Barnard Castle arts venue The Witham 'optimistic' despite deficit

TRUSTEES of an arts centre remain optimistic about its future despite a “disappointing” operational loss last year.

The Witham, in Barnard Castle, suffered an overall net deficit and net decrease in funds of £86,297 during the 2016 financial year. The figures were reported during The Witham Hall Ltd’s annual meeting last week.

However, the board of trustees are confident that the arts centre may have since “turned a corner” and are now looking to the future following what was a “challenging” year.

Chairman Bob Garton said: “Most people will agree that in terms of the operation of the place we have made massive strides forward. The intention is to create and sustain a vibrant art centre at the heart of the community.”

The meeting heard how the deficits were mainly due to a drop in grant income compared with the previous year as well as a drop in donations. This was compared to the £100,000 legacy which was bequeathed to the centre in 2015.

Treasurer and finance director Chris Butler said: “2016 was challenging year in respect of The Witham’s finances and unfortunately the surpluses we had enjoyed in 2015 were not sustained.”

However, the dependence on grant funding, which was 22 per cent of the total income, had reduced and the board hopes to continue promoting commercial ways of working to help this continue.

Mr Garton said: “Towards the end of 2016 the trustee board decided that we needed to be a little bit more clever with the data we collect and how we use it. Looking at a high level budget gave a false sense of security. When we got to a more granular level it showed us some interesting things like where we were making money and where we were not.”

During 2016, 8,505 tickets were sold for 145 events, excluding any weekly workshops. As well as having regular visits from families The Witham also attracted 642 children from ten schools. The Witham’s art gallery was also identified as a worthwhile income stream as more than 330 pieces of art were sold during the year.

An increase in staffing costs had occurred when the centre took over the operation of the Dispensary Cafe. A total of 14,000 hot drinks were served during 2016 and a profitable New Year’s Eve event proved that the cafe and its staff will be “the cornerstone of any future commercial events”.

Damage caused by Storm Desmond in December 2015 also resulted in unplanned financial outlay during most of 2016. Mr Garton said: “During 2016 the highlight must be the quality of performers that we attracted to The Witham. We have expanded our programme and included contemporary dance and spoken word. It is fair to say we have every area covered. We have attracted a loyal and growing local following.

“As we become more commercially aware it is not just about putting on arts things.

“We embrace our important role in the financial sustainability of our town and surrounding area. We know we are part of regional regeneration. It is not just about coming to see performances. It is a whole experience.

“We have some legacy funding but we have used some of that through the financial year to prevent certain costs. The whole holistic aspect of The Witham is an expensive business. As disappointing as it was that we made an operating loss, it was a wake up call in a sense.”

The board identified new ways of making the centre sustainable for the future.

Partnerships with local businesses and organisations will play a key part of utilising capacity in the building. The trustees hope that the centre will become less reliant on main blocks of grant funding and will look at ways of identifying new funding activities.