HIGHLIGHTS PRODUCTIONS

Registered charity 1100920 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as HIGHLIGHTS RURAL TOURING SCHEME

Highlights is a network of 65 volunteer groups in isolated rural communities in Cumbria, Northumberland and County Durham. In partnership we organise - and subsidise - over 150 high quality professional cultural events per year in village halls, schools and community centres

Objects

THE OBJECT OF THE COMPANY SHALL BE TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE PRACTICE AND APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS ESPECIALLY THE COUNTIES OF DURHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND AND CUMBRIA (THE "AREA OF BENEFIT"), IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THE PROVISION OF A RURAL ARTS SERVICE AND ANY OTHER CHARITABLE MEANS PERMITTED IN WRITING BY THE CHARITY COMMISSION, WITH THE OBJECTS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF SAID PERSONS.

Area of benefit: ESPECIALLY THE COUNTIES OF DURHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND AND CUMBRIA.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity made an overall deficit of £35,478 for the year, reducing its total funds from £191,238 to £155,760. The trustees report that unrestricted free reserves at the end of the year were £117,543, which is above the stated policy target of six months of management and administration costs.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 04646007

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Arts Council England — “Highlights is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means that we receive regular funding which is in place until M…” (source page)
• Northumberland County Council — “Highlights receives much appreciated funding from NCC to support its approx. 20 venues across the county, as well as work in schools and lib…” (source page)
• Westmorland & Furness Council — “Highlights receives much appreciated funding from W&F to support its approx. 30 venues across the authority, as well as work in schools.” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• ABRAHAM, Berony Anne — director, appointed 18/09/2025on trustee list
• JONES, Allan Christopher, Dr — director, appointed 17/04/2023on trustee list
• GLEDHILL, Izaak Forrest — director, appointed 17/04/2023on trustee list
• SEED, Sally Anne — director, appointed 17/04/2023on trustee list
• HARDY, Cinzia Maria — director, appointed 04/03/2021on trustee list
• INGHAM, Mary Elizabeth — director, appointed 04/03/2021on trustee list
• LYNCH, Kate — secretary, appointed 27/04/2022

Official officers record.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Trustees · trustee networks

• Cinzia Maria Hardychair
• Berony Anne Abraham
• Dr Allan Christopher Jones
• Izaak Forrest Gledhill
• Mary Elizabeth Ingham
• Sally Anne Seed

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Cumbria · Durham · Northumberland

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with CUMBRIA THEATRE TRUST.

• CUMBRIA THEATRE TRUST income £4.0m
• VOLUNTARY ACTION CUMBRIA income £914k
• HIGHBURY COMMUNITY NURSERY income £947k
• RIDE HIGH LIMITED income £1.2m
• HIGHBURY ROUNDHOUSE ASSOCIATION LIMITED income £1.1m
• ILLUMINATE PRODUCTIONS ENRICHMENT income £117k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.