Estuary Festival is a not-for-profit arts, festival and education organisation providing free, accessible creative opportunities focussing on under-served localities including those experiencing barriers to participation due to socio-economic status, ethnicity, disability and other factors. Our core work is to present artistic programmes built from participation and workshops with the community, that furthers knowledge and understanding by exploring what it means to live and work in the Thames Estuary region. Description of activities During this reporting period Estuary Festival CIC engaged with 122 artists and creative practitioners; directly engaged with 474 participants; engaged 11 volunteers, reached 1798 live audiences and 9235 digital audiences through the following activities: - Hosted a series of residencies with artists to support the development of 13 new artistic projects in response to the Estuary 2025 festival theme of ‘Vessels’ in collaboration with local participants, community groups, multiple local authorities, venue partners, transport operators and other delivery partners. - Worked with over 52 arts, community, education and local authority partners to develop and inform a programme of free activities in places of need across the Thames Estuary. - Delivered a programme of live briefs with local education partner USP College working with 50 students. Their artworks were shown in two free public exhibitions at HOFS (Hadleigh Old Fire Station) and an end of year A Level exhibition at the Palmer’s campus in Grays (1757 exhibition visitors) - Secured a partnership with East 15 Acting School to recruit student placements to work alongside artists, targeting students from backgrounds under-represented (e.g. care leavers), and those most likely to benefit from the opportunity. Workshop sessions were held with 17 East 15 Physical Theatre students and the creative team with 13 students signed up to work on the project. - Gave talks to university student groups and public audiences including ‘Connecting Oceans’ event curated by Dr Pandora Syperek, Loughborough University London, and Dr Sarah Wade, University of East Anglia at Here East as part of their long-term collaborative research project ‘Curating the Sea’ attended by 41 people. - Delivered workshops at schools, colleges and universities enabling students to gain an insight into current artistic practice. - Shaped arts programmes allied to academic research bid ARISE part of the Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas Programme jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). - Designed and developed the ‘Estuary Anthology’ strand of programme to shine a spotlight on independently produced arts projects across multiple locations around the Thames Estuary to create an anthology of creative action during the festival. We launched an open call to invite activities to be included in the programme and delivered a programme of three free workshops (113 artists attended) and bespoke support for emerging artists and creative practitioners of which 14 artists were supported to develop new projects and artworks. We developed a brand identity and marketing toolkit to support artists and creative organisations to promote their involvement in the event. - Designed and delivered a programme of free artist-led mudwalks along the Estuary ‘Engaging with the Intertidal Zone’ (7 artists commissioned, 27 participants) - Delivered a creative programme titled ‘This is Us’ commissioned by Castle Point Borough Council and working in partnership with arts organisation Metal Southend. Local artists were commissioned to work with community groups to draw out diverse residents’ perspectives about their neighbourhood through a range of creative activities. The programme included local artists embedded in a local secondary school, local primary school, family hub, walks led by artists in 3 different neighbourhoods, peer-mentoring for local photographers, video and sound production with a youth club, journals created by people referred by mental health services, oil paintings and poems created by young women in the Haredi Jewish community and a project bringing together heritage group with local scouts. The work created was exhibited in a series of free public exhibitions to encourage wider engagement with residents across the borough. 911 total known audience; 36 exhibition days; 59 participants with disabilities and/or mental health concern; 300 professional images created; 20 paid artists (BME, 1 disabled, 2 neurodivergent, 10 female); 44 artist days employed; 46 local artists signed up to shared database. - Contributed to publications and reports including ‘On the waterfront’ a Key Cities policy report calling for a comprehensive strategy to tackle disadvantage in the UK’s coastal communities. - Carried out fundraising activities to ensure delivery of the Estuary 2025 programme. - Held regular meetings with the Estuary Festival Advisory Board to review progress. - Recruited a team of creatives to support on production and development of the festival programme. - Developed marketing and PR strategies for the festival programme to reach diverse local residents to engage with the free programme of arts activities, including developing a visual identity and design for Estuary 2025 to increase engagement and participation. - Designed and produced a new Castle Point Guide appointing an artist through an open call process to co-create the content through free public workshops. 5,000 copies of the guide were distributed across Castle Point providing information about family-friendly programmes and free arts activities. - We began a partnership with the Salvation Army Hadleigh Farm Estate to co-design a new outdoor cultural space inspired by biodiversity coinciding with their major rewilding programme. Community benefit and social impact Through these activities Estuary Festival CIC has provided community benefit and social impact including: - Providing accessible cultural and arts experiences for a broad segment of the local community, including people of all ages and backgrounds. - Strengthening community cohesion by creating shared cultural experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and local pride. - Supporting local artists, arts partners, the community and voluntary sector and local businesses by providing a range of opportunities related to the arts programme. - Increased cultural inclusion by providing free programmes combined with outreach, engagement and marketing to ensure reach to people who may otherwise not access these opportunities, ensuring a reduction in barriers to participation.

We define our key stakeholders as: - Participants: local residents of all ages who engage in our workshops, exhibitions, and performances. - Artists: Local and national artists who lead our artistic programmes and develop their work through socially-engaged practice. - Local Community: Residents who attend events, exhibitions and who may also participate in our outreach activities. - Partners and Funders: Arts organisations, local schools, universities, charities, local authorities, businesses and government agencies who fund and support our programmes. - Staff and Volunteers: Our dedicated team 1 member of staff, freelancers and volunteers who contribute to the running of the organisation. Methods of Consultation and actions taken in response to feedback We employ various methods to consult with our stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and their feedback informs our operations. Within this reporting period this included: - Continuation of workshops as part of the ‘Estuary Anthology’ programme gathered feedback and input from the local arts community to inform the developing programme. - Ongoing engagement programme with diverse local participants of all ages provided multiple opportunities to gather feedback and inform the developing artistic programme. - Regular email newsletters were shared with a growing list of subscribers including Estuary Festival supporters, community groups and past attendees providing information about forthcoming activities and inviting feedback on activities. - An active presence on social media engaged with participants, local community, the arts community to share information about planned events and forthcoming programmes. - Regular meetings with local community organisations, schools, charities, and local business partners ensured active and ongoing dialogue to shape and inform activities. Actions taken in response to feedback included: - Through engagement with diverse local people in our workshops and exhibitions programme we discovered that residents of all ages and background greatly valued access to the estuary itself, yet there were often barriers to engagement. This feedback directly informed the development of the events programme looking at ways that artistic practice can create new ways for people to engage with the natural world and the Estuary itself. - Our direct engagement with local partners and communities directly informed the locations of focus and communities that would benefit from our programmes and engagement, ensuring that we were working in places and communities of need. - Feedback from local residents indicated a lack of knowledge about free family-friendly activities taking place locally which informed the development of the Castle Point Guide.

As a CIC we are committed to ensuring that any profits and assets are used to further our social objectives. We recognise that transparency around the remuneration of our directors is an essential part of maintaining trust with our community, stakeholders, and funders. In accordance with our CIC Regulations, the directors of Estuary Festival are expected to contribute to the strategic leadership and governance of the company without profit for personal gain. However, we do compensate directors for their time, expertise, and work in certain instances. For the financial year ending 31 March 2024 one Director received remuneration of £45,000 for their time and expertise as Artistic Director and CEO. This fee is in line with the level of responsibility and commitment required by the organisation and is reviewed and approved by the Board to ensure they are justifiable and in line with the CIC’s social mission. A second director serves as Chair and is not paid for this role beyond reimbursement of expenses, and there were no payments made in the financial year ending 31 March 2025.

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration