## ANNUAL REPORT 1st April 2024 - 31st March 2025 Charity Name | Unanima Theatre | Charity registration number | 1196242 ## TABLE OF CONTENTS AIMS AND MISSION 1 OUR PURPOSES AND ACTIVITIES WHO WE SUPPORT 2 3 OUR FOUR AREAS OF WORK 4 ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE 5 OUR TRUSTEES 6 FINANCES 7 FINANCIAL & INDEPENDENT 8 REVIEW DECLARATION 9 ## U ## NANIMA is an arts development organisation that provides a variety of creative, cultural and campaign opportunities for learning disabled and autistic people, and the general public, in and around Mansfield & Ashfield. Unanima is a National Portfolio Organisation for the Arts Council, and a charity that is run by co CEOs Tracy Radford and Dr Brad English, and governed by a trustee board. Unanima’s vision is total equity for learning disabled and autistic people within the arts and society ## OUR PURPOSES AND ACTIVITIES The purposes of the charity as set out in our governing document are: 1. The advancement of the art of drama and the performing arts for the public benefit by: (a) providing opportunities for learning disabled and autistic people to participate in the arts (b) the production and public presentation of dramatic work, presented and performed by learning disabled and autistic people; 2. The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by: (a) working for the elimination of discrimination in the arts on the grounds of cognitive impairment and neurodiversity (b) educating and raising awareness in equality and diversity, in particular by using participation in the arts to challenge perceptions of disability (c) cultivating a sentiment in favour of equality and diversity in the arts WHOWE SUPPORT **Mansfield is ranked the 36th most deprived area** out of the 32,844 LSOAs in England (Nottinghamshire Insight, Indices of Deprivation 2019), is a government Levelling Up area, and a priority area for Arts Council England. **Unanima** aims to level up the opportunities for learning disabled and autistic people to enter, explore and pursue careers within the creative industries, and find innovative ways of ensuring this is achieved. Learning disabled and autistic people experience **unequal educational outcomes** which restricts progress towards inclusion and opportunity. This in turn reinforces injustice, and this ultimately encourages discrimination and segregation within society. Within the arts this ultimately manifests as a **lack of representation** of learning disabled and autistic people. We imagine a future where Mansfield & Ashfield is a **nationally recognised** location for diverse arts promotion that is remarkable, engaging, authentic, representative, captivating, inclusive and always has learning disabled and autistic people at the centre. We have put in place systems, processes and procedures to ensure we are a well-run, dynamic, cultural organisation that leads the way in sector and societal change for learning disabled and autistic people, **creating a cultural heritage for a future that includes, informs and is led by them.** A future where they feel that society and the arts are something available to them at whatever level they wish to access it. OUR FOURAREAS OFWORK ## CORE ENSEMBLE **----- Start of picture text -----**
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The Core Ensemble Is Company in Residence at The Old Library in Mansfield, and has been creating touring work since 2008. Our core ensemble cast are exclusively learning disabled and autistic, and using a collaborative devising process we create unique, witty, **9M** provocative theatre based on their lives, experiences and questions about the world and their existence within it. Through compelling performances that invite audiences to laugh, ponder and wonder we seek to stimulate social change. We are becoming increasingly intolerant of learning disabled and autistic people remaining segregated, overlooked and infantilised by society and we will continue to produce art that sparks solutions until this has stopped. ## ONEFEST **----- Start of picture text -----**
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Is a week long arts and culture festival held across Mansfield that has the primary aim of smashing the stigma and segregation learning disabled and autistic people face on a societal level. OneFest gives learning disabled and autistic people the chance to **9M** be out, loud and proud and the rest of the community surprise themselves by getting alongside them and enjoying it. Across seven days we deliver an exciting line up of entertainment that is rich with high profile professional artists, comedians and creatives. All events are accessible, reasonably priced or free, and provide experiences that will inspire and excite. ## HUMAN ARTIST **----- Start of picture text -----**
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Human Artist is a year long, entry level programme in performance making and creativity, delivered at The Old Library, Mansfield. Participants undergo the exploration of drama elements that expose **9M** each learner to the craft of theatre making, giving them the opportunity to flex their creative muscles and enjoy all the wellbeing benefits and transferable skills that are gained through this. ## LOCAL AREA NETWORK 04 **17M** **7M** **32M** The Local Area Network of Creative Provision for Learning Disabled and Autistic People - The Network is an initiative developed by Unanima in order **9M** to bring all providers of creative provision in Mansfield for learning disabled and autistic (LDA) people together. In order for LDA people across the region to have an equity of opportunity there needs to be established programmes, pathways, and then routes that enable progression and development. The network has come together to map, plan and radically change the arts offer for LDA people in Mansfield predominantly, but looking forward, see this as the beginnings of an offer that will be of interest to LDA people from outside of the area. ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE •+ ## CORE ENSEMBLE **17M** **7M** **32M** Following a roof raising performance of their show ‘State of Independence’ at OneFest’s Conference event, the company, whose cast is exclusively learning disabled and autistic, have begun working on a new piece of theatre to follow on from this highly **9M** successful show. With a working title of ‘Exploring an Existence’ they are interrogating what binds us together and what keeps us apart… asking, ‘are we really that different?’ To support this production we employed specialist practitioners, Angela Gasparetto, who worked with us as an intimacy and movement coach, costume designer, Lucy Bradridge, and writer Jayne Williams, who ran story devising workshops. All three experts have elevated the show’s impact. Our installation piece ‘The Thinking Inside of the Box’ had a successful at and our residency Linney, presentation to the wider Linney staff reached over 1,500 viewers. Arts practitioner Evie Osborn ran a workshop R&D around their new show “Second Nature’, which introduced the cast to new ways of working. ## ONEFEST **17M** **7M** **32M** 2024 continued the legacy of bringing an exciting line up of artists and bolder programming. Audience numbers increase year on year, and in increasing diversity. We delivered extraordinary and expansive cultural experiences that tingled the taste buds and set OneFest on track for being the destination festival to see diverse art. > Our continued consultation with **9M** community members enabled us to provide targeted access measures that ensured all audiences felt seen, heard, invited and empowered to attend. OneFest 2024 delivered 14 shows and 7 outreach events across 7 days, and through 5 Mansfield venues. Many events were free, and no ticket price was over £5. We engaged 53 professional artists, 60% of whom were disabled and / or neurodivergent. High profile comedian and Coronation Street actor, Jack Caroll mentored and coached our 5 stand up learning disabled and autistic trainee stand up comedians through to performance at the sell out Comedy Showcase event. And we secured the highly successful emerging group, Girl Band to headline at our Gig event, and the legend that is Charity Shop Sue to compere and perform at our cabaret Night. ## ONEFEST **17M 32M** **7M** 7 DAYS 14 EVENTS **9M** 7 OUTREACH EVENTS 53 ARTISTS 2000+ PARTICIPANTS **HTTPS://WWW.ONEFEST.UK/ONEFEST24** FRI 12 Th •JLY THEATRE SHOW LOOr￿ry to by j￿ Rryw Abwtr. By Wnigr st{￿Y￿41￿r ¢y*Jwfrn J¢xF*5 Ilow&>K4feohyry x af sicty91ry. rTKJ5r (ryl Cor￿ Id15 51w do on0F￿V$ I￿n t•ntr• pro1•5P rTr]rch LEARNING DISA8IUTY CONFERENCE AbNtr. J(yrnYJ F(rte5 svilh Lcmre ILoTh*J)l. MARCH FOR MORE Abwtr. fvFesVs orrf SVN 14 TH WLY rTrych l*J by Bucl C1*71 VIDEO GAMING TOURNAMENT Abwtr siW￿ oid C(￿10 fcrf wizes three diffwwt c*0 mx9¥e In Ironi MIX of r4ywt>¥J retrtswrr*s Tim•'11(knrn- lff*xn L￿at￿L. Okj LoerthJ Strwt. I Colt. £5 cb)YoThSJd rroro o)1 rt (AJlis1￿ Al wekL¥r L￿)￿r$ ￿ tr¢ r￿)y, Tln•' 103Cknm Stortir4 PO￿*.. TP¢ Sw¢ GLY(tsn L¥90. ChLwch Stroot NG18 IAE C￿1.. FR¢E tÉer*w with rt*sctry th kxly wl•) spxky Librory. T￿ W SWJs￿ts￿trO 18 IN*1 Co¥t. t T*w. 7cop￿. 815prn Slreei NG18 Cost. ES COMEDY MIXED BILL PARTY UNDER THI ARCHES AW. T￿ pyty rt*doy THE GIG SAYnThJ kxHJs to I st9I(Y of s(xrtIFW Vt)95 Ik•orrrfory wtth foYtsJrtos Lth & K•n￿ Kr￿tt. syrrt*￿ Chwity SW) S Yk ¢lvlBros Fvrty ¢J)tlwn rth E#p• & S￿1. 0$ (s rr iogei bcd Ewc6 2024 IhF851 Vote UK CABAArr NIGHT Tha7•MW￿￿n1d LD rrxl*rs Th)•". SiY*m. 7 Your paragraph text
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_**‘Can’t believe Girl Band are playing in Mansfield. Thanks OneFest, this has been the icing on the cake for what has been another fantastic festival - we have loved it every minute. Can’t wait for next year!’**_ **OneFest audience member quote** ## HUMAN ARTIST **----- Start of picture text -----**
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We have moved delivery of this work to The Old Library, Mansfield, and have recruited new LDA community members to undertake the programme We have professional practitioners planning and running these sessions, along with a psychologist who ensures everyone understands what is being asked of them, and that the **9M** process is authentic. With a format of two hours theatre training and one hour for social development, this programme not only offers participants the chance to discover the arts, but the final hour gives them space to develop social confidence and create new friendships. We worked with 6 participants this year, and have people interested for the next cohort. We brought in Chronic Insanity, a Nottingham based theatre company led by theatre makers Nat Henderson and Joe Strickland, who are passionate about challenging every element of theatre making, from the inception of the idea to after the final performance. The group wanted to interrogate the effects of AI, and aim to produce a short film of their findings. ## LOCAL AREA NETWORK **17M** **----- Start of picture text -----**
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**32M** We have worked across the past 12 months to further develop the concept of a theatre conservatoire programme for learning disabled and autistic adults. We have worked closely with the task group to deep dive into this concept, and will spend the next year running an R&D to interrogate the idea further. This is an exciting prospect for the area as well as for learning disabled **9M** and autistic arts representation, and would dovetail brilliantly into the planned strands arts development that we aim to deliver through Unanima going forwards. The creation of a conservatoire programme to train learning disabled and autistic people would also raise ambition within schools and colleges to deliver arts in their curriculum as they would have something to aim for. OUR TRUSTEES •+ ## TRUSTEES **----- Start of picture text -----**
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## **ANDY DAWSON** ## **Chair of Trustees** **As former Manager of Inspire Youth Arts, Andy has been a long time supporter of Unanima from its inception, and a constant champion for disabled arts representation. 32M Andy is a skilled project manager, accomplished guitarist and song writer, and brings his vast experience of working as an NPO to the trustee board.** ## **9M** **----- Start of picture text -----**
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## **EMMA HANNON** **As a Learning Disability and Epilepsy Nurse, Emma has extensive experience of the community we are trying to reach and intelligence into the barriers they face. This, along with vital professional and community network connections, make Emma a trustee that is well equipped to guide us as we advance with our mission.** ## **SOPHIE HACK** **Sophie is the Project and Participation Producer for Dante or Die Theatre. Sophie produces and project manages specific projects and collaborates and engages with diverse community groups, theatres, and councils to encourage participation through performance. Sophie’s knowledge of both the arts and community engagement is essential to the trustee board** ## TRUSTEES **----- Start of picture text -----**
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## **SARAH ORTON** **Sarah is a qualified social worker, specialising in adult care, with 24 years experience of working in Local Authority 32Mservices.** **Sarah joined the team as she is passionate about the rights of learning disabled and / or autistic people to have the right and opportunity to live a fully inclusive life, and 9M feels that she can be most effective in promoting this through her role as a trustee for Unanima.** **Sarah brings both specialist knowledge and a zeal for social change.** ## **WILL FARR** **Will is an aspiring actor, activist, comedian, and member of the Unanima Core Ensemble. Will says he has finally found a space to truly feel himself around his peers and finds being part of the Unanima cast offers him the platform he's always wanted to advocate for himself and others. Will is autistic and as such brings invaluable expertise by experience to the board of trustees.** **Will has a drive to make serious inroads into levelling up and increasing diversity within leadership and society as a whole.** FINANCES •+ ## **DECLARATION** **17M** **32M** **This report represents a statement form the trustees that this report is a true and accurate record of the work of the charity, and is informed by guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.** **The charity’s aim of the advancement of the art of drama and the performing arts for the public benefit runs through all strands of Unanima’s work, and is robustly considered when planning forward.** **9M Approved 13.09.25** **7M** **Unanima Theatre The Old Library Leeming Street Mansfield Notts NG18 1NG** **Charity number: 1196242** UNANIMA THEATRE CbArfty nwnber l J96242 A¢¢owits for tbe perlod to 31st M#r¢h 2025 Staten*nt of Flnan¢l•l A¢tlvltleJ Year Year to JI.3.25 to 31.3.25 Unrestrlcted Restrteted Fun Year to 31.3.25 Total Fun4 Year to 31.J.24 Unrestrfeted FuDth Not¢ lkntwtions and kga¢i¢s Chwtiabk *iivit*s 240,805 275,305 292,031 265 031 56 48 321 79 301486 Resources Kxpended Chvitabk aciivities 2711715 280.736 212 304 Net EX￿ndi￿re￿n¢on -5,684 46J27 40,043 89,182 T￿ll5f￿ from the OneFesl ￿coUnt 3,8¢Y2 Tot81 FuDds brougbt forward 209.665 209,665 116,681 Total FuDdJ elnled forw*rd 203,981 46J27 250.J118 209,665 Bal4nce Sheet at 3111 March 2025 Ye*r Year Year to 31.3.25 to 31.3.25 10 31.3.25 Unreitrlcttd Restrlcted TolAI FUD Fundj Ye*r lo 1.3.24 Unrestrleted Funds Current Assets C&%h at bank Ikposit #¢cowit 52,326 151895 46,327 98.653 151895 250 548 Current Ll*bllltleJ 240 Total Net Assets 203,981 250,308 209,665 Notes to the Accounts Accoullllng Polkkj Bgsls of Accounting These accounts have been prq)ared uThler the bistorKai cost COnven￿n n xcordance with tk Statement of Recomtmidd Practre, Accounting a￿] Reportmg by Charll*S preparng ther accounts n *cotdance wtih Fina￿la1 Repoffing Ststylard appkabk in tF* UK and Repubk of lydaNI (FRS 102) and with the Ctrwitits Act 2011. The clwtiy ¢onstiLu*s a publr Incotne IrKonr is inckndejj in State1￿1t of FIn￿￿jaI Activitrs wlKn the C￿rty the Tesources aThl the monew Yak* can be measur￿1 wth relmbkny. Tlm h&$ been rn offsettuw li assets or lmbth'tts. or i￿ort ond expa￿tt￿¢. Grgnts 8txl don8tKSDS at¢ onty incl￿ed Ststenxrrt of Fllwwi81 Acti¥#*s wben 8erml R¢ierveJ The Trustees have a polry unrestrictrd on reserve whrh is 5uffKient to cover any urrxpccted drop i[￿0￿*. Thi4 poky i4 reguknrly rev￿￿&]. Currenily unrestr**d reserves arc £203,981 wh*h ts equal to 75•/0 of annual expenditure and are therefore conS￿ered ￿ be suff*ient for on8ollw O￿a￿ll$ of the charity. AMtysl$ of Income Ye•r Year 10 31.3.25 to 31.3.25 Unresirkted Restrlcted Fundj Year to 31.3.25 Total Fun Ye•r to 31.3.24 Unresirlcted Fundy Don8tlDW And L*ga¢le• Grants . ACE NPO Grants . ￿her Sponsorsh4) and doMtsn8 Local authority wome 231( 232.IKKI 2310(M) 14.578 34.750 30.(XX) 31.(i)2 240,805 34500 275J05 292.031 Ch*rltAMe 4¢tMtleJ Sub$criptK)ns OneF&st Ticket saks Access to work Other income 5.371 1(4n 1,296 5,371 2.&)2 1.296 4.779 ,226 3,036 414 24 26 Gr*nts Unantina Th¢atr has been a￿ed Arts Councfi Fmgbnd, National PortfolKI Organisation statwq aNI h&8 b¢¢n awarded a grdnt of £696,(￿ over three years, starting with the year to 31st March 2024. Arts CourKii Eng]and can onty guarantee futtwe insta]nrnts of the grdnt as k)ng as Suff￿￿1 fu￿lS from Govern￿t aThl lor Natio￿4] Lottery are avaihble to it. ADaty5iB of E4btnditure Year Year Year to 31.3.25 ¢0 31.3.25 to 31.3.25 Unrestrlcted RestTlcted Total FuDd$ Funds Year to 3lJ.24 Unrestrkted Funds Ch*rltxbte A¢dvl¢leJ Staff Cosls Drect A¢iivity Costs Overl 125,162 91,706 7,704 450 132,866 91156 127.198 61.536 270 715 280 736 212 304 Feel pald to the IDdependeDt 240 240 240 StAif Coiti S&lorie8 Social Securiy Co8t8 PerysMin$ Self erry)k)yed Stair 101,654 5.260 10.163 101,654 5,260 IU,163 95.IMX) 4,344 9,S(M) 125 162 IJ2 806 127 198 No ¢mpioyeeJ r¢¢¢rrfed enybyee benefts {exc￿ding a￿￿)y¢r p¢n8x)n cos¢s) for t￿ rq)orti)8 perx)d of nx)re than £60,INJO Number of enyb)yeeB In Apiil 2023 three Of￿ 8eif LYry)kTryal sthtywere 8iven pernw￿l enwkyyrixni contrnctB by the clty. Other 8laff conlti)ue lo b¢ poid on A self empk•y¢d bo818. TrAnJfer of from OneFeit Th¢ annual wts festival h¢kl lli MoN4f*kl "OneFe81' hw now been brought under the control of Unonima ThealTe CIO a￿1 fi￿￿15 of £3,802 have been tr￿feIr￿. Movtment on Rei¢rv¢i 31.3.14 In¢om¢ Expendlturn 31.3.25 UnreytrxI￿ Re8erve& Okn'ver McGowan Onc ConvLYSation 209.665 265,031 20,976 270,715 7,776 203.981 13.2(M) 2119 065 321379 280 736 250 30 Oliver McGowan Mgndatory TtB1ntt￿ iq a slgjxlardised tr8ll)in8 packnge devebped by NHS Fmgkni 8nd SkilLs for Care meci the rquircment of the Heakh aTMI Care Act 2022 that prov￿￿8 re8i8t¢rcd with the CQC rn￿51 ajsure tha¢ sthifreceive learning disabbjity autism training appropriote to their role. Unfintina r*ruits aT￿ trnin8 Experts by Lived Experience c￿ab￿ of uThJeTtakii8 rok of Expert Co.Tr4iner. One Conver8alxTrn was prevx)usty as a separnte CIO. The objects of the Charity *tre: pronM)lion of equality and diversity for the public ba)efrt by.. #) The ¢limIn￿￿ft of discrimi￿1¥)n on the ￿u￿1$ of disability b) advancing educatM)n and raising awareness n eqU￿lty and diversty c) promoting acti%ryties lo fosi¢f UTyJer5tanding betW￿n peopk wkn are from divetse b4ckyouTrJs d) cukwAtin8 8 sentimenl in favour of equa]Ay diversty. TIK iotal r￿d5 of£35,372 were trnnsfened io Unanin* Theatre to be hekl in a restr*ied fund 9nd the 8epara* One Conversat CIO h&s been ck)sed dow ## EXAMINERS REPORT ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF UNANIMA THEATRE CIO** ## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Unanima Theatre CIO** Ireport tothecharity trustees onmy examination of the accounts of UnanimaTheatre CIO (the Trust) for the year ended 31 March 2025. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity trustees of theTrust you are responsible for the preparation 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 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act. **Independent examiner's statement** Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by Section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or the accounts do not comply with the applicable 3. requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Richard Shaw FCCA The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Beeley Hawley & Co. Ltd Chartered Accountants 42-44 Nottingham Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 1BL Date: ....28th October 2025…. **GET IN TOUCH** **@unanimatheatre www.unanima-theatre.co.uk office.unanima@gmail.com**