In 2025, Elevator Arts continued to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing through transformative arts and drama projects in Southend and South Essex. We have created inclusive, youth-led spaces where creativity fosters resilience, confidence and a positive sense of self. Throughout this season, we continued the success and growth of our projects, including BLAST Youth Theatre and Sound ON and introduced new projects like Zine Lab, Excav8, which have made a tangible impact on the lives of the children and young people we serve. Additionally, our work in schools, including after-school clubs, have nurtured a passion for learning and creativity, and our Creative Routes project has strengthened organisational capacity and refined our methodologies. Elevator Arts remains committed to providing accessible, high-quality arts experiences that address the unique needs of our community, particularly for those experiencing disadvantage or challenging circumstances. Our projects continue to be supported by dedicated funders, partners, and, most importantly, the passionate individuals who bring them to life. During March-August 2025, we have worked with 66 children & young people & delivered 67.5 hours of workshops. - 35% of participants had a disability or long-term health condition. - 45% of participants have English as an additional language. - 34% of participants' ethnicity was Black, Asian or another ethnic minority. Between March-August 2025, Elevator Arts key partners included: Welcome To The UK, Signpost (Basildon), Towngate Theatre, Metal (Southend), Southend Theatres, South Essex Homes, Southend Young Carers, Southend Museums, Southend Libraries. Key funders included: The National Lottery through Arts Council England, The National Lottery Community Fund, Essex Community Foundation, Comic Relief Community Fund. CREATIVE ROUTES Creative Routes continued into 2025 with funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England. As a strategic initiative, following the delivery of our R&D workshops, we used the insights gathered to develop our CPD course and refine the Elevator Arts strategy. We also collaborated with drama therapist Emily Skarett-Ball to creatively define our core values and embed them within both our CPD resources and overall methodology. Building on past successes, Creative Routes advances inclusivity, diversity, and community impact in Essex’s youth arts scene. BLAST YOUTH THEATRE Building on the continued success of BLAST Youth Theatre in Southend, we launched a new group in Basildon with support from partners Welcome to the UK, Signpost Basildon, and the Towngate Theatre. In July 2025, both groups came together to perform Found, written by Kate Austen, at the Dixon Studio, Southend, and the Towngate Theatre, Basildon. For many participants, this was their first experience performing in a professional theatre setting. Across both performances, we welcomed 100 audience members through the doors. SOUND ON Relaunched in September 2024, Sound ON is a creative initiative for children living in South Essex Homes’ temporary accommodation, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund until July 2026. The project offers weekly after-school sessions for children aged 6 and above, fostering confidence, communication, and emotional well-being through drama, crafts, and creative writing. During the summer term, participants explored a range of folk tales, taking part in drama games and themed craft activities, and concluded the term by creating their own puppets and performing a story. Led by professional artists, the sessions provide a safe, inclusive space for creative expression and personal growth, reinforcing Elevator Arts’ commitment to supporting vulnerable young people. ZINE LAB From March to May 2025, we delivered Zine Lab, a 10-week creative project with young carers at Southend’s Central Library, led by artist Connor Turansky. Participants designed pop-up zines, multisensory books that combined traditional paper crafting with cutting-edge augmented reality technology, merging tactile creativity with digital innovation. Together, they produced a collaborative zine, which was later exhibited in the library. The project concluded with a celebratory event where families and friends were invited to view and celebrate the young people’s achievements. excav8 excav8 was a 13-week creative project with home-educated young people at Southend’s Central Museum and the Beecroft Gallery, led by artist Laura Trevail. The sessions integrated physical creativity with digital tools, including micro:bit technology, enabling participants to develop new skills and explore interactive media. Participants drew inspiration from the museum’s exhibitions to create their own artworks, combining traditional and digital techniques. The project culminated in a sharing event and exhibition, where family and friends were invited to celebrate the young people’s achievements.

Elevator Arts’ key stakeholders include community organisations, the young people who access their services, and grant funding bodies. The company is led by youth arts professionals who are deeply embedded within the Southend community. We take a community- and youth-centred approach to decision-making, ensuring that our performance and arts projects are responsive to the needs and interests of those we work with. We involve the community by: - Co-designing projects with our community partners and artists. - Holding regular conversations with young participants to gather feedback and ideas that shape our projects. - Running taster sessions and engagement activities to build trust, understand young people’s needs and interests, and empower them to have a voice in project development. We undertake comprehensive monitoring and evaluation for all our projects, including surveys, reflective discussions, and recorded feedback from participants, artists, community partners, and family members. These insights are used to inform and improve the design and delivery of future projects. PROJECT FEEDBACK: BLAST YOUTH THEATRE MEMBER: “I enjoyed taking part because it made me feel like I belong.” BLAST YOUTH THEATRE MEMBER: “It made me feel more confident in speaking in public.” EXCAV8 PARTICIPANT: “I enjoyed being creative with different craft materials and having freedom to make what I want.” MUSEUM STAFF (EXCAV8): “Having the opportunity to display their work in a museum and gallery setting enhanced a sense of self confidence and pride for the participants” EXCAV8 FACILITATOR: “Elevator were thorough, considerate, practical and great to work with. The planning being focused on the participants' experience worked well.” ZINE LAB PARTICIPANT: “I enjoyed these 10 weeks very much and would go through it all again with the same group of people. It helped me express my creativity and it made me very happy and comforted. Thank you everyone who was here, I’m very grateful for it all.” PARENT OF ZINELAB PARTICIPANT: “You may not know how important this Zine project was for H, but I can tell you that there is not enough “thank yous” from me to you all for what you gave “confidence and so on” to my daughter” During this period, we secured multi-year funding from BBC Children in Need to continue delivering BLAST Youth Theatre in Basildon and Southend. Our partnership with Welcome to the UK continues to strengthen, with plans underway to launch a new group in Thurrock (Grays). We are also developing the next phase of the excav8 project in collaboration with Southend Museums, and entering the second year of Sound ON with South Essex Homes. In addition, we have secured multi-year funding to support our ongoing work with Southend Young Carers, further strengthening this important partnership. Alongside our community projects, we have continued to develop our CPD offer for artists and educators, expanding our reach and increasing our work in local schools to support creative learning and engagement. As we move into 2025, we look forward to expanding our reach and continuing to use the arts as a powerful tool for social change, personal growth, and community empowerment.

The total amount paid or receivable by directors as Directors remuneration in respect of qualifying services was £18,662 There were no other transactions or arrangements in connection with the remuneration of directors, or compensation for director’s loss of office, which require to be disclosed.

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration