## **ANNUAL REPORT FOR GWYL CRIME CYMRU FESTIVAL To 31 OCTOBER 2025**
**NAME:** GWYL CRIME CYMRU FESTIVAL
**REGISTRATION NUMBER:** 1196078
**ADDRESS:** THE PEAR TREE, EGLWYSWRW, CRYMYCH, SA41 3UP
**TRUSTEES:** ALISON ELIZABETH HAWKINS, SARAH RHIANNON WARD, PHILIP GWYNNE JONES, ROSIE CLAVERTON, LOUISE MUMFORD.
## **STRUCTURE**
Trustees are recruited from the wider Crime Cymru membership and those with an interest in promoting Welsh crime fiction. Two members stepped down in the last financial year: Barbara Frances Moore and Mark Ellis. The trustees thank them for their hard work.
In addition to the trustees, the festival is run by an organising committee. For the 2025 festival, the organisation committee were: Philip Gwynne Jones (Chair), Sarah Ward, (Treasurer), Dr Sarah Todd Taylor (Secretary), Dr Jaqui Harrett, Dr Winifrid Davies, Dr Gwenllian Williams, Dr Jacky Collins, Chloe Tilson. In addition, Gail Williams was paid a fee to programme the festival. Three specialist advisers guided the committee on diversity issues, see organogram below.
Gwyl CRIME CYMRU Festival Board 2025
PhilipGwynneloDes
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Se(ietsry
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TIEasurer
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Consuhant
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Ixqudlne Halletr
Vdunteef Manager
GwnlW•n Wlllloms
Fundtai51t
Penny Batchelor
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Vaseem Khan
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Graham Mil
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## **Aims**
Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival’s aims are to:
1. Establish a world-class, international crime fiction festival for Wales
2. Benefit and work with the population of Aberystwyth, home of the festival, and the surrounding area
3. Further the three founding aims of the Crime Cymru collective: to support writers in and of Wales, to develop new Welsh crime writing talent, to promote Welsh artistic life in & outside Wales.
4. Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival aims to be inclusive, collaborative, authentic and sustainable.
## **Pattern of Events**
Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival runs on a biennial pattern – in odd years a physical festival in Aberystwyth, the festival’s chosen home, and in even years, an online festival which aims to widen the reach of our festival and promote Welsh crime writing and Welsh culture to the four corners of the world via YouTube streaming.
## **The 2025 Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival**
This was a live festival that took place in Aberystwyth from 25-27 April 2025. Our main venue was the Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum, with ancillary events being held at the Aberystwyth Public Library, the Ceredigion Archives (within the Public Library) and the National Archives at the National Library of Wales Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru.
## We hosted:
- 28 events, and 4 workshops, around the town
- 59 speakers (mostly authors and including the committee)
- All events in the Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum were recorded and later put up on our YouTube channel for a limited period of time
- 30 volunteers
Our guest speakers included local, national, and internationally known authors writing in wide-ranging subgenres within the crime genre. We also had professionals with crime-related backgrounds (e.g. psychologists, legal staff, and ex-police officers) as well as
publishing professionals, as speakers and presenters. They travelled from all over the UK to join us in Aberystwyth, and there were some unfortunate cancellations because of a train strike which hit the relevant weekend, obviously something beyond our control.
As inclusivity is one of our key aims, we presented some events in the Welsh language, and we were sad to see that there wasn’t as much support for such events as we were hoping for. Our workshops also included one writing workshop for children.
We offered as much diversity as possible, highlighted by:
- Three events in English and Welsh (note below)
- 10.5% of invited guest speakers were people of colour
- Three authors acknowledged neurodivergence
- Ratio of 21:36 male to female guests
- Two authors with physical disabilities
While only three events were in Welsh, the Welsh Language was represented at all events during the introductions and the Festival opening speeches.
Volunteers were gathered from previous contacts, a notice in the job centre, and we worked with the University to see if any of their students would be willing to assist with volunteer roles. We offered a training session to our volunteers, led by Gwenllian Williams, a professional psychologist. We also produced a policy on reasonable behaviour that was circulated to volunteers and speakers. Again, some volunteers pulled out at the last minute due to travel issues.
Wherever possible, we used Welsh-based companies for supplies. This includes all ticketing via Ticket Source, based in Cardiff, and printing at local printers in Swansea. We also worked with Waterstones Aberystwyth for book sales within the museum.
We are looking at ways to be as sustainable as possible, using QR codes for people to find the programme/website etc to avoid over-production of paper programmes. In purchasing we are looking to buy recycled products, then recyclable or sustainable products. To avoid transport miles, we are using Welsh suppliers where possible within our budget.
All supplies for authors in the Green Room were purchased locally and walked to the venue to avoid a transportation footprint. We ensured no waste and no use of paper or plastic goods for food and drinks. All glass was recycled.
We drove outreach and the Welsh language with two creative writing events for children in a local school run by Meleri Wynn James.
In 2024-2025 we ran a First Novel competition. Unfortunately, despite our best promotional efforts, we only received 12 entries and felt that this was insufficient for the competition to be a reasonable reflection of new writers in Wales. So while the prize was not awarded, all 12 of the entries were critiqued by either Alis Hawkins or Gail Williams, both with editing/mentorship experience.
## **Performance**
Full results on performance were given to The Welsh Government reports on 9 July 2025. As an overview, it is sad to say that we missed our targets. The prevalence of other festivals which the dates clashed with, has affected this, as did the location, in particular with the transport issues.
## **Public Benefits**
In line with the requirements of our grant from the Welsh Government, we were asked to undertake an economic impact assessment, the result of which is the following:
Direct Economic Impact £58,001.72
Spending to GVA Ratio 45% GVA Impact £26,100.77 GVA per Workforce Job £22,691 Jobs Supported 1
## **Future Plans**
After this second in-person event, there are a number of factors that we need to consider. These include:
- Location – Aberystwyth is a lovely location, but there are issues for guests and visitor transportation.
- Timing – there are an increasing number of events (not all lit festivals) now clashing
- Welsh Language Events – these seem particularly (and unexpectedly) low in popularity.
- Viability of Literary Festivals – there have been a number of literary festivals which have stopped recently, most notably CrimeFest from Bristol.
We are sorry to report that at the end of this festival our programme manager Gail Williams resigned from post as programme manager, so new arrangements are being considered going forward.
## **Financial Review**
## **Charity Commission Receipts and Payments Account 2024-2025**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Total
Unrestricted Funds Restricted funds Endowment Funds Funds
A1
Reciepts
Unrestricted Funds 36,269 36,269
Restricted Funds 1,500 1,500
Ticket sales 5,656 5,656
43,425 - 43,425
**----- End of picture text -----**
**A2 Assets and investment sales**
None
- - - -
## **A3 Payment s**
|Author Packs|-||-|
|---|---|---|---|
|Committee||||
|Accom/travel|600||600|
|Evening Event|1,719||1,719|
|Feedback||||
|Questionnaire|-||-|
|Insurance|238||238|
|Lanyards, IDs, Steward||||
|T-Shirts|-||-|
|Marketing Expense|915||915|
|Organiser Fees|9,000||9,000|
|Podcaster|500||500|
|Printed Materials|-||-|
|Speaker Fee|12,892|-|12,892|
|Sundries|-||-|
|Tech equip, video &||||
|technician|2,415||2,415|
|Venue Hire||||
|**A4 Assets and investment**
**Purchases**
None
**B1 Cash**
**Funds**
**B2 Other Monetry Assets**
None
**B3 Investment Assets**
None|3,919
3,919|
|---|---|
||32,198
-
-
32,198|
|||
||-
-
-
-|
||11,227
-
-
11,227|
||11,227
-
-
11,227|
||-
-
-
-|
||-
-
-
-|
|||
||-
-
-
-|
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**Charity's own use** None - - - - **B5 Liabilitie s** None - - - -
## Independent examiner's report on the accounts
_Section A Independent Examiner’s Report_
**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival **On accounts for the year** 31[st] October 2025 **Charity no ended (if any) Set out on pages** (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”)
## **Responsibilities and**
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’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(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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Signed: Date:** 12.7.2026 **Name:** Cheryl Rees-Price **Relevant professional** AAT **qualification(s) or body (if any):** 9-11 Cwmgarw Road **Address:** Brynamman Carmarthenshire SA18 1BY