The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation SCIO Scottish Charity No, SCOS1554
Annual Report and Accounts
For The Year Ended 30" November2025
The EdinburghSacred Arts Foundation
Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 30" November 2025
| Contents: | Page |
|---|---|
| Administrative Details | 2 |
| Trustees Report | 3 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 6 |
| Statement of Balances | 7 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 8 |
| independentExaminer'sReport | 4 |
ads
The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation Trustees Report for the year ended 30" November 2025
==> picture [270 x 11] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers
----- End of picture text -----
Charity No:$0051554 — a - Bankers: - The Royal Bank of Scotland 142/144 Princes Street Edinburgh EH2 4WQ — a Solicitors: - Balfour + Manson LLP S6 — 66 Frederick Street Edinburgh EH2 11S
~2-
The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation Trustees Reportfor the year ended 30" November 2024 (continued)
StructureThe Edinburgh& GovernanceSacred Arts Foundation is a Scottish Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). It was registered in its current legal form on 31" January 2022. The charity was previously an unincorporated association but changed its legal form to a SCIO. The assets of the unincorporated association were transferred to the SCIO on 1" February 2022. It has a single tier structure and as such the trustees are members of the charity.
ObjectivesThe objectives& Activities of the Foundation are:
(a) To organise, coordinate and promote artistic events in the annual ‘Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts in the Fringe’.
(b) To undertake such other activities within the City of Edinburgh as may promote interest in the sacred arts.
Achievements& Performance
Festival 2025 was undoubtedly our most successful and vibrant year yet, The week-long programme comprised seventeen events and two exhibitions, spread over eight venues.
EVENTS Music War, Peace and Reconciliation St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge Sunday Contemporary Sacred Song St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge Monday Composing Sacred Music Canongate Kirk Monday Art Lieder on Sacred Themes Old Saint Paul's, Jeffrey St Tuesday Faith in the Footlights Catholic Cathedral, York Place Tuesday Scottish Metrical Psalter Sacred Heart, Lauriston St. Wednesday Vivaldi in Venice Canongate Kirk Thursday Cloud of Witnesses, with poetry Old Saint Paul’s, Jeffrey St Friday Poetry Welsh Religious Poetry St John’s, Princes St Sunday Young Religious Poets Final Canongate Kirk Wednesday Film Charlie Chaplin's The Pilgrim Chaplin's The Pilgrim The Pilgrim Pilgrim St Vincent's Chapel, Stockbridge Saturday Architecture Exploring Sacred Space Sacred Space Space Magdalen Chapel, Cowgate Tues & Thurs & Thurs Thurs Multi-media The Split-Leaf Psalter Split-Leaf Psalter Psalter St Vincent's Chapel, Stockbridge Friday Exhibitions SeedsVestmentofVestmentofof Hope,ExhibitionwithExhibitionwithwith workshops OldSt Vincent'sSaint Paul's,Chapel, JeffreyStockbridgeSt TuesMon-Friday& Wed
Film Charlie Chaplin's The Pilgrim Chaplin's The Pilgrim The Pilgrim Pilgrim
Architecture Exploring Sacred Space Sacred Space Space
Tues & Thurs & Thurs Thurs
Multi-media The Split-Leaf Psalter Split-Leaf Psalter Psalter
Exhibitions SeedsVestmentofVestmentofof Hope,ExhibitionwithExhibitionwithwith workshops
3-
The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation Trustees Report for the report ended 30" November 2025
Achievements& Performance continued
Church Services
Sung Eucharist St John’s, Princes Street Sunday Choral Evensong St Michael and All Saints, Tolicross. Saturday
PARTICIPANTS and AUDIENCE
The opening service with Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury) drew a congregation In excess of 300, and the closing service with Archbishop Leo Cushley was attended by 200. Approximately 160 professional, semi-professional and amateur artists and performers took part in the week's events. Audiences and visitors to the exhibitions were greatly increased on previous years, totaling approximately 2000. Ticket income increased by over 25%. Especially notable features in 2025 included a huge audience for ‘Faith in the Footlights’ at the Catholic Cathedral, 4 new musical commissions to celebrate 375 years of the Scottish Metrical Psalter, and the introduction of a Young Religious Poets competition, believed to be unique in the world.
PUBLICITY
For the first time a professional designer — Anna Parker of Fogbank Projects -- was employed to create 3 new logo for the festival and to produce the widely distributed printed programme. This considerably increased the cost but was universally agreed to have made a major contribution to raising the Festival's profile within the Fringe.
MEDIA PRESENCE
In addition to its website, the Festival extended its presence still further on Facebook and Instagram, with the number of followers increasing significantly. In the month before the Festival began, there were 4600 unique visitors to the website, more than twice the number in 2024. The Director was interviewed about the Festival in a live programme on the UK station Premier Christian Radio. Nine events were reviewed in the Edinburgh Guide, with two of them receivingthe top ratingof 5/5, and none less than 3/5.
FINANCE
A surplus of £10,221 was reported for the year. Income increased from £21,504 to £44,027 to an increase in grants from £5,500 to £24,430 and an increase in ticket income of 42% to £16,097. We were fortunate to receive generous financial support from The Binks Trust and the H R Creswick Trust. Grants were received for the Young Composers Competition from the Edinburgh Society of Organists and The Royal College of Organists in addition to an individual donor funding the prizes. The Christian Arts Trust funded prizes for the Young Poets competition, the Church Hymnary Trust gave a grant towards the two Scottish Metrical Psalter events, and Canonmills Baptist Church donated the cost of a major music commission. All publications in print and online gratefully acknowledged this essential support
RESERVES
The reserves at the end of the financial year are £20,470 comprising bank balances and are considered more than sufficientto support the planningof the festival for 2026.
FUTURE PLANS
The EFSA achieved its highest visibility yet in 2025, and as its profile grows, more inquiries and proposals have been received, several being from organizations outwith Edinburgh. The dates for 2026 have been set as 16"-22™ August, and the Festival Committee will finalise next summer's programme by January 2026. A recent grant from the SCOPS TRUST has ensured that new works can be commissioned from the winners of the 2025 competition.
~4-
The EdinburghSacred Arts Foundation
Trustees Report for the report ended 30” November 2025
Statementof trustees’ Responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The trustees are required to prepare accounts for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. in preparing these accounts the trustees are requiredto:
-
© Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
© Observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP;
-
© Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departure disclosed and explained in the accounts, and
-
Prepare the accounts 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 which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Charities and Trustees Investments (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The trustees 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.
On behalfof the Trustees
i «.... xx December 2025
5-
The EdieburghSacred Arts Foundation
Receiptsand Payments Account Year Ended 30thNovember2025
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Restricted | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | Funds 2025 £ |
Funds2025 £ |
2025 | Total2025 td |
Total2024 £ |
|
| RECEIPTS | ||||||
| Bonations Grants |
3 | 1,000 18,230 |
1,500 6,200 |
2,500 440 |
3,894 5,500 |
|
| Ticket Income | 16,097 | Q | 16,097 | 11,312 | ||
| HMAC -Gift Ald | 700 | ° | 700 | 35 | ||
| Interest | 300 | Ls] | 300 | Q | ||
| TeselRecetpts | — | Mee | ||||
| PAYMENTS | ||||||
| Artists fees & expenses | 16,889 | 0 | 16,889 | 12,302 | ||
| Grants - youngcomposers | 0 | 2.500 | 3.500 | 0 | ||
| Poetry prines Box OfficeFees Hire of Churches |
° 196 189 |
1,000 0 0 |
1,000 1,944 150 |
r) 1,752 992 |
||
| Stewarding | 1,203 | 0 | 1,209 | 143s | ||
| Printing & design | 2.766 | 0 | 2766 | 741 | ||
| Advertising | 809 | 0 | 809 | 0 | ||
| Communications officer Recording young compoters and poetry |
events | 4,185 1,000 |
0 0 |
4,135 1000 |
400 9 |
|
| v | 0 | 0 | ° | 283 | ||
| Sundry | M4 | o | Be] | 47% | ||
| TotalPayments | —2S | =500 | —Se | —2oe | ||
| Excess ofreceipts over payments |
||||||
| — | —S | se | ts |
-6-
The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation
Statement of Balances As at 30th Novernber 2025
==> picture [171 x 245] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
Bank balance
Bank balance brought forward
Movement in Period
Excess of payments over receipts
for the year
Bank balance carried forward
Uabilities
Festival 2026 commissions
SonOecember 2025
Trustee
----- End of picture text -----
| Unrestricted | Restricted | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Funds 2025 | Funds2025 | Total2025 | Total 2024 |
| t | £ | £ | é |
| 10,249 | 0 | 10.249 | 11225 |
| 721 | 3,200 | 10,221 | -976 |
| 17,270 | 3,200 | 20,470 | 10-249 |
| Fae 0 |
ee 1,00 |
sna 1,800 |
ae 0 |
Fe
The Idleburgh Sacred Arts Foundation
YearNotes Endedto the30thActountsNovember2025
1. Basis of Accounting
The accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments bash in accordance with the Charkies & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Reguistion:2006 (2s amended],
2. Mature and perpose of fundt
Unrestricted funds
General Fusd - ts Is the fund which the day te day sctiities of the chartties are recorded In furtherance of the objects of the charity.
Revtriced
Comepowtion & poetry - this fund represents grants and donations secured to weed gracts and prires to succetiful participants
3. Grants recelwed
==> picture [225 x 143] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
t
Unrestricted
(Giieks Trost Greet 2.00
Creswick Trust 10,000
Church Pymnary Trust 2,70
Shaw Chacttable 2,000
ve:4
Restricted
Cancnmitls Quarth - Composer 2900
Christian Aets Trust Loco
Royal College of Organicts “oO
Edinburgh Society of Ceganists xO
Scopes Art Teun 1,800
aT
----- End of picture text -----
==> picture [386 x 154] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
& Movementin Fusds
Ani Dec ‘AL 30 Now
zone Recests Payments 2025
t c . £
Usrestricied Pusds
General fund 30,249 wa 239,306 27.270
Tete __ie 0 aaa _sxe _ate
Resulted Funds
Composition & Poetry o 7,700 4D 3,200
we —{ 2 = =
Total Funds —e 4 LN
----- End of picture text -----
se
SACREDARTS FOUNDATION
areI reportset outon theon pages accounts5 to of8. The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation for the year ended 30 November 2025 which
Respective responsibilities of trustees and independent examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities(as amended).and TrusteeThe charityInvestmenttrustees(Scotland)consider thatAct 2005the auditand therequirementCharities Accountsof Regulation (Scotland)10(1) (a) Regulationsto (¢) of the2006 44(1)Accounts(c) of Regulationsthe Act and doesto statenot apply.whetherItparticular is my responsibilitymatters haveto examinecome to mythe attention.accounts as required under section BasisMy examinationof independentis carriedexaminer'sout in statementaccordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) CharityunusualRegulationsand a2006comparison(as amended).of the accountsAn examination presentedincludes with athose review of records.theIt also includes accounting records keptconsideration of by the any matters. items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit option on the view given by the accounts. Independent examiner's statement In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
-
which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
-
to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the Act and Regulation 4 of the Regulations,and
-
° to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
-
have not been met; or
-
2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the
16th December2025