Trumpington Community Drama Group 75 High Street CB2 9HA Registered Charity: 1206338
Annual General Meeting 2nd October, 2024 Clay Farm 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Carers,
First of all, a huge thank you to all our members for their support and enthusiasm this past year. A special welcome to all of our new members for the 2025/2026 Show Year, too.
Thank you in advance for taking the time out to attend our AGM and help our Drama Club keep running
smoothly! We want to keep you up to date with what’s been going on, to celebrate the group’s achievements over the past year; to outline what we’re planning, as well as to make sure we’re set up to do that well.
Below you will find a short Agenda for the AGM; please let us know if you have any other issues you’d like to discuss ahead of the meeting by contacting kelly@trumpingtondrama.co.uk or chair@trumpingtondrama.co.uk
Agenda
-
Review of 2024/2025 shows and activities, and outline of 2025/2026 season (Kelly)
-
Financial summary and outlook (Janice)
-
Nominations and votes for Committee positions (all)
-
Please see the next page for current members and role descriptions
-
Volunteer opportunities (all)
-
Any other business and close
Sincerely,
Committee, Trumpington Community Drama Group
Below is a list of the current Committee members. Several roles are open for nominations, and will be voted on at the AGM on October 2nd. If you are interested in taking on one of these Committee roles, or would like to nominate someone for a role, a description of each position is described below.
| Positon | Current | Future |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Mark Wade | Nominatons are welcome at the AGM |
| Treasurer | Janice Topliss | Nominatons are welcome at the AGM |
| Secretary | Sarah Gent | Nominatons are welcome at the AGM |
| Commitee Member | Annie Cooke | Nominatons are welcome at the AGM |
| Drama Project Executve | Kelly Smith | Kelly Smith |
| Drama Project Lead | Madeleine Goodwyn | Madeleine Goodwyn |
Chair
-
Co-ordinate the Committee to ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place for the effective management and running of the Group
-
Chair meetings of the Committee and the Group
-
Represent the Group at functions/meetings that the Group has been invited to attend
-
Act as the spokesperson of the Group when necessary
Treasurer
-
Supervise the financial affairs of the Group (including liaising with HMRC or third parties in relation to payments made to Employees)
-
Keep proper accounts that show all monies received and paid out by the Group
-
Provide budget forecasts and finance updates for new funding applications, and for spending updates related to funds already secured
-
Provide updates at Committee Meetings and the AGM when requested
Secretary
-
The Secretary role is administrative, requiring attendance at all committee meetings and the Annual General Meeting. Their primary purpose is to document any decisions being made by the committee and communicate them to all parents/carers, as necessary. In practical terms this means keeping minutes during the meetings, and typing them up in a coherent format. The minutes need to be sent to the attending committee to check they are a fair representation of what happened, and then emailed to all parents/carers once approved. Keeping everyone up to date with the activities of the group.
-
When it comes to ShowTime, we currently produce a Google Doc Sign-up sheet for all parents to volunteer their help through. This is an essential activity, and any ideas as to the best way to keep it up to date and accessible will be gladly received. The current format is up for reinvention, as the detail of parent involvement is increasing. The secretary can certainly gain assistance from other members in executing this element of the job.
-
It's not a hugely time consuming job (an hour or two after each meeting, of which there are approximately 3 per year). It mainly requires a bit of organised thought and clear communication of the messages we send.
Additional Committee Members
- Play a vital role in supporting Drama Group outreach, event organization and planning.
Annual Report (Financial Year April 6[th] , 2024 to April 5[th] , 2025)
1. Governance
As a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), our governing document is our Constitution, which was last amended on 21/12/2023. TCDG requires a minimum of three Trustees for governance. The current Trustees for the time period of this report (and to the date of signing) are:
Mark Wade (Chair) Janice Topliss (Treasurer) Timothy Monk
At each AGM, one-third of the Trustees must retire and may be replaced or re-elected. The members or the charity trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new charity trustee, whether in place of a charity trustee who has retired or been removed, or as an additional charity trustee.
New charity trustees
The charity trustees will make available to each new charity trustee, on or before his or her first appointment:
(a) a copy of the current version of this constitution; and
(b) a copy of the CIO’s latest Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts
Taking of decisions by charity trustees
Any decision may be taken either:
(1) at a meeting of the charity trustees; or
(2) by resolution in writing or electronic form agreed by a majority of all of the charity trustees, which may comprise either a single document or several documents containing the text of the resolution in like form to which the majority of all of the charity trustees has signified their agreement. Such a resolution shall be effective provided that:
(a) a copy of the proposed resolution has been sent, at or as near as reasonably practicable to the same time, to all of the charity trustees; and
(b) the majority of all of the charity trustees has signified agreement to the resolution in a document or documents which has or have been authenticated by their signature, by a statement of their identity accompanying the document or documents, or in such other manner as the charity trustees have previously resolved, and delivered to the CIO at its principal office or such other place as the trustees may resolve within 28 days of the circulation date
Admission of new members
Eligibility
Membership of the CIO is open to anyone who is interested in furthering its purposes, and who, by applying for membership, has indicated his, her or their agreement to become a member and acceptance of the duty of members. A member may be an individual, a corporate body, or an individual or corporate body representing an organisation which is not incorporated. It is the duty of each member of the CIO to exercise his or her powers as a member of the CIO in the way he or she
decides in good faith would be most likely to further the purposes of the CIO. The CIO may require members to pay reasonable membership fees to the CIO.
Liability of members to contribute to the assets of the CIO if it is wound up
If the CIO is wound up, the members of the CIO have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.
2. Purposes of the charity
Our primary purposes are to:
(1) advance the education of young people up to the age of 16 in the Dramatic and operatic arts. (2) help young people up to the age of 16, especially but not exclusively through leisure time activities, so as to develop their capabilities that they may grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society.
(3) advance public appreciation of the dramatic and operatic arts for the public benefit, in particular but not exclusively, through public performance.
Our main activities to advance these purposes are the rehearsal for–and performance of–drama shows by our young people for the wider community. In this regard, the Trustees are aware of the legal requirement for charities to operate for the public benefit and take it into account when making decisions. The Trustees also are aware that any decisions to depart from Charities Commission guidance must be justifiable, and serve only for the public benefit.
3. Achievements and Performance
We again were able to hold all 40 of our 2-hour afterschool drama sessions at Trumpington Village Hall, plus specific rehearsal sessions for each of the 2 shows (‘The Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Snow White and the Other Seven Dwarves’) during the period April 2024-April 2025. These shows involved all of our young people, and brought in many members of public from the local community and beyond.
Other key activities of the Drama Group included an “Artistic Showcase” that was organized by one of our young people. This was held at Clay Farms in June, and artwork from a large cross-section of the community was auctioned off, with proceeds being re-invested in the Drama Group to help with some additional short-term funding.
We also held a Bingo Fundraiser at Trumpington Pavilion (Nov 2024) which raised additional funds, and also gave members and their parents/carers chance to chat to each other in an informal setting. This helps immensely with cohesion in the group.
We also ran a stall at the Clay Farm Christmas Fayre (Dec 2024) to engage the public and raise additional funds for the Drama group. This is now becoming quite a fixture, and really helps to keep the Group’s profile up.
During the year we also sought out additional funds, and were kindly awarded funding from Trumpington Parochial Funds, which was hugely appreciated. We were also extremely grateful to be awarded a Cambridgeshire Community Reach Fund, which has enabled us to purchase key sound and lighting equipment that will support and enhance our show productions.
We also applied and were selected to compete in the Tesco Stronger Starts initiative. We were very pleased to receive funding from Tesco as a result (awarded Summer 2025, just outside of the timeframe to which the report refers).
4. Financial review
Policy on reserves
Our constitution does not currently have a clause that addresses a policy on reserves. There is an understanding that TCDG should maintain sufficient reserves to complete an entire rehearsal–show cycle (approximately 6 months of funding). Should reserves fall below this level, TCDG would follow the procedure for ‘Voluntary winding up or dissolution’ as described in our Constitution.
Sources of funding
Our principal sources of funding are grants from the local council, membership fees, revenue from our shows, and ad hoc fundraising events. All these funds are put straight back into the Group to support our activities and enrich the experience of our young people. In addition to covering staff costs and venues for rehearsals and shows, the funds are used for costumes and props as well as for external dance instructors, local theatre trips, and production equipment such as sound and lighting gear.
Receipts and payments (Financial Year April 6[th] , 2024 to April 5[th] , 2025)
| Expense | Amount |
|---|---|
| Actvity Costs - Venue Hire | £972 |
| Actvity Costs - Venue Hire Performance (2 shows) | £998.90 |
| Actvity Costs - Refreshments | £120 |
| Actvity Costs - Chaperone approval | £40 |
| Actvity Costs - Materials & Equipment | £948 |
| Actvity Costs - Props & Costumes | £600 |
| Actvity Costs- Dance Lessons | £150 |
| Actvity Costs - Scripts and Licensing | £449.10 |
| General Costs- Stafng | £7,322.47 |
| General Costs - Admin overheads | £512.61 |
| General Costs - general supplies | £100 |
| Total expenditure | £12,213.08 |
| Funding Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cambridge City Council Grant – Area Commitee | £3,240 |
| Eligible reserves carried forward | £213.08 |
| Othergrants-South Trumpington Parish | £2,800 |
| Othergrants-CommunityReach Fund | £948 |
| Othergrants-CommunityChest | £150 |
| Member Subscriptions | £1,390 |
| Ticket Sales - Shows | £862.96 |
| Fundraising- Rafe Income | £229.20 |
| Fundraising- Refreshment Income | £246.68 |
| Fundraising- General | £1,459.32 |
| Donations | £341 |
| Total income | £11,880.24 |
5. Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
Signature: Full Name: Mark Wade Position: Chair Date: 17/9/25
Trumpington Community Drama Group Statement of Financial Activites (including income and expenditure) for year ending 4th April 2025
| Income Grants Subscriptions Ticket Sales Other show day revenues Fundraising Donations Reservesused for operations Total Income Expenditure Venue hire Activity costs rehearsals Materials & equipment Props and costumes Dance lessons Staffing Scripts and licensing Admin overheads General supplies Total expenditure Funds carried forward 4/4/2025 |
Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £3,898.00 £3,240.00 £1,390.00 £862.96 £475.88 £1,459.32 £341.00 £545.92 |
|---|---|
| £8,973.08 £3,240.00 |
|
| £1,970.90 £120.00 £948.00 £112.61 £600.00 £150.00 £7,322.47 £549.10 £320.00 £120.00 |
|
| £8,973.08 £3,240.00 |
|
| £1,734.12 |
Total
Funds 2024-5
£7,138.00 Donations and legacies £1,390.00 Donations and legacies £862.96 Charitable activities £476.00 Charitable activities £1,459.32 Other £341.00 Donations and legacies £545.80
£12,213.08
£1,970.90 £120.00 £948.00 £712.61 £150.00 £7,322.47 £549.10 £320.00 £120.00
£12,213.08