Arts, Culture & Heritage Health & Wellbeing Free 2023

Mortal Fools Year in Review 2022–2023

Mortal Fools is a Northumberland-based participatory arts charity working with young people facing challenges including mental health difficulties, care experience and SEND, using co-created theatre and arts as a tool for wellbeing, voice and leadership. In 2022/23 it engaged 1,316 young people, delivered 392 weekly sessions, produced three large-scale touring shows and achieved 92 Arts Awards. The Melva digital mental health programme reached 640 young people in schools, and the CONNECT training programme engaged 952 participants from the public, private and cultural sectors. In April 2023 Mortal Fools joined Arts Council England's National Portfolio and secured multi-year investment from Kavli Trust.

Report snapshot
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📋About

Mortal Fools Youth Theatre groups (Tyne Valley and new Ashington base); Ensemble Young Company producing and touring co-created theatre; Young Leaders programme (bi-weekly sessions with 9 young people); co-created large-scale productions (Flux, Come On In, Sparked); Melva digital mental health programme for ages 7-11; Worrit Warriors self-harm intervention in schools; CONNECT creative training for businesses and organisations; school creative intervention residencies; National Citizen Service sessions; outdoor activities and community events; DofE support; young people as paid practitioners and board trustees Custom geography from upload: Northumberland and North East England, UK (Ashington, Tyne Valley, Newcastle)

📊Key Metrics

1,316 young people engaged; 392 weekly sessions delivered to 237 young people in Youth Theatre, school and youth settings; 102 core Youth Theatre members Key Metric 1
51 CONNECT training interventions delivered to 952 training participants from organisations including Newcastle University, NHS, National Trust and Ryder Architecture Key Metric 2
640 young people engaged with Melva digital mental health programme in academic year 22/23; 16 primary schools running Worrit Warriors counselling intervention using Melva; 5,123 digital audience members; digital content reached 375,593 people Key Metric 3

Key Outcomes

  • 2 young leaders transitioned into paid Assistant Practitioner roles; 2 young leaders joined Mortal Fools Board as trustees; 92 Arts Awards achieved across Youth Theatre and Young Leaders
  • Joined Arts Council England National Portfolio in April 2023; secured multi-year investment from Kavli Trust in August 2022; nominated for North East Charity Award 2022 and National Diversity Award 2023
  • 3 young leaders participated in National Youth Violence Peer Action Collective with Youth Focus NE, presenting social action at Baltic arts centre; 23 freelance professionals given paid work; 52 North East small businesses worked with or purchased from

📍Geography

North East

2025 Enhanced

2024/25 Annual Review

Total income £138,600,000 and total expenditure £108,350,000 (year ended 31 March 2025, charity no. 1068852); 5 million people welcomed through palace gates; £138.6m income of which £84.7m from ticket admissions (£68.3m at Tower of London alone)
Key Metric 1
Over 160,000 members making 300,000+ visits generating £5.8m membership income plus £814k Gift Aid; 217,400 £1 Universal Credit tickets sold; 304,000 visitors to Untold Lives: A Palace at Work exhibition at Kensington Palace; 99.5 million people reached across social media channels
Key Metric 2
89% of visitors gained a better understanding of stories (discovery); 83% felt happier after their visit (joy); 76% were inspired to learn more; 28,365 visitors cheered on Henry VIII's Joust; £1.9 million secured in donations and pledges for Tomorrow's Tower campaign
Key Metric 3
83% of visitors felt happier after their visit; 89% gained better understanding of palace stories; 94% charitable activities allocation of total expenditure; Tomorrow's Tower campaign secured £1.9m including £1m from Sandys Trust and National Lottery Heritage Fund development grant
2025 Enhanced

National Youth Jazz Orchestra Annual Report 2024–25

3,943 young people reached across 279 learning sessions in 16 programmes; 46 public performances reaching 8,517 audience members
Key Metric 1
100+ Emerging Professionals supported with 159 paid performance opportunities; 32% from regions beyond London; 32% from African, Asian, Caribbean or Mixed Heritage backgrounds
Key Metric 2
46% of Under-18 participants receive bursaries; 46% benefit from free access (Pupil Premium, free school meals or low-income families)
Key Metric 3
Largest single concert audience of 1,500 for British Standard Time at Berlin's Konzerthaus; NYJO Under 18s alumni have gone on to Birmingham Conservatoire, Leeds Conservatoire and Cambridge University
2023 Free

Annual Report and Accounts 2023

12,950 global members across film, games and television in 2023, including 9,182 full members and 2,331 BAFTA Connect members
Key Metric 1
EE BAFTA Film Awards broadcast averaged 2.62 million viewers on BBC One — an increase on the prior two years; simulcast in 8 countries via BritBox with rights sold to 80+ territories
Key Metric 2
BAFTA View unique viewings by voting members increased 53% for Film; average films watched per member rose 51%
Key Metric 3
More member socials, events and screenings held in 2023 than any previous year across UK and North America