The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

The Trustees' Report contains the information required to be provided in the Trustees' Annual Report under the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) guidelines. The trustees of the company are also charity trustees for the purpose of charity law and under the company's constitution are known as members of the board of trustees.

In this report the trustees of Green Shoot Productions present a summary of its purpose, governance, activities, achievements and finances for the financial year 31 March 2025.

Vision

A Northern Ireland where theatre is placed in the heart of communities and where working class and marginalised voices are heard on all stages.

Mission

GSP is dedicated to commissioning and producing new writing for the stage, to the highest possible standards. The company is committed to developing and presenting plays that contain strong social, political and cultural themes, making theatre that is relevant to the population of N.I.

GSP seeks to promote working class and other marginalised voices that are under-represented within theatre. We constantly strive to attract new audiences and participants. Community engagement forms the foundation of all aspects of the company’s approach and activity.

Green Shoot Productions core values are:

Excellence – we aim for the highest quality of work in everything we do, from professional production to community engagement.

Inclusion – we aim to ensure working class and marginalsied voices are brought to the fore; are heard, understood and respected by all.

Equality – our employment and artistic work treats all with dignity and fairness.

Partnership – we actively seek partners to develop our programmes, embrace new skills, and reach new audiences and participants.

Governing document: Green Shoot Productions is a company Limited by Guarantee not having a share capital, incorporated in 8th May 2002 and registered as a charity with Charity Commission NI in November 2016.

Appointment of the Board of Directors: There are currently 5 directors of the company, appointed annually at the AGM.

Board Induction and Training: New members undergo induction and orientation being briefed on legal obligations under charity and company law. From time to time, the Board undertakes further management training.    

Organisational Operations:  The Board of GSP administer the charity. The board delegate programming to Martin Lynch as Artistic Director, as the most senior officer.

Related parties and co-operation with other organisations: None of the Directors received remuneration or other benefits from their work with the Charity. Any conflict of interest in relation to any contractual agreements must be disclosed. No conflicts of interest arose have been reported in the current year.

Reference and administration details: thee name of the Charity is Green Shoot Productions. It is a limited by Guarantee not having a share capital. The Company was incorporated in 8th May 2002 and registered as a charity with Charity Commission NI on the 16th November 2016. (Charity Number:  NIC105841)

Directors: The company is limited by guarantee and therefore there was no directors interest in share capital.

Programming

2024 – 2025 was another busy year for the Company.

This year is the first year of our Company Residency in the New Lodge area of North Belfast (2024 – 2026). During this period, the Company Artistic Director Martin Lynch and Project Officer, Nikki Turner made contact with a wide range of community and cultural organisations in the area, explaining our proposed project and seeking support for its implementation. We found unanimous support for the project. Consequently, we set up a number of Training and Storytelling and Reminiscence workshops led by professionals, Christina Nelson, Aaron Cathcart and Bronagh Diamond.

Simultaneously, we commissioned Stand-up comedian and playwright, Bronagh Diamond to work with several groups to explore the issues facing the people of the New Lodge at present.

The production of Bronagh’s finished script is due to take place in May/June of 2025. We also began initial plans for a large-scale Community Play in the area for May/June 2026. We intend to commission a script for this play by September 2025.

We also put in place plans for a cross-community youth video between Tiger’s Bay and New Lodge, exploring what it’s like for young people living beside an interface. This will be produced later in 2025.

Our biggest project in the year was the production of a large-scale Community Play, The Pride Of The Shore by leading playwright, Gary Mitchell. This involved 6 professional actors and over 30 community participants. It was performed at The MAC for 2 weeks and played to very enthusiastic audiences, many from the Tiger’s Bay/Shore Rd area but also to a wider theatre audience.

The Company was invited to the San Francisco Arts Festival for May 2025 and so we began a fundraising campaign to help pay for the trip to SF and other organising details.

We have agreed to produce another revival of In the Name Of The Son at the Lyric Theatre for the last 2 weeks in August 2025.

This year we added two new members to the Green Shoot Board, Brenda Callaghan, a former Trade Unionist and Community worker and Cathy Ivers a Theatrical Agent.

And lastly, the funding for our Project Officer and Company Manager unfortunately ended this year and the 2 posts have been sustained on an interim basis by box-office income. To get these 2 posts funded again is our biggest priority for the coming year.

Green Shoot received funding from the Arts Council, Belfast City Council, CRC, Dept. Of Foreign Affairs, TNL Community Fund, British Enkalon, The AE Harvey Trust, Cathedral Quarter Bid and Ulster Garden Villages.

Whilst our accounts show a surplus for the year, most of our spending is due to take place after 31st March 2025. The period from March to July 2025 will be very busy as we have 2 productions to take place, In the Name of the Son (San Francisco Arts Festival) and the first New Lodge play, What did you do for Ireland, Da. Given the ongoing uncertainty of arts funding at present we are currently using the unrestricted funds achieved through box office to fund our two employees Mary Bailie and Nikki Turner. We are confident we will raise the necessary funds to continue our projects for the 2025- 2026 period.

In accordance with the Articles of Association, the directors retire by rotation and, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election.

Compliance with Sector-Wide Legislation and Standards

The company engages pro-actively with legislation, standards and codes which are developed for the sector. Green Shoot Productions subscribes to and is compliant with the following:

- The Companies Act 2006

- The Charities SORP (FRS 102)

The trustees have developed and adopted a reserves policy that seeks to increase the unrestricted income reserve fund equivalent to six months of annual reporting costs. GSP current policy is to hold 10% of net earned income to increase the unrestricted income reserve to this level. The reserves are restricted and to be used with board approval.

The trustee recognise that financial performance will fluctuate between surpluses and deficits but the medium term strategy is to see an overall trend of reserves growth and increasing financial stability.

Income from charitable activities include income earned from the supply of services under contractual arrangements and from performance related grants which have conditions that specify the provision of particular services to be provided by the company. Income from government and other co-funders is recognised when the company is legally entitled to the income because it is fulfilling the conditions contained in the related funding agreements. Where a grant is received in advance, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, it is accrued in debtors.

Grants from governments and other co-funders typically include one of the following types of conditions:

- Performance based conditions: whereby the company is contractually entitled to funding only to the extent that the core objectives of the grant agreement are achieved. Where the company is meeting the core objectives of a grant agreement, it recognises the related expenditure, to the extent that it is reimbursable by the donor, as income.

-Time based conditions: whereby the company is contractually entitled to funding on the condition that it is utilised in a particular period. In these cases the company recognises the income to the extent it is utilised within the period specified in the agreement.

In the absence of such conditions, assuming that receipt is probable and the amount can be reliably measured, grant income is recognised once the company is notified of entitlement.

Grants received towards capital expenditure are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities when received or receivable, whichever is earlier.

Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all timing differences that have originated but not reversed at the balance sheet date where transactions or events have occurred at that date that will result in an obligation to pay more tax in the future, or a right to pay less tax in the future. Timing differences are temporary differences between the company's taxable income and its results as stated in the financial statements.

Deferred tax is measured on an undiscounted basis at the tax rates that are anticipated to apply in the periods in which the timing differences are expected to reverse, based on tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date.

The liability of the members is limited.

Every member of the company undertakes to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up while they are members, or within one year thereafter, for the payment of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before they ceased to be members, and the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributors among themselves, such amount as may be required, not exceeding £ 1.