OUTBURST_ARTS_FESTIVAL - Accounts

The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

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 Memorandum and Articles of Association the Companies Act 2006 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2019)

The company is established exclusively for charitable purposes, namely for the production of the annual Outburst Queers Arts Festival in Belfast.

Outburst Arts Festival (Outburst) is a charity organisation and community platform for sharing and exploring queer experiences stories and ideas through theatre, film, music, writing, workshops, visual art and other creative disciplines. Our aim is to challenge, to entertain, to surprise, to support and develop new talent and raise awareness of queer experiences through the Arts in Northern Ireland. We are particularly interested in bold new ideas and engaging voices, offering a platform for innovative new that is not available elsewhere.

The directors have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

2022/23 saw Outburst’s first full year since 2019 of working beyond covid related restrictions, leading us into newly invigorated but also deeply altered arts and business landscapes. Changing audience demographics and behaviours, a diminished arts workforce and new priorities for funders all created new challenges. Despite this, Outburst saw an increase in business interest, partnership development and fresh opportunities for strategic growth with a newly appointed Executive Director leading on business development.

A new business relationship with Bullitt Hotel enabled us to secure a hotel partner for the first time in six years, also offering physical space for us to run our new Salons and other small gatherings throughout the year.

We secured funding for our first formal tour of Outburst-produced work (Richard O’Leary’s Border Fairies) through the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund, while an exciting new support partnership with Jerwood Arts enabled us to run our first dedicated Artist Development programme. Both helped us to fulfil a long-standing strategic target around sustainable development for queer artists.

Building on our year-round work, we continued with our innovative Transforming Stages programme for trans writers. Our new one-to-one artist clinics were an instant success, with artists able to avail of support and practical advice from our arts team through online appointments. We also started our new Salon, a regular open space for critical discussion and sharing ideas. This too was an instant hit, with plans to develop the programme through skills building in 2023/24

Along with ongoing development with established arts partners like QFT, Black Box and Queen’s University, we developed new creative partnerships and relationships with PaperXclips Bookshop, St. Joseph’s Church venue, Queer History NI, Catalyst Arts and many more.

Working with organisations in the LGBTQ+ sector, Outburst led on Belfast City Council-funded research into arts and culture provision for LGBTQ+ people in the city, the findings and recommendations of which will aim to lead to more strategic and equitable provision in the city.

International Research, Development and Partnership

With the British Council International Collaboration Fund support secured in late 2021, throughout 2022 we developed our T-Kuir collaboration with Risco festival in Brazil and FAQ in Argentina, with three artists and producer residencies in Brazil, Argentina and NI and a performance of developed work at Outburst Queer Arts Festival 2022.

Following on from our British Council EU festival delegation in 2021, we were invited to Transform festival in Marseilles, France, to meet with the delegation again and further explore future networking and co-development possibilities between European artists, festivals and companies. European connections continued to expand beyond British Council, thanks to our presentation to a wide range of cultural ambassadors, agencies and attaches at the EUNIC UK network gathering in Belfast. This led to initial partnership conversations with embassies in Lithuania and Finland that will be further developed in 2023/24.

Juntes, our ambitious Nebula-funded international partnership with ILGA and CFFP to explore trans and feminist solidarity building through the arts with policy makers and activists, began in late 2022 and will continue until the end of 2023, leading to ground breaking research, performances and gatherings in Brazil and Northern Ireland.

The 2022 festival saw participation and delegations from Palestine, Argentina, Brazil, Turkey and Ukraine, with Ukrainian artist Anton Shebetko supported to exhibit work through the British Council’s UK/ Ukraine Season.

Organisational Development and Wider Participation

A milestone in organisational development was reached in April 2022, with the appointment of the company’s first Executive Director, Sarah Williams, through PHF support. Recruitment for this post was delayed through the covid crisis and the appointment has enabled us to finally move forward with ambitious strategic business planning.

The appointment supported us to finalise our new organisational strategy, to be released later in 2023, along with updating of policies and procedures and building on business development.

In other staffing developments, our Assistant Producer Marc Gregg resigned in January 2023 to take up a new opportunity, which enabled us to review and renew the role and anticipate recruiting an experienced event producer early in the new financial year.

It was a busy year for wider participation beyond Outburst’s own work, with strong interest in the organisation for participation in external events. As part of the Unboxed programme’s Our Place in Space, our artistic director hosted a conversation with artist and environmentalist Daniel Lismore, also programming some works for Gaze International Film Festival. We also participated in events for the Arts & Business company network.

Our Director also supported the development of other arts leaders, through ongoing informal mentoring for Kate O’Donnell (Director, Trans Vegas) and Naoise Callan (Programming and Outreach, Northern Ireland Mental Health Festival).

The directors consider that the unrestricted funds of the charity have sufficient resources and assets available which are adequate to fullfill their obligations.

The results for the period are as set out on pages 11 to 26. The charity returned net outgoing resources of £86,295 (2022 - net incoming resources of £45,329) of which there were net outgoing unrestricted resources of £446 (2022 - net incoming resources of £8,331) and net outgoing restricted resources of £86,295 (2022 - net incoming resources of £36,998). At 31 March 2023 the balance of unrestricted reserves were £73,074 (2022 - £73,520) and restricted reserves of £66,511 (2022 - £152,806).

It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The directors consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.

The directors have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity for tax purposes.

The directors who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:

Key Management Personnel Remuneration

The Board consider the board of directors and the artistic director as comprising the key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling the charity and running and operating the charity on a day to day basis. All board members give of their time freely and no board remuneration was paid in the year. Board members are required to disclose all relevant conflict of interests and register them at each monthly board meeting and in accordance with the charity's policy withdraw from decisions where a conflict of interest arises.

The directors, who also act as trustees for the charitable activities of Outburst Arts Festival, are responsible for preparing the Directors' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company Law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.

In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102)

- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Each of the directors has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is relevant to the audit, but of which the auditor is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the auditor is aware of such information.

The directors' report was approved by the Board of Directors.

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Outburst Arts Festival (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the statement of financial position and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

the information given in the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

the directors' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the directors' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

the directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the directors' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

As explained more fully in the statement of directors' responsibilities, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

In identifying and assessing potential risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliances with laws and regulations, we considered the following:

• The nature of the industry and sector, control environment and business performance, including the charitable company’s remuneration policies for directors, bonus levels and performance targets, if any;

• Results of our enquiries of management about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities;

• Any matters we identified having obtained and reviewed the charitable company’s documentation of their policies and procedures relating to:

  • Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instance of non-compliance;

  • Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and

  • The internal controls established to mitigate risks of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;

• The matters discussed among the audit engagement team regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and potential indicators of fraud.

As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in income recognition. In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override.

We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the charitable company operates in, focusing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the Companies Act 2006, and local tax legislation.

In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty.

Our procedures to respond to the risks identified included the following:

• Reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;

• Enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;

• Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;

• Reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance and reviewing correspondence with tax authorities; and

• In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments; assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.

We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. In addition, as with any audit, there remains a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as they may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

Outburst Arts Festival is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office and place of business is Third Floor, 109-113 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1FF.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "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)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.

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 directors have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors 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 directors in furtherance of their charitable objectives.

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors 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.

In-kind support is included when receivable.

Grants that relate to specific capital expenditure are treated as restricted income which is credited to the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Revenue grants are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities in accordance with the terms of the letter of offer.

Investment income is included when receivable.

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the deliver of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature to support them.

Support costs are those functions that assist work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support and other costs have been allocated to charitable activities based on actual usage by that activity.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, 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 gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

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.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

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 directors 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.

Judgements are made in relation to allocation of income and expenditure to restricted and unrestricted funds. The directors consider lit appropriate to allocate these funds based on interpretation of donations received.

Judgements are made in relation to the allocation of support costs of the charity to its charitable activities. The directors consider it appropriate to allocate these costs based on the allocation of grant funding to the charitable activities in the year.

Grants receivable for core activities

Box office sales

Other income

Merchandise sales

Artists

Festival expenditure

Travel and subsistence

Marketing and publications

Temporary Staff Fees

The production of the annual Outburst Queer Arts Festival in Belfast to advance the education of the public, and in particular Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people, in the arts, through theatre, visual arts, music, film, dance, writing, performance, workshops, and debate and the cultivation of public appreciation of those arts in Northern Ireland.

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

Transfers from the unrestricted fund to the restricted fund in the prior year were as follows:

Belfast City Council One Off

The transfer of £187 relates to covering resources expended in excess of funds received.

Transfers from the restricted fund to the unrestricted fund in the year were as follows:

Public Health Agency

The transfer of £19 was made to clear immaterial balance remaining on the fund.

Unrestricted funds

Restricted funds

Unrestricted funds

Restricted funds

At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise the Artistic Director. The total emoluments paid to key management personnel was £53,732 (2022 - £50,798).