Foreword to the Trustees Report
Annwyl Cyfaill, Dear Reader,
With this document, we present to you our annual report for the year 2024/25.
This year Rubicon has successfully navigated ongoing economic challenges, begun to establish a team and organisational capability which is fit for the future and has applied a strong focus on longer term sustainability and growth. We were delighted to confirm Simon Morris as our permanent Chief Executive, with the trustees supporting and empowering him to reshape the organisation. With the support and expertise of the Rubicon team, external functional specialists and funders, there is a renewed vigour and clearer direction, underpinned by more robust processes within the organisation.
There is more to do to finalise the leadership structure and embed it effectively, further refreshment of the Board of Trustees and, crucially, to secure enough funds to achieve our ambitions. Whilst the existential crisis we faced at the end of 2022 is clearly behind us, Rubicon’s finances are, like many charities, reliant on the generosity of donors who believe what we believe – that dance is an incredibly valuable, life-affirming, rewarding activity which has the capacity to bring joy as well as being terrific exercise and capable of fostering connections between people and communities.
We remain consistent in who we are and what we do. Our strategy and aims are unchanged and we aspire to serve more of the communities in which we operate. We are incredibly grateful for the team at Rubicon who are skilled, enthusiastic and believe in what we do, along with the participants in our wide range of activities – from young people enrolled in our GCSE and BTEC programmes, to the elderly who enjoy our classes in in care homes, hospitals and elsewhere, to everyone in between who value the activities we provide. Funders and supporters such as Arts Council Wales, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Moondance Foundation, Cardiff Council, the Waterloo Foundation, and so many others, are fundamental to our continued existence, so thank you for your contributions and long may our partnerships continue.
With this report, we outline what we have achieved and our plans for the future. We are proud of the progress made, and are excited about the future
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)".
The charitable objects of Welsh Dance Theatre Trust trading as Rubicon Dance are:
For the benefit of the public, to foster, promote and increase the interest of the public in the knowledge, understanding and practice of dancing (including but not restricted to contemporary dance, community dance, and other modern dance forms) and to promote, assist and provide facilities for presentations of such dancing and training of dancers and choreographers.
Our vision is an inclusive, vibrant and diverse Wales in which anyone, anywhere, can experience the joys and benefits of dancing to their full potential and aspirations. In this world, we are a key collaborator with other organisations, uplifting and celebrating the successes of others as much as our own.
Our community work brings engaging, safe, inclusive, and inspiring opportunities for dancing and movement to people in Cardiff and South Wales, especially those who may face barriers to dance. Through our education and career work, we provide excellent dance education, career progression routes and skill development for aspiring and existing professionals.
Through our education and career work, we provide excellent dance education, career progression routes and skill development for aspiring and existing professionals.
Our values and behaviours are inspired by the Professional code of conduct of community dance established by People Dancing and reflected throughout our work:
Collaboration: nurturing work with and between others, doing with them instead of to them
Creativity: enabling self-expression and imagination
Inclusion: bringing together difference by actively seeking to reduce barriers and enable access
Care: providing a safe and supportive environment
Quality: delivering to highest possible standards
Our charitable activities
To fulfil our purpose we undertake activities in three main programmes:
Health and Community Programmes
In this programme, we engage with communities – in general, and also in specific settings such as schools, hospitals and elsewhere – to enable them to dance. We nurture participation and interest in dance, self-expression of our participants and provide opportunities to move with joy where they may be scarce. We challenge traditional views of what it means to dance, be that where we dance, who we dance with, or what artistic expression looks like. It goes beyond performance in traditional theatrical settings and encompasses an ever-growing list of alternative ways of artistic expression. You will see in our information below the variety of settings in which we work, and each of these settings requires a distinctly different approach. Instead of expecting people to come to us to dance, we come to where they are.
Professional Development Programmes
Our Wales Wide Training Programme seeks to inspire and sustain community dance in Wales by providing training to any sector participant in a strategic way, responsive to sector need. It addresses the development and support needs of freelance community dance practitioners within the broader context of the community dance landscape across Wales. Through this programme, we contribute to the dance sector’s workforce development and enhanced community dance provision through the provision of relevant, regular and varied opportunities for dance practitioners at all stages of their career journeys.
Education Programmes
This work includes our Young Dance Programme, in which we provide GCSE dance training and our unique pre-vocational full-time dance course (BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma), both of which prepare talented young people from Wales at different stages of their development for entry to higher education and the major conservatoires. The GCSE programme is also designed to detect talent by working with secondary schools and providing high intensity dance training to encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to consider careers in the sector. The full-time course has run since 1986 and provides students with the technical skills as well as the necessary UCAS points to progress to the degrees offered by the conservatoires. Since its inception, we have trained hundreds of people and take immense pride in following the progress of their careers and it is an important part of the dance ecosystem in Wales.
Achievements and performance
In the following, we want to share some qualitative and quantitative information to provide you with a sense of what we achieved in 2024/25.
Health and Community Programmes
During the year we held 1,729 sessions which were attended by 11,993 participants of highly varied ages and abilities who physically attended the sessions and 720 who attended virtually. The scope of the community work we undertook included working with young people in schools and at the dance studio in Nora Street.
In addition to working in the community settings above, including some with disabilities, we have excellent and greatly appreciated programmes in care homes, online sessions for stroke survivors, and our regular ballet, tap, jazz, creative dance and contemporary dance classes at Rubicon have enabled adults to participate in dance in a relaxed, sociable environment. We also delivered adult sessions at Eastern Leisure Centre, Whitchurch Community Centre, St Pauls Church Penarth and The Riverfront in Newport. Rubicon also runs an extremely popular Bharata Natyam dance session online that serves participants from all over Wales.
The work we undertake in hospital-based sessions included Neuropsychiatry, brain injury, stroke rehabilitation, mental health services for older people and integrated medicine for patients with dementia and confusion, children's hospitals, and falls prevention. We also continued to offer online sessions for participants recovering from a stroke.
We continued to work with disabled participants of ages 7+ by offering sessions which are designed to suit the highly varied needs and abilities of individual participants.
Education Programmes
We provided 204 curriculum-based sessions to 16 schools which were attended by 786 pupils with a total attendance figure of 5034. In addition to schools-based sessions, 13 pupils took part in our GCSE Dance course and 23 students participated in the BTEC course.
This year we were proud to get 6 young people through their Dance GCSE and a further 9 through the BTEC programme. The end-of-year show was a superb display of the skills and creativity of these remarkable young people and was well received by all those who attended.
The Leverhulme Trust continued to support Rubicon’s programme of talent detection by working with secondary schools. The programme provides high intensity dance training to encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to consider a career in the dance sector.
Professional Development Programmes
Rubicon has continued to lead on the Wales Wide Training Programme on behalf of the community dance sector across Wales, providing 96 sessions attended by over 500 participants. In addition to online and face to face CPD sessions there is continued support for community dance apprentices, graduates retuning to Wales and mentors across Wales plus ongoing development of learning outcome accreditation. These sessions were mainly online with three in person CPD programmes taking place across Wales from north to south, organised by Rubicon and hosted by WWTP partners
The topic areas covered include: Arts and health; Social prescribing; the Welsh language; early years; young people; older people; dance for people living with Parkinson’s; the importance of dance for people living with Dementia; the importance of audio description in dance work; Deaf Awareness in dance sessions; New Schools Curriculum for Wales; Climate Change in the Arts; Policy Forum; Evaluation one to on support; Skills Sharing; and Creative practice & Wellbeing Support Sessions. Regular network and strategy meetings were held to bring the dance sector together to discuss current issues and the development and shape of WWTP. Case studies and films were made to highlight some of the strands of WWTP.
An impact report produced by Dr Susanne Burns was circulated far and wide across Wales and to One Dance UK and People Dancing, creating links with our membership organisations. A case study was written on the development of Welsh language through WWTP and we also produced a short film which focused on Deaf Awareness. International links were created with Wales, Australia and New Zealand linked to Arts & Health and an experienced group of Arts & Health professionals was set up to share good and current practice.
Our charitable activities – quality
Some of the feedback we received in 2024/25:
“I was referred by Escape Pain. Sophie's class has been a real game changer for me. When I started, I found it very difficult to move without pain and I couldn't walk far. Once I started Sophie's class to my surprise, I gradually was able to walk further, stretch further and my mental health improved. I would be lost without Sophie's class. Thank you so much Sophie!”
Bloom Participant
“There were some patients that frequently engaged in the group sessions that normally would not engage in other activities on the ward. It was really positive to see.”
Healthcare Support Worker
“Anwen demonstrated that offering creative outlets is extremely invaluable to support people with brain injuries on their rehabilitation journey. Interventions in healthcare often take a very structured approach, and while these are effective there is often less emphasis on the use of creative arts. Her sessions brought so many patients together every week, and encouraged so much positive engagement. Her approach was very considerate to different abilities and used her years of experience to adapt sessions to elicit the best engagement in everyone.”
Assistant Psychologist
“I really enjoyed that sessions. They improved my mood, and I enjoy listening to all the different music. It also feels like I’ve done a really good workout!”
Service User
"Llongyfarchiadau on doing so much in this area. I love the way you’ve integrated the Welsh Language into every aspect of the work and offers to the sector. I’m grateful to you for being so thorough and thoughtful in your planning and implementation."
Einir Sion, Welsh Language Enabler, ACW
"Along with many other organisations and practitioners, Arts Care Gofal Celf has benefitted enormously from the work of Wales Wide Training Programme. The programme provides invaluable opportunities for shared learning across the dance sector in Wales and, through shared experiences significantly impacts dance leaders’ skills and self-confidence in delivering a range of creative tasks in a variety of settings. The programme enables the exploration of different approaches to delivery and plays a major part in addressing issues around the quality of provision across Wales. We look forward to participating in the programme in the coming year."
Chris Ryan, Cyfarwyddwr/Director, Arts Care Gofal Celf
Our charitable activities – place
Rubicon’s activities continue to span the major population centres of Cardiff and Newport as well as the Vale of Glamorgan, with various initiatives impacting dance communities further afield.
The extensive reach of the Wales Wide Training Programme has enabled us to connect with dance practitioners across Wales including Abergavenny, Bangor, Caernarfon, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Ceredigion, Llandudno, Llanelli, Narberth, Neath, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Port Talbot, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Rogerstone, Swansea, Wrexham, Vale of Glamorgan.
Our charitable activities – partners
Along with Arts Council Wales, we have enjoyed supportive partnerships with many organisations, here are some of them. Thanks to you all!
Afon Dance
Artis Community Arts Care
Arts Care Gofal Celf
Ballet Cymru
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Caerphilly Arts Development
Cardiff & Vale College
Cardiff and Vales University Health Board
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Coleg Sir Gar
Community Brain Injury Team
Dance Blast
Dance Collective
Dancerama
Dawns i Bawb
Eleni Cymru
Escape Pain
Headway
Hijinx
Impelo
Integrated Medicine
Jones the Dance
Marie Curie
Mental Health Matters
Mental Health Services for Older People
Motion Control Dance
National Dance Company Wales
National Youth Arts Wales
National Youth Dance Wales
Neuropsychiatry
No Fit State
Paallam Arts
People Dancing
Props - West 10
Square Mile Partnership
Stroke Rehabilitation Services
Tanio
The Riverfront Theatre & Arts
The Royal Ballet
Theatr Clwyd
Theatr Felinfach
Wales Millennium Centre
Youth Action Network
Funders 2024-2025
Arts & Business Cymru
Arts Council of Wales
Asda Foundation
Cardiff City Council
Cardiff Community Housing Association
Cardiff Health Charity
Hodge Bank
Lloyds Bank
Mental Health Service For Older Persons
Monmouthshire Building Society
Moondance Foundation
Morrisons Foundation
Neuro Headlands
NHSCT
Rubicon Facilities Management Ltd
South Wales Active Leisure
Sports Cardiff
St Peters Players
The Atlantic Foundation
The Darkley Trust
The Waterloo Foundation
Top Banana
Wales and West Utilities
We would like to express our additional thanks to the countless individuals who supported Rubicon with their generous donations.
Resources in 2024/25
Staffing
During the year under review, Rubicon employed an average of 17 staff, 11 of whom were part time, equating to 10 full-time roles. Ten freelance dance practitioners also delivered sessions on behalf of Rubicon.
Board
During the financial year, nine trustees served the charity. At the end of 2024/25 Rubicon had six trustees, following the resignation of three and recruitment of three, comprising two females and four males, aged between 31 and 62 years. The expertise provided by the board during this financial year covers strategy, governance, operations, HR, training, facilitation and co-production, mental health, policy, finance, commercial & transformation, general business and data. They have experience drawn from a wide range of sectors including arts, charity, health, finance, insurance, legal, sports, manufacturing and technology.
Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between the spending and receiving of income, and to cover unplanned emergency repairs and other expenditure and future plans. We aim to maintain sufficient unrestricted funds in reserves to:
Cover three months’ Core Operating costs including associated staff salaries
Undertake emergency building work, if necessary, with as little disruption as possible to ongoing programmes
Cover maternity pay if all female members of staff went on maternity leave at any given time
The trustees consider that three months operational costs would be required to cover the above. At the year-end 2024/25, the charity had restricted reserves of £51,146. We are aiming to increase our reserve levels in the coming years sustainably and transparently. The trustees consider it prudent to hold most of the reserves on deposit to meet short term financial commitments.
Financial review
We owe significant gratitude to our funders and partners, first and foremost the Arts Council of Wales, who remained a consistent source of support, advice and critical friendship during the year. Indeed, all of our amazing funders and partners have been (and are continuing to be) incredibly supportive, including but not limited to all those parties mentioned above. A huge THANK YOU also to all the individuals and institutions who donated to the charity during the year, some of which are continuing to give regularly.
Our financial performance is comprehensively disclosed in the attached financial statements.
The Board of Trustees is also very aware of a longer-term risk to our income due to the end of Arts Council of Wales multi-year funding at the completion of the 2024-2025 financial year which we are now seeking to mitigate through a forward looking and realistic strategy, building new funding relationships, and diversifying and strengthening our income generation pipeline.
Rubicon’s finance systems and processes were enhanced during the year to improve data transparency and accuracy. As part of this, we made two accounting adjustments which have resulted in a £53,255.09 adjustment to expenses in the Profit & Loss Statement with a consequential reduction in profit; and a restatement of Capital & Reserves to reflect the most accurate position at the start of the financial year.
Risk management
The Board holds regular meetings, at least monthly, which include Rubicon’s CEO, to monitor performance, activities, risks and identify areas where Board assistance, decisions or support is required.
Specific risks are recorded on a risk register, rated for severity and likelihood, with mitigations identified, and any incidents or emerging risks raised as they occur. The risk register is reviewed regularly. Polices are in place for health and safety, equal opportunities, vulnerable adults and child protection which are reviewed annually.
The need for consistent core funding has been identified as a major risk to the charity. The charity continues to seek to expand its sources of income to mitigate this.
Attention has also been focused on the non-financial risks arising from fire, health and safety of staff and participants. The risk of fire is managed by ensuring adequate firefighting equipment is available throughout the premises; insurance cover is maintained and reviewed annually.
A full health and safety audit is carried out annually by the Centre Co-ordinator and / or an external contractor, which is reported to, and monitored by the Board. Accident and incident books are kept in reception and the building is monitored by closed circuit television.
Simple but comprehensive internal procedures are followed for all financial transactions, and all expenditure must be approved for payment with an approval process to minimise the risk of financial loss to the charity.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
We were grateful to secure funding via the Arts Council of Wales to fund the recruitment of a CEO who joined in April 2024 to focus on organisational restructure, strengthening our relationships with key funders and partners, identifying new opportunities for growth and introducing new policies and procedures. The re-structure was largely completed by the end of December 2024, which included some people leaving Rubicon and others joining – the timescales for which meant that the new structure took until the end of the financial year to be fully in place.
The Board of Trustees has remained in close contact with the CEO, holding monthly meetings and reviewing comprehensive reports on all activities, along with regular communications in between.
Governing Document
The organisation is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, incorporated on January 2, 1975. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed by its Articles of Association; the Articles of Association were amended in July 2014. In the event of the company being wound up, members are each required to contribute an amount not exceeding £10.
Remuneration
All trustees give their time freely and no trustee received remuneration during the year.
Staff salaries are reviewed at least annually by the Board and benchmarked against similar sized charities, along with ensuring that legal minimums are applied.
Trustees’ Role
All Trustees are clear about their role, which overall is:
A duty of compliance with the charity’s objects, its governing documents and all relevant legislation and regulation, ensuring that the charity complies with all constitutional, legal and regulatory requirements.
A duty of care, to ensure that the charity is well run, efficient and risks are effectively identified and managed
A duty of prudence in respect of managing the charity’s assets.
To provide direction and stewardship of Rubicon for the benefit of current and future users.
Set the vision, mission, values and strategic direction of the charity.
Monitor and communicate performance against the strategy, its impact upon stakeholders and its corporate behaviour.
Act as the guardians of the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking all due care over their security, deployment and proper application.
Ensure that the charity’s governance meets or exceeds the required standards, including that the required financial and other information are lodged with the Charity commission and their details on the register are up to date; and ensure that information held at Companies House remains accurate.
Commitment: Required and Expected contribution of Trustees
All Trustees give sufficient time to the charity to carry out their responsibilities effectively. This includes preparing for and attending meetings, undertaking tasks and projects, sitting on Board committees and other governance bodies where needed.
The is no maximum time commitment a Trustee may devote.
The minimum time commitment required is: Attendance at 3 meetings of Trustees per year; attendance at the Rubicon building for 4 hours per year; undertaking projects, tasks or other work for 8 hours per year; actively contribute to strategy reviews, which may be held as an annual in-person workshop; to be responsive to emails, messages and other imperatives on an ongoing basis throughout the year; to be able to step-in during a crisis or when additional support is required.
The time commitment expected is: Attendance at 80% of meetings with other Trustees; Sufficient attendance at the Rubicon building and events to have met all current employees and Trustees, observed Rubicon’s activities, be aware of issues with operations, the facilities and challenges.
Induction and Training
A wide mix of business, creative, and social skills and experience are represented by the board of trustees. When a vacancy becomes available or is identified, individuals are identified, interviewed and invited to join the board to ensure this balance of skills is maintained.
All new trustees are given an introduction and briefing on the charity itself and what would be expected of them, along with the relevant information requirement of the Charity Commission to ensure that their role and responsibilities are fully understood. These resources include (but are not limited to):
Free trustee training course by the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales: https://www.icaew.com/technical/charity-community/trustee-training-modules
Governance help & guidance by the NCVO: https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/governance/#/
Charity Governance Code: https://www.charitygovernancecode.org/en/front-page
Centre for Charity Excellence – Building Better Governance: https://www.bayes.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/centres/cce/reports-guides-and-research/building-better-governance
Our future plans
Our vision is an inclusive, vibrant and diverse Wales where anyone, anywhere can experience the joy and benefits of dancing. In this world we will be a key collaborator with other organisations, uplifting and celebrating the success of others as much as its own. We will undertake work in the community which brings safe, inclusive, and inspiring opportunities for dancing and movement to people in Cardiff and the surrounding area. Through our education and career work, we will provide dance education, career progression, routes and skill development for aspiring and existing professionals.
To deliver this vision we will implement at fit-for-the-future structure and sound internal functioning of the organisation while strengthening our reputation in our environment leading to sustainable resource generation relationships. We aim to increase pathways between communities, our offers and partners’ offers. Through the Wales Wide Training Programme, we will increase connectedness and knowledge transfer with the dance sector and beyond. We will continue to strengthen our education offering from key stage 1 to level 3, improving the reputation of dance as a relevant skill. Through these actions we seek to have strong, positive relationships internally and externally with a strong income and resource pipeline.
We will endeavour to ensure that people in Cardiff, South Wales and beyond – especially those who might traditionally face barriers to dancing – have the opportunity to dance in an enjoyable and inclusive environment. They find the opportunities they need, thanks to our collaborative networks and strong educational pathways. We will continue to work with dance practitioners, organisations and other experts so that they feel supported in their development, locally and nationally and dance will be more valued as a career skill beyond performance.
Our focus now is to embed the refreshed team, retain funding partnerships and find new ones, enhance our dance offerings, and to demonstrate our value to the communities we serve.
The trustees report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Welsh Dance Theatre Trust Limited (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Welsh Dance Theatre Trust Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Rubicon Dance, Nora Street, Adamsdown, Cardiff, CF2 1ND.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Intangible assets acquired separately from a business are recognised at cost and are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.
Intangible assets acquired on business combinations are recognised separately from goodwill at the acquisition date where it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity and the fair value of the asset can be measured reliably; the intangible asset arises from contractual or other legal rights; and the intangible asset is separable from the entity.
Amortisation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Tangible fixed assets are measured at cost, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in the profit and loss account in other administrative expenses.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
Deferred income relates to amounts received for grants, class fees and studio hire which are taking place in 2025/26 financial year.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Arts Council of Wales - this revenue grant is received as part of the core funding provided to members of its Arts Portfolio.
The Gwendoline and Margaret Davies Charity • this grant contributed towards the costs of the Wales Wide Training Programme Dementia workshops.
The Oakdale Trust - this grant contributed towards the costs of the Wales Wide Training Programme dementia workshops.
Edgar Lawley Foundation - this was a contribution towards the Library project.
Gibbs Charitable Trust - this was a contribution towards the Library project.
Moondance Foundation - This grant was to subsidy various participation programme delivery.
Leverhulme Foundation - This grant funds an Arts Scholarship Scheme.
Monmouthshire Building Society - This grant is funding to purchase a Stereo Amplifier.
Community Fundraising - This funding was to support the Library project.
Arts Council of Wales - Arts & Health Fund - This grant was to subsidy the health programme delivery.
Morrisons furniture grant - This grant was for the purchase of office chairs, office desks, canteen chairs, dinning table, lockers and studio chairs.
The Waterloo Foundation - This funding was for general support for 'The Wales Wide Training Programme' and community/health projects in Wales.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).
The charity had no material debt during the year.