TRUSTEE ANNUAL REPORT May-November 2023
Buxton Festival Fringe (Charity Number 1202904)
106 St John’s Road, Buxton SK17 6UT
Trustees: Stephen Walker (Chair)
Ian Bowns, Carole Garner (Secretary), Jeanette Hamilton, Rob Harrison, Sandra Jowett (Treasurer), Pam Mason, Stephanie Osborne, Linda Rolland.
We are led by a team of nine Trustees, ably supported and advised by other committee members. We also have a committed network of people who support us in a variety of ways, particularly during the Festival in July. We work in partnership with a range of local stakeholders and venues.
The Fringe committee (Trustees and supporters) meets monthly (apart from August). We reflect thoroughly on each Festival – from the perspectives of performers and the audience and we celebrate successes and make changes where required. Trustees are recruited from people who have demonstrated their support for the Fringe in various ways and who want to take a more formal role and to be involved in planning and taking us forward. We also run a range of publicity and social events throughout the year to promote the Fringe and to thank volunteers – launching our programme, hosting an Awards Ceremony etc.
The 2023 Fringe was very well received with almost 200 entrants, across a wide range of visual, musical and performing arts. We delivered in a wide variety of venues. Our community outreach is developing well, taking performances into residential homes, schools and areas under-represented in terms of engagement with live performance. We demonstrated our commitment to widening participation and to public benefits. These ambitions are factored into our planning and decision-making.
This year has seen a very welcome increase in the number of entries and in entry fee income. We have increased our entry fees by 10%. They are now £55 (entry by end of February), £77 (by end of March) and £88 beyond that. (Entrants have the option to have ticket sales processed through the Buxton Opera House for an additional payment of £10).
Similarly, we have increased the membership subscription for our Fringe Friends (for the first time in more than a decade!) and are appreciative of all who support us through these annual payments. Individual membership is now £15 and for two people living at the same address it is £25. Thanks are due to the Fringe Friends who add a donation when they pay their subscription. We have invested in merchandise this year and, again, value the support of those taking our orange message out and about in T-shirt and tote bag form!
We are very appreciative of the grant we received again from High Peak Borough Council. All this support enables us to keep entry fees low, to promote the Fringe far and wide, to offer free events and to contribute to the cultural offerings of Buxton and beyond.
| Buxton Festival Fringe May - November 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Bank Statement: 1 May 2023 | £5430 27 |
| Cash in Hand | £281 06 |
| Uncashed Cheques | £0.00 |
| Start of Year Total | £5711 33 |
| Income | £15721 50 |
| Expenditure | £12774 48 |
| (Income - Expenditure) | £2947 02 |
| Carried Forward | |
| Bank Statement: 30 November 2023 | £8337.79 |
| Cash in Hand | £320 56 |
| Uncashed cheques | £0 00 |
| End of Year Total | £8658 35 |
| Savings Account (Reserves) | |
| Bank Statement: 1 May 2023 | £14111 67 |
| Interest Earned | £142 44 |
| Surplus from Entries | £960 64 |
| Carried Forward 30 November 2023 | £15214 75 |
| MAIN INCOME | |
| Steady from Fringe Friends - £1965 | |
| Re-established entry fees - £12178 | |
| Grant of - £500 Donations - £1056 | |
| MAIN EXPENDITURE | |
| Programme printing - £5244 Promotions - £1740 33 | |
| Fringe Desk - £2973.45 Merchandise - £1364.13 |