Trustees’ Annual Report For period: 01/04/24 - 31/03/25
Charity name: We Are Hera Also known as: Hera Registered charity: 1201218 Address: 61 Cromwell Road, Whitstable, Kent. CT5 1NN
The Trustees
1. Allison Rosser Appointed 05/12/22 (for 4 years), appointed Chair 07/04/25 2. Gweneth Ann Rand Reappointed 07/04/25 (for 3 years) 3. Eliza Thompson Reappointed 18/12/25 (for 3 years) 4. Jane Ryan Appointed 18/12/25 (for 3 years)
Staff
Toria Banks, Producer & Joint Artistic Director Linda Hirst, Joint Artistic Director
Structure, Governance and Management
Type of governing document: Constitution
Charity constituted as: CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Trustee selection:
Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Governance issues:
In line with the plans set out in the last report, the charity has appointed a Chair (Allison Rosser), to lead on the expansion of the board and on Safeguarding. A new trustee, Jane Ryan, was appointed in December 2025, and there are plans to expand the board further in 2026.
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Objects and Activities
We Are Hera’s charitable objects are:
To educate the public in general in the dramatic arts, particularly the art forms of music and theatre, to further the development of public appreciation and taste in the said arts, and to foster and encourage an understanding of and an interest in all of the arts and skills of theatre.
The charity’s policy is to achieve these objects by presenting inclusive opera and music theatre by women and gender minority artists, online and on tour. In this way:
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The public are educated about the work of women and gender minority artists in the art forms of opera, music and theatre, both past and present.
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Public appreciation and taste, understanding and interest are developed and extended to include new forms and possibilities in opera, music and theatre.
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Members of the public are included within the experience of the art forms of opera, music and theatre who may face barriers to inclusion, or who may not otherwise be engaged by them.
During the period of this report, the charity delivered the following projects:
- R&D workshop and scratch performance of a new opera for Twitch, entitled ‘Mostly Human’ at Canterbury Christ Church University in July 2024, in partnership with the University of Michigan State. This tested the dramatic, musical and technological ideas developed in 2023 by Toria and collaborators including US composer Professor Alexis Bacon. Our partners were keen to draw on the depth of UK singing talent able to approach contemporary work with confidence.
In addition to these complete projects:
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We looked for ways to bring the project to production, particularly in the light of the US General Election in 2024, which has led us to shelve plans for work in the USA. We made contact with the Space for advice and support which has led to possible UK partnership opportunities.
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We continued to develop partnerships, including confirming a second co-production with Dunedin Consort and Mahogany Opera (In the Belly of the Beast, 2026) and beginning discussions around a multi-year strategic partnership with Opera UpClose.
The trustees have complied with the duty to have regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant.
Achievements and Performance
There has been less activity in 2024-25 than in the previous period, but Hera’s work continues to be successful on our own terms: bold, political, high quality. We continue to create a space for work which is alternative, not fringe.
The R&D of Mostly Human served as a successful proof of concept, theatrically, musically and technologically, and the project remains live. The R&D process was positive and collaborative, allowing us to put our values around non-hierarchical working into practice.
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Recognising that the creation cycle for opera can be quite long, the charity has retained forward momentum by building projects that will come to fruition in 2026 and beyond.
Financial Review
Policy on reserves:
The charity has not yet been able to establish reserves, which means it is unable to commit to more than the bare minimum in ongoing organisational costs. Currently it runs entirely on a project to project basis. It is currently able to respond to any reduction in income by reducing activity and expenditure.
Unfortunately, the funding environment remains difficult, and we have yet to secure funding for core costs which will support ongoing overheads (including staff costs). This remains a key goal, at which point it will also become desirable to establish a reserves policy in order to make this sustainable.
Deficit: The charity is not in deficit, and has no funds that are in deficit.
Further financial information, including principal sources of funding:
Although the accounts show an operating deficit for the year, this is the result of work taking place in 2024-5 for which funding was received in 2023-4: with grant funding from Michigan State University supporting the R&D process in July 2024. Other income received in 2024-5 includes a grant (from the Hinrichsen Foundation) in support of On an Endless Road (a project completed in 2023-24) and earned income from the ‘On an Endless Road’ tour.
Accounts:
Income in this period has been below the threshold at which an Independent Examination of the accounts is required. The trustees are satisfied that the accounts are accurate, and are happy to proceed without external scrutiny.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above:
Signature:
Full Names:
Allison Rosser
Position: Chair
Date:
29/1/2026
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We Are Hera CIO 1201218
Receipts and payments accounts
01/04/2024 31/03/2025
For the period from To CC16a
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Grant Income 655 2,000 - 2,655 24,242
Earned Income from charitable activities 2,846 - - 2,846 8,575
Donations 12 - - 12 777
Sub total(Gross income for AR) 3,513 2,000 - 5,513 33,594
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
Cashflow loan (interest free) - - - 0 500
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - 500
Total receipts 3,513 2,000 - 5,513 34,094
A3 Payments
Out of Her Mouth - 750 - 750 11,002
On an Endless Road - 3,601 - 3,601 3,770
Twitch Opera - 9,046 - 9,046 -
Other Projects - - - - 5,939
Artist Grants - - - - 2,500
Other administration and overheads 975 - - 975 435
Sub total 975 13,397 - 14,372 23,646
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
Cashflow loan repayment - - - - 500
- - - -
Sub total - - - - 500
Total payments 975 13,397 - 14,372 24,146
Net of receipts/(payments) 2,538 (11,397) - (8,859) 9,948
A5 Transfers between funds (4,427) 4,427 - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 2,978 6,970 - 9,948 -
Cash funds this year end 1,089 0 - 1,089 9,948
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
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| Section B Statement of assets | and liabilities at the end of the period | |||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds | ||||||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Cash in bank account | 1,089 | 0 | - | ||||||
| Total cash funds | 1,089 | 0 | - | |||||||
| balances with receipts and payments account(s)) | OK | OK | OK | |||||||
| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds | ||||||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | - | ||||||||
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| Details | Fund | to which asset bel | Cost (optional) | rrent value (optional) | ||||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | |||||||||
| - | - |
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Details Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Current value (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own - -
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Details to which liability re mount due (optiona When due (optional)
B5 Liabilities
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Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the
trustees Signature Print Name Date of approval
Allison Rosser 29/1/2026
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