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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06644266 (England and Wales)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1207625

| Report of the Trustees and |

| Unaudited Financial Statements |

| for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 |

| for |

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

Contents of the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

| Page |

| Chairman's Report | 1 |

| Report of the Trustees | 2 |  | to |  | 7

| Statement of Financial Activities | 8 |

| Balance Sheet | 9 |

| Notes to the Financial Statements | 10 |  | to |  | 12

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

Chairman's Report

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The following Trustees report and Financial Statements are the first that The Sensoria Festival has published as a charity, the beginning of a new phase in the organisation's life, having for 16 years operated as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. We plan to use our new charitable status to increase the income we can generate and thus increase our impact on local communities and national and international audiences. The future starts now.

The year we are reporting on delivered our usual high quality and well received programme. This was despite our Festival Director, Jo Wingate, reducing her time spent with the charity. The Board are grateful to her managing to deliver such a fine programme despite pressures from her other role, and also for Nigel Humberstone for stepping up his commitment to the administration of the Festival.

In 2024, I thought SensoriaPro was the best yet, the event sold out and presented high-profile guest speakers sharing exclusive revelations and learning opportunities. The Gazelle Twin performance was truly mesmerising and will linger long in my memory. The link the Festival has had with musicians and venues in Vietnam under support from the British Council also paid dividends and it was fantastic being able to host musicians from the project in Sheffield this year.

Plans are well underway for 2025 where we are planning to celebrate the work of a Sheffield band who were true innovators in modern music.

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

INCORPORATION

The charitable company was incorporated on 11 July 2008 .

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The charity's objects are to advance public education in, and appreciation of, the arts of music, film and related disciplines, including related artistic or creative work and new and emerging technologies in film and music. This is achieved in particular, but not exclusively by, staging an annual festival of film and music in and around Sheffield.

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

October 2024 saw the charity's 17th annual festival, which welcomed 8,500 visitors from across the city, country and all over the world, an increase of over 25% from 2023. The festival took place at various venues across Sheffield including the iconic former John Lewis store in Barkers Pool.

We booked an all-female line up for our live performances. Sell out events included SensoriaPro gathering of composers, filmmakers and music industry professionals. Among this year's highlights:

- The Light Organ at John Lewis; this sound reactive light installation proved hugely popular with visitors of all ages and backgrounds from 6 months to 90 years of age.

- New Live Score Commission - The Shaolin Invincibles + Live Score By Chipzel - Games soundtrack composer, Chipzel, premiered her new live score for The Shaolin Invincibles to a packed and appreciative crowd. The film was introduced by Dr Wayne Wong of the School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield. The Taiwanese 1977 martial arts classic saw two sword-wielding sisters seek revenge against the villains who murdered their family. Presented in partnership with Reel Steel.

- Gazelle Twin performed Black Dog - the musician Gazelle Twin entranced audiences with her immersive performance of her recent album.

- Bishi - Live score from Maya: The Birth of a Superhero - Composer and producer Bishi brought a sublime performance with her trademark electric sitar and sensational vocal range. Bishi performed the score with string trio Vulva Voce, to a big-screen backdrop of visuals from Maya: The Birth of a Superhero. The event was presented in partnership with Andro & Eve and introduced by the organisation's artistic director Finn Warman.

- The SensoriaPro line up included English Teacher front woman Lily Fontaine who gave an inspirational talk including tracing the band's rise to become the Mercury Prize winners in 2024. The creative team behind the music for TV series Mr Loverman, including music supervisors Dom Bastyra and Ollie White (Theodore Music) and the band Speaker's Corner Quartet also provided insights into the background to the creation of the soundtrack. Emmy-winning composer Nainita Desai gave an illustrated talk covering her huge catalogue of work, including Tales of Kenzera, The Deepest Breath and the forthcoming action adventure series for Amazon, Nautilus. There was also a Scoring Contest challenging artists to score the trailer for Threads, the 1984 post-apocalyptic documentary-drama set in Sheffield. One-to-one Speed Mentoring was again hosted by De Wolfe Music.

- Concerteenies wowed a young audience with the perfect introduction to music, animation and storytelling for children aged 0-7. Flautist Meera Maharaj, narrator Polly Ives and creative practitioner Sarah Carroll joined forces to create music for the book Blown Away by Rob Biddulph, accompanied by a brand new and delightful digital animation.

- SynthFest UK - Over sixty synthesizer companies, soft-synth and virtual instrument developers, ranging from boutique to major keyboard brands, showcased their synths. Talks included a hugely popular exploration of Iconic Drum Machines and how they have shaped music in our time plus 'Patch from Scratch'. The day also saw a live auction of synth gear.

- Cities in Sync - Vietnam Sheffield Exchange: Sensoria welcomed Vietnamese artist Ho Trâm Anh to Sheffield to perform in the atmospheric 16th century Bishops' House (supported by Sheffield's own Wolf Peaches) whilst music venue Hanoi Rock City hosted Sheffield producer Ross Orton, who presented a workshop 'Music Production In A Nutshell' for emerging musicians in Vietnam. Both events were the legacy of the British Council's Viet Nam season. The Sheffield performance was in partnership with Sonido Polifonico who also presented three further evenings of audio-visual delights in a historic Tudor House: performances included Bloody Bones, Milkweed, The SEER, Peiriant, Burd Ellen and MacGillivray

The festival was rated overwhelmingly by attendees as excellent / good for its quality and value for money.

"I liked the way we were all in the room together and the atmosphere was warm"

"It's made me realise the importance of attending events like these in relation to meeting people and making connections."

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

"A full day of synth inspiration topped off with an incredible performance by Gazelle Twin, what more could you wish for?"

"Watched a 2 year old move sounds & colours > BRILLIANT"

"I love this event and look forward to it all year. Please keep doing what you do!"

The festival welcomed visitors from many countries across the world from Australia, to Vietnam, Estonia to US. Attendees also travelled from far and wide across the UK, Inverness to Dorset and Isle Man to Kings Lynn. There also remains a strong interest locally with 41% of attendees across all events from Sheffield.

The festival continues to attract visitors spread evenly across all ages, with a representative make up across gender, diverse abilities and ethnicity. This year 59% of respondents were attending the festival for the first time.

Marketing and PR ranged from an in-depth artist interview on national music site The Quietus, a news feature on Sound On Sound magazine site and the Light Organ featured on BBC regional news programme Look North. Other regional and local coverage included Yorkshire Post, The Sheffield Star, Exposed magazine, African Voices Platform.

Other 2024-25 activity:

In early December we worked with Sheffield Hallam University on their Music and PR Events Management module providing a 'live brief' for the students. This project is now complete.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves policy

The charity aims to have sufficient reserves to enable it to wind down in a manageable process should future funding not be forthcoming and the Trustees have no choice but to wind the company up. At the 31 March 2025 the accounts show that total reserves were £5,300, which in the view of the Trustees is more than sufficient for this purpose.

Of the reserves, Restricted Funds totalled £350, as most of the projects supported by such funds came to an end during the financial year.

Unrestricted funds comprise those funds that are not subject to specific donor restrictions. Total unrestricted funds at 31 March 2025 increased to £4,950.

Going concern

The Trustees believe it is appropriate to prepare these financial statements on a going concern basis. In coming to this conclusion, the Trustees have reviewed income and expenditure and cashflow forecasts to March 2026. There are a few variants of these dependent on whether the charity is successful with a few grant applications. The Trustees have also reviewed a forecast where no further grants are secured. As noted above, the trustees have ensured there are sufficient reserves for an orderly winding up of the charity should the potential of securing grants diminishes.

The charity is reporting a net unrestricted operating loss of £4,867 for the year ended 31 March 2025. The statement of financial activities shows a total deficit for the year after other recognised gains and losses of £7,231. The unrestricted operating surplus is in line with expectations. We have continued to control our expenditure and work with stakeholders to plan with ambition and present high-quality events - whilst remaining inclusive, accessible and maintaining value for money.

At 31 March 2025, the charity had net assets of £15,683. Free reserves were £4,950 supported by a cash balance of £11,171. This provides the charity with sufficient stability and resilience in the short term as we work towards a multi-year funding arrangement with stakeholders in the long term.

Total income for the year was £93,985. There was an increase in audience numbers, but also some additional funded activity (Sheffield City Council / Youth Music / British Council). The Arts Council of England continues to be our main funder and we are grateful to their support.

Total expenditure for the year was £101,216. During the year, the Festival Director worked fewer hours whilst taking up a temporary role in another organisation. Despite this the level of activity continued at prior year levels.

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

FUTURE PLANS

Planning for the 2025 festival is well underway. We received 430 submissions for our programme. Some initial highlights from the submissions and some that we are proactively programming include:

- Cabaret Voltaire celebration - a launch event in May 2025. A celebration of 50 years since their first gig in Sheffield. This will take place at Gut Level (a venue also named after a Cabaret Voltaire track) but featuring emerging and young talent.

- We are aiming to present Biaowiea in September 2025 as a Sensoria teaser/pre festival event. Biaowiea is a sound installation of field recordings made in Europe's last remaining primeval forest, that Izabela Duyk created in collaboration with noted British sound artist and field recordist Chris Watson.

- Cabaret Voltaire special gig - Autumn. We are hoping to host the first of a series of Cabaret Voltaire gigs. The event will be presented with live visuals.

- We've had two submissions in relation to the Hope Valley train line. The Emergence Collective - a performance that draws upon the rich heritage of the Hope Valley train line, emphasising the need for sustainable travel, environmental consciousness, and the celebration of the local landscape.

- SCAPA - Nsebe a unique immersive audio installation showcasing music and visuals made with some of Accra's most talented artists. Created by SCAPA, a Ghanaian-British musician based in Manchester, Nsebe is the inception of an exciting new Afro-Electro genre, presenting a collaborative body of work in spatial audio, with projected visuals.

- A return for Concerteenies who are keen to perform their next project 'The Big Dreaming' at Sensoria 2025.

- SensoriaPro - a session looking at animation and music through the forthcoming Netflix animated movie of Roald Dahl's 'The Twits'. Speakers to include series composer Oli Julian and Kevin Spruce, lead animator on the project.

- Film options include first highlight from submissions Burning Bridges: The Life and Art of Paul Burwell, Wondermaker (2024) + Q&A with filmmaker Matt Stephenson. This will be the first screening in Sheffield, the city has a strong connection to the improv scene and would potentially be popular.

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Trustees present their report and the financial statements of The Sensoria Festival ("the charity") for the year ending 31 March 2025. Note that the charity was registered on the 27 March 2024, although it had operated and traded as a company limited by guarantee since 2008. Accordingly, these accounts include the first twelve months of trading as a charity. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practise "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" ("the Charities SORP") in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the Charity's governing document (the Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 19 March 2024), the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities SORP, preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019. The company is a charity registered in England and Wales.

The directors of the charitable company are also its trustees for the purposes of charity law. The Trustees who have served since the period of its registration as a charity and since the year end are as follows:

M J Hilton

T M Regan

S Cross

K Hewett

I Neil

P Nwakodo

Trustees serve an initial term of three years that can be extended up to a maximum of nine years.

Trustees meet as a Board for a minimum of four formal board meetings each year. Trustees provide scrutiny and advise the executive team through focussed committees (Strategic and Programming) that report back to the Board of Trustees.

The Board regularly assesses the structure, size and composition required of the Board, to undertake succession planning, ensure representation and to lead the process for appointments and election to the Board of Trustees.

To ensure that the charity is managed efficiently and effectively, the Trustees have delegated a range of day-to-day decision-making powers to the Executive which reports to the Board.

The Executive is lead by Jo Wingate, the Festival Director, supported by Nigel Humberstone, the Music Director. The Executive is in turn supported by volunteers and freelancers that provide expertise in the charity's operations.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

06644266 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1207625

Registered office

The Old Workshop

1 Ecclesall Road South

Sheffield

S11 9PA

Trustees

S Cross

M J Hilton

T M Regan

I Neil

P Nwakodo

K Hewett

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Company Secretary

J Wingate

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 22 January 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

M J Hilton - Trustee

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

Statement of Financial Activities

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

| Unrestricted |  | Restricted |  | Total

| fund |  | fund |  | funds

| Notes | £ | £ | £ |

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies | 35,899 |  | 58,086 |  | 93,985 |

EXPENDITURE ON

Raising funds | 2 | 40,766 |  | 60,450 |  | 101,216 |

NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | (4,867 | ) | (2,364 | ) | (7,231 | )

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward | 9,817 |  | 2,714 |  | 12,531 |

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 4,950 |  | 350 |  | 5,300 |

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL (REGISTERED NUMBER: 06644266) |

Balance Sheet

31 March 2025

| Unrestricted |  | Restricted |  | Total

| fund |  | fund |  | funds

| Notes | £ | £ | £ |

CURRENT ASSETS |

Debtors | 5 | 4,162 |  | 350 |  | 4,512 |

Cash at bank | 11,171 |  | - |  | 11,171 |

15,333 |  | 350 |  | 15,683 |

CREDITORS |

Amounts falling due within one year | 6 | (10,383 | ) | - |  | (10,383 | )

NET CURRENT ASSETS | 4,950 |  | 350 |  | 5,300 |

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES | 4,950 |  | 350 |  | 5,300 |

NET ASSETS | 4,950 |  | 350 |  | 5,300 |

FUNDS | 7

Unrestricted funds | 4,950 |

Restricted funds | 350 |

TOTAL FUNDS | 5,300 |

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

(a) | ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b) | preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 22 January 2026 and were signed on its behalf by:

M J Hilton - Trustee

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

1. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES

| Basis of preparing the financial statements

| The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

| Income

| All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

| Expenditure

| Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, 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 accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

| Taxation

| The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

| Fund accounting

| Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

| Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

| Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

| Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

| The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

2. | RAISING FUNDS

| Raising donations and legacies

£ |

| Direct costs | 86,385 |  |

| Support costs | 14,831 |  |

101,216 |  |

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

3. | TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

| There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2025.

| Trustees' expenses

| There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2025.

4. | STAFF COSTS

| The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

| Management | 1 |  |

| No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

5. | DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

£ |

| Trade debtors | 3,240 |  |

| Other debtors | 350 |  |

| VAT | 922 |  |

4,512 |  |

6. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

£ |

| Trade creditors | 504 |  |

| Tax | (336 | ) |

| Social security and other taxes | (653 | ) |

| Net wages | 1,587 |  |

| Other creditors | 4 |  |

| Accrued expenses | 9,277 |  |

10,383 |  |

7. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

| Net |  |

| movement |  | At |

| At 1.4.24 |  | in funds |  | 31.3.25 |

£ | £ | £ |

| Unrestricted funds

| General fund | 9,817 |  | (4,867 | ) | 4,950 |  |

| Restricted funds

| Restricted fund | 2,714 |  | (2,364 | ) | 350 |  |

| TOTAL FUNDS | 12,531 |  | (7,231 | ) | 5,300 |  |

| THE SENSORIA FESTIVAL |

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

7. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

| Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

| Incoming |  | Resources |  | Movement |

| resources |  | expended |  | in funds |

£ | £ | £ |

| Unrestricted funds

| General fund | 35,899 |  | (40,766 | ) | (4,867 | ) |

| Restricted funds

| Restricted fund | 58,086 |  | (60,450 | ) | (2,364 | ) |

| TOTAL FUNDS | 93,985 |  | (101,216 | ) | (7,231 | ) |

8. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

| There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2025.