BUCKS CUITURE TNstees AnTh￿l Report and Annual Accounts for the Yew 2024-25 Bucklnghamshire Culture Trustees Report for the Year Ended 5 April 2025 Reference and Adrnlnlstratlve Detalls Trustees: W Morris. Co-chair {re5igned 1310212025) J Weinber& Ctrchair R Barker [nominated by Buckinghathshire CourKil] S Ma9)n Inomlnated by Discover Bucks Museum] N Braisby Inominated by Buckinghamshire New Universityl Ireslgned 13102120251 G Foreman L Weale (resigned 24104120251 V Hope-walker l Akigwe S Imbriano H Williarns C Martin L Ryan {apwinted 1810412024) R Lehmann lappolnted 17103n024) Registered charity number: 1196317 Principal office- El:14. Buckingham5hire New Universty Queen ￿exaftdra Road High Wycombe Buckingham5hire HPII 2JZ Accountants: Another Answer Books & Accountants l# Floor. Boume House Cores End Road Bourne End Buckinghamshire SL8 SAR Objectives and Activitles Policles and Objectives The object of the Charitsble Incorporated Or8ani5ation {CIO) is to promote, improve. develop and maintsin public education and appreciation of the arts and culture acr055 the County of BuckinEhamshire for the public benefit by providing leadership, strategic planning and support to the cukural sertor. In order to fulfil the purpose of the CIO as OLrtlined above. Buckinghamshire Culture vmrks to nourish and build arts herltsge and culture in the munty. guided by the four main thernes of the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy.. Outcome one.. A thrNlng economy and transformed places Outcome two.. Equality of access to culturdl activities and opp)rtunities Outcorne three: Improved health arrfl wellbeing of the population Outcome four- Energi5ed creative and tultural sector. Our work over the past year has priorTtised actiwty in support of outcomes t￿0 and four but has touched on all four of these outcomes. A brief overview of our work under each objective is shared below: Transformed Places Research and development of a new strand of work to highlight, celebrate and promote our e￿atIve industries as well as empowering Eraduate-level talent to undertake local creatrve careers is ongoing with pilot artivity due to take place 2025-26. Ongoing advocacy and partnership development continued in respect of- cultural placemaking with regeneration project teams across 8uck5, cultural projects and impacts for communities. animation of high streets. Strategic support for place-ba5ed initiatives and funding applications In High Wycombe resulting in successful consortium bid for Arts Council England Place Partnership stheme investment (matched by Rothschild Foundation and 8uckinghamshire Council). This three*ear project aim5 to delrver a stepk place in July 2024, an initiative to encourage artists and or8ani5ations in the county to stage an actlvlty or event In local communities to increase participation~ sino inception in 2021 this event ha5 now recelved 23.039 attendances. Im rovin h and Wellbeln Building on our previous Social Prescribing Pilot Projert. we continue to work with partners to explore how we can engage with the Creative Health agenda. Conversations with 8uckinghamshire Council, Bucks NHS Healthcare Trust. Bucks Health and Social Care Academy and cultural partners continue. Ener ised Creative and Cultural Sector Regular networking events for the sector and for artists/creative5 have taken pla￿ this year. addressing a range of topics including climate change. fundraisin& creative responses. We delivered our second Conference, focussed on Creative Collaboration in November 2024 at Garsington Studios attractin8 Ify) dele8ates. The Conference inrluded our inaugural Cultural Awards scheme to shine the light on the great creative work that is taking place in the sector and to ￿lId a greater sense of community. 2025 began with Creative Cultural Conversation to assess areas most in need of attention and in response we are tailoring sector support to four areas- digital, dimate change. audience development and access and inclusion. We continue to work with The Audience Agency to enable cultural partners to better analyse audiencelvisitor data to assist with future planning and Strategic decision making and developed I plan to roll out consistent surveys across 13 cultural orBani5ation5 in B￿kS in 2025-26 to gather a yearfs worth of audience data. In addition to the artivities outlined above. the team has carried out a great deal of connertion. a¢fvice. partnership development and relationship buildin& all with the aim of supporting our sertor partners and practitioners and developing future programmes, collaboratvJn arml securing funding for delivery. The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. Achlevements and Perfomian¢e Main Achlevements of the Charlty Bucks Culture Continues to have a positrve impart on the cuttural sertor. which is demonstrated by the attendance at networking events, the Conferen￿ and participation in our projects. We regularly meet wrth artists. creatives and organisations both to offer support and advice. as well as to better understsnd the challenges facing the settor. Our programme of networking and sector support is designed in response to this feedback ensuring that we are responding to the needs our partner5 are facing. Representatives of cultural organisations and creatives in Bucks ￿pOrt being better connerted and supported since we began our work. Our 2024 Creative Collaboration conferen￿ took place in November and saw I[￿ delegates in attendance and taking part in networkin& discussion and workshops. Speaker5 included.. ￿ndSeY Pugh of Revoluton Arts. Dr Alexandra Antonopoulou. Tamsin Ace of East Bank, Layla Conway of London Legacies Development Corporation. artist from Steel [j￿r Studios, Sarah Ne150n of Foundation for Future London. Daniel Williams of Buckinghamshlre Archives. Nicola Creed and Karen Gillingham of Garsington Opera and Lallie Davis. Ursula White, Bill Morris and Julius Weinberg frorn Bucks Culture. Our inaugural Bucks Spark Awards ended the Conference with three fantastic or8anisations celebrated with awards for'8est Eveny. 'Best Exhibition. and 'Best Collaboration. and three runners up in each category. Delivery of Storfes Season I was a large and successfvl piece of work for us during 2024. External funding enabled us to deliver a multi-stranded projett that commissioned profe55ional and high-quality artists and authors Including Theo Clinkard. Nikki and JD. Ellen Renton. Claire Fuller and Will Burns to work in Bucks with local communities. The three strand5 were: l. Fireside Stories- this strand brought circus and theatre art15ts Nikki & JD and L05t Dog to three varied Buckinghamshlre Locations. Accompanyin8 Fireside were writing workshop5 in schools, storyteller seasonal and outdoor artNlties with our partner organisations. 2. Archive Stories: which saw spoken word artist Ellen Renton and ft>ur disabled arti5t5 investigate the National Paralympic Heritage Trust archive and the National Disability Art Collertion & Archive to inspire the creation of new artworks. 3. Village Stories- brought together choreographer Theo Clinkard. photographer Camilla Greenwell and a number of writer5 Wlth three local communities in different parts of our county to create new stories ond a mass-phot05hoot of todavs village life. published as a book. Two additional freelance roles were Liken on to support thi5 delivery. an A59)ciate Creative and an Engagement Producer- these were key roles for the success of the project. Storie5 Season I received a great deal of posltive feedback from participants. audience members and artists, for example: "It was wonderfvl t0 5tt side by slde with other people and enjoy our woodlands in an unusual way and share in the exciternent of the show." attendee to Fireside. his brought a Sense of belongin& community spirit, pride in our village"_ partiopant in Village °People found the exhibition thought-provoking arKI that tRey were prompted to question language and perceptions of disabled and non-disabled people- Don't Dis My Ability Evaluation Report. 2024 "I now appreciate more cleady how cultural events can strengthen all those who participate" participant in 8urnharn Village photo event. "It came together beautifull￿. °One of my most favowite things l ever did."_ Theo Clinkard and Camilla Greenwell Open Weekend {which we created. and curate) continues to be an estsblished part of the cultural calendar in Buckinghamshire. It benefrts organi5ations. artists and creatives. raising their profile. as well as pr¢)viding Ereater access to cultural activity for k)cal residents. Over the past year we have collaborated with Buckinghamshire Council and creative and cu￿Ur31 organisations and representatives in High Wycombe to form an application to Arts Council's Place Partnership scheme. This successful application has secured significant cultural investment for High Wycombe with the aim of dellvering a step change in cultural provision in the town. Since January 2025 and the beginning of our new core-funding period. we have been reviewing our attivities and consolidating and streamlining where possible. This has allowed greater clarity in tem15 of our offer and how that is communicated. Flnancial Review Flnanclal Position The Trustees are confident that the Charity remains a going cOn￿rn and that all current commitments can be met. They recognise that the funding environment 15 challenging and are extremely grateful to those who have supported and continue to support the work of Buckin8hamshire Culture. Reserves Pollcy The charity may hold ￿serveS for a variety of ￿asOns. including but not limited to: Income exceeding expenditure Spending timescales are delayed or uncertain Funding is restricted & requires separate accounting Requirement of external body Ensuring up to 6 months. operation of the charity if required. Reseryes may be Unrestricted or Restricted. Where a reserée is Restricted. detaib will be available in respect The purpose of the re5erwe The derlvation of the funding The intended use of the reserve. The current level of free reserves 15: £126,641 {comparative £84,556) Fifianclal Results For this accounting period the charity received an income of £267.C(19 (comparative £144,416) and had an expenditure of £223,667 (comparative £142.5431. The surplu5 for the year was £146,866 (comparative £103,524>. Funding for the core business has tome from Rothschild Foundation Strategic Grant with additional funding from Buckinghamshire Council. 8uckingham5hire New University has supplied in kind support through provision of office space, facilitie5 and stsff support. Funding for specific projects has been secured from Arts Council England (Storiesl. Burnham Foundation Istoriesl, Buckinghamshire Council Community Boards (Stories), Buckinghamshire Countil (Stories and Open Weekend). The charity believes that future core and project funding will be SeCu￿d in order to deliver activities in support of the Butkinghamshire Cultural Strategy and Action Plan. Prln¢lpal Rlsks Loss of funding frorn Rothschild Foundation and Buckingharnshire Council who provide the core funding for the tharity. Loss of Director who holds a lot of organisational knowledge and key relationship5. and as a small organisatlon. the posltion 15 key in rts operations. Structure, Governance and Management Consthutlon Buckinghamshire Culture is a Charitable Incorporated Or8anisation. charity number 1196317. governed by a CIO Constitutlon. Methods of Appolntment or Elertlon olTrustees Apart from the first charity Trustees. every appointed Trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity Trustees. In selerting individuals for appointment as appointed charity Trustees. the charity Trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge ènd experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. Each appolnting body listed below may norninate one charity Trustee: i. Buckinghamshire Council ii. Bucklnghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership Buckingham5hire New University Iv. Bucks County Museum Trust / Discover Bucks Museum las long as it hold5 Arts Council England National Portfolio status) Any nornination must be fflade at a meeting held according to the ordinary prartice of the appointing body. The charity Trustees have the right to veto the nomination if the individual is not deemed appropriate to join the charlty. Each appointment must be for a temi of 3 years. The person appointed will cease to be a Trustee if their as50ciation to the appointing body ends. A Trustee appointed by the appointing body has the same duty under the other charty Trustees to act in the way he or she decides in good faith would be most likely to further the purposes of the CIO. Plans for Future Perlod5 In order to deliver the Bucknnghamshire Cultural Strategy over the next period. the charity is strengthening elements of our work that have been tested and proved to work and is developing new actlvity in priority areas, this includes.. Research and development: STORIES- we will refiect on 2024 dellvery and explore opwrtunities and models that could enable Stories Sea50n 2 delivery 2026 onwards. Made in 8ucks- we will further explore and develop a stand of activity that highli8hts. celebrates and promotes our Creative Industries and ernpowers graduate-kvel talent to undertake local creative careers Creative Health- we will support the Creative Health agenda avKI work with partners to explore opportunities for funding that tan unlock meaningful delivery We will explore opportun1t￿5 to secure partnership funding that enables sector partner5 to benefit from strategic initiatives. Sector Resilience: Developing our partnership strutture and Annual Programme of Networking, Inspiration and Training to ensure that we are meeting the needs of different groups and networks at drfferent levels and with different interests. Open Weekend - we wlll continue to convene and co-ordinate Open Weekend as a celebration of creativity and culture in Bucks Access and Inclusion Manifesto- we will fvrther develop the messages and ethos of the Together we Build Access & In¢lusion Manifesto into a clear and actionable Framework beginning with an event in October 2025 to reignite passion and launch a call to artion Creative Catalyst- we will design and pilot a CreatFve cata￿St prograrnme for cre3tr¥e/cultural leaders that aim5 to build greater knowledge and confldence amongst existing and emerging creatNe leaders in Bucks through mentoring Audience Research- working with The Audience Agenry to build a greater understanding of Bucks cultural audiences through survey delivery in cultural venues High Wycombe Place Partnefship Project- taking a pro-attNe strategic role in shaping and delivering the Place Partnership proiert and underpinning delivery by hosting two paid roles to enable successful delivery Local Cultural Plans- We will work with stakeholders in Bucks towns to develop local Cultural plans- mapping existing offer and looking at 8apslchallenges and solutions. Advocacv: conferen￿ and Awards-we will mark our Conference off-year with a momentum building event while developing the 2026 Conference progfarnme Stakeholder Engagement- we will continue to strengthen strategic relationships for Bucks Culture Sharing Impad- we will collaboratively share and Celebrate the work of partners and highlight the value of culture through reports. events and dats circulation. Report Apprwal Approved by order of the members of the Board of TTUStees on: 2610112026 J Welnberg Ctrchalr Buckinghamshire Culture Independent Examiner5 Report to the Trustees For the Period to 31" Marth 2025 I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charlty for the Period ended 31 March 204 which are set out on pages 7 to 17. Respectlve responsibllltles of trustees and examiner As the charIt￿S trustees of Buckin8ham Culture. you are ￿SpOn￿1ble for the preparatron of the accounts in accordance with the requirement5 Qf the Charities Art 20111.the ACYI. I report in respect of my examination of Buckinghamshire Culture's Accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable DirertioDs given by the Chartty Commission under sertion 14515llbl of the ACL Independerrt examlnerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attenth)n in connertion with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respert: l. Accounting records were not kept in respect of 8uckingham Culture as required by section 130 of the Act: 2. The accounts do not accord with those records- or 3. The accounts do not cornp￿ with the accounting requirements conceming the fom and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2C#)8 other than any requirement that the accounts give'true and fair viev/ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have ￿ concerns and have come across noother matters in connertion withthe examination to which attention should be drawn In this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Sylvia Bourhlll FMAAT Another Answer Ltd l Floor, Bourne House Cores End Road Bourne End Bucks SL8 SAR 15 January 2025 Buckinghamshlre Culture Balance Sheet As at 3111 Mar¢h 2025 31 March 2024 Tan8ible assets Stod¢ Debtor5 143 144 Cash at b￿k and In hand 163S28 167.618 163MI 167.762 CMdR•rn". aM￿nts1￿lIE￿ due w1th1ni￿eYear 164.2371 3,$2S Funth Unrestrkttd fur41s 126.641 84.557 DeSI￿ated Funds 14 Restrfrted lund5 20225 18.968 16 IOU25 The dlrertors have tsken advants8e of the spedal wtrltslons of Part 15 ofthe Companies Act 2006 relatln8 to small companles In the preparatlon of the accounts. Approved by the board OftrnSt￿ on ',/., Igoz and sI￿￿d on its behaw by Buckinghamshire Culture Statement of Cash Flows For the Perlod Ended 31* Mar¢h 2025 2023-2024 Operatlng A 24,840 37.450 8.493 16 31 Morch2025 Fund bal•nces at 31 March 2025 are repre5tnted bv- Tangiblefixed assets Current assets 126.641 116W51 20,225 146 Current Ilabilitie5 116.8051 ICP3.837 20225 0.062 UnrestrKted 8olonceot 31 Murdi 2024 Ftmds Fundboloncesot31 March 2024 ore rep￿Sente￿by." Tonqlblellxedossets Currentossets 14&794 (64,237J 14968 167.762 164.237) Curnentllobllities 84.557 14968 103.525 19