Foreword to the Trustees Report
Annwyl Cyfaill, Dear Reader,
Here we present our annual report for the financial year 2025/26.
During this financial year Rubicon consolidated the team and organisational capability with a strong focus on longer term sustainability and growth.
Finances continue to be challenging, as is the case with most of the sector and indeed most charities, both in terms of securing funds and managing cost pressures. Nevertheless, we have navigated the issues well and continue to be a good employer, including retaining our commitment to the Real Living Wage and investing in the building which is looking immeasurably better, the latter supplemented by some terrific efforts from our supporters.
Rubicon was delighted to have won a number of awards in 2025, including recognition of our excellent partnership with Rubicon Facilities at the Arts & Business Awards.
We have also refreshed our strategy for the future and established a simpler set of values which describe who we are.
Our strategy is based on a set of aims for the next five years. By 2031 we will be:
Deeply rooted in local communities, with participants and programmes reflecting the diversity of those communities.
A key collaborator, helping schools, health services and community organisations use dance for the benefit of their service users.
A lead provider of high-quality dance education from early years to Level 3, with clear progression routes into advanced training and careers.
A visible advocate for the value of dance as a relevant, transferable skill, not only a performance art.
Financially resilient, with a diverse income base that enables stability and growth.
In terms of Values, we are:
D – Diverse: We respect, welcome and celebrate different cultures, identities and abilities
A – Artistic: We pursue creativity, excellence and innovation
N – Nurturing: We care about people and support them to optimise their potential
C – Collaborative: We work with others to achieve a shared purpose
E – Enterprising: We actively seek opportunities and income to secure Rubicon’s future and grow our impact
For the next year we have set ourselves some ambitious targets:
1. Income growth: Grow income by 10% over 2025
2. Fit organisation & data: Team ‘Pulse’ results demonstrate fit for purpose organisation and processes
3. Reputation & sector links: Stakeholders and partners demonstrate positivity about Rubicon, including successful 50th anniversary events
4. Access & pathways: At least 3 new programmes introduced, attracting new participants
5. Education & skills reputation: Increased GCSE/BTEC participation and greater integration of community, education, and sector journeys
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.
Yr eiddoch yn wir,
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
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 aspiration. 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.
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 Engagement Programmes
In these programmes, we engage with our local and regional 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 (WWTP) seeks to inspire and sustain community dance across 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. We also support Arts Awards qualifications and in 2025/2026 we added the widely recognised Rambert Grades to the accreditation available to participants in our contemporary dance classes for young people.
In the following, we want to share some qualitative and quantitative information to provide you with a sense of what we achieved in 2025-2026.
Our charitable activities – quantity
Health and Community Engagement Programmes
During the year we held 2,385 sessions which were attended by 21,384 participants of highly varied ages and abilities who physically attended the sessions and 414 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.
We also began to increase our local community engagement offer, following the creation of a dedicated Outreach & Community Engagement Coordinator post at the start of the year. This resulted in new project activities including a summer school programme, picnic events in partnership with the local housing association CCHA, new traditional Welsh dance Twmpath events, workshops supporting a local lantern parade in October and the Big Splash project. In total we offered 26 new community workshops that generated 292 attendances.
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. The number of sessions increased and we spread further into the Vale of Glamorgan due to demand through a key dementia charity.
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 148 curriculum-based sessions to 5 schools which were attended by 313 pupils with a total attendance figure of 3,293. In addition to schools-based sessions, we developed a partnership with Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) and one of our participants receives bursary funding from the institution to access classes with us as well as external enrichment opportunities. 17 pupils successfully took part in our GCSE Dance course and 7 completed the qualification in June 2025. We continued to strengthen our relationship with Cardiff and Vale College and were proud to get 5 students through their BTEC L3 Foundation Diploma qualification, enabling progression into year two. 8 students successfully completed their BTEC L3 Extended Diploma Qualification enabling progression onto HE dance training institutions including University Centre Weston, Shockout Arts, Bristol Institute of Performing Arts and Trinity Laban. The end-of-year show Impact’25 at the Dance House, WMC was a superb display of the skills and creativity of these remarkable young people and was well received by all those who attended.
Professional Development Programmes
Since its inception in 2013 Wales Wide Training Programme (WWTP) has sought to include a wide range of activity and training approaches in order to address the diverse and strategic needs of a sector facing ongoing change. In 2025/26 there were 88 distinct events including the following 13 strands of activity:
• CPD training programmes – face to face in three geographical areas of Wales with follow on
online sessions to share learning x 6
• Shared Practice Forums led by WWTP partners x 2
• Graduate information sessions x 2
• Network Meetings x 9
• Partner Meetings x 9
• Guest Talk Series x 6
• Creative Practice & Wellbeing One to One Support Sessions x 9
• Welsh Language Support One to One sessions for beginners and improvers x 15
• Sharing of Practice Sessions x 21 1
• Evaluation Support One to One Sessions x 6
• Impact report (annual) x1
• Case study on an element of WWTP (annual) x1
• Film to highlight the success of an element of WWTP (annual) x1
The work of WWTP is therefore equally relevant to individual practitioners as well as the dance organisations, other arts organisations, venues and cross sector employers who employ them to support their programmes.
During 2025/26 WWTP continued to increase the number of disabled practitioners (8) participating in the programme both as event leaders and participants, the numbers of people who were Welsh speakers (13) and those identifying as global majority (12) - There have been 49 new participants accessing WWTP who've not done so before. Together these numbers indicate the further expansion of the programme artistically and in terms of reach.
These included School’s Curriculum for Wales, young people dancing, the importance of movement for early years in a range of settings, diversity in dance, inclusive practice, keeping current with practice and sector developments, agent for change roles in Wales, Dance for People living with Parkinson’s including an early onset diagnosis, arts & mental health, looking after dance practitioner’s own mental health, Welsh language forums “What is it like to be a first language Welsh dance practitioner working in Wales?”
Our charitable activities – quality
Some of the feedback we received in 2025-2026:
From the Dance for Health Programme
“Your sessions are so popular….we are so pleased with the service you give and the rapport you personally develop with our visitors. Can’t praise you highly enough…..well done.” Contact at Barry Rotary Cafe
“I always look forward to Rubicon’s dance class and miss it enormously when we have no session, Why do I love it? Because we have fun from start to finish as we learn new routines specifically tailored to the group each time. It keeps us physically active, mentally alert and staves off loneliness”. A quote from a participant who has taken part in the dance for older adults sessions
“I thoroughly enjoy the movement to music with a bunch of like minded crazy old ladies. I have recently received cancer treatment. Evidence shows exercise prevents the spread of cancer so Rubicon may have saved my life!” A quote from a participant who has taken part in the dance for older adults session
Comments from over 60s dance participant
“Our NuWave class is very important to me. I look forward to it very much each week. Not only does it play a significant part in helping us older ladies keep and improve our muscle and bone strength, our class exercises our brains and raises our spirits. We have made good friends. We dance, we learn, we laugh! What a gem!”
“Nothing else gives me the feeling that I get when I am dancing. It is so much more than just exercise- it brings me happiness!”
From Wales Wide Training Programme partners
“Common/Wealth believe that collaborative practice is key to a stronger arts culture in Wales. Joining the partnership felt like a natural next step after our Community Producer, Chantal Williams, delivered a session on the site-specific and community-embedded work we do, alongside a brilliant group of creatives and practitioners. This work matters, and we’re excited to keep building connections and exchanging ideas.”
“Thank you so much for working with Arts Care Gofal Celf to organise and deliver the recent CPD day at y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. It was a fantastic day, and all the practitioners I spoke to said they had enjoyed the day and the opportunity to share expertise and explore different approaches to working with adults with learning disabilities. On top of that, the participants clearly had a fantastic time and the energy and joy in the room throughout the event was great to witness. Thanks again for your support and the invaluable work of the WWTP.”
“Paallam Arts is a performing arts organisation with dance and movement art as its core medium of expression. It is headed by Krishnapriya Ramamoorthy, a dancer and producer working on bridging high quality dance and community. She strongly believes art/dance is for everyone and is keen on building an inclusive space centred around dance and movement art with the community they thrive. Paallam Arts are pleased to be joining WWT.”
From Wales Wide Training Programme freelancers
“WWTP is inspiring, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
“Having the opportunity to lead a Welsh language movement session was an absolute joy. It was wonderful to share the creative space with other professionals, a reminder of the talent and expertise we have here in north Wales and so grounding for me personally, bringing me back to my own creative practice and roots. Thank you! Diolch yn fawr!”
“Living and dancing in North Wales, I recognised the importance of being able to train and enjoy dance through the medium of Welsh and by attending the "delivering a class through the medium of Welsh" session, I was provided with ideas as to how to accomplish this.”
“WWTP is such a person centred and nurturing programme which has given me such a breadth of training and learning opportunities through blended delivery both online and in person. The use of repeat workshop leaders and facilitators are a strength of the programme in terms of having a deeper understanding of individuals work and vice versa and so that they shout about WWTP to others!”
“It has been an absolute pleasure to deliver a CPD day in North Wales as part of the Wales Wide Training programme. It was excellently organised with clear, thoughtful and solution focused communication throughout the lead-up and on the day. It was heartening to see PMLD placed at the centre of the Wales Wide Training Programme’s focus—this kind of specialist CPD is vital for deepening inclusive practice across the sector. The diversity of dance practitioners attending from across Wales brought a rich exchange of perspectives, making the day inspiring for us to deliver.”
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
Ardour Academy
Artis Community Arts Care
Arts Care Gofal Celf
Ballet Cymru
Barry Rotary Club Memory Cafe
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Caerphilly Arts Development
Cardiff & Vale College
Cardiff and Vales University Health Board
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Coleg Sir Gar
Commonwealth Theatre Company
Community Brain Injury Team
Cwmpas OT
Dance Blast
Dance Collective
Dancerama
Dawns i Bawb
Eleni Cymru
Escape Pain
Forget Me Not Hub Cowbridge
Headway
Hedyn Dance Company
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
Railway Gardens (lantern event)
Roose Memory Cafe
Square Mile Partnership
Stroke Rehabilitation Services
Tanio
The Riverfront Theatre & Arts
The Royal Ballet
Theatr Clwyd
Theatr Felinfach
Vale Plus Day Service
Wales Millennium Centre
Youth Action Network
Funders 2024-2025
Admiral
Arts Council of Wales
Cardiff City Council
Cardiff Community Housing Association
D'Oyly Carte
Darkley Trust
First Choice Housing Association
First Choice Housing Association
Glamorgan Voluntary Services
Hodge Bank
Hodge Bank - Building Improvements
Hodge Foundation
Monmouthshire Building Society
Monmouthsire Building Society
Moondance
No Fit State
Oakdale Trust
Postcode Lottery
Rubicon Facilities Management Ltd
Simon Gibson - inclusive sessions for young people
St Peters Players
The Atlantic Foundation
Tiny Rebel
Top Banana
Vale Of Glamorgan Council
Wickes
We would also like to express our additional thanks to the countless individuals who supported Rubicon with their generous donations.
Resources in 2025-2026
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 2025-2026 Rubicon had six trustees, following the resignation of two and recruitment of two, comprising three females and three 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 2025-2026, the charity had restricted reserves of £4,760. We are aiming to increase our reserve levels in the coming years sustainably and transparently.
Investment policy
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.
The charity has reserves of £267,360 (2025: £297,108), this is a reduction of £29,748. 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.
Risk management
The Board holds regular meetings, approximately every 6 weeks or as required, 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 Operations Manager 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;
With an established CEO and good relationships with key funders and partners, we have sought to consolidate, strengthen and ensure appropriately focus the Rubicon team, along with identifying new opportunities for growth and maintaining relevant policies and procedures.
The Board of Trustees has remained in close contact with the CEO, through meetings and reviewing a comprehensive report 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 and Rubicon decided to continue to adopt the principles of the National Living Wage.
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 normally 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 for the future is for there to be a thriving community arts sector where anyone can access and enjoy the benefits of dancing, to their full potential and aspiration.
In this world we will fulfil our mission to provide engaging, safe, inclusive and inspiring opportunities for dancing and movement, especially those who face barriers to taking part, and provide excellent learning pathways for people who want to develop professional dance skills.
We will also 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.
By 2031 we aim to be:
Deeply rooted in local communities, with participants and programmes reflecting the diversity of those communities.
A key collaborator, helping schools, health services and community organisations use dance for the benefit of their service users.
A lead provider of high-quality dance education from early years to Level 3, with clear progression routes into advanced training and careers.
A visible advocate for the value of dance as a relevant, transferable skill, not only a performance art.
Financially resilient, with a diverse income base that enables stability and growth.
To achieve these things, we will:
Build on foundations
Operate a fit for purpose and clear organisational structure, governance, processes and internal functioning.
Strengthen internal culture, staff wellbeing and leadership, rooted in the DANCE values.
Improve technology, data and information systems so decisions are well informed, transparent and accountable.
Build and maintain trust with staff, participants, partners and funders.
Collaborate and create
Reach more and more diverse people locally, particularly those facing barriers to dance.
Build strong, long term partnerships in health, education and community settings.
Grow learning opportunities for aspiring and existing professionals, with attention to representation and inclusion.
Foster creative, high quality work that reflects communities and supports professional practice.
Create more opportunities
Increase and improve the impact of community and education work.
Advocate confidently for the value of dance with funders, policy makers and wider society.
Develop partnerships that extend reach and open up advanced educational and professional opportunities in and from Wales.
Use financial strength to invest in people, spaces and programmes.
We have developed specific initiatives and targets to deliver these ambitions over the next few years, cascaded objectives and routinely review progress.
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 2026.
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.
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 (2025 - none).
The charity had no material debt during the year.