SFD Annual Report June 2025
- roger66948
- Oct 4
- 7 min read
ANNUAL REPORT
&
ACCOUNTS
Year ended 30th June 2025
Committee Members 2024/2025
Chair Dendy Harris
Vice Chair Margaret Ann Brolly
Treasurer Margaret Ann Brolly
Secretary Pam Price
Membership Secretary Margaret Ann Brolly
Online Manager Roger Price
Phoebe Rees Coordinator Robert Graydon
Cinderella Coordinator Pam Price
David Beach Coordinator Georgina Barry
David Beach Youth Coord Di Dean (Retiring November 2025)
County Drama Coord Irene Glynn
Competition Moderators and Adjudicators 2024/2025
Cinderella Trophy Competition
Moderator: Sam Allen
Adjudicators: Lee Baker, Jane Burt, Ray Jarvis, John Robinson and Sarah Louise-Thompson
David Beach Competition
Moderator: Ian Hurdman
Adjudicators: Jadi Carlyon, Beth Hancock, Christopher Holman-Holmes, Andy Marchant, Cathie Warner, Linda Mumford, Martha Francis (nee Manning)
David Beach Youth Competition
Moderator: Dendy Harris
Adjudicators: Jadi Carlyon, Beth Hancock, Chris Holman-Holmes, Andy Marchant, Linda Mumford, Cathie Warner, Penny Lambert
Phoebe Rees Competition
Moderator: Robert Graydon
Adjudicators: Niamh McGrogan, Lynn Pearson, Helen Tompson
Introduction
Here we are looking back and reviewing our last year, running from July 2024 to the end of June 2025 and what a fantastic year that has been for everyone involved in our am dram scene across the county and, more specifically, for| Somerset Fellowship of Drama and its’ members.
All our competitions have returned and are going from strength to strength, with increasing numbers of entries. Our County Drama Festival was a great success and much enjoyed by all who took part, whether in the festival itself or watching.
We’re delighted that Somerset Fellowship of Drama can continue to support and encourage all amateur dramatic and operatic groups and societies across Somerset and are so much looking forward to what the future brings for us with the incredible talent there is across our county just so very happy to report on an amazing year.
Finance
After a very busy 12 months we have made a small loss on the year to June 2025 of £46.64 This is entirely due to all competitions being back up and running.
General expenditure covers such items as Insurance, Certificate printing, IT updates to web site, hall hire for meetings and PPS.
Sadly, no society has applied for our bursary this year. We have had requests by individuals but this bursary is for member societies towards training costs in order to further the society interests.
With this in mind, we would encourage all groups, if you are planning any courses or workshops, please get in touch via the contact section on the website.
All in all, the Fellowship is still in good financial order. The accounts have been checked by an independent auditor and found to be a correct account of the Fellowship financial affairs.
Thank you for your continued support and if you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them.
Membership
Group membership for the year has risen slightly from 67 to 70 members. Several groups are still paying the old subscription amount of £15 by standing order. The correct subscription for groups is £25. We would ask groups to check their standing orders to reflect the correct amount, subscriptions are due 1st October each year. Individual membership is standing at 36 individual and 6 couples. Our membership Secretary has asked that groups should keep their contact details updated via the contact section of the website.
Online Activities
The Online Manager continues to monitor the Website and make adjustments when they are needed. The Blog and What’s on pages are regularly added to with new events.
The Cinderella Trophy Competition
Sam Allen stepped in as Moderator for 2024/25 season, we had a total of 22 entries Pam Price is the Co-ordinator and arranged the awards evening at Batch Country House, Lympsham on Friday 16 May 2025, 299 attended the evening all from societies that had entered the competition, it was enjoyed by all. Nigel Ford did some magic for us, which everyone enjoyed.
The top prize The Cinderella Trophy was won by Wellington Pantomime Society, for their production of Jack and the Beanstalk and the Cinderella Runner up Trophy was won by Wayfarers Pantomime Society for their production of Beauty and the Beast.
The Spotlight Trophy for best Village Pantomime was won by CUDOS for their production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the runners up were Roadwater Players for their production of The Pinocchio.
Unlike our other Competitions, the nominations for the Cinderella Trophy are not announced in advance but are announced on the evening, as panto people love the anticipation.
Sam Allen and John Robinson have stepped down form Adjudicating, and we have 2 more Adjudicators joining us for 2025/26. As last year, the Awards Ceremony next year will again be at The Batch Country House of Friday 15 May 2026.
The David Beach Competition
We were delighted to see a bounce back of the David Beach Adult Competition in the 2023/2024 season, with 22 productions entered from 21 performing groups.
We opted to keep the Presentation evening as a combined affair and saw over 320 attendees celebrate at the Batch Country Hotel in March. It was a fantastic evening and feedback was that everyone enjoyed themselves very much. The standard of productions was again very high and the David Beach Trophy for the best production was hard fought, but it was Oklahoma! produced by Weston-super-Mare Operatic Society who won in the end. Congratulations to them and to everyone who either won or who were nominated in the various categories.
This year we have seen an increase once again in the entries with 25 received so far and in light of this, we have taken the decision to split the Presentation evenings as there are very few venues that can accommodate the numbers expected.
We can confirm that the Presentation evenings will both be held at Batch Country House once again; the Youth Awards being on 6th March and the Adult Awards on 27th March.
We look forward to seeing everyone there.
The David Beach Youth Competition
This is my last report for the SFD AGM as, after 26 years on the Somerset Fellowship of Drama Committee, I am stepping down at the end of the year. After the David Beach competition was split in 2019, I took over the Youth competition and that first year we had ten entries, but then Covid hit us, and it has taken a while to get going again, but now I am pleased to say that this year has been our best with 16 entries, and another in the pipeline. We have been pleased to welcome some new youth groups this year, especially from schools. It is encouraging to know that the drama department in many schools is very much alive. We had a wonderful night at the combined David Beach Awards which was held at The Batch Country House, Weston-super-Mare last March. The standard of the productions was again high, but the overall winner of the David Beach Youth Competition was awarded to The King Alfred School Academy for Sister Act.
Youth Groups will have their Presentation Evening at the Batch County House. This is a first for the Youth Competition and I am sure it will be a fantastic night.
The Phoebe Rees Competition
2 years ago, at the 2023 Awards Dinner, I stood up to present awards for the first time in 4 years. Several lockdowns stood in the way of ‘live’ awards and we were all pleased to be back – and with a brand new team of adjudicators. But it was a bittersweet return; we were then on the brink of closing down all the competitions. After so many years promoting drama in all its various forms in Somerset it was a shock to our many contributors that we had reached that crisis. Sadly, it was a situation we have seen reflected time and time again; there simply weren’t enough volunteers to do all the work required to support 5 competitions – and there is only so much arm and emotional screw twisting that people will put up with. Happily, that didn’t happen. We had a new Chair in Dendy Harris and we stood behind her in supporting her enthusiasm and determination in saving the Fellowship. So it’s now full steam ahead and normal service has resumed.
This year I have been double hatting as both Moderator and Coordinator and I am very ably supported by my small and talented team of adjudicators, Niamh McGrogan, Lynn Pearson and Helen Thompson. This year we have visited 11 groups performing 19 plays, county wide and it is heartening to see that amateur theatre is alive and well. We have welcomed a number of groups back into the Competition and we hope there will be more in the coming season. The annual Awards Evening will take place at the Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster on Friday 24th October and we look forward to seeing many of our competitors, members and supporters there. There are over 100 nominations across the various award categories this year, so it promises to be an exciting evening
County Drama Festival
The CDF 2025 was held on Saturday 22nd March and Sunday 23rd March at It was a delight to see new groups entering from Crewkerne, Mendip, Minehead and Combe St Nicholas. The final entries were: Taunton Thespians – Rats by Phoebe Rees, IES – Gilly’s Gem by Sandy Taylor and My Best Friend by Tamsin Oglesby, @2K – Salon Mafia by Stephen Mercer, Clevedon School Youth Group – One Evacuee by Mak Wheeler, MADS Youth – The Singing Mole by Michael Charnock, CUDOS – Gum and Goo by Howard Brenton, CUDOS Youth Group – The Blue Electric Wind by Brad Birch, D&M Productions – A Helping Hand by Peter Hale and The Mendip Players – Handbags by Matthew Gough
The technical rehearsal day was held on Sunday 2nd March at the Warehouse Theatre and assisted by Dave Goodall on behalf of the Warehouse Theatre Technical Team.
The festival was adjudicated by Bob Tomson GODA and everyone, audience and competitors alike were impressed with his advice and guidance. The introduction of the Philip de Glanville trophy for the Champagne moment was welcomed by everyone, and it was a great addition to the trophy awards. Most groups won an award, and the County Shield was won by IES for My Best Friend by Tamsin Oglesby who went on the win for The West of England on the 17th May but unfortunately didn’t win at the English final on the 7th June.
Sadly, the Five Counties Youth Festival was held in the Middle of the Easter holidays and so none of the competing youth teams could take part this year.
The final accounts prepared by Ann Brolly were submitted to the AETF and showed a financially successful festival with a healthy £553.40 profit.
The preparation for next year’s festival is already underway and will be held at The Warehouse Theatre on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd March with Chris Jaeger GODA MBE adjudicating.
Dendy Harris
Chairman
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