The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the period ended 30 April 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 and "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) (effective 1 January 2019)".
The charity's objects are to promote, maintain, improve and advance education within the community at large and particularly in the rural areas of the United Kingdom, by the promotion and exhibition of cinematography and films of all genres, including the provision of consultancy services in the performance of film to other individuals and organisations in the United Kingdom. There has been no change in these during the period.
The charity is a public benefit entity and the trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake for the public benefit.
The Moviola network consists of two types of client: Partners for whom Moviola provides a full cinema service (booking, licensing and film presentation) and Associates for whom Moviola books and licenses films and supplies discs.
In fulfilment of the Company and Charity’s objectives, and within these restrictions, the Partner programme delivered 70 shows (77 the previous year) to 11 rural venues and to an audience of 3,075 people. In 2024-25 we enabled 1,867 associate shows (1,766 previous year) in 215 venues across the UK, to a total audience of 62,842 (59,934 the previous year). The number of associate shows continues to grow as does the number of associates signing up to the network. The number of partners shows have been decreasing as many of them convert to being associates.
Moviola´s income depends not only on the fee it charges, but also on the box office takings (audience). Although the number of shows in general continued to increase, we were still predicting a cash loss for the period.
As part of the Moviola service, we charge partners film hire costs and pay the costs to the distributors on their behalf. We guarantee the partners that any title chosen from our menu will have film hire costs of 35% with no need for a minimum guarantee - we can do this because usually we book sufficient numbers of each title to obviate a minimum guarantee. However in 2023-24 we lost money on film hire costs and during 2024-25 we looked to continue to do so. In addition we also looked to make a cash loss generally.
Therefore several changes were made in January 2025 to ensure that there would be no further losses on film hire and associated costs and that the business would not make a cash loss.
Some distributors charge, as well as film hire, a fee per booking for each license. From January this fee (normally £12 incl VAT) was collected from partners along with film hire costs.
The costs we recover from partners for postage were increased to a realistic level.
The Moviola fee charged to Partners included 5% of the box office takings. This was increased to 10%.
The officer who previously donated 50% of his time to the company continued to do so.
The two other officers donated monthly 10% of their time to the company.
In addition to this, the January-April season contained some very strong titles which bought in bigger audiencess, hence greater income.
In September 2023 one of the officers voluntarily reduced their paid employment by 50%. In October 2024, two officers voluntarily reduced their paid employment by 10%. These officers now kindly volunteer for the charity. The trustees are extremely grateful for this donated time. The resulting gift in kind has been recognised in both donations and salary costs.
For all these reasons, the free reserves, which started the year with funds of £9,586 were increased by £4,214 to £13,800.
Partners' fee income decreased by £999 to £10,852 (2024: £11,851), associates' fee income increased by £6,890 to £83,272 (2024: £76,382) and film hire income increased by £10,400 to £112,685 (2024: £102,285). Total income for the period was £225,754 (2024: £203,052).
Costs of the Moviola service, including associated staff costs, have decreased by £1,458 to £117,068 (2024: £118,526) with total resources expended of £222,128 (2024: £210,193).
There were net unrestricted incoming resources for the period, before transfers, of £3,626 (2024: outgoing £7,141).
We note that, due to the change of the charity's financial year end, this period length was 13 months, compared to the prior period of 12 months, meaning that this period's figures are not directly comparable to the prior year.
Fund balances at the period end amounted to £15,727 (2024: £12,101) of which none were designated or restricted.
Excluding the Moviola service costs, the free reserves stand at £13,800 (2024: £9,586), which represent approximately 2 months (2024: 1 month's) overhead expenditure. It is important that this increases to at least 6 months and hopefully from the next year forward it will increase towards this as business grows.
While the reserves have grown over the period, clearly this trend needs to continue to keep the desired level.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Plans for the future
Based upon the number of films shows booked for May to August and estimating future numbers month by month as exactly the same as the same month in the previous year (i.e no growth) we believe the funds will grow and that the company continues as a growing concern.
The company is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee and was set up by a Memorandum of Association on 24 February 2004 (as amended by special resolution on 20 April 2009). The company was registered as a charity on 17 January 2005 and is a registered charity number 1107649.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the period and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The management of the company is the responsibility of the trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £10 in the event of a winding up.
The directors as charity trustees control the company. There must be no less than three and not more than ten directors, all of whom must be members.
Although the articles of the company allow for a wider membership at present the only members of the company are the directors of the company.
One third (or the number nearest to one third) of the directors must retire at each annual general meeting, those longest in office retiring first.
The directors may at any time co-opt any individual as a director to fill a vacancy but a co-opted director holds office only until the next annual general meeting. The members at the annual general meeting approve the appointment of directors or make their own appointments.
The directors must hold at least four meetings each year at which one third attending or two, whichever is the greater, represents a quorum. The directors have established procedures at meetings to ensure that potential conflicts of interest are highlighted at the start of meetings and where necessary interested parties are required to withdraw from the meeting.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Moviola Limited for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They 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.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Moviola Limited (the charity) for the period ended 30 April 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.
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.
Moviola Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Spring Cottage, Queen Street, YETMINSTER, Dorset, DT9 6LL.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "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) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
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.
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
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.
Grants and donations subject to the specific wishes of the donor are credited to relevant restricted funds.
Donated services or facilities which comprise donated services are included in income at a valuation which is an estimate of the financial cost borne by the donor where such cost is quantifiable and measurable.
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.
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular activities they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.
Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
All assets costing more than £500 are capitalised.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
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.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Company status
The company is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the trustees named on page 1. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the company.
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 estimates and assumptions which have significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are as follows:
In determining the estimated useful life the charity considers the expected physical wear and tear of the asset that could lead to obsolescence of the asset. Each year the charity reviews the above to establish if there is any change in the expected useful life of tangible assets.
Partners' fees
Associates' fees
Film hire income
Postage recovered from partners
Film hire
Presenters' mileage
Postage
Office expenses
Insurance
Bank charges and interest
Telephone
Subscriptions
Accountancy fees
Professional fees
(Profit)/loss on disposal of fixed assets
Staff costs include £3,740 (2024: £4,290) relating to presenters' salaries and social security costs.
Charitable expenditure includes payments to the independent examiner of £3,535 (2024: £3,310) for accountancy services.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received reimbursed travel expenses (2024: one trustee received £45).
The average monthly number of employees during the period 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.
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.
During the period, three members donated salary costs equivalent to £15,219 (2024: one member £6,244).