During the year, Northern Rascals CIC delivered socially engaged dance-theatre, community participation and artist development activity, championing Northern voices and widening access to the arts. Our national tour of Sunny Side explored young men’s mental health through dance, theatre and spoken word. The production toured to 12 venues across England, reaching approximately 3,500 audience members. Audience feedback highlighted the work’s emotional impact, its representation of young men’s experiences and its encouragement to seek support. Our partnership with ANDYSMANCLUB connected audiences with information about local peer-support groups, with volunteers attending performances where possible. We also created a visual story guide to help audiences prepare for the performance and improve accessibility. Alongside live performance, Sunny Side: The Short Film was screened at Hebden Bridge Film Festival and made freely available online, extending opportunities to engage with its themes of vulnerability, connection and mental health. We continued touring SHED during spring 2025, bringing contemporary dance-theatre to regional and community settings. Associated engagement included workshops and opportunities for emerging artists to observe and learn from a professional touring company. Our education and commissioned work included movement direction for Northern Broadsides’ Iron People project with Park Youth Theatre, and the creation of Our Bodies, A Cursor for the JV2 postgraduate company. These activities supported young people and emerging performers to develop creative skills and gain experience of professional performance processes. Across our programme, we provided paid work for freelance artists and creative practitioners, supported professional development and created opportunities for communities to engage with stories reflecting their lives.

Our stakeholders include audiences, workshop participants, freelance artists, partner venues, educational institutions, funders and community and mental-health organisations. During the year, we gathered views through audience surveys, participant and collaborator feedback, partner discussions and evaluation activity. Feedback on Sunny Side highlighted the importance of authentic representation, emotional connection and access to mental-health support. Our partnership with ANDYSMANCLUB and the provision of audience information supported engagement with the production’s challenging themes. We also gathered reflections from artists and collaborators for our organisational impact report, helping us understand the value of employment, mentoring and progression opportunities within the company. Feedback and evaluation informed planning for future touring, participation and artist development activity. Towards year-end, we began recruiting an advisory board to bring a wider range of skills and perspectives into the company’s development.

The directors received remuneration totalling £500 for administration services provided to the company. The directors also received freelance fees totalling £51,351 in respect of their professional creative specialisms and delivery services provided to the company.

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration