Buildin Brid es Communi Arts Theatre Trustees, Annual Report Year ended 31" March 2023 PRINCIPAL AcrivrriES AND OBJEcrs The principal artivities are the promotion of equality and diversity, the advancement of education and the advancement, improvement, produrtion and promotion of arts, theatre and culture in particular in, but not exclusively, the Lurgan area and its environs. The direct benefits are the open and welcoming space we provide for all members of the community and the elimination of discrimination on the grounds age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, race, political opinion or disability. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and are content that the objects of the charity are being delivered in line with this guidance. No harm flows from the purposes of the charity and no private benefits ensue. GOVERNANCE The charity is governed by the Management Committee (who are the Charity Trustees) and the governing document is the constitution. TRusfEES' RESPONSIBILMES The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the charity in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting prattice. As the charitvs income is less than £250,000 the Trustees have elected under Section 64(3) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare a Receipts and Payments Account and a Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The Trustees ape responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the chariVs transattions and disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for tsking reasonable steps for the prevention and detertion of fraud and other irregularities. REVIEW Achlevements and perforrnance The Junior Musical provided an opportunity to welcome many new faces to our Youth Theatre where we performed two shows and had around 40 children onstage. In September 70 members were involved onstsge during our production of'one Way To Broadwa¢, which was a huge achievement but presented many logistical issues on the night! Tea in a China Cup, was then an excellent step for us theatrically as we affectionately left our Sam Cree traditi( behind us. September also saw the re-commencement of Drop- in and Book Club as our key LGBTQ+ activities. The Tesco Bucket collertion and Twilight market were well supported by our members and were great fundraisers for the group.
Buildln Brid es Communi Arts Theatre Trusteed Annual Report (contlnued) Year ended 31" March 2023 Panto this year was our best ever in terms of member involvement, reception and attendees. We welcomed over 2,000 people to see the show and again would thank everyone who helped make it a success. We held healthy eating nights at Drop-in which were very well supported and welcome in the challenging cost of living crisis. In February much effort went into getting the set together for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Renovation work began on the studio and while it came with its challenges it was most welcome. Our Kids Drama and Youth Theatre had to move temporarily to the Jethro Centre but at the end of April we were back in our renovated studio and we are delighted to have new storage mezzanines, new toilets and plumbing upstairs, a fire alarm and emergency lighting system installed, new elettrics and lighting, fresh plastering and disabled access toilet facilities. In March we were very proud to bring Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to the stage in Armagh where it was a roaring success, selling over 1,400 tickets with 3 sold out shows and 4 standing ovations. It will forever be a special part of our BBCAT legacy! Building Bridges has made huge leaps this year and we have really invested in our activities. We have built an incredibly strong presence and reputation in our community and are growing, not just in numbers, but also in the calibre of the projects we offer We very much appreciate our marvellous volunteers and thanks go also to our funders and sponsors. Financial review In the 2022/23 financial yeaF receipts rose significantly, totalling £106,804 £ (2022: £30,950), of which 47.2Y. (2022: 44.7%) was from external funding support sources. After charitable activity costs of £55,066, running and overhead costs of £12,446 and renovation and maintenance costs of £13,353 the year ended with a surplus of £25,939 (2022: deficit of £2,894).The Trustees feel confident in the future of the organisation as a going concern. Future plans Moving into the 2023/24 season, the group plans to continue with the attivities we have carried out in 2022/23, including Juniof Musical, (which will be Matilda), our annual concert, One Way to Broadway, scheduled for September, our first ever Murder mystery play, Death on the Nile, our annual Pantomime in December and then our musical, The Wizard of Oz in March 2024. We also aim to continue to offer drama classes and opportunities for our children and young people to perform through showcase, public events, summer scheme and our main prodoctions. We also plan to continue with our LGBTQ+ outreach project offering Friday night drop-in, steps to success workshops and crafts workshops. By order of the Trustees Simon Hylands Chairperson Approved by the Trustees on 23rd January 2024