Annual review 2013–14
Who we are
Farnham Maltings is a cultural organisation that works with the artists and communities of south east England to encourage people to participate in, shape and understand the world in which we live. Our vision We believe that creativity helps us make sense of the world, brings people together and has the potential to articulate new ideas. By encouraging people to participate in cultural activity, as audience and makers, we believe that we will foster a healthier, happier and safer contemporary Britain. Our objectives 1: Developing a vibrant culture for Farnham 2: Encouraging more people to make their own art 3: Producing and investing in new theatre 4: Building relations between artists, audiences and venues
Cover: Major Tom, Victoria Melody, produced by Farnham Maltings image: Liquid Photo
Reflections
2013–14 has been one of the busiest years at the Maltings, with over 420,000 people using these buildings in an ever-growing range of ways. We have evolved into a sometimes surprising organisation. Who could have guessed that we would be working with the National Theatre and New York Met on a programme of live performances, that we would lead a programme of over 50 paid internships to help young people get their first job in the creative industries, or that over 35,000 people would have seen theatre produced or supported by us in the last year? We want to do things better, evolve, adapt and reach more people. We are many things to many different people, united in a belief that if we encourage people to imagine, play and discover, we will contribute to the shape and character of our community. Our achievements are due in no small part to the huge number of people who use and support the Maltings – from those who volunteer to those who make donations, those who visit our festivals to the many community and voluntary organisations such as the University of the Third Age who use us to help them meet their purpose. Achieving so much together this year has given us the confidence to become more aspirational and ambitious in our thinking.
Gavin Stride, Director 03
Our home
a special set of buildings full of charm and warmth
When the Maltings was threatened with development in the late 1960s, the people of Farnham joined together to save the building for community use. This stewardship role continues today and the creative energy within the building generates an improbable range of community and neighbourhood activities.
We believe that our popularity is cause for celebration and this year we have continued our quest to be as useful and relevant to as many people as possible. We plan and manage our resources responsibly and in 2013–14 have covered over 95% of our operating costs from our own resources. This means that any money that we raise from statutory sources, from trusts, foundations, from our valued patrons and sponsors is used to deliver activity – not to pay the electricity bills.
This is the place that people come to celebrate a life or union; to debate local issues – a hospital closure, new housing or climate change; to explore their own creativity; to support professional theatre; donate blood or to take shelter in an emergency.
‘Thanks to the Farnham Maltings we have time to be still, to see and dare.’ – Stopgap Dance Company
Our buildings anchor us within the community and provide a home for many creative ambitions (over 40 creative businesses and individual artists are based here) but our development extends beyond the walls of the building. Not a week goes by without contact from somebody, somewhere in the world curious about how we work. This year our Director has been invited to Libya, Canada and France to explore models of working. We are already supporting or managing other local resources for safe-keeping and are in conversation about extending our stewardship role to other buildings and organisations in the town.
420,000 people step through our doors each year
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1: Developing a vibrant culture for Farnham Case study: Museum of Farnham We feel a real sense of responsibility for our town and its communities and want to contribute wherever we can. We believe that developing an integrated cultural offer for Farnham offers unheralded opportunities to improve the quality of people’s lives in the town. This was demonstrated by Farnham’s newly awarded ‘Craft Town’ status achieved by ten organisations working together with the Crafts Council, Arts Council England and the Mary Portas Town Team. Our programme of craft festivals expanded in 2013–14, ranging from the international to the very local and featuring sugarcraft, knitting, textiles and pottery. We curated a programme of workshops and performances for over 400,000 people, including the hugely popular NT Live series, large scale festivals and intimate cabaret events. We have thrown open our doors to hundreds of community groups who run their own programmes and have worked in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society to develop autism and dementia friendly programmes of work.
‘It is so wonderful to feel the energy at the Maltings and the range of activities on offer is amazing. It has everything for everyone… why go anywhere else?’ – Lisa Hennessey, member & donor
Our interest in working with all the people of the town and helping them express who they are has resulted in a hugely rewarding collaboration with the Museum of Farnham. In April 2012, we entered into a three year partnership with Waverley Borough Council to take on the management of the museum with an ambition to develop a more participative model – one in which the community is more involved in the curation of its content and narrative – and which remains free and open to all. Museums enhance wellbeing; they can create better places to live, inspire people and ideas, and convey a sense of identity, which is vital in a society experiencing increasing globalisation. We believe that active participation and engagement with the community is fundamental to achieving this.
Farnham Lives!
Nigoumi: Combining Cultures
Museum Club
During April 2013, the people of Farnham were invited to bring in their treasures to be displayed alongside rarely seen items from the Museum’s archive including a Tudor key from the Castle, King Charles I’s nightcap and a much loved teddy over 100 years old. This resulted in a uniquely Farnham exhibition, featuring an eclectic mix of objects.
In Spring 2014, we mounted an exhibition exploring the life and influences of Siddig El’Nigoumi, a Sudanese ceramicist who made Farnham his home. Nigoumi popularised the use of traditional African pottery techniques within British studio ceramics during the 1970s. His work is infused with African, Arabic and British influences.
For over a quarter of a century the Museum has run a monthly club for young people aged from six to twelve. This year we have taken a more creative approach to the sessions, making participants eligible for the Explore Arts Award. We have made pinhole cameras, had a go at screen printing and introduced opportunities for young people to curate.
13,368 hours were donated by our volunteer team
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2: Encouraging more people to make their own art Case study: craft connects We see creativity as a tool for public engagement and believe that communities can be made safer, stronger and healthier through the arts. We want everyone to have the opportunity to create – whether as actors, singers, knitters or cooks – to make the arts a special and everyday part of people’s lives. In 2013–14 we reached hundreds of new families through our ‘pop up craft’ sessions, held in spaces including sports centres, a meadow and housing estates. We also reached over 800 creative businesses through our advice, networking and information service. We have become increasingly active in Waverley’s Communities, Health and Social Inclusion group and secured funding to work with travellers, home educated children, young carers and young people from priority wards on a Waverley Youth Arts Festival.
‘I can’t thank the Maltings enough for giving me the chance to work with the army and veterans in Rushmoor. I have learned so much, and it has all really boosted my confidence.’ – Stacey Allan, trainee community artist
Since 2008, retired British Army Gurkhas from Nepal have had the right to settle in the UK. As more Gurkha veterans and their families arrived in the borough of Rushmoor, tensions resulted within the wider community. Our instinct was that making would provide a route into engaging the most people from the widest variety of backgrounds. Craft has traditions in every world culture with processes, materials, tools and designs recognisable across barriers of language, culture or religion. We set up craft connects as a means to bring together people from military and civilian communities. The Ministry of Defence funded the year-long project though the Hampshire Community Covenant and we set up a series of craft-based residencies working with over 50 partners ranging from the Military Wives’ Choir to a Nepalese knitting group.
Paper-craft & electronics
Textiles, film
Printing, textiles, mixed media
Becca Rose’s residency focused on the creation of a giant interactive storybook with knitted cover, inspired by the history of aviation in Farnborough. Farnborough Library welcomed Becca with open arms and she worked with a number of local groups including day services; a craft and elders Nepalese Group; the Women’s Institute and local knitting circles. Each day Becca ran different workshops to introduce participants to the craft of paper folding – from traditional folding and pop-up techniques to electric switches.
Lucy Lauener based herself at the Source in Aldershot, a resource for young people which runs programmes of teen parent mentoring, detached youth work and social enterprise initiatives. The residency focused on the theme of ‘food and family’, and participants learned a range of new arts and crafts techniques each week as well as sharing stories and banqueting together. Along with a range of work for exhibition, Lucy also collected audio and video clips which were edited into a film of the residency.
Rhian Solomon & Nicole Line popped up at the Army Show, Aldershot and Farnborough markets, food banks, libraries and community events. The focus was on styles of clothing and textiles, with a range of creative workshops based on the military collections of Aldershot library. They showcased and redesigned imagery from military styles of dress through textiles workshops exploring up-cycling and styling techniques.
‘It was so great for the knitters from the Nepalese community to meet the knitter knatter English ladies.’
‘Very inspiring – I am going home right now to make a draught excluder out of an old duvet.’
‘A lovely session and a joyful group of people to work with. I can’t wait to carry on making things.’
We toured theatre to 130 rural communities across the country
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3: Producing and investing in new theatre Case study: No Strings Attached One of our central ambitions remains to improve the range, quality and audience for contemporary theatre across the south east. We want to become recognised as an engine for independent theatre, identifying and supporting the brightest talent and helping artists realise their potential. We maintain an ‘open door’ policy and have advised 47 artists this year. We support, collaborate with and invest in artists to make new work and reach new audiences. We successfully delivered the penultimate year of a contemporary circus residency programme between South England and Northern France. One of our most effective interventions is producing a small group of the region’s most talented companies. In 201314, Little Bulb, Victoria Melody and Catherine Ireton collectively created five shows, two national tours and three international bookings. We also developed co-producing relationships with Bristol Old Vic and Battersea Arts Centre and presented two shows at Edinburgh Fringe.
‘We felt very creatively free with no pressure to jump through hoops, and that’s unique in my experience.’ – Isley Lynn, theatre maker and No Strings Attached grant recipient
‘No Strings Attached’ is a grant scheme which enables a young person living in the south east to make their first piece of professional theatre. We have been running the scheme since 2011 and the huge appeal for us – and the young people who access it – is its simplicity. Application is by a ten minute presentation to a panel of arts practitioners and young people. With the Maltings’ support, an individual contribution of up to £1000 successful applicants get the chance to make a piece of work and establish their future creative practice. We promote our award recipients through our network of 170 south east venues to help raise their profiles and increase their networks. We are aiming to support a further 15 young people across the south east through No Strings Attached during 2014–15 and, in partnership with Unlimited, will develop a specific grant to ensure young disabled artists are supported.
Eleanor Crouch of Bucket Club, 23, drama graduate from Bristol University, received £1000 to work on the development and touring of a piece of new writing based on a modern re-telling of the Selkie myth.
Isley Lynn, 25, drama graduate from Exeter University, received £1000 for the research and development of Dust, a new collaborative piece written by Lynn and choreographed by Madeline Shann.
Clemmie Reynolds, 25, English graduate from Bristol University, based in Surrey, received £1000 to direct a piece of new writing on the slave trade, to be performed at the Holy Trinity Church in Clapham in September 2014.
Tim Hopkins, 25, based in Surrey, received £1000 for the development of a comedic puppetry piece centred around a burger van. The grant will also be used for the development and building of the puppets.
Lauren Prentice of Sense Theatre, 23, Drama graduate from East 15 Acting School, received £500 to make a piece of Theatre-inEducation on the issue of cyber bullying for children aged 11–14.
Rosanna Sloan of Unexpected Places, 22, drama graduate from Rose Bruford, based in Southampton, received £1000 for the development and touring of a puppetry piece.
Over 95% of our day-to-day costs are self-generated
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4: Building relations between artists, audiences and venues Case study: creative employment programme internships We want the south east to be recognised as the leading region for touring theatre: encouraging innovation through a generous and supportive culture. We lead house, a network of 150 venues developing audiences for contemporary theatre. This year house presented 394 performances in 63 venues to 13,507 people and created paid opportunities for 80 theatre practitioners. greenhouse, supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, aims to better connect artists, audiences and venues in the early stages of an idea, and is already changing how work is made and where theatre is presented as well as encouraging new collaborative relationships. caravan supports independent theatre to work internationally with the biennial showcase now established as a natural part of the national ecology.
‘Any funding is a blessing, but the advice you you can get from Farnham Maltings is invaluable and will last much longer. Presenting our work to Farnham is perhaps the best thing we’ve done yet.’ – Bucket Club Theatre, Associate Company
This year, through the house touring programme, we secured partnership funding through the Creative Employment Programme to support 54 paid internships across arts venues in the east and south east. We were keen to support the creation of fairer entry routes to full time employment for young people and working with those on Job Seekers Allowance ensured that we were reaching those with a real need for experience and employment. The creative sector has been guilty of offering unpaid internships to young people at the outset of their career, creating barriers for those who have something to offer but without means to support themselves and limits the possibilities for the industry itself by recruiting from a limited talent pool.
Laura Burke undertook an administration internship with the Arts Partnership Surrey and has now set up her own freelance practice, working with clients she met during her internship. ‘I’ve really valued the opportunity to attend training days, learn the system, and gain support from people who will help me in the next stage after the internship. Part of my ambition is to continue my painting practice and get my art seen; however I enjoy organising projects too and I would like to continue working in this field. I like to feel busy, and I’m aware that this internship will have been hugely beneficial in helping my next career step.’
Joseph Burnham worked as a Marketing Intern at Sheringham Little Theatre and has now been taken on as a full-time employee. ‘Ultimately it was fundamental that any full-time position I took up was paid. I’ve spent several years taking unpaid positions and at a certain point you’re unable to sustain that. An awful lot of young people don’t have that all-important ‘first opportunity’ which gets them grounded within the arts sector. Theatre is such a varied, crazy, strange and wonderful world, so jumping into it will always bring unexpected experiences and I’m now looking into arts marketing as a future career. With a little luck the theatre I’m currently working for will be able to keep me on as a full-time employee after the internship.’
Damian Kerlin’s internship took place at Letchworth Arts Centre, where he now works full time. ‘What university doesn’t prepare you for is the extreme competition faced by new graduates in the current economic climate. Yes, they tell you that you need to work hard and should aim for a first, but in the harsh reality of it, experience dominates and a degree flags in at second place. So many internships or apprenticeships offered me experience but very few offered me a wage. In fact some of them even expected me to pay for the service I was providing them! Experience is all well and good but one cannot live on fresh air alone. What was most important to me was to feel valued. Once you put a price on it, suddenly you become a lot more precious.’
Our touring programme engaged 38,028 people
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Arrivals and departures
Whilst we are firmly anchored in Farnham, we are curious about our place in the world and want to learn from others who have similar ambitions – wherever they are. So we test all our activity against best practice – wherever it exists. This leads to some surprising partnerships: unravel, our knitting festival, attracts an audience from Iceland; our associate artists tour work made in the south east to Europe and North America and international artists are regularly in touch with new ideas to share and explore.
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‘When I’m having one of those what the hell am I doing? days I can phone up the Maltings and have a friend who understands me and my work on the other end of the phone. An absolute lifeline. I feel incredibly privileged to be part of their family. Because the only way to make art that matters is to take risks. And the only way to take risks is to absolutely trust the people standing by to catch you if you fall.’ – Catherine Ireton
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A year in summary
some of our activity in 2013–14
Unravel festival of knitting in February 2014 attracts over 3,000 visitors
We join forces with Eagle Radio to support young creatives on a new culture and arts radio show
Our new festival, Thread, is launched in November 2013
We curate a month of activity to mark Farnham’s new craft town status
Chris Elsey and Alyosha Moeran win the Farnham Jubilee Craft Commission situated on our river frontage
Resident puppeteer, Max Humphries’ giant elephant destined for the Châtelet, Paris and made in Farnham
Hand-bell ringing, one of over 95 U3A classes held at the Maltings’ ‘campus’
Sh!t Theatre, winners of the 2013 Total Theatre Awards, supported by Farnham Maltings
We create a visual story to support people with learning disabilities using our building
Haslemere Home Education Group work with Maltings Theatre to create a film about the exploitation of llamas
Over the Top Youth Theatre incorporate puppets into a devised piece about the meaning of friendship
Children from Cranleigh Primary School’s Traveller Support Group work with us to create an audio book of The Green Man
Bolshoi Ballet Romeo and Juliet, live broadcast, is shown in our Great Hall
The Munch 150 exhibition is broadcast live from Oslo to Farnham
Photo: Damir Yusupov
Edvard Munch, The Scream 1893, National Museum, Oslo © Munch Museum
We embark on a nationwide tour of villages and market towns with our new production
We organise three international symposia, through caravan, in Newcastle, London and Brighton
Over the Top Youth Theatre takes home the Dedman Cup for group improvisation
Mind Full Maltings, a programme of activities for elders, is established
In Praise of Elephants tours nationally to village halls, including the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Victoria Melody, produced by the Maltings, goes on tour with Major Tom
A consortium of arts centres, led by the Maltings, is awarded £130k from Arts Council England’s Catalyst scheme
The Maltings becomes an Arts Award Supporter
An international Sugarcraft exhibition is hosted at the Maltings
The Maltings coordinates the nine local authority and trust partners forming the Arts Partnership Surrey
Rock Pool, a piece of theatre for under 5s, in partnership with Take Art & Arts Partnership Surrey, tours the county
Stopgap, National Portfolio Organisation and Maltings residents, create Artificial Things
Willow weaving with Judith Needham, part of our programme of participatory workshops
The Maltings’ Young Company is selected to perform at the National Theatre’s Connections festival
Our annual illustration commission is designed by Kate Sutton
Our cinema audience increases by one third
Ben and Simone win the Best Dressed competition at the 2013 Vintage Festival
We provide a marketplace for over 25 makers and artists in our shop, now open for three years
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Financial summary
another year of strong performance
The financial results show another year of strong performance for the Maltings in 2013–14. Over 95% of our overheads were covered from earned income and the underlying business is robust. We have seen significant growth in income from our programming activities and from catering – a reflection of how we are reaching more people with a greater range of services, alongside efficient systems and an effective staff team. We retain constructive and stable relationships with our funding partners and have initiated a new, major partnership with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Statement of financial activities year ended 31 March 2014
2014 2013 2014 2014
unrestricted funds
Income
restricted funds
2014 designated funds (ACE)
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 288
271
288
–
–
Incoming resources from charitable activities
2,314
1,788
966
505
843
Total incoming resources
2,602
2,059
1,254
505
843
2,272
1,980
1,218
289
765
Incoming resources from generated funds
Expenditure Costs of charitable activities Governance Total resources expended Gross transfers between funds Net incoming resources
6 6 6 – – 2,278
1,986
1,223
289
765
0
–
28
13
(42)
324
73
59
229
36
Balance sheet as at 31 March 2014
‘I have worked at the Maltings for over four years now. I started in the finance department but was always encouraged to develop in the areas which interest me. My love of cinema soon saw me programming film and I now manage the events programme full time. Finding somewhere you can grow and follow your passions, whilst also facing new challenges is very rare but provides an amazing work environment!’ – Sophie Easterbrook, Member of Staff
£’000 £’000
Fixed assets
1,337
1,337
755
385
(365)
(312)
(54)
(61)
Net assets
1,673
1,348
Financed by: Unrestricted funds
1,382
1,287
291
62
Current assets Current liabilities Creditors: amount falling due after one year
Restricted funds
The figures in this report were extracted from the Maltings’ full financial statements. The audit opinion on the annual financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2014 was unqualified. The financial statements should be consulted for a full understanding of the results of the Farnham Maltings Association Ltd and of its financial position. A copy may be obtained from the Finance Department at Farnham Maltings.
The Maltings‘ team
Staff
Box Office
Gavin Stride, Director
David Carr, Debbie Davies, Jonquil Nagle, Caroline Pearce
Management Team Fiona Baxter, Deputy Director, Arts Sue Ellis, Deputy Director, Admin Alison O’Neill, Finance Director Theatre Caroline Begalla, Janice Brittain, Julia Clague, Victoria Jones, Richard Kingdom, Heather Rose, Katie Williams, Sarah Wilson Craft & Events Amy Collins, Lynsey Nichols Finance & Operations Steven Bell, Julie Birkin, Sue Collingwood, Sophie Easterbrook, Gillian Ellis, Lucia Genziani, Sally Ovenden, Nikki Small, Diane Trillwood Museum Elizabeth May, Sophie Smith Catering Melanie Cooper, Saoussan Cowley, Fia Dobiesz, Mark McCallum, Julia Webber, Kelly Weston
Building Maintenance Bianca Burge, Ciaran Devaney, Wendy Hughes, Beverley Othen, Scott Steele, Barry Taylor, Scott Taylor, Chris Thompson, Sam Thompson
Board Bill Baxter, Chair John Beer Tarnya Cooper Brian Cox, Treasurer & Company Secretary Alan Mason Robin Norton-Hale Ruth Pelopida Hannah Phung David Seall Zoe Seenan Stuart Williamson, Vice Chair Representatives Denise Le Gal, Surrey County Council Cllr Julia Potts, Waverley Borough Council Pat Frost, Farnham Town Council
A note from our Chair, Bill Baxter: For the past forty years, the Maltings has contributed to the character of Farnham, hosting events, high days and holidays and providing somewhere for the community to gather, learn and play. Over time, we have renewed and improved the buildings, creating a robust, sustainable business. There is always more to do and yet, thanks to a dedicated staff team, growing band of volunteers, trustees and users there is much to be proud of. We are largely self-sustaining and have strong, mature relationships with our Local Authorities and Arts Council. Working with Waverley BC, to develop a new model for running the museum, and Farnham Town Council, to promote Farnham as a craft town, demonstrate that it is possible, even in difficult times, to find imaginative ways of ensuring our communities remain vibrant. Our developing programme, now including work from NT live, New York Met and the Bolshoi, demonstrates we can harness technology to reach new audiences. The challenge is to remain ambitious: identifying new opportunities and working with new partners to build for future generations. I am confident that we will.
2,492 people have attended over 150 of our workshops
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Arts Council of England Arts Partnership Surrey Arts Work British Council Creative and Cultural Skills DCMS Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Farnham and District Museum Society Farnham Institute Charity Farnham Lions Farnham Building Preservation Trust Farnham Round Table Farnham Society Farnham Town Council Hedgehogs Ministry of Defence Selvedge Surrey Community Action Surrey Community Foundation Surrey Youth Services The Thistle Trust Waverley Borough Council Working Partners Activate Artswork BAC La Breche Blower Foundation Brighton Dome and Festival CAMRA Chamber of Commerce
design: www.emspace.co.uk
Cranleigh Arts Centre Craft Study Centre Crying Out Loud Cirque Jules Verne Colchester Arts Centre Conseil general de la Manche Farnham Amateur Operatic Society Farnham Decorative and Fine Arts Harlow Playhouse Independent Theatre Council Jewellery and Silversmith network James Hockey Gallery Maltings Makers Textile Network MAYK Newbury Corn Exchange New Ashgate Gallery New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich New Writing South Oxford Playhouse The Point Eastleigh PuSh festival La Renaissance Rock Choir Sea Change Arts Southern Ceramics South Street Reading South Street Trust Squires Kitchen Theatre Passe Muraille UK Hand Knitting Association University of the Creative Arts University of the Third Age
Registered Charity No. 305034 路 Registered in England No. 954753 路 VAT Registration No. 293675808
Funding Partners
Farnham Maltings Bridge Square Farnham GU9 7QR 01252 745444 info@farnhammaltings.com www.farnhammaltings.com