About Us

 Shaftesbury Arts Centre is a charitable company limited by guarantee run wholly by volunteers drawn from its membership. It's purpose is in its mission statement:

 ‘Shaftesbury Arts Centre aims to take the lead in seeking to optimise opportunities for the community of Shaftesbury and the surrounding area to experience and take part in a high standard of the widest range of the creative arts.'

Established in 1957 in the old covered market in the centre of the medieval Dorset hilltop market town of Shaftesbury, Shaftesbury Arts Centre is now widely recognised as one of the best volunteer membership-led arts centres in south west England.

Its regular, varied and lively year-round programme of amateur and professional plays, films, art, photography and craft exhibitions, workshops, and training courses draws people from far and wide including Wiltshire and Somerset. It is also increasingly taking the arts out into the community.

A copy of the Centre's latest annual report (2009-10) can be downloaded here.

Finance & Funding The Centre breaks even on its operational activities but because it receives very little public subsidy it relies on internal fundraising and the generosity of our patrons, sponsors and supporters to help fund major capital projects that keep the centre running and developing.

In recent years the following funding bodies, trusts, local organisations and companies have directly contributed to the fundraising efforts at the Centre: Rutters Solicitors, Philip Proctor & Associates, Shaftesbury Town Council, Hall & Woodhouse, Shaftesbury Charitable Trust, Shaftesbury Rotary Club, Shaftesbury Trinity Trust, Valentine Charitable Trust, Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust, William Williams Charity, Foyle Foundation, Donhead Art Group, Melbury Abbas & Cann Women’s Institute, Shaftesbury & District Chamber of Commerce, Shaftesbury Carnival Committee, Shaftesbury Flower Arranging Group, United Churches Charities Fund, Barkshire Trust, IR Gift Aid Scheme, Swans Trust, Waitrose Ltd.

 

A copy of the Centre's latest annual accounts (2009-10) can be downloaded here.

 

History Founded in 1957 out of the Shaftesbury & District Arts Club started in 1949, Shaftesbury Arts Centre celebrated its half-century in 2007. It has been in continuous use throughout that period with the exception of a short break between 1965-7 when it was rebuilt after a fire.

Status The Centre changed status in 2005 after 48 years as a voluntary association to become a not-for-profit limited company with charitable status - ie a charitable company - with the principal aim of improving its viability and efficiency and to meet the challenges of the 21^st century.

 

Membership Current members come from a wide area from every part of the community and from all socio-economic groups and surveys have shown the Centre is well liked and supported by them. Largely for these reasons the Centre was described by one Shaftesbury councillor in 2005 as ‘easily one of the most significant community groups in Shaftesbury’. Membership has not significantly moved in the last four years, with a regular turnover of new members replacing those who have not renewed. At 31 August 2005, the end of its 2004-5 year, membership stood at 530, with 58 junior members. Figures for 31 August 2009, for 2008-9, were almost identical. These totals represent an estimated 7-8 per cent of the resident town community against a 2005 target of at least 10 per cent (700 members).

 

Purpose and Vision The purpose of the arts centre remains basically the same today as when the centre was first established and as expressed in its constitution, namely ‘to promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the public in the arts and science of music, opera, ballet, drama, film, photography, literature, painting, drawing and sculpture by the presentation of concerts, performances, exhibitions and other activities.’

 

In 2004, following the South West Arts Marketing report, this was refined by the then-management committee into a new ‘mission statement’ thus: ‘The mission of Shaftesbury Arts Centre is to secure for the Shaftesbury district community opportunities to experience and take part in high standard and diverse creative arts.’

 

In 2005 these aspirations were further revised on the recommendation of a special strategy working group to take account of the changing economic, political, social and cultural situation locally and encapsulated in the following, and still current, vision for the next 10 years: ‘Shaftesbury Arts Centre will take the lead in seeking to optimise opportunities for the community of Shaftesbury and the surrounding area to experience and take part in a high standard of the widest range of the creative arts.'

 

Forward strategy The 2005 strategy working group produced a forward-planning document called 'The Way Ahead' that set out the plans and aspiration of the centre for the next ten years, up to 2015. The document was reviewed and updated in 2009 and a revised document adopted by the membership at the Centre's annual general meeting in February 2010.

 

For a copy of 'The Way Ahead: Development Strategy 2005-2015 (revised 2009)' click here.

 

Management structure The Centre was incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee in 2005 replacing the association that ran it up to that point. However it remains managed and run by unpaid volunteers drawn from its membership as before.

 

The membership elects trustee-directors of the charitable company who are responsible for meeting the requirements of Companies Acts and the Charity Commission and form the management Board of the company. Presently the Board consists of a total of 12 trustee-directors, including a chairman, vice-chairman, company secretary, and honorary treasurer. All directors, including officers, are appointed to take responsibility for one or more of the centre’s activities (see below).

 

Mode details of the management structure, including a company organogram, can be downloaded here.

 

Activities Centre activities are run by volunteers in each of the groups as the volunteers see fit. Some, such as the film society and music and drama groups, elect their own committees that operate independently of the Board while subject to overall Board control on Centre policy and finance.

 

Activities necessary to support the Centre such as stage management, buildings, marketing, fund-raising, and programme development have their own working groups and all are represented on the Board by a nominated director.

 

For 2010-11 the officers and directors of Shaftesbury Arts Centre and their responsibilities are:

 

Officers

 

Chairman Vice-chairman Company Secretary Hon Treasurer

John Cadmore      Bob Truscott      Richard Lloyd      Denis Scott

Responsible for stage and technicals     Buildings, maintenance, health & safety     Administration     Finance and membership

 

                   

 

 

Directors (in alphabetical order)

Sue Cadmore	Art Group, Catering, Fundraising
Pam Goodall	Dancing & Keep Fit, Costumes/Wardrobe
Simon Hunt	Publications, Marketing
Richard Longfoot	Bookings, Music & Drama Group
Jenny Parker	Box Office, Gallery, Marketing, Reading Group
Paul Schilling	Film Society, Photography Society, Marketing
Richard Thomas	Creative Writing, Film Unit, Marketing, Publications, Website

                         

The Board also sends a Board representative to meetings of Shaftesbury & District Chamber of Commerce, Shaftesbury & District Tourism Association and the Shaftesbury Community Partnership (Shaftesbury District Task Force Ltd).

 

For a complete copy of Shaftesbury Arts Centre's Memorandum & Articles of Association please click here.