Charity number: 1196646 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM CIO TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 1 ___________________________________________________________________________ ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## CONTENTS ||Page| |---|---| |Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers|3| |Chair’s Foreword|4-5| |Trustees’ Annual Report|6-12| |Independent Examiner’s Report|13-14| |Receipts and Payments Accounts|15-16| |Notes to the Accounts|17| 2 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Trustees Charlotte Jacqueline Louise Haitham Taylor, Chairman- Appointed on 18.11.2021 for a term of 4 years Robin Cops, Vice Chairman – Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 3 years Patrick Haycocks- Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 4 years Timothy James Lloyd- Secretary, Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 3 years Jane Anne Bonney- Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 3 years. Resigned 14.2.24 Jeremy Giles Seacome Garfield-Davies- Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 2 years. Reappointed for a term of 4 years on 31.7.24 Stanley Hetherington- Treasurer, Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 2 years. Resigned 3.5.23 Sarah Kerr- Appointed 18.11.21 for a term of 4 years. Resigned 3.5.23 Mick McNicholas- Appointed on 18.11.21 for a term of 2 years. Resigned 25.1.23 Martin Haslam- Appointed on 25.1.23 for a term of 4 years Carrollanne Hillary Athene Lindley Vass – Appointed 25.1.23 for a term of 4 years ## Principle Registered Office 1 Peach Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1XJ Charity Registered Number 1196646 ## Independent Examiner Kelly Wilcox, Claritas, 1 Peach Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1XJ ## Bank NatWest Bank, 5 High Street, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1DH 3 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Foreword by the Chair of Arts4Wokingham It is my great pleasure to present the Annual Report for Arts4Wokingham, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The report looks back on the Charity’s second year since its launch. We have been operating in challenging times and unfortunately, I find myself again, this year, having to acknowledge the very difficult economic circumstances within which we are working as a charity. It is impossible to ignore that there are now two wars, one still ongoing in Ukraine and a further one in Israel/Gaza. The financial stability of many individuals and indeed, the country as a whole, has been hit badly by the rising cost of living and high interest rates. All of these factors continue to negatively affect our efforts to raise some of the larger sums that we are seeking for our initial landmark project. We continue to look for new and innovative revenue streams and expand our reach into our local business community for sponsorship and apply for additional grants as we get closer to our target sum. During these tough times the Board of Trustees and our committee volunteers have continued to rally together working towards our vision, which is to deliver a landmark project, to establish the charity and provide our community with free and truly accessible public art. At the same time, we have ensured that we have maintained the charity’s good and user-friendly governance and continued to seek out further skilled trustees and patrons to join the charity. During the last year, two new Patrons have joined Arts4Wokingham to support our charitable endeavours. Professor John Gibbs is the Head of the School of Arts and Communications at The University of Reading and Professor in Film in the Department of Film, Theatre and Television. He is also the co-lead of the University’s Cine Valley Project, so we are thankful for his patronage and assistance, not only in building a relationship with the University but also starting new projects that relate to the arts that fall within his remit. Our second Patron, whom we are also very grateful for supporting and joining us this year, is Lucy Zeal. Lucy has lived in Berkshire most of her life and is well known throughout the Borough of Wokingham for her charitable works. She has served as both High Sherriff and Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Berkshire. She has been hugely encouraging of Arts4Wokingham and we look forward to working together over the coming years. We are also grateful for Ian Waite’s continued support as our third Patron. He continues to back the charity with free and accessible dance events, donating all the proceeds to Arts4Wokingham. 4 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Looking forward, 2024 will be a busy year for Arts4Wokingham. The Charity has a busy schedule of events and we will be working with new local partners and businesses. We embrace the challenges and look forward to bringing more accessible arts and culture to our communities within Wokingham Borough. As a final point, I would like to sincerely thank all of our Trustees, volunteers, patrons and sponsors for their unwavering support and dedication in helping us to continue to develop this new organisation, and keep us moving in a positive trajectory, which will ensure Arts4Wokingham can deliver its full potential long into the future. ## Charlotte Haitham Taylor – Chair, Arts4Wokingham 5 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 The Trustees present their Annual Report together with the Examined Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2023. This report serves as the Trustees’ report under charitable law for Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO) and has been prepared following the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities Commission guidance. ## Structure, Management and Governance Reference and administrative details Arts4Wokingham ('the Charity') is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered with the Charity Commission in 2021. Our Charity number is 1196646. ## Appointment of Trustees The Charity is governed by a Board of Trustees. Apart from the founding Trustees, every Trustee must be appointed by election to the Board at Formal Board Meetings for a term of 4 years. Trustees are eligible for re-election. None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the Charity. ## Induction and training of Trustees Potential Trustees are selected on the basis of their personal and professional qualities, commitment and familiarity with the issues involved with running a charity such as A4W. New Trustees are made familiar with the Charity’s vision, operations and goals by dialogue with existing personnel and literature pertaining to the Charity’s activities. Upon election, Trustees are provided with a copy of the Charity’s constitution and Charity Commission guidance material for Charity Trustees. The Charity organises regular Trustee training initiatives and signposts Trustees to other appropriate training opportunities as they arise. All new Trustees submit a Declarations of Interest form, which all Trustees renew annually or more often if necessary. ## Organisational Structure The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the general management and controls of the Charity. The day-to-day operational jobs and responsibilities are delegated to working groups and individuals to ensure the effectiveness and smooth running of the organisation. All major strategic, governance and structural changes are presented to the Board of Trustees for approval. 6 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Policies ## Risk Management Policy The Board of Trustees has assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the Charity, and are satisfied that measures, procedures and policies are in place to mitigate our exposure to major risks. ## Reserves Policy The Board of Trustees has adopted a Reserves Policy. In assessing the financial risks associated with potentially having to wind down the charity, with due regard to best practice and the current economic circumstances and lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, the board agreed to holding 6 months of total organisational operating costs in reserves to mitigate these factors. ## Investment Policy The Charity currently does not hold any investments. The Trustees will develop and adopt a policy should they decide that in the future the Charity should look to hold investments, securities or properties. ## Safeguarding Policy The Charity has a Safeguarding policy. ## Other Policies The charity has adopted a number of other policies including: Ethical Fundraising Policy Conflict of Interest Policy Privacy Policy Complaints Procedure Social Media Policy Cookies Policy Data Retention Policy Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Collaborative Working Policy 7 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Objectives, Activities and Performance ## Objectives of the Charity The object of the CIO is the advancing of arts and culture for public benefit to the residents of the Borough of Wokingham, in particular but not exclusively by the creation of projects that support: (a) the enhancement of cultural identity and place-making (b) the advancement of opportunities for all people within arts and culture and (c) the promotion of access to arts and culture. ## Main activities undertaken to further the Charity's purposes for the public benefit A4W is now in its second year of operation. Our Trustees and volunteers have continued to work together to ensure that A4W becomes an established charity in the community. We have focused on promoting awareness of A4W, continued to raise the funds necessary to deliver our landmark project, The Arc, as well as delivering local activities that increase accessibility to arts and culture. A4W have, in addition to these activities, been fostering and forming new partnerships with significant stakeholders with whom the charity hope to undertake joint projects with soon. Over the last year A4W has recruited new volunteers and Trustees. In particular, the Board of Trustees has been pleased to welcome to its committee, retired GP Dr. Martin Haslam and I.P. lawyer, Carrollanne Lindley, as Trustees in January. Martin has taken on the role of Governance and Grant Applications. and Carrollanne will be looking after the Charity’s legal matters. Retired Engineer David Canning, who is the charity’s new Treasurer, will be taking over from Stan Hetherington. The charity is lucky to have David’s expertise on all financial matters. All three of these individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the Board and the charity are already indebted to them for their work this year. As a locally valued stakeholder in the Arts and Cultural sector in the borough, A4W continues to be a part of and contribute to the Wokingham Borough Arts, Business and Culture Alliance. The Alliance meets regularly and A4W send representation to these meetings to help shape and enhance the arts and cultural offer within the Borough. A4W has been active in promoting local artists with our second post-card exhibition in the Wokingham Carnival Hub in November 2023. Artists were invited to submit post-card sized works for exhibition and sale, to give artists a new opportunity to exhibit their work, raise awareness of A4W and to raise funds for the charity. This was hugely successful with over 100 works of art being donated and exhibited by A4W. The exhibition was featured in the press and social media. The private view was well attended and supported by both the 8 Borough and Town Mayors. It went on show again after the Wokingham Hub show including exhibition at The Art Society Wokingham. As the charity’s reputation has grown and become recognised more widely, A4W have been invited to talk to interested parties within the borough who are also seeking to bring more arts and culture to their neighbourhoods. Towards the end of the year, A4W have been working closely with a parish council who are seeking to commission and install a bespoke piece of public art in 2025/26. A4W hope to work in partnership with this organisation to support this project come to fruition. This year A4W also ran our first Crowdfunding campaign, which was facilitated by our commissioned artist Nicola Anthony. Supporters of the charity were given the opportunity of making a donation and receiving unique prints and patron packs that were made specifically for this Crowdfunder by Nicola. The charity are hugely grateful to Nicola for this opportunity and for her backing this campaign enabling us to offer up her works in this venture. A4W continues to increase awareness of the charity and The Arc Project through our dedicated PR campaigns, with thanks to our Trustees and volunteers who are constantly updating the feeds and articles going out to press as well as keeping supporters up to date with regular newsletters. There are regular articles in the local print media, with new and interesting content on social media to follow. The charity has continued to attract more followers through user-generated content for specific campaigns throughout the year. A4W has relaunched the charity’s website with new and more consistent branding thanks to the generous sponsorship of Beacon Agency, a local marketing and branding company who have supported A4W. The Trustees continue to be ambitious to deliver The Arc, the landmark sculpture project in Wokingham. This will be a statement piece of public art to sit in a prime location in Wokingham that is truly accessible to all, to engage the greatest number of beneficiaries. Again, much of the work during the last year has been on raising funding to enable A4W to fund this commission, as well as delivering on our wider CIO objectives. 9 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Financial Review During this financial year A4W have raised a little over £21,350. However, as already mentioned in the Chair’s Forward, A4W, together with much of the charitable sector are finding it tough working in these straightened economic times, compounded by government cuts, which have directly affected the arts and culture sector. The Board of Trustees are not complacent about achieving our targets set out in our Financial Strategy and remain realistic to the challenges we face. We continue to raise funds, principally for our primary project, The Arc, a landmark sculpture for Wokingham. The Board of Trustee’s, in light of these factors will continue to closely review the Financial Strategy that was developed in 2022. The Strategy focuses on raising funds from three main areas; grant giving bodies, sponsorships from business and donations from individuals in the community. This year £15,000 has been raised from grants, £3,000 from business and donations and the remainder from events and other fundraising in the community. Looking forward to our next financial year, there is little change in the difficult economic environment. Fundraising, via multiple revenue sources and activities continues to be our primary focus to enable us to continue to deliver our vision. Our team of volunteers and Trustees are ready and prepared for a busy and productive 2024, despite the difficulties and challenges ahead. 10 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Plans for the next year and future development of the charity Throughout A4W’s second year, the charity has been forging strong relationships with important stakeholders and other charities that closely align with the charity’s objectives. Over the next year, A4W looks forward to reporting on exciting new projects that have been developed by collaborating with other charities and organisations. By working with these groups, A4W aims to provide more opportunities for vulnerable people as well as free access to art and cultural events in and around the borough. Events will include workshops, a cinema night, an art exhibition and much more to enable people to reap the positive benefits that arts and culture offers. A4W is still in its infancy as a charity. Therefore, the Board of Trustees continue to work hard to raise the profile and awareness of the charity. The Charity continues to explore new and different methods of fundraising, including taking teams of runners to a marathon, organising shared events with other charities and raising the recognition of A4W with potential donors. The charity will continue to seek out more volunteers and recruit additional skilled Trustees to ensure its success into the future. 11 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## Declaration The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Annual Report above on 23[rd] October 2024. Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees: Charlotte Jacqueline Louise Haitham Taylor (Chair) Robin Cops (Vice Chair), David Canning (Treasurer). Date: 23[rd] October 2024 12 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM INDEPENDENT EXAMINER‘S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 2023 13 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## INDEPENDENT EXAMINER‘S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 2023 (continued) 14 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 23 15 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 23 (continued) 16 ## ARTS4WOKINGHAM ## NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 23 ## Notes: Income All Income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income. All income arose within the United Kingdom. Staff Costs The charity employs no staff. Related party transactions There were no related party transactions in the year. ## Independent Examiner’s remuneration The Independent Examiner’s remuneration amounts to a fee of £360 for the Examination of the Charity’s accounts. ## Gift Aid Gift Aid relating to this financial year has not been claimed, therefore it does not show on these accounts. 17