Sidmouth School of Art: Trustees' Annual Report Reporting Period: 1st August 2024 to 31st July 2025
Mayday Madness by Kyle Baker Exhibited at Sidmouth Wallspace
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1. Charity Overview & Governance
Sidmouth School of Art (SSA) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (11995339) guided by the vision: "Make Sidmouth the Artwork." We transform public spaces into galleries to nurture community health, wellbeing, and civic pride through high-quality creative engagement.
Board of Trustees (Reappointed May 2025):
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David Shrigley (Chair): Internationally renowned visual artist.
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Louise Cole (Secretary): Specialist in programme management and community development.
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Coco Hodgkinson: Community Artist and founding Artistic Director.
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Ian Barlow: Business and Entrepreneurship lead.
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Sam Eyre: Art Education lead and Sidmouth College collaborator.
2. Narrative of Impact: Press & Awards
Our commitment to artistic merit and social impact achieved significant recognition:
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National Feature: The CODEX project was profiled in AQA s MY AQA magazine (Autumn 2025) , establishing SSA as a national voice for youth creative agency.
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Awards: Secretary Louise Cole received the ACED 2025 Special Recognition Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Art & Culture."
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Economic Reach: Public installations reached an estimated 563,000 visitors , while our digital presence exceeded 500,000 views , supporting Sidmouth's reputation as a cultural destination.
CODEX, Sidmouth College Students, Sidmouth Wallspace
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3. Sidmouth Makes Art (SMArt): Outcomes & Learnings
The SMArt project, funded by Arts Council England, successfully concluded this year.
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Aims: To develop "Sidmouth people as the artists and Sidmouth as the artwork," building confidence, wellbeing, and a positive sense of belonging.
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Delivery: Involved 1,302 participants in 43 workshops (ages 4 to 85).
The SMArt project successfully delivered on all its objectives:
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Created seven new public artworks/installations
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Raised awareness of the importance of art and creativity
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Provided inspiration through exhibiting art in diverse spaces
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Curated participation opportunities helping people of all ages to discover talents and develop skills
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Contributed to community wellbeing through accessible art spaces
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Added value to the local tourism economy
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Mentored young people through contact with professional artists
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Developed collaborative art that inspired civic pride
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Enabled local people as participants and the primary audience
Permanent Legacies: * Sidmouth Faces: 800 clay self-portrait tiles to form a permanent Wall of Faces at the Wallspace site.
- **Our Town:** This collective vision project is now permanently installed at the **Beacon Medical Practice** .
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Key Learnings: We discovered a profound "community hunger" for making art. However, we also identified that managing small, fragmented funding pots is administratively unsustainable. Consequently, we are looking to transition to a
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2-year project model to focus on quality delivery over administration.
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4. Deliverables: Public Art Constellations
Riverside Artspace – A Structural Milestone
Opened in February 2025 , this is a major achievement in creating an "all-seasons" gallery from scratch.
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Infrastructure: Built using 5 custom gabion baskets with plinths, creating the only outdoor gallery of its kind in the South West.
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Key Exhibition: A Sidmouth Folk Festival Portrait (July 2025). This featured JJ Waller and Kyle Baker , pairing national established talent with local emerging talent to facilitate professional mentorship and collaboration.
A Sidmouth Folk Festival Portrait, JJ Waller and Kyle Baker, Riverside Artspace
Sidmouth Festival of Flags – Year 2
The festival grew into a vibrant story of place, involving 40 community groups and schools .
Impact: The flags tell a story of "civic pride and sense of place," with 8 new groups joining in 2025. It reached a global audience via a feature in The Flag Institute’s international newsletter.
The project received great feedback with participants and viewers appreciating both the pride of taking part and the visual joy the flags flying high created.
Through this ongoing collaboration we are making Sidmouth the artwork and inspiring the community to get creative and bringing art to unusual places.
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Sidmouth Wallspace (The Billboard Gallery)
Wallspace continued to be a key project in which an unloved wallspace overlooking a public car park which was turned into a public gallery available to view by the whole community and visitors to Sidmouth.
Wallspace has become part of the cultural fabric of the landscape with residents anticipating and looking forward to what is coming next, this project is hugely successful in inspiring conversations about art and our audiences response to a wide variety of mediums used, themes expressed and explored.
Its reputation is embedded with community organisations and festivals for example approaching SSA with ideas and requests for billboard projects.
Examples of Wallspace presentations include:
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Vibrations In the Valley – a collaboration with Sidmouth Folk Festival, Sidmouth Sea Fest, SidyFest and Sidmouth International Jazz Festival.
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Mayday Madness by local Photographer Kyle Baker
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River a collaboration with River Sid Catchment Group and young people
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Make A Million Flowers Bloom with Maureen Hawkridge and 401 participants aged 4 to 85 .
Make A Million Flowers Bloom, Sidmouth Wallspace
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The Micro Museums (Telephone Boxes)
Sidmouth's town square is home to two iconic red telephone boxes which have been repurposed by Sidmouth School of Art to add a new cultural dimension to this busy part of town. These ying and yang art spaces for 'old' objects/artworks of curiosity and 'new' mini contemporary artworks, continue to add interest and engage the town’s residents and visitors.
The installations are created in partnership with local groups and help to bring stories of events, places and people connected with Sidmouth.
Delivered 6 exhibitions , including CODEX , Suffragettes/Suffragists , and Traditions of Folk .
5. Funding & Sustainability: Supporters Programme
To address funding challenges, we launched a three-tier Supporters Scheme :
- Friends, Art Champions, and Patrons: Allowing individuals to invest in "visual joy" and community wellbeing.
Our three-tier Supporters Programme is designed to foster philanthropy and nurture ongoing support for the arts in our community. By joining as a Friend, Art Champion, or Patron, supporters are not only helping to widen participation and enhance wellbeing through creative activities, but also actively contributing to a culture of generosity and positive social impact.
- SSA Online Shop: Revenue from art prints, sketch books and other items also helps to directly fund local creative workshops.
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6. Financial Review (Year Ending 31 July 2025)
Sidmouth School of Arts Annual Receipts and Payments accounts have been prepared by our accountant Duncan Akers of Easterbrook Eaton – who also conduct an Independent Examination.
| dependent Examination. | |
|---|---|
| A summary of the Receipts and Payments Accounts is as | |
| follows; | Amount |
| (£) | |
| Heading | |
| Gross Income (Grants, Donations, Sales) | £42,418 |
| Total Payments (Project & Operating) | £33,988 |
| Net Receipts | £8,430 |
| Cash Funds at Year End | £11,997 |
| Restricted Reserves | £0 |
7. Conclusion
This year, SSA proved that art is a vital catalyst for resilience. From building the Riverside Artspace gabions to the Wall of Faces , we have shown that local funding— like the Keith Owen Fund —can revitalize "special areas" for the benefit of all. Our "constellation of activities" ensures that in Sidmouth, creativity is not just seen; it is lived. New partnerships, sponsorship and longer-term funding for the future are key aspirations for the year ahead in parallel with continuing to deliver our public benefits to increase engagement with and participation in the visual arts.
8. Declaration
Approved by the Trustees on 20[th] May 2026.
Signed:
Name: David Shrigley Designation: Trustee
Date: 20.5.2026
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Charity Name No (if any) Sidmouth School of Art 1199539 Receipts and payments accountspts and payments accountsts and payments accountspayments accountsayments accountsyments accountsments accounts
Receipts and payments accountspts and payments accountsts and payments accountspayments accountsayments accountsyments accountsments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/08/2024 31/07/2025
Section A Receipts and payments
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 29,938 480 5,019 181 2,700 - - - 2,100 40,418 - - - 40,418 - 4,020 - - - 1,364 420 17,100 61 276 504 182 24 184 5 6,598 30,738 - - - 30,738 9,680 - 2,317 11,997 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - 2,000 - 2,000 - - - 2,000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3,250 3,250 - - - 3,250 - 1,250 - 1,250 - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 29,938 480 5,019 181 2,700 - - 2,000 2,100 42,418 - - - 42,418 - 4,020 - - - 1,364 420 17,100 61 276 504 182 24 184 5 9,848 33,988 - - - 33,988 8,430 |
Total funds to the nearest £ 29,938 480 5,019 181 2,700 - - 2,000 2,100 42,418 - - - 42,418 - 4,020 - - - 1,364 420 17,100 61 276 504 182 24 184 5 9,848 33,988 - - - 33,988 8,430 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 29,938 | 14,505 | ||||
| Sales - Artprints andpostcards | 480 | 1,165 | ||||
| Gift Aid received | 5,019 | 2,257 | ||||
| Subscriptions and Match Funding | 181 | - | ||||
| Sidmouth Sensory Garden Outdoor Art Space |
2,700 | - | ||||
| Winter lights festival Grant Income | - | 3,500 | ||||
| Winter lights festival donations & sponsorship |
- | 5,841 | ||||
| Your Town My Town donations & sponsorship |
- | 1,250 | ||||
| Confluence - River Sid and Its Tributaries | 2,100 | - | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
40,418 | 28,518 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
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| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
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| 28,518 | ||||||
| Cost of Goods sold | - | 603 | ||||
| Direct Expenses - Wallspace | 4,020 | 780 | ||||
| Norman's family charitable trust expediture | - | 1,509 | ||||
| Sidmouth Makes Art Match funding | - | 9,784 | ||||
| Winter lights festival expenditure | - | 11,315 | ||||
| Advertising | 1,364 | 1,881 | ||||
| Audit & Accoutancy | 420 | - | ||||
| Consulting | 17,100 | 10,260 | ||||
| Bank fees | 61 | 65 | ||||
| Computer expenses | 276 | 411 | ||||
| Insurance | 504 | 500 | ||||
| Subscriptions | 182 | - | ||||
| Postage,freight and courier | 24 | 29 | ||||
| Printingand Stationery | 184 | - | ||||
| Sundries | 5 | 59 | ||||
| Your Town MyTown Expenditure | 6,598 | - | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 30,738 | 37,745 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
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| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
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| 37,745 | ||||||
| 9,680 | - 1,250 | - | 8,430 | - 9,227 | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2,317 | 1,250 | - | 3,567 | 12,794 | ||
| 11,997 | - | - | 11,997 | 3,567 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
12/05/2026
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| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) HSBC bank account Owed by Louise Cole Details Details Details Signature SIGN |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 11,980 - 17 - - - 11,997 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name David Shrigley |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | |||
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| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | |||
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| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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| SIGN | David Shrigley | 20.5.26 | |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
12/05/2026
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Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name Sidmouth School of Art members of On accounts for the year 31 July 2025 Charity no 1199539 ended (if any) Set out on pages 3 and 4
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/07/2025 .
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 I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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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.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Name: DUNCAN AKERS Relevant professional FCA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Easterbrook Eaton Ltd Cosmopolitan House Old Fore Street, SIDMOUTH EX10 8LS
Date: 28 May 2026
October 2018
IER
1
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
October 2018
IER
2