. not selected in any way) from local primary schools and thus represents a wide cross secBon of our community.
The survey also captured audience comments which demonstrated how the arts can impart knowledge in a different way . There were many deeply appreciaBve comments on Karine Polwart’s concert: ‘’Such a special event of unique, gentle power – deep and thought-provoking about climate change.’ ‘Arts and music always has a way to widen knowledge and Be up various strands and topics together.’ A young audience member for Watershed commented: ‘I loved that kids my age are performing on a big stage in front of so many people. Now I know how I can help the world.’
Our publicity profile was higher this year, with several substanBal features in the main regional newspaper (The Newcastle Journal) and our local paper, and an increasing presence on social media. WaWW’s profile was boosted even more when we won the Best Climate Change Project at the Northumberland County Council Love Northumberland awards, hosted by the Duchess of Northumberland.
Ticket prices were kept as low as possible to encourage wider parBcipaBon and this worked well in terms of larger audiences. The increased audience size meant that we also did beVer than breaking even, and go forward to 2024 with a slight surplus. Detail is provided in the Financial Report.
Huge thanks are due to Damian Cruden the CEO and ArBsBc Director of Alnwick Playhouse and all his staff, who worked very hard to ensure the FesBval could go ahead as planned despite a major technical issue with the main auditorium shortly before the FesBval. Also to The Alnwick Garden management and staff and to Northumberland Wildlife Trust at Hauxley Nature Reserve for hosBng Poets in the Wild. Thanks are also due to our funders: Alnwick Town Council, Barter Books, The Joicey Trust, Sir James KnoV Trust, Northumberland Estates, ERG Robinson Charitable Trust.
The 2024 FesBval is already scheduled for June 28-30 2024. The team has exciBng plans to make the FesBval even beVer, but is well aware of the risks of trying to grow too fast, given our small size. The trustees and organizing team recently held a Strategy MeeBng to start to envision our future over the next few years, and will be working to map out an approach which allows us to develop in a sustainable way. To this end, the board of trustees will be acBvely looking to recruit new trustees, from across the age, gender and diversity spectrum, who are passionate about our mixed arts and science approach to climate educaBon and who have relevant skills or experience such as fundraising, publicity, addiBonal arts experience and wider natural history knowledge.
Chris Algar
Chair of Trustees What a Wonderful World Trust
| Charity Name | Charity Name | Charity Name | Charity Name | Charity Name | No(if any) | No(if any) | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What a Wonderful World Trust | 1195577 | ||||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||||||
| For the period from |
Period start date | To | Period end date | ||||||
| 2022 11. 01 | 2023 11 01 | ||||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| Alnwick Town Council | 1,440 | - | - | 1,440 | 750 | ||||
| Northumberland County Council | 250 | - | - | 250 | - | ||||
| Joicey Trust | 1,600 | - | - | 1,600 | - | ||||
| Sir James Knott Trust | 2,000 | - | - | 2,000 | - | ||||
| The Robinson Family Trust | 1,000 | - | - | 1,000 | - | ||||
| Other trusts etc | - | 9,785 | |||||||
| Barter Books | 300 | 300 | 200 | ||||||
| Pennine Forest | - 0 | - | 300 | ||||||
| Private Donations | 1,250 | 1,250 | 10,100 | ||||||
| St Michaels School Alnwick | 150 | 150 | |||||||
| Swahsfield Park School Alnwick | 150 | 150 | |||||||
| Ticket income Alnwick Playhouse | 3,178 | 3,178 | - | ||||||
| Interest on CAF Bank Account | 22 | 22 | 4 | ||||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total_(Gross income for AR) _ | 11,341 |
- | - | 11,341 | 21,139 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | |||||
| Sub total | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Total receipts ** | 11,341 |
- 0 | - 0 | 11,341 | 21,139 | ||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| Speakers and Artists fees | £6365.00 | - | - | 6,365 | 8,950 | ||||
| Speakers and Artists expenses | £198.69 | - | - | 199 | 591 | ||||
| Film Hire | £172.20 | - | - | 172 | - | ||||
| Taste of Northumberland event | £200.00 | 200 | 200 | ||||||
| £923.99 | 924 | 833 | |||||||
| Adverts | £244.75 | 245 | 225 | ||||||
| Photographer & media advice | £1600.00 | - | - | 1,600 | 1,100 | ||||
| Video Services | £0.00 | - | 810 | ||||||
| Cultivation event | £0.00 | - | 150 | ||||||
| Hall Hire | £0.00 | - | 240 | ||||||
| Bank Costs | £60.00 | - | - | 60 | 91 | ||||
| - | - | - | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | 9,765 |
- | - | 9,765 | 13,190 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases,(see table) |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Totalpayments ** | 9,765 |
- 0 | - 0 | 9,765 | 13,190 | ||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | 1,576 |
- | - | 1,576 | 7,949 | ||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - 0 | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | 7,952 | - | - | 7,952 | - | ||||
| **Cash funds thisyear end ** | 9,528 |
- | - | 9,528 | 7,949 | ||||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
16/11/2023
1
| Categories | Details | Details | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | 9,528 | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Total cash funds | 9,528 | - | - | ||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | |||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval | ||||||
| ALISTAIR M ANDERSON | 2023 11 16 | ||||||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
16/11/2023
2