2024-09-30-accounts

Dorset Arts & Crafts Association Annual General Meeting Saturday 15[th] March 2025 Purbeck School, Wareham

Present: Jenny Gurden (Chair) and 25 members

1. Introduction and Welcome

Jenny welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the members of the Steering Committee.

2. Apologies

Gillian Appleton, Andrew Barnett, Myra Barter, Carmen Burridge, Sarah Butterworth, Julie Chadbourne, Andrew Child, Judy Churchill, Eveyln Clark, Michael Cooper, Don Coward, Sandra Coward, Sally Davies, Sue Deverell, Karen Erlebach, Jennie Harrison, Dot Karley, Ron Karley, Jim King, Marg King, Ann Langrishe, Malcolm Macnaughtan, Valerie Marsden, Greg Morris, Vicky Norman, Di Pattinson, Mark Pender, Miranda Pender, Christine Redhead, Janine Rees, Wendy Richmond-Jones, Joan Taylor, Jenny Trotman, Jennifer Walls

3. Minutes

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 2[nd] March 2024 were accepted, approved unanimously and signed.

Proposed: Tim Parker; Seconded: Tessa Scamell

4. Chair’s Report

The main focus of my report is a look back at 2024, what went well and where we can improve. I will also say something about our plans for this year.

Showcase 2024

Showcase 2024 was successful in many ways.

Visitors were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the event. Comments made, overheard or written in the visitor book are always interesting and included

• It’s good to see work by local artists and craft people

• There is a professional feel to Showcase

• Attractive displays, helpful volunteers, good catering.

• I had no idea this was such a big event

Our stall pitches were fully booked inside and outdoors, featuring both long-time and first-time exhibitors. Some pitch sizes were oversubscribed, and balancing stall selection was

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challenging. We want to encourage new exhibitors to keep Showcase fresh for visitors, but this sometimes meant that longtime supporters did not have their preferred pitch.

The member sales gallery served as an excellent display of the skills of DACA members and sales were good. We had some challenges in displaying the work, in particular the number of paintings that were submitted. We do not have the space to display everything and while we plan to rotate stock during Showcase, in practice this is simply not possible.

The judged competitions are an important part of Showcase. One of our charitable objectives is “To revive and promote the study and practice of arts and crafts by holding events, including an annual Exhibition, at which exhibits will be judged by competent persons”. The number of entries varies from year to year, and it is interesting to follow the trends as crafts fall in and out of favour. We introduced a new category for 2024: Modern Methods and Materials which attracted a range of items using techniques such as 3D printing and digital photography manipulation. We do not turn our backs on traditional crafts, so there is something for everyone. I strongly encourage all members to make 2025 the year they enter a piece of work in the judged competitions.

The Member Design Challenge was particularly popular in 2024, attracting 13 very varied pieces. This isn’t judged and is your chance to show off your creativity and have fun. The 2025 photo was in a recent newsletter and is also on the website.

Our guest exhibition in 2024 was a particular highlight. “Work in Wood” was first suggested by Celia Morris; she proposed a curated exhibition of woodwork, with invited guests submitting work for display. The exhibition included carved walking sticks, marquetry boxes and several pieces of exquisite furniture. Celia did all the work in putting the exhibition together and persuading makers to lend their work for the display, and with the support of Di and Rod Pattinson, ensured that every item was displayed to its best advantage.

Tim will say more about the financial aspects of Showcase in his report, so I won’t say anything about the numbers here.

On a less than welcome note, the final reconciliation of our sales records revealed that a small number of items could not be accounted for and are presumed to have been stolen. It’s been widely reported shoplifting is an increasing problem and DACA is not immune from this.

Volunteers and stewards

As you know, DACA is run by volunteers, although we pay for specialist services such as removals. We want the volunteers to have a rewarding and enjoyable experiences, so we have been developing a structured approach, particularly for the set up and close down periods. We want volunteers to do what they enjoy and make best use of their skills. A volunteer is usually part of a team, they are briefed on their role and know who to speak to if they have a problem or question.

Stewards during Showcase are absolutely essential. As we have grown, so has our need for stewards. The role of a steward is twofold:

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• to be a welcoming and friendly face for visitors, answering questions and helping them with purchases.

• to be visible and vigilant presence within the public areas. We must not be complacent about security; the thefts that I referred to earlier are proof of that. Our steward briefings in 2025 will place more emphasis on this. We do not expect stewards to be security guards, but an obvious presence can be a deterrent.

As is the case every year, recruiting enough volunteers and stewards was challenging. It’s been suggested that we should make stewarding a condition of entering work. We have decided against this because we would prefer to have willing volunteers rather than those who are helping reluctantly.

What’s happening in 2025?

Preparation for Showcase 2025 is well underway and is sure to be as good as ever. The craft stall areas are already fully booked both inside and outside; in fact we have a waiting list.

At the end of last year, we asked for members’ views on whether we should open for four days or five days in 2025. This was prompted by visitor numbers, which are typically lower on the final day. The survey revealed a small preference for four days, but the Steering Committee (which was itself split on the question) decided to stay with five days for 2025.

We have considered various ways of incentivizing visitors to visit on the final day and have decided to offer half-price admission. As always, publicity is crucial and the early adverts have already been placed. We will be opening for entries at the beginning of April.

In the open forum session later, you can ask questions, find out more about our plans and how you can help.

Work has started on a significant project to improve our use of technology. We are seeking professional support to upgrade the website, develop a database which is easier to use, and improve our use of digital marketing and social media. We are seeking a streamlined solution which takes away many of the manual processes that we currently use.

We have changed our membership year to align with the calendar year. Members can renew now, and membership will run to 31 December, although your current membership is still valid until 30 June. Importantly, you will need to renew in order to benefit from the member benefits associated with Showcase, as you would have had to do anyway.

Our charitable purposes

DACA is a registered charity, and it is essential that what we do meets our charitable purposes as set out in our constitution. One of the ways we do this is by offering grant funding to support individuals and groups in the development of art and craft projects.

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We had eight applications for the 2025 grant, which is the highest number of applications we have had. I will be presenting the awards to the winners after the formal business of the AGM is complete.

Applications for the 2026 grant will be invited later in the year. If you, a group you belong to or someone you know could benefit from this funding opportunity, please take a look at the Grant page on the website, which sets out the criteria for applications.

Thank you

Karen Erlebach has decided to stand down as Association Secretary; she will not be seeking re-election to the Steering Committee. Although she cannot be with us today, I would like to place on record my thanks for the time and effort she has devoted to DACA over several years to bring us to where we are today. I refer to her formal role as being that of Association Secretary, but she has done much more than that over the years, including the following:

• She took the lead in publicity and has had a major impact on how DACA looks today, with the programme and other publicity material being redesigned into the format we have now.

• She has been part of the exhibition display team, and her eye for detail helped to ensure that exhibits were presented in the best way possible.

• She organized the stallholder selection panel and stall allocation

She is not retiring from DACA completely; she remains a member and hopes to be able to help where she can.

Thanks are due as always to the Purbeck School site team and staff. We have an excellent working relationship with them and could not put on an event of the scale of Showcase without their support and co-operation.

Thanks to those who have taken on new responsibilities, both within the Showcase Working Group, and as Trustees and members of the Steering Committee.

Thank you to each and every member; you continue to support DACA in whatever way you can, and we thank you for this.

In memoriam

Sadly, we lost three members of the DACA community in 2024.

Peter Thomas died in early March 2024. Peter was an enthusiastic supporter of DACA, regularly exhibited his prize-winning woodturning at Dorset Arts & Crafts Association events. He first took part in the annual DACA Summer exhibition in the early 1990s and continued to sell his work at DACA events until very recently. It was a fitting tribute that his work was included in the Work in Wood guest exhibition.

Mark Lockie, husband of Steve Lockie who many of you will know, died at the end of March after a short illness. Mark supported Steve on her quilting stall and for several years he and Steve hung the quilts at DACA exhibitions using stands that he had designed and made himself.

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Myra Jones died in July 2024, just before Showcase, after a brief illness. Most of you will have known Myra: she served as the Stallholder Representative on the DACA Committee for many years and became a friend to countless people. She offered encouragement and support to stallholders, whether it was their first event with DACA or they were long-time participants. Her enthusiasm for all that DACA represents was infectious, and her colourful presence was sorely missed at Showcase 2024.

5. Treasurer’s Report

One of the key financial aims is to achieve a positive surplus of income over expenditure. The net result of £1295 is, therefore, acceptable but it is also well below the £2850 of the previous year. Although the total income increased by 9%, mainly driven by being able to use the Purbeck Hall again, this was offset by a 20% increase in costs, especially in the areas of storage and haulage. A worrying aspect is that, despite increasing the expenditure on marketing, the number of visitors decreased leading to a 15% fall in door receipts.

Only one grant was awarded last year. The bounce back of the stock market led to a marked growth in reserves. Overall, the total funds increased by 5.6% to a very healthy £55689. There continues to be no reason for financial constraints to inhibit the progress of DACA as an organisation. The question, therefore, is how best to use these funds to help DACA move forward.

There is little doubt that, whatever people are searching for, most turn to the internet to find it. There are clear gaps in DACA’s ability to provide the right information to a wide enough audience. A sum of £10k has, therefore, been allocated to try to plug these gaps, including paying for digital marketing whilst also working towards future investment in Information Technology and website improvements.

DACA is currently at a crossroads. Encouragingly, we have had record numbers of applications for stalls at Showcase2025. This really does need to be matched by increases in numbers of visitors, members and volunteers. All three are linked in terms of sending out the right information in the right way and at the right time. Money will only be well spent if results are actually achieved in practice and we will be monitoring the impact of any expenditure as closely as possible. However, it would be pointless to let the money just sit in the bank and do nothing.

Martin Sibley is happy to continue as our Independent Examiner for the accounts.

In answer to a question from the floor, Tim explained that the increase in the NatWest Business Reserve Account is money held awaiting receipt of the invoice from Purbeck School for Showcase 2024. This invoice has now been received and paid.

The accounts were accepted unanimously. Proposed: Harry Edwards; Seconded: Trevor Hedger

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6. Membership Report

As the membership year has changed, to run from 1 January to 31 December, everyone is encouraged to renew their membership as soon as possible.

As of the date of the meeting, the membership figures are:

Members paid to 2025/12: 103 Members paid to 2025/06: 202 Honorary members: 10

7. Election of the Steering Committee for 2025

The following members of the Steering Committee stood for re-election in accordance with the DACA constitution. Valid nomination forms have been submitted, with individual proposers and seconders. They were unanimously elected en bloc.

Jenny Gurden (Chair) Tim Morris (Treasurer) Celia Morris Malcolm Macnaughtan Gillian Hedger Jan Underdown

The meeting closed at 11:13.

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DORSET ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION

BALANCE SHEET

	30.09.2023 6945 1660 3231 3334 93 6658 11863 27034 1427 1427 52733 49399 1334 2000 52733	FIXED ASSETS Equipment Trophies BANK ACCOUNTS NatWest Current account NatWest Business Reserve Account Petty Cash TOTAL READY CASH COIF ACCOUNTS (Reserves) COIF Deposit Fund (1-5 years) COIF Investment Fund (>5 years) LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors (Net) TOTAL LIABILITIES TOTAL ASSETS ASSOCIATION FUNDS General Fund Grant Fund Educational Workshop Fund TOTAL FUNDS		30.09.2024 5990 1776 503 10696 93
				11292
				13347 29395 6110 6110
				55689
				52176 1513 2000
				55689

		DORSET ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION	DORSET ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION	DORSET ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION
Year to		INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT		Year to
30.09.2023		YEAR ENDED 30TH. SEPTEMBER 2024		30.09.2024
		INCOME
10,692		Door Receipts		9,018
4,055		Stalls		6,126
939		Plants & books		830
2,331		Commission on sales		3,361
538		EntryFees		946
263		Workshops		198
3,323		Subscriptions		3,683
433		Donations		209
1,181		Dividends and Interest Received		1,545
23,756		TOTAL INCOME		25,916
		EXPENDITURE
5,907		Hire ofpremises		5,364
2,112		Storage costs		2,496
306		Judgingfees		363
467		Travelling& Other expenses		744
3,685		Haulage costs		5,213
317		Programmes(net cost)		175
653		Website and other IT areas		1,257
2,508		Marketingincludingsignage		3,223
345		Engraving		539
1,090		Insurance		1,178
580		Public address hire		580
397		Catering		434
344		Miscellaneous		814
50		Accounts Review		50
18,761		TOTAL REGULAR EXPENDITURE		22,430
0		Major Projects		0
2,145		Depreciation		2,191
20,906		TOTAL EXPENDITURE		24,621
2,850		SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR		1,295
1050		Grants awarded		700
1,800		Surplus aftergrant adjustments		595
-610		Growth/Loss of Reserves		2,361
51,543		General Fund brought forward		52,733
52,733		Carried Forward		55,689
1,191		Total increase or decrease in funds		2,956
0		Check sum(should be zero)		0

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Dorset Arts & Crafts Association On accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 Charity no {if any) 306252 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity {'the Trust") for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation 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 all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent examiner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Charities Act" or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the braGkets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 23 lita I laL Name: VIALc.J 5.dL-_ Relevant professional qualification(s) or body IER Oct 2018

(if any): PLAC Address: Y•MoJTrf D)LS Dr3 6.- Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of Goncern (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. IER Oct 2018