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ANNUAL REPORT 01 APRIL 2014 -31 MARCH 2015

We believe that everyone in the world should be free to share information and ideas through writing. Freedom of expression is a universal right. It allows us to hold the powerful to account, to develop new ideas and understanding and to express ourselves creatively. Around the world, writers are persecuted and imprisoned simply because they have used words to share information or ideas. We support such writers through our Campaigns Programme in the UK and internationally.

As well as the benefits that words can bring, people can also use them to cause harm. So we support some legal restraints on free expression. We are committed to evidence-based policy in this area and we oppose unnecessary and disproportionate restraints on freedom of expression through our UK free speech campaigns and our international advocacy.

We believe that words are usually best answered with more words. That is why we seek not only to campaign against censorship, but also to equip people with the means to enjoy the freedom to write. We support young people and those who are excluded from mainstream society – whose voices might not otherwise be heard – through our Readers & Writers programme.

We seek to bring as much of the world’s writing to as many readers as possible in our own country so that we can all join in the global exchange of information and ideas. We support publishers and translators of international literature – and their growing readership – through our Writers in Translation programme.

English PEN consists of an active community of writers and readers who join us as members and friends. Since 1921, we have been at the heart of the worldwide writers’ association PEN International. In England, we bring our members and other supporters together through a wide programme of events and prizes, both in London and around the country.

ENGLISH PEN PROMOTES THE FREEDOM TO WRITE AND THE FREEDOM TO READ

ABOUT ENGLISH PEN

ENGLISH PEN ANNUAL REPORT 01 APRIL 2014 - 31 MARCH 2015

Cover: Books to Prisoners Christmas demonstration with the Howard League for Penal Reform, at the Ministry of Justice, December 2014. Photo: Robert Sharp

ANNUAL REPORT 01 APRIL 2014 - 31 MARCH 2015

PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

CAMPAIGNING FOR WRITERS AT RISK AROUND THE WORLD

DEFENDING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE UK

GIVING VOICE TO COMMUNITIES

TRANSLATING WORLD LITERATURE

CELEBRATING LITERARY ACHIEVEMENT

GRANTS AND DONATIONS

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/15

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Between EU and Me project final showcase, December 2014.

Photo: Jamie Smith

English PEN celebrates a decade of supporting literature in translation in 2015. Over the past ten years, we’re proud to have been at the forefront of creating a new culture for translation, supporting more than 100 titles in over 20 languages, thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Bloomberg.

Translation is at the heart of English PEN’s mission: promoting the understanding and appreciation of literature across frontiers, in our support for freedom of expression at home and internationally.

None of this would be possible without our many partners and members. Their love of literature and their commitment to creative expression are the foundation of our work, whether we’re working with refugees in London, defending writers at risk around the world, holding public events with leading authors or campaigning for reform to keep free speech safe in the UK.

That passion was perhaps most evident when writers, publishers, campaigners and English PEN members came together to campaign against the Ministry of Justice’s restrictions on sending books to prisoners. The necessity of reading and access to books caught the imagination of the public, demonstrating to all that literature is not a luxury. Books can change lives, something we’ve seen at first hand at English PEN in our annual prison writing competition and in our work with young people.

As freedom of speech comes under increasing pressure around the world, English PEN’s work defending the freedom to read and the freedom to write is as vital as ever. Throughout this year we’ve seen writers lose their lives and their freedom in shocking circumstances, from Bangladesh and Mexico to Turkey and Syria. While at home, censorship and self-censorship are on the rise in a climate of caution and anxiety. English PEN’s impact will continue to depend on the writers, journalists, readers, activists, publishers, translators and bloggers who believe as we do in the power of the word and the importance of its protection. Thanks for your support.

WELCOME FROM MAUREEN FREELY PRESIDENT


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English PEN remains unique as a charity in the scope of its mission. We promote both the public understanding of literature and the human rights of authors, including anyone engaged in writing or publishing. When PEN was first founded in 1921 the organisation was focused on a much smaller group of beneficiaries, those who could call themselves professional writers. Today, we are all potentially writers and publishers – whether we blog, tweet, write books or publish websites. As a result English PEN’s constituency has multiplied: while we can all now enjoy instant publication or an audience (however small), a broader population now also faces the risks that come with publishing and writing. The charity’s objective to defend the freedom to read and the freedom to write therefore now means looking out for the general public as a whole, as well as the more seasoned writers and journalists.

The digital revolution has increased the challenges for writers. English PEN’s campaigns now include protection of privacy online, in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations two years ago, as part of a coalition of human rights groups: if we can’t be sure that our communications are confidential, how can we enjoy the right to freedom of expression?

These are questions that are proving particularly resonant for some of our younger members. We’re delighted that our student PEN membership has now grown by a third, including University of Bristol, University of Liverpool and University College London. Their engagement is not only important for the future of PEN, but is becoming an increasingly crucial centre for the defence of freedom of expression in the UK.

We’re proud of the diversity and talent of our supporters, partners and beneficiaries: from the writers at risk we support around the world, to the refugees and prisoners with whom we work in our outreach programme and the community of translators, editors, publishers, journalists and writers who support our translation programme and attend our events.

INTRODUCTION FROM JO GLANVILLE DIRECTOR

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In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo atrocities, English PEN joined with the Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation and funding platform Crowdshed to publish Draw The Line Here, a specially curated collection of cartoons. Ralph Steadman, Steve Bell and Martin Rowson were among the celebrated cartoonists to contribute. Proceeds benefited the families of the victims and English PEN’s Writers at Risk Programme.

English PEN has focused on the Middle East, campaigning for individual writers at a time of increasing crisis for civil liberties and freedom of expression in the region. Syria, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were amongst the focus countries. Individual cases have included Saudi blogger and activist Raif Badawi and Bahraini academic and blogger Abduljalil Al-Singace. English PEN is campaigning for their release in partnership with two coalitions, ‘We are Raif’ and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.

The Syrian journalist and activist Mazen Darwish was singled out for a special honour when Salman Rushdie awarded him the PEN Pinter International Writer of Courage Award 2014. Darwish’s remarkable acceptance speech was smuggled out of prison. ‘This is not the end of history,’ he wrote from his cell. ‘But rather the beginning of an era in which humanity is rid of the scourge of tyranny and terrorism.’ He was finally released in August 2015 after more than three years in detention.

Journalists and writers have continued to be targeted in Turkey, during a period of rising tension. English PEN has campaigned for individual writers including the journalist Can Dundar and has taken part in a joint submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review on Turkey with partners including Article 19 and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The submission highlighted the misuse of counter-terrorism legislation and freedom of the press.

English PEN has also launched an ambitious new campaign to end criminal defamation legislation across the EU, in partnership with the International Press Institute. Only five member states have repealed the legislation yet the possibility of imprisonment leads to self-censorship, undermining the EU’s international credibility as a champion of human rights. Our hope is for Europe to set a global example by decriminalising defamation, liberalising speech and supporting human rights for 500 million citizens.

The release of writer and activist Enoh Meyomesse from Kondengui Prison in Yaoundé, Cameroon, after almost three and a half years, was a highlight of the year for everyone at English PEN. Meyomesse was a major case for the Writers at Risk Programme and we were proud to publish his writing during his imprisonment. He has now lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court seeking his complete acquittal.

CAMPAIGNING FOR WRITERS AT RISK AROUND THE WORLD


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PEN activists hold a vigil for imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi outside the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,

March 2015. Photo: Robert Sharp


English PEN’s campaign to overturn a misguided policy restricting relatives and friends from sending books to prisoners attracted significant public sympathy and media attention. In partnership with the Howard League for Penal Reform, we lobbied politicians and won the support of tens of thousands of individuals across the country. On 5 December, the campaign won a significant victory when the High Court ruled that the ban on books for prisoners was unlawful. For English PEN, this was a campaign that demonstrated the immense value and necessity of reading, and the short-sightedness of depriving an isolated community of its benefits. For the government, it was an own goal.

The backing of our supporters and members can be key to successful advocacy. When the musician James Rhodes’s book was prevented from publication following an injunction, we asked leading writers including David Hare, Jonathan Dimbleby, Colin Thubron and Tom Stoppard to join our protest. Thanks to pro-bono legal support we were able to intervene as a third-party at the Supreme Court in support of James Rhodes’s case and were delighted when the injunction was overturned. We are immensely grateful to the barristers and solicitors who have givenus their expertise and time with great generosity throughout the year, allowing us to play a role at the highest possible level in defending freedom of expression.

Our campaign for libel reform in the UK continues in Northern Ireland and Scotland, where we have invited journalists and lawyers to join local advisory groups and form a grassroots campaign. Reform is now firmly on the agenda in both jurisdictions. Our aim is to ensure that every citizen in the UK has access to the same defences and can take advantage of the reformed legislation. Currently only England and Wales benefit from the new laws and it is possible for claimants to bully publishers and broadcasters under the old legislation – as has already happened.

We are also continuing our campaign with the civil liberties coalition ‘Don’t Spy On Us’ for reform of the law governing the intelligence services’ access to our data. Many of our demands have now been echoed by three official inquiries, whose recommendations include improving oversight and transparency, implementing judicial authorisation and strengthening the legal framework for surveillance. All have concluded that the law needs wholesale reform – a recommendation first made by ‘Don’t Spy On Us’ in our policy paper Reforming Surveillance in the UK.

DEFENDING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE UK

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English PEN members David Hare, Mark Haddon, A L Kennedy and English PEN Honorary Vice President Rachel Billington with Frances Crook, Chief Executive

of the Howard League for Penal Reform, taking the Books to Prisoners campaign to Downing Street,

June 2014. Photo: Andy Aichison www.prisonimage.org

English PEN’s outreach programme, Readers & Writers, reaches a diverse range of communities, including prisoners, refugees and young people. Highlights have included our annual prison writing competition, now in its fourth year, which offers a unique opportunity for prisoners to have their work assessed by a leading author and to be published in a pamphlet. We were delighted to receive a record 500 entries from 80 prisons. With funding from the AB Charitable Trust, the winning and commended entries were published in an anthology, In a Parallel Universe.

This year’s judge, award-winning author Meg Rosoff, commented on the high quality of the entries in an article for the Guardian, describing it as ‘an amazing competition’. Her introduction to the anthology offers guidance for all aspiring writers: ‘The ability to write a nice sentence doesn’t make anyone a writer. What makes you a writer is the compulsion to say something, to somehow express the thoughts that swirl around in your deepest self, ideas informed by feelings you don’t admit to everyone (sometimes not even to yourself).’

We also ran flash fiction writing workshops, supported by Big Lottery Fund, which reached 200 young offenders and prisoners under the age of 26. Feedback from the participants and prison librarians demonstrated that this short form of writing is particularly popular with young offenders, who enjoy performing in competitive slams.

English PEN invites the most inspiring writers and facilitators to develop new talent. Young people are a priority so that we can engage with the next generation and offer opportunities for creative expression and development. Our workshops included a year-long project funded by the European Commission in England and the EU, engaging participants in a creative writing and public speaking programme exploring citizenship and identity. The project involved partnerships between UK schools and community groups and their counterparts in Germany, Spain, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Ireland.

We were pleased to develop our creative writing and translation programme Brave New Voices. Thanks to initial support from the Limbourne Trust in 2014-15, this will be a three-year project for young refugees and asylum seekers, celebrating their multi-lingual skills and supporting their connection with the wider community. English PEN was also able to bring its outreach and translation programmes together in a tour of Syria Speaks, a remarkable anthology of writing and art from Syria which won a PEN Promotes award. Contributors to the anthology, including leading Syrian writers, led workshops with refugees and sixth form students. This was a unique opportunity to introduce Syrian authors and artists to a young and diverse audience, increasing knowledge of the country’s literature and culture at a time of conflict. A sampler of the book was distributed to colleges and community centres.

GIVING VOICE TO COMMUNITIES


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Between EU and Me project final showcase, December 2014. Photo: Jamie Smith

English PEN’s Writers in Translation programme has been celebrating a decade of supporting literature in translation. In March we held a tenth anniversary party at Foyles Charing Cross, with speeches from anniversary patron Elif Shafak and English PEN President Maureen Freely. New funding, new prizes and renewed interest in translation and translators have helped to create a vibrant culture in the UK for world literature, where it is no longer surprising to see foreign fiction win awards or become bestsellers. Thanks to grants from Bloomberg and Arts Council England, English PEN is proud to have been at the forefront in transforming the profile and reach of international writing. Our constant collaboration with translators, whether through our Translation Committee or through partnerships and projects, is central to our success.

Our activities have helped to professionalise the role of the translator, contributing to a rise in the range of languages being translated and published in the UK, and to the increased visibility of foreign literature amongst readers. We have now supported more than 100 books in translation, including some of the most celebrated authors in world literature. All titles are now showcased on our World Bookshelf website, which we’re delighted to have launched in a new partnership with Foyles. The website champions translators alongside authors.

This year, we supported 47 books in translation. Two of the titles supported by English PEN won major international awards: Juan Gabriel Vasquez was awarded the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for The Sound of Things Falling and Hassan Blasim won the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his short-story collection The Iraqi Christ.

English PEN is at the centre of a vibrant community of translators, publishers, editors and writers that comes together to discuss, debate and explore the art and profession of translation at International Translation Day (ITD) and at the Literary Translation Centre. Our Dragon’s Den-style event ‘Pitch Perfect’ at ITD, where translators pitch translations to a panel of publishers, has now become a regular fixture at ITD.

We have also worked with emerging translators through our PEN Samples scheme, and through a pilot translation workshop, in partnership with Commonwealth Writers, British Centre for Literary Translation and the Dhaka Translation Centre, which brought together ten Bangla-English translators in Dhaka to develop their skills alongside experts and editors. During this period we launched the first European Literature Night Translation Pitch (in partnership with EUNIC, the Czech Centre and Free Word) which invited translators from European languages to pitch a book that had not yet been acquired by a UK publisher. The project was presented live to an audience and panel of publishing experts in June. The call out received over 60 applications.

Our online series of international literary dispatches, PEN Atlas, featured original writing by leading authors from 28 countries and continues to be the most popular post on English PEN’s website. Contributors have included Elena Ferrante, Rasha Abbas and Roberto Saviano.

TRANSLATING WORLD LITERATURE


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Yasmin Fedda, Khaled Khalifa, Malu Halasa and Khalil Youness discuss the PEN-supported anthology Syria Speaks at Rich Mix, London, June 2014. Photo: Pablo Monteagudo


Highlights of the year included the PEN Pinter Prize, awarded to Salman Rushdie, who selected Syrian journalist and activist Mazen Darwish to receive the International Writer of Courage Award. Twenty-five years after the fatwa, Rushdie’s speech focused on ‘the mangling of language which makes possible the creation of tyranny’, speaking of his concerns about the impact of violence and extremism in Syria and Iraq. ‘To feel aversion towards such a force is not bigotry. It is the only possible response to the horror of events.’ He observed that journalists around the world had never been in more danger and that PEN’s work has never been more important. Rushdie appeared the following day at the The Times and the Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival in conversation with Kirsty Wark.

We were excited to launch a new annual lecture, the PEN HG Wells Lecture, in memory of the charity’s second president. Wells’s remarkable range of political and literary interests still captures the essence of PEN’s remit today. As a visionary, Wells can even claim credit for foreseeing the creation of the worldwide web. As a founding father, he offers the perfect bridge between PEN’s present, future and its past. Award-winning writer Audrey Niffenegger delivered the first lecture at the science fiction convention Worldcon in London.

David Reynolds won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for his book The Long Shadow: The Great War and the Twentieth Century (Simon & Schuster). The prize is awarded annually for a non-fiction book of specifically historical content. In a work that reassesses the First World War, Reynolds has been praised for a compelling and original analysis. Sonali Deraniyagala won the PEN Ackerley Prize for her memoir Wave (Virago). It is a frank memoir of grief that begins in Sri Lanka on 26 December 2004, when the author lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami. The Ackerley Prize is the only literary award in Britain dedicated to memoir and autobiography.

English PEN’s Literary Salon at the London Book Fair hosted talks with Hermione Lee, Jim Crace and Evie Wyld amongst other leading writers. Authors from South Korea, this year’s market focus, included Shin Kyung-Sook, Yi Mun-yol and Hwang Sok-yong in a fascinating series of conversations about literature, culture and dissent.

CELEBRATING LITERARY ACHIEVEMENT

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Antonia Fraser presents the 2014 PEN Pinter Prize to Salman Rushdie at the British Library, October 2014. Photo: George Torode www.georgetorode.com

GRANTS AND DONATIONS

ENGLISH PEN WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US THIS YEAR


THE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF ENGLISH PEN

Trusts & Foundations

AB Charitable Trust

Arts Council England

Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society

European Commission

The Foyle Foundation

Help for Heroes

The JRSST Charitable Trust

The Limbourne Trust

The Neil Kreitman Foundation

The Open Society Foundations

The Phoenix Charitable Foundation

The Sigrid Rausing Trust

The Thompson Family Charitable Trust

Silver PEN Partners

Canongate

Faber & Faber

Hachette UK

HarperCollins

London Book Fair

Penguin Random House

Simon & Schuster

Corporate Donors

Bloomberg LP

Four Colman Getty

Benefactors

Ruth Maxted

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At the PEN Quiz, one lucky participant comes forward to collect a raffle prize, November 2014. Photo: George Torode www.georgetorode.com

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014-2015

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GOVERNING DOCUMENT

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The Articles of Association were amended in January 2014.

English PEN was incorporated on 17 March 2006 and registered as a charity on 26 August 2008. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association and a deed of trust. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW TRUSTEES

The Articles of Association of English PEN allow for the election of between five and eighteen trustees, to serve up to a maximum of two terms, with an additional three spaces for co-options. Trustees are elected by and from English PEN’s members at the Annual General Meeting.

INDUCTION AND TRAINING OF NEW TRUSTEES

All new Trustees are provided with the Articles of Association of English PEN, a copy of the Charity Commission’s guidance on the role and responsibilities of Trustees. At two annual away days all Trustees come together to monitor the charity’s progress, to agree future targets for development, and to monitor their own performance as a board.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Membership of English PEN is open to poets, playwrights, essayists, editors, journalists, novelists, translators, publishers and other persons similarly engaged who share the organisation’s aims of promoting literature and human rights. Members have the right to stand and vote in elections to the Board, ensuring a high standard of internal transparency and accountability. Non-voting friends and student members also contribute to English PEN’s voluntary activities. The Board of Trustees, chaired by the President, is responsible for the organisation’s good governance, and delegates day-to-day management responsibility to the Director, who oversees the work of staff and volunteers. The Board also delegates specific functions to the Audit Committee, the Translation Committee and the Nominations and Remuneration Committee, each of which has Terms of Reference setting out their purpose, membership and reporting structure.

RELATED PARTIES

English PEN is the founding centre of PEN International, and has voting rights at the Assembly of Delegates, which constitutes PEN International’s Annual General Meeting. English PEN is also one of eight founding members of the Free Word Centre, which opened in London in 2009 after a three-year feasibility study concluded that the beneficiaries of organisations in the literature, literacy and free speech sectors would be well served by the creation of a new flagship building. Whilst Free Word provides English PEN with a physical home, and the capacity for far closer working relationships within these sectors, it has no authority over English PEN’s organisational strategy or internal policies. All founding members have observer status at Free Word Board meetings.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.

RESERVES POLICY

It is the charity’s policy to hold reserves to cover operating costs for six months.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

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PUBLIC BENEFITEnglish PEN’s registration as a charity on 26 August 2008 marked the Charity Commission’s acceptance of the organisation’s public benefit throughout its activities. The Charity Commission agreed with the Trustees that ‘writers, authors, editors, publishers and other persons similarly engaged throughout the world’ constitute a ‘particularly vulnerable’ class of beneficiaries. This ruling will enable English PEN to concentrate its resources most effectively on this beneficiary class, whilst – as the Charity Commission acknowledges – benefiting the public generally.

The Charity Commission’s Board made three noteworthy points in their review of English PEN’s application for charitable status. They ruled that the Commission is entitled to look beyond the expressed objects when considering whether an organisation is charitable; that the Commission is able to consider past activities as ‘informative but not determinative of charitable status’; and that the public benefit must be assessed in relation to ‘each individual object in turn’.

This means in practice that the public benefit of English PEN’s work has been exhaustively demonstrated across all of its activities.

The Charity Commission also reaffirmed the guidance in publication RR12, that ‘international advocacy of human rights is a means of promoting human rights as it is understood in charity law and that this includes advocating the adoption of, and compliance with, international and regional codes of human rights’. Coupled with English PEN’s clear internal procedures for assessing the scale of a human rights threat before engaging in political campaigning, this guidance give the charity flexibility to allocate its resources to campaigns as and when appropriate in pursuit of its charitable objects.

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees (who are also the directors of English PEN for the purpose of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;

• make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In so far as the Trustees are aware:

• there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and

• the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

STATEMENT AS TO DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITORS

So far as the Trustees are aware, there is no relevant information (as defined by Section 418 of the Companies Act 2006) of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware, and each trustee has taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make them aware of any audit information and to establish that the charitable company’s auditors are aware of that information.

AUDITORS

The auditors, Messrs. Grant Harrod Parkinson LLP, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

M FREELY - PRESIDENT2 November 2015


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REPORT OF TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2015

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

E Allfrey Resigned 24 March 2015

C Armitstead Elected 2 December 2013

M Freely (Chair) Elected 7 March 2014

P Gwyn Jones Elected 2 December 2013

D Hahn Re-elected 2 December 2013

A T Hopkinson Resigned 2 December 2014

C Jarvis Resigned 12 April 2014

R N Kent Resigned 2 December 2014

B P W Kernon (Honorary Treasurer) Co-opted

C M King Elected 2 December 2014

N Lalwani Resigned 10 October 2014

D P Miller Resigned 2 December 2014

C Moore Elected 2 December 2014

G Proudler Elected 2 December 2013

P Sands Elected 3 December 2012

S Schnee Elected 2 December 2014

N Walter Elected 2 December 2014

DIRECTOR Jo Glanville

DEPUTY DIRECTOR Catherine Taylor

REGISTERED OFFICE Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA

COMPANY NUMBER 05747142 (England and Wales)

CHARITY NUMBER 1125610

AUDITORS Grant Harrod Lerman Davis LLP - Chartered Accountants 1st Floor, Healthaid House Marlborough Hill Harrow, HA1 1UD

BANKERS HSBC 76-78 Kings Road, London SW3 4TZ

The Trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2015. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ issued in March 2005.

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We have audited the financial statements of English PEN for the year ended 31 March 2015 on pages 19 to 28. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008) (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice applicable to Smaller Entities).

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES AND AUDITORS

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities set out on page 14, the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view.

Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors, including APB Ethical Standard-Provisions Avalible for Small Entities (Revised), in the circumstances set out in note 14 to the financial statements.

SCOPE OF THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the charitable company’s circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the trustees; and the overall presentation of the financial statements. In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information in the Report of the Trustees to identify material inconsistencies with the audited financial statements and to identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in the course of performing the audit. If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies we consider the implications for our report.

OPINION ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2015 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its result, for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice applicable to Smaller Entities; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

OPINION ON OTHER MATTER PRESCRIBED BY THE COMPANIES ACT 2006

In our opinion the information given in the Report of the Trustees for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of Trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

• the Trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies exemption from the requirement to prepare a Strategic Report or in preparing the Report of the Trustees.

JEREMY HARROD FCCA 2 November 2015

Grant Harrod Lerman Davis LLP - Chartered Accountants1st Floor, Healthaid HouseMarlborough HillHarrow, HA1 1UD

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE MEMBERS OF ENGLISH PEN

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2015 INCOME AND EXPENDITURE

UnrestrictedFunds

£

RestrictedFunds

£

TotalFunds

Year ended2014

£

TotalFunds

Year ended2015

£

Note

The notes on pages 19 to 28 form part of these financial statements.

None of the company’s activities were acquired or discontinued during the financial period.

The company has no recognised gains or losses other than these dealt with in the above Statement of Financial Activities.

95,515 50,666

4,307 211

189,984 1,081

341,764

32,927

- -

- -

350,590 17,635

-

401,152

(59,388)

(171,005)

5,702

(224,691)

447,088

222,397

18,525 2,041 5,347

-

242,914 -

268,827

-

75,668 59,579

207,385 69,612 19,620

- - -

431,865

(163,038)

171,005

7,388

15,355

151,648

167,003

112,252 441,168

8,400 244

439,365 1,214

1,002,643

44,509

123,788 63,592

188,920 40,189

342,544 23,098

-

826,640

176,003

-

24,550

200,553

398,183

598,736

114,040 52,707

9,655 211

432,898 1,081

610,590

32,927

75,668 59,579

207,385 69,612 19,620

350,590 17,635

-

833,016

(222,426)

-

13,091

(209,335)

598,736

389,401

2

3,4

9

6

Incoming ResourcesIncoming resources from generated Funds Voluntary income Activities for generating funds Income from investments Bank interest receivableIncoming resources from charitable activities Grants receivable Other income

Total Incoming Resources

Resources ExpendedCost of Generating Funds: Costs of generating voluntary income

Charitable Activities Readers and Writers Writers at Risk Writers in Translation Campaigns Prizes Other Charitable expenditureGovernance costsOther resources expended

Total Resources Expended

Net Incoming/(Outgoing Resources)Before Transfers

Transfers Between Funds

Other recognised Gains and losses Gain/(Loss) on revaluation of investments

Net Movement in funds for the year

Funds Brought Forward

Funds Carried Forward

17

The notes on pages 19 to 28 form part of these financial statements.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008).

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 30 October 2015 and were signed on its behalf by:

Maureen Freely Barry Kernon President Treasurer

Company Registration Number: 05747142

UnrestrictedFunds

£

RestrictedFunds

£

2014Total

Funds£

2015Total

Funds£

Note

24,834 131,782 156,616

33,930 93,443

127,373

(61,591)

65,782

222,397

- 90,938 90,938

11,987 138,671 150,657

(74,593)

76,065

167,003

34,836 209,629 244,465

77,490 452,300 529,790

(175,519)

354,271

598,736

151,648 255,718 191,370

598,736

24,834 222,720 247,554

45,917 232,113 278,030

(136,184)

141,847

389,401

167,003 198,775

23,622

389,401

56

7

8

910

Fixed AssetsTangible assetsInvestments

Current AssetsDebtorsCash at bank and in hand

CreditorsAmounts falling due within one year

Net Current Assets

Total Assets Less Current Liabilities

FundsRestrictedUnrestricted DesignatedUnrestricted

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2015 BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2015


18


BASIS OF ACCOUNTING

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008), the Companies Act 2006 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

The following principal accounting policies, which are unchanged from the previous year, have been consistently applied in preparing these financial statements.

INCOMING RESOURCES

Grants, subscriptions and donations are accounted for on an receipts basis, other income on an accruals basis, except for certain advance payments received at the end of the financial year in respect of activities to take place in the following financial year, which are carried forward in the financial statements as deferred income. Other income is accounted for on an accruals basis.

RESOURCES EXPENDED

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Wherever possible costs are directly attributed to these headings. Costs common to more than one area are apportioned on the basis of staff time.

Governance costs are those incurred in the governance of the charity and are primarily associated with the constitutional and statutory requirements.

FUND ACCOUNTING

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by the donor.

Unrestricted funds are funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objects of the charity.

Designated funds represent amounts set aside by the Trustees from unrestricted income to meet specific purposes.

TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Items with a value greater than £250 are capitalised. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Provision is made for depreciation on all tangible assets at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life, as follows:

Fixtures, fittings, computers & software–25% per annum on a reducing balance basis

INVESTMENTS

Investments are stated at market value as at the balance sheet date. Any gain or loss on revaluation is taken to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

PENSION COSTS

Pension contributions payable to employee defined contribution pension schemes are charged to the Statement of Financial Affairs in the period to which they relate.

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/151 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

19


Restricted

AB Charitable Trust


Bloomberg L.P.

Booktrust

European Commission

Foyle Foundation

Help for Heroes


Joyce Carr Doughty Trust

Newham Sixth Form College

Open Society Foundations

(Campaigns)

Open Society Foundations

(Criminal Defamation)

Other Restricted Grants

PEN Pinter Prize Fund

Phoenix Charitable Trust

Big Lottery Fund

The Limbourne Trust

The Monument Trust


Unrestricted

Arts Council England - Revenue

Arts Council England - GftA

The Neil Kreitman Foundation

Total Grants Receivable

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

11,700

-

-

24,151

-

1,984

-

-

-

-

35,000

72,835

-

-

-

-

72,835

7,500

120,000

50,000

1,000

19,541

10,000

-

-

-

-

17,166

-

3,500

5,000

5,000

8,250

-

16,000

25,000

287,957

36,190

105,218

10,000

151,408

439,365

-

120,000

25,000

-

3,987

-

3,000

16,830

3,300

5,050

11,610

8,019

-

8,016

5,000

(1,398)

9,500

-

25,000

242,914

70,000

109,984

10,000

189,984

432,898

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

10,000

5,000

-

-

-

25,000

40,000

70,000

-

-

70,000

110,000

Grants received

£

Deferred income carried

forward£

Total 2014£

Total 2015£

Deferred income

brought forward

£

-

120,000

25,000

-

3,987

-

3,000

16,830

15,000

5,050

11,610

32,170

-

-

-

(1,398)

9,500

-

35,000

275,749

-

109,984

10,000

119,984

395,733

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/152 GRANTS RECEIVABLE

20


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/153 STAFF COSTS

20142015STAFF ARE ALLOCATED AS FOLLOWS

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Pension costs

Readers and Writers staff

Writers at Risk staff

Writers in Translation staff

Campaigns staff

Other charitable activities

Management and Administration

Total

20142015THE AGGREGATE PAYROLL COSTS WERE

312,319

30,844

6,755

349,918

2.0

1.5

1.5

0.5

2.0

2.0

9.5

335,990

30,446

12,537

378,973

1.7

1.0

1.6

0.6

3.2

2.6

10.7

During the year two Trustees were reimbursed £2,315 expenses for travel (including £1,330 for travel of one Trustee to the PEN International event, Guadalajara Book Fair in Mexico City) (2014 : £1,143 to three Trustees).

During the year, one Trustee received a total of £100 for chairing PEN Salon at London Book Fair (2014 : £840 to three trustees for translation work).

No employee received an annual remuneration in excess of £60,000 (2014: nil).

The total number of employees calculated on a full time equivalent basis during the year was 10.7 (2014 - 9.5).

21


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/154 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED

55,723

80

112

-

329

-

375 -

427

95

2,313

-

- -

34

-

39

-

51

59,579

63,592

Staff Costs (note 3)

Temps/recruitment/training

Rent and other office costs

Printing and design

Travel, subsistence and entertaining

Advertising and marketing

Writers’ fees and expenses

Grants to Writers

Campaign costs

Prizes, events/workshops and room hire

Research and Professional Costs

Audit costs

Accountancy costs

Legal fees

Bank charges

Depreciation

Subscriptions, publications and conferences

Bad debts

Miscellaneous expenses

Total Resources Expended and Support Costs

2014

63,624

673

27 -

504

-

20,373

107,611 -

14,267

-

-

-

-

306

-

-

-

-

207,385

188,920

-

-

64

258

3,981

-

300

-

-

14,017

1,000

-

-

- -

-

-

- -

19,620

0

35,709

16

8,923

455

2,926

-

-

- -

4,877

16,700

- -

-

7 -

-

-

-

69,612

40,189

49,533

180

3,147

3,661

1,981

-

15,266

-

-

(52)

1,800 -

-

-

-

-

153

-

-

75,668

123,788

Writers at Risk

£

Writers in Translation

£

Prizes

£

Campaigns

£

Readers & Writers

£

174,384

11,430

66,199

17,433

4,205

2,000

8,725

3,400

-

17,494

15,970

(600)

418

1,891

1,808

11,038

14,395

293

108

350,590

387,053

-

1,770

1,123

2,210

935

- -

-

-

1,696

129

5,400 -

2,108 -

-

-

-

2,264

17,635

23,098

378,973

14,149

79,594

24,016

14,861

2,000

45,039

111,011

427

52,395

37,911

4,800

418

3,999

2,155

11,038

14,587

293

2,423

800,090

826,640

Governance

£

2015

£

Other Charitable

Expenditure

£

349,918

9,237

69,029

30,033

14,755

1,200

64,080

102,670

546

84,327

28,652

5,400

481

7,370

3,970

15,752

38,247

(760)

1,733

826,640

2014

£

22


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/155 TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

CostAt 1 April 2014 Additions Disposals

At 31 March 2015

DepreciationAt 1 April 2014 Charge for the year

At 31 March 2015

Net Book ValueAt 31 March 2015

At 31 March 2014

Fittings, Computers and Software

56,664 1,036 -

57,700

21,828 11,038 -32,866

24,834

34,836

City of London Inv Trust

M&G Investment (Charifund)

COIF Fixed Interest (CCLA)

Cost 2015Market Value 2015

58,776

73,006

90,938

222,720

Market Value 2014 Cost 2014

31,397

44,160

82,901

158,458

56,023

70,056

83,550

209,629

31,397

44,160

82,901

158,458

Market value as at 1 April

Unrealised gain on investment

Market Value as at 31 March

Historical Cost

2014£

2015£

185,079

24,550

209,629

158,548

209,629

13,091

222,720

158,548

6 FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS

23


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/157 DEBTORS

Trade debtors

FEST Auction costs paid in advance

Other debtors

2014£

2015£

70,725

-

6,765

77,490

23,612

-

22,305

45,917

Trade creditors

Social security and other taxes

Deferred income - Restricted

Deferred income - Voluntary

Accruals and other creditors

2014£

2015£

26,554

8,504

110,000

-

30,461

175,519

45,955

7,922

72,835

-

9,472

136,184

8 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

24


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/159 RESTRICTED FUNDS

Grants and donations:

AB Charitable Trust

Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society


Bloomberg L.P.

European Commission

Foyle Foundation

Help for Heroes

Hessell-Tiltman Prize Fund

Joyce Carr Doughty Trust

Newham Sixth Form College

Open Society Foundations (Libel Reform)

Open Society Foundations (Criminal Defamation)

PEN Pinter Prize Fund

Phoenix Charitable Trust

Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund

Big Lottery Fund

The Limbourne Trust

The Monument Trust



Other restricted funds:

Readers and Writers

Writers at Risk

Writers in Translation

Campaigns

Balance at 2014

£

4,050

-

101,768

23,615

4,551

10,000

-

-

- -

-

-

-

-

1,121

-

-

6,543

-

-

-

-

-

-

151,648

IncomingResources

£

ResourcesExpended

£

Balance at2015

Before Transfers

£

Transfers from Un-

restricted Funds

£

Balance at2015After

Transfers

£

Gain on Revaluation

of Invest- ments

£

Balance at2015

£

-

5,000

126,430

10,941

- -

716

8,547 -

2,655

2,092

0

-

-

1,121

-

9,500

- -

-

-

-

-

-

167,003

-

5,000

120,000

25,000

3,987

-

3,000

5,347

3,300

5,050

11,610

8,019

10,432

5,000

-

(1,398)

9,500

-

16,830

25,000

-

25

110

13,014

268,827

4,050 -

95,338

37,674

8,538

10,000

2,284

4,188

3,300

2,395

9,518

8,019

10,432

5,000 -

(1,398)

-

6,543

18,020

25,000

49,956

34,579

64,374

34,056

431,865

-

5,000

126,430

10,941

-

-

716

1,159 -

2,655

2,092

0

-

-

1,121

-

9,500

-

(1,190)

-

(49,956)

(34,554)

(64,263)

(21,042)

(11,390)

- -

- -

-

- -

- - -

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,190 -

49,956

34,554

64,263

21,042

171,005

-

5,000

126,430

10,941

-

-

716

1,159

-

2,655

2,092

0

-

-

1,121

-

9,500 -

-

-

-

-

- -

159,615

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

7,388

-

- -

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

7,388

25


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/15

The AB Charitable Trust co-funded two Readers & Writers projects: Brave New Voices for young refugees and asylums seekers and Life Stories, for men and women prisoners serving long-term sentences.

Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society supported the tenth anniversary of Writers in Translation, including the publication of Life from Elsewhere: Journeys in World Literature published by Pushkin Press.

Arts Council England supported English PEN’s core activities and Writers in Translation programme.

The Big Lottery Fund supported the Flash Words project for young offenders which offered short runs of creative writing workshops, featuring flash fiction in four Young Offender Institutions in 2013-14.

Bloomberg LP supported English PEN’s Writers in Translation programme, including PEN Promotes, PEN Atlas and English PEN’s outreach work.

The Joyce Carr Doughty Charitable Trust funded a writer in residence at HMP Leicester.

The European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom funded Between EU and Me, a year-long youth project about citizenship and identity, enabling English PEN to work with schools and community groups in the UK, Germany, Spain, Croatia and Ireland.

The Foyle Foundation supported the April 2014 Literary Translation Centre (LTC) at the London Book Fair, enabling the LTC partners to organise a stimulating series of events and discussions with international translators and literary professionals.

Help for Heroes supported creative writing workshops for returning servicemen and women undergoing treatment at the Tedworth House Recovery Centre in Wiltshire.

The Hessell-Tiltman Prize Fund supports the annual Hessell-Tiltman Prize awarded annually for a non-fiction book of specifically historical content. Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman was a member of PEN.

The JRSST Charitable Trust funded English PEN’s campaign for libel reform in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The Limbourne Trust funded the start of a three-year project, Brave New Voices, for young refugees and asylum seekers in Greater London.

Ruth Maxted funded the PEN Pinter Prize 2014.

Newham Sixth Form College funded a writing and publishing project, continuing the partnership with English PEN into a third year.

The Open Society Foundations supported English PEN’s campaign for libel reform and the campaign for the reform of criminal defamation in the EU. Established by George Soros, the OSF works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens.

The Phoenix Charitable Trust funded the PEN Pinter Prize 2014.

The Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund supported individual writers at risk internationally.

The Sigrid Rausing Trust funded English PEN’s advocacy for freedom of expression in the UK and around the world.

The Thompson Family Charitable Trust funded the PEN Pinter Prize 2014.

Other restricted funds include restricted income other than grants, generated through fundraising and events, and expenditure on programme activities not supported by restricted income from funding organisations.

26


ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2014/1510 DESIGNATED FUND

Designated fund (opening balance)

Funds utilised in upgrading and developing computer infrastructure

Funds utilised in charitable programmes:

- Readers and Writers

- Writers at Risk

- Writers in Translation

- Campaigns

- Other Charitable Activities

Office support costs - paid internship

Total Designated Fund at 31 March 2015

2014£

2015£

344,570

(22,888)

(50,000)

(1,860)

(6,650)

(7,454)

255,718

255,718

(12,000)

(9,874)

(517)

(3,461)

(16,132)

(2,000)

(12,959)

198,775

As reported in last year’s Annual Report, a designated fund was created from the profit of £344,570 generated from FEST (“First Editions, Second Thoughts”) auction held in May 2013. The designated fund was utilised as follows during the year to 31 March 2015:

27


11 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

131,782

-

90,938

222,720

General Unrestricted Funds

Designated Funds

Restricted Funds

Total Funds

(132,994)

198,775

76,065

141,847

191,370

255,718

151,648

598,736

23,622

198,775

167,003

389,401

24,834

-

-

24,834

Investments£

NetCurrent

Assets£

Total 2014£

Total 2015£

TangibleFixed Assets

£

12 LIMITED LIABILITYEnglish PEN is a company limited by guarantee. Liability is limited to £1 per member. As at 31 March 2015 there were 1,379 members.

13 OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTSAt 31 March 2015 English PEN had annual commitments of £2,261 under an operating lease expiring within 2-5 years.

14 APB ETHICAL STANDARD - PROVISIONS AVAILABLE FOR SMALL ENTITIESIn common with many other business of our size and nature we use our auditors to prepare and submit returns to the tax authorities, and to assist in the preparation of the financial statements.

28


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