**BELFAST SUMMER SCHOOL OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023** ## **Trustees' Annual Report** The trustees present their Trustees' Annual Report prepared in accordance with Charities SORP 2015 (FRS102) and the unaudited financial statements for the period ended 31 March 2023, also prepared in accordance with the aforementioned Statement of Recommended Practice and FRS 102. ## **Trustees** The trustees who served during the period are as follows: Ray Morgan Christine Dowling Ian Burrows Brendan Morgan Teresa Clarke Andy McGregor Goretti O’Connor One new trustee, Goretti O’Connor joined the Board in April 2022 and Teresa Clarke submitted her resignation in March 2023. ## **Structure, Governance** & **Management** The organisation is an unincorporated charity, and was registered with the Charity Commission of Northern Ireland on 19 April 2016. The Charity number is NIC104823. The charity is governed by its constitution and is managed by key persons from the main organisations delivering traditional music education in Belfast, both in Irish and in Ulster Scots. The charity plans and delivers an annual festival each July, Belfast TradFest and Belfast TradFest Summer School, and a Winter Weekend festival over 3 days each February based in Belfast city centre, with activities in various venues across the city. The charity's principal address is: 173 University Street Belfast Co Antrim BT7 IHR ## **Objectives and Activities** To deliver an annual traditional music festival and summer school and a winter weekend festival and music school within Belfast To offer Internationally recognised professional musicians for tuition to participants and for performances for audiences. To support and showcase local and emerging traditional musicians and artists. To provide opportunities for meaningful interaction between cultural traditions. To enhance and develop the skills, talents and creative ability of participants in the traditional arts, through the provision of our programme of activities. To provide access for engagement in traditional music within Belfast where such opportunities are lacking and in a way that will increase accessibility to the socially disadvantaged. Achieved through bursary sponsorships, education programmes and free/easily accessible programming. To contribute towards the development and promotion of traditional arts activities within Belfast (and NI in general). To encourage and build tolerance, trust, respect and understanding among all cultural, traditional, ethnic and disabled communities. To attract participants and audiences from outside NI with a programme, which highlights the many strands of traditional music here, our rich connections with the rest of Ireland and Scotland, and the renowned uniqueness of traditional music in the exciting cultural destination that is Belfast. Page 2 ## **BELFAST SUMMER SCHOOL OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st ] MARCH 2023** ## **Trustees' Annual Report** ## **Achievements and Performance** Fully emerged from the challenges faced by the organistion during the COVID-19 restrictions on festival and events. In July 2022, the organisation was able to delivery it’s first flagship July festival since 2019. The 4[th] edition of the festival in July 2022 was our most successful to date. We had 326 Summer School participants register for our weeklong Music Masterclasses with fantastic feedback from all who took part. Included in those figures are approximately 50 young aspiring traditional musicians (aged 5-12yo) who took part in a range of classes including our Whistle and Sing programme. The University also hosted daily slow sessions, exhibitions, CD launches, facilitated music stalls where local artists/instrument makers were able to display their wares. There were a total of 245 events in July 2022, which took place during the week including 9 Sold Out Concerts. There were 250 musicians employed, many of whom were local emerging local talent. We held 47 traditional music sessions in 13 venues. We continue to develop the Set Dancing and Sean Nós dancing programming with an increase in dance workshops and Céilí’s in the programmes. The profile of Dance and the numbers taking part in the classes and Ceili’s is an area that we see continuing to grow in the coming years. As the participant numbers attending the Summer School has increased, so too has festival attendance at events with a total audience of over 12,000 over the 7 days at TradFest 2022. We are very proud of our Bursary scheme, wherein we provide access for engagement in traditional music throughout the North of Ireland but particularly in the greater Belfast area to young musicians who would not otherwise have the opportunity to take part in Belfast TradFest world-class programmes. We were able to over young musicians with Bursaries to attend the Summer School with fantastic feedback from awardees. The Bursaries were provided by local businesses, Traditional Music providers and individual members of the community and we are very grateful to them for their contribution. This financial year saw the organisation, for the first time, delivery two annual festivals. We held our second Belfast TradFest Winter Weekend, 18[th] -20[th] February 2022, with a successful weekend of Traditional Music Workshops, Concerts, Céilí’s and Sessions throughout Belfast. Feedback on the event from artists, participants and audiences was extremely positive and all the 5 concerts were sold out. The success of the weekend will mean that we will continue to grow and develop the Winter Weekend as part of our yearly programming. This financial year also saw the organisation programme, promote and delivery two high quality tourism products in partnerhsip with Belfast City Council and Tourism NI, Céilí at the Castle and Traditional Music Walking Tours. Ray Morgan Chairperson Belfast TradFest ## **Financial Review** The charity achieved a net income surplus of £22,603 from a total income of £284,504. (For 2022: Net income surplus was £6,934 for a total income of £65,259 this surplust was set against carried forward funds of £4,470). The principal funding sources were grants from the ACNI, and BCC along with self-generated income from Box Office. Page 3 ## **BELFAST SUMMER SCHOOL OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC** ## **TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023** ## **Trustees' Annual Report** ## **Trustees' Responsibilities Statement** The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustee's Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: - select suitable accounting polices and then apply them consistently; - observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102); - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; - prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## **By Order of the Board** **Brendan Morgan Trustee** **Date: 4th October 2023** Page 4