Shaftesbury Arts Centre is a non-political charitable company limited by guarantee, run wholly by volunteers drawn from its membership.
Our purpose is in our 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 the highest 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.
Our 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.
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.
History
Founded in 1957 out of the Shaftesbury & District Arts Club started in 1949, Shaftesbury Arts Centre celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2022. It has been in continuous use throughout that period, with the exception of a short break between 1965-67 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 – i.e. a charitable company – with the principal aim of improving its viability and efficiency and to meet the creative challenges of the 21st century.
Membership
Current members come from a wide area, from every part of the community, and from all socio-economic groups. Surveys have shown the Centre is well loved 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’.
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’.
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 trustees 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 up to 12 trustees, 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).
The officers and directors of Shaftesbury Arts Centre and their responsibilities can be found here. For a complete copy of Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s Memorandum & Articles of Association please click here.
Contact details
You can contact any of the trustees with any questions, queries or comments here.