Report of the trustees for year ending 30[th] June 2024
Reference and administrative details
Charity No NIC 102714
Our Advisors
Accountants O Hagan and McGlinchey Bankers Allied Irish bank NI
Directors and Trustees
The directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its trustees for the purpose of charity law. The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end are as follows
Chair Colleen ONeill Vice Chair Declan McGrath Treasurer Collette Corr
Elected Trustees
Declan Kelly Mark Shields Bronagh Herron Claire McCrory Tony Gervin
Appointment of trustees
As detailed in the constitution Nominations from full members of C.R.A.I.C. for members of the Board must be in writing and must be in the hands of the honorary secretary of C.R.A.I.C. at least seven day before the Annual General Meeting hereinafter mentioned.
Should the number of nominations exceed the number of vacancies, election shall be by sec ret ballot of the members of C.R.A.I.C. present and voted at an Annual General Meeting.
Should the number of nominations be less than the number of vacancies, further oral nominations may, with the approval of the Annual General Meeting, be invited from members present and voted at the said Annual General Meeting.
The Board elected at the Annual General Meeting shall have the power to co-opt further members, who shall be individual members or representatives of affiliated members and who shall serve until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting provided that the number of co-opted members shall not exceed one third of the total membership of the committee. Co-opted members shall have the right to vote.
The Chairperson, Vice-chairperson, Honorary Treasurer, who shall be individual members of C.R.A.I.C. and shall be elected annually by and from members of the committee at their first meeting following the Annual General Meeting. Any one person shall not hold the office of the Chairperson for more than three consecutive years.
Organisation
The board of trustees administers the charity and meets a minimum of 9 times a year. There are sub committees which deal with finance, HR and development which meet monthly. In carrying out its duties the board of trustees has given due regard to the public benefit guidance outlined by the charity commission
The trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the consolidated financial statements of the charity for year ending 30[th] June 2024. The financial statements comply with the Charity … and the statement of recommended practice – Accounting and Reporting by charities (SORP 2005)
Chairs Report
This past year, the incredible staff and wider Craic community have worked together to deliver an exciting and diverse program of entertainment and arts activities, spanning a wide range of genres and appealing to all ages. We are thrilled to see the ongoing passion for the arts growing stronger, with increased demand across all of our offerings.
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our generous sponsors, funders, dedicated volunteers, our hard-working theatre staff, and especially our young people. Their support has been invaluable in making this year such a success.
Our local community has produced performances of the highest quality, not only in terms of talent on stage but also through the technical excellence behind the scenes. The variety of performances showcased this year highlights the creativity and dedication of everyone involved, and we are incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished together.
Thank you all for your continued support—here’s to another fantastic year ahead at Craic Arts Centre!
Colleen ONeill Chairperson
Purpose
C.R.A.I.C. has been formed for charitable purposes only. C.R.A.I.C. is established to:
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Provide, encourage and assist the production of the Arts in its widest form, including the areas of drama, painting, sculpture, dance, video and film, poetry and prose, crafts and music in Coalisland and surrounding districts.
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Have the people of the area participate in the Arts and improve their understanding of the Arts.
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Actively pursue the involvement of young people with the aim of providing a positive alternative to the alcohol and drug culture and explore the negative and harmful effects of alcohol and drugs through the Arts. Furthermore, we would like to present the Arts as a useful focus for the energies of young people in this age group and help develop their social and communication skills, build their selfconfidence and awareness.
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Enhance both the physical and emotional wellbeing of all participants
The vision of our board is to promote and foster knowledge, participation and appreciation of the Arts through a wide variety of programmes aimed at all ages within the local community. It serves as a hub to provide a wide number of the local community and those from further afield with accessible and professional community arts. The charity has the general aim of contributing to the quality of life of people in the area by expanding their horizons through the provision of exciting and challenging community drama, arts events and a wide variety of arts and wellbeing classes.
The strategies employed to achieve the charities aims and objectives are:
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Present a broad range of theatre productions for the enjoyment and education of the local community
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Offer opportunities for a broad range of people to get involved in arts activity exploring their own creative powers
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Provide facilities for amateur and professional artists to develop
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Concentrate on involving young people in the arts through weekly classes in drama, singing, dance, speech and drama
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Celebrate the diversity of culture in our community by drawing together people of different cultural backgrounds to the same end goal
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Provide a venue and support for local schools and youth groups to put on a professional style production
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Provide holistic approaches to mental, physical and social wellbeing incorporated into our programs
Putting together these different strategies:
Stage Performances
We seek to combine amateur and professional events in our programme and to provide a mix of the arts to suit a variety of tastes.
Education
The youth Academy through the medium of drama continue to explore topical issues as they arise. We remain connected to both statutory bodies and local groups should we need to signpost towards additional support. We aim to develop confidence and expression across a range of arts, drama, digital arts, singing, dancing, creative design alongside keeping connections in a virtual learning environment.
Volunteers
Craic is in the heart of the community and very much relies on volunteer help, we are fortunate to have a ready network of people who are passionate about the Arts and willing to lend a hand
Achievements and performance
We are pleased to report we have been able to put on 3 of our own shows and host a number of touring shows. The past year has seen rising costs and the solar panels installed in the previous year to offset some of the rising bills, are creating the desired result
Financial review and Pricing policy
Our pricing policy reflects our strategy of enabling all within our community to attend or take part in our activities, the board have striven to keep costs as low as possible and prices have remained static in the current year.
In the past year we have been lucky to have funding and the support of Mid Ulster District Council and Arts Council NI
Alongside Funding, and some sponsorship from the local community, proceeds from performances and concessions normally contribute to our operating costs, the bulk of which is invested in our ongoing programmes as well as funding new creative initiatives
Reserves Policy
Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between spending and receiving of resources and to cover unplanned repairs and other expenditure. The trustees consider the ideal level of reserves to be 8 months operating costs. One area that needs continued investment is the
upgrade of lighting to LED as future regulations are expected to ban the use of Halogen bulbs and these themselves are costly to run. This has been given consideration by the board and steps already taken to replace some and a priority given to replace the rest as and when we can
Plans for Future Periods
The board and staff are aware that funding and operating in the current circumstances is unpredictable and requires ongoing monitoring. As a social enterprise we monitor activities and welcome new initiatives to boost funds. Robust marketing strategies and financial monitoring ensured growth in the past however looking to the future has never been so unsure. We will continue to monitor the effects of the cost of living demands on the community and use all available resources to obtain financial support to ensure continued operation when circumstances allow.
We continue to strengthen our links with the community, our patrons and our customers through social media, key partner events, and connections with other community organisations.