English PEN Annual Report 2013-14

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014
English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014
About English PEN

English PEN promotes the freedom
to write and the freedom to read
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.
Cover photo: Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip

thanks 2013 PEN/Pinter prize-winner Sir Tom
Stoppard for selecting her as International
Writer of Courage. British Library, October 2013.
Credit: George Torode
We seek to bring as much of the worlds 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.
Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN
Presidents statement
Introduction
Campaigning for writers at risk

around the world
Campaigning in the UK
Giving voice to communities
Translating world literature
Celebrating writers at public events
Grants and donations

Annual Accounts 2013/14
10
12-28
Welcome from Maureen Freely, President

I was delighted to be elected President of the Board of
English PEN this Spring. After 15 years of supporting
PENs work for writers at risk, as an author and
translator, its an honour to be playing a key role in the
charitys future.
We can never take free speech or creative freedom for
granted. English PENs programmes are all dedicated
towards improving the conditions in which writers and
readers can flourish: whether our staff and partners
are challenging the new threats to communicating
online freely, taking opportunities for self-expression
to disadvantaged communities or ensuring that world
literature reaches the widest audience possible
through our programme of translation grants.
We are grateful to all our funders, supporters and
members for making our work possible. Arts Council
England announced this summer that English PEN
will receive national portfolio funding for a further
three years, which is a welcome endorsement of
our achievements and an essential core grant for
our activities.
English PENs growth depends on the funds to match

our ambitions. Our huge success last year at our
fundraising auction First Editions, Second Thoughts,
hosted by Sothebys, has enabled us to expand our
team, invest in our infrastructure and consolidate our
growth. It has been a rare and exciting opportunity
at a time of economic insecurity in the UK and we
remain grateful to the generosity of the authors who
helped to raise funds.
English PENs identity and resilience depends on
the community of writers, publishers, journalists,
translators, bloggers, readers and activists who
support our work. Our members and supporters have
a professional as well as a principled investment
in protecting and promoting the written word and
are a significant factor in our success from raising
concerns about threats to free speech to championing
literature in prisons and refugee centres.
Thank you for supporting English PEN.
English PENs
programmes are all
dedicated towards
improving the
conditions in which
writers and readers
can flourish
John Hegley at the launch of

the Make My Day! diary at the
Tricycle Theatre, 20 June 2013.
2
Introduction from Jo Glanville, Director

This has been a year of intense activity and notable
achievement for English PEN. Following our significant
fundraising success we have increased our capacity
and are focusing on getting the message out more
effectively to our members and the wider public.
Our translation programme now has an exciting new
partnership with Foyles and a dedicated website,
World Bookshelf, that showcases the outstanding
contemporary literature we have supported over the
past decade. Three of our books won awards this year,
which is recognition of the quality of English PENs
continuing scheme, funded by Arts Council England
and Bloomberg.
We are also proud to have expanded our advocacy
for freedom of expression in the UK and abroad:
publishing a report on the impact of the Gezi protests
on free speech in Turkey; hosting a roundtable on the
challenges to freedom of expression at the London
Book Fair with visiting Turkish writers; taking our
campaign for libel reform to Northern Ireland and
Scotland; launching new advocacy in support of access
to books in prison and campaigning for the protection
of freedom of expression online.
Young people remain the core beneficiaries of

our outreach work, a diverse group that includes
schoolchildren, young offenders and refugees.
The team at English PEN has grown and we are
pleased to have welcomed a fundraising manager,
Stuart Linnett, along with a new deputy director,
Catherine Taylor, and a new head of programmes,
Louise Swan.
We are also delighted to have created a paid internship
programme, offering graduates an opportunity to
break into the arts, literature and human rights.
English PENs interns have quickly become a vital
part of the team and play an important role in
co-ordinating our Student PEN Centres, which are
proving to be a dynamic and creative addition to
our network. With a strong team, we are well placed
to build on our success, with new partnerships and
exciting plans for the future.
Campaigning for writers at risk

around the world
Our international advocacy has focused on Turkey,
supporting individual writers at risk and calling for
greater protection for freedom of expression. In March,
we published a joint report with PEN International,
assessing the impact of the Gezi Park protests on free
speech. The report includes eyewitness testimony
from leading journalists and authors, underlining the
multiple pressures facing writers in Turkey. We also
published an open letter, signed by leading Turkish
and international authors including Elif Shafak, Orhan
Pamuk, Salman Rushdie and Gnter Grass, calling on the
Turkish government to respect freedom of expression
as a universal and fundamental human right, and to
create an environment in which all citizens are able to
express themselves freely without fear of censorship or
punishment. We have written a joint submission to the
UN Universal Periodic Review on Turkey with partners
at ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists,
Freedom House and PEN International. The submission
addresses legislative restrictions to freedom of
expression, including the misuse of counter-terrorism
legislation and increasing restrictions on freedom of
expression online.
We continued our support for international writers in
prison, including the Cameroonian poet and activist
Enoh Meyomesse, who is serving a seven- year sentence.
We are grateful to all the translators who generously
gave up their time and expertise to translate a book of
Meyomesses poems, Jail Verse: Poems from Kondengui
Prison, as part of our campaign for his release.
The publication is the latest in English PENs creative
use of literature in support of advocacy. English PENs
collection of poetry in support of Pussy Riot, Catechism,
was awarded Best Poetry Anthology in the Saboteur
Awards 2013. We were delighted to welcome members
of Pussy Riot on a visit to London last year in meetings
with their supporters and with the press.
Enoh Meyomesse
Graphic: Bobby Agrawal
Jail Verse is the latest

example of English PENs
creative use of literature
in support of advocacy
English PEN is also part of a broad coalition of NGOs
working together on the case of Vietnamese blogger
and human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan. We issued a
joint statement strongly condemning the decision of
the Appeal Court to uphold his sentence and will be
continuing to work closely with our partners on his
case. His family remain hugely grateful for the support
of the international community. Quans brother wrote
to the coalition to thank us for our support, adding:
I believe that Quan also feel [sic] your love for him.
In addition, English PEN submitted a Universal Periodic
Review on Vietnam to the UN with PEN International,
ARTICLE 19 and Access.
The Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip shared the PEN
Pinter award with Tom Stoppard in a moving ceremony
at the British Library in 2013. The prize is awarded to
writers who, in the words of Pinters Nobel prize speech
in 2005, cast an unflinching, unswerving gaze upon
the world, and show a fierce intellectual determination
... to define the real truth of our lives and our societies.
Stoppards friendship and support for Khalip embodies
the spirit of English PENs work an international
community of writers standing together in solidarity
and resisting censorship.
Campaigning for freedom

of expression in the UK
It has been an exceptionally busy year for advocacy
in the UK. The Defamation Act came into force on
1 January 2014 in England and Wales, the culmination of
four years campaigning by English PEN and its partners.
Our achievement has been acknowledged as one of the
most significant successes for human rights advocacy
in recent years. The support of English PENs members
and supporters has been critical in reaching our goal.
We are now taking the campaign to Northern Ireland
and Scotland, where we are working closely with local
journalists, lawyers, writers and activists to develop a
grassroots campaign for reform.
In the wake of Edward Snowdens revelations about the
intelligence services mass collection of our private
data, English PEN has formed an unprecedented new
coalition with leading civil liberties groups, under the
banner Dont Spy On Us, calling for legislation and
judicial oversight to protect our freedom of expression
online. We are challenging the governments invasion
of British citizens privacy at the European Court
of Human Rights, which has designated the case
a priority, and are intervening in David Mirandas
appeal, following his detention under the Terrorism
Act in the course of his work on the Snowden leaks.
In a world of digital communications, it has now
become essential for free speech advocates to protect
privacy so that we can continue to share information
and ideas freely.
Author Simon Singh, solicitor Kate Briscoe of Legal Beagles,

comedian Dara Briain, and scientist and presenter
Professor Brian Cox celebrate the passage of the
Defamation Act 2013.
Credit: Marianne Baker
In recognition of the importance of freedom of

expression online, we are also engaged in defending
communication on social media. We were concerned
by a number of new prosecutions which received
custodial sentences despite the former Director of
Public Prosecutions new guidelines for prosecutors,
which had recognised the importance of protecting
freedom of expression.
Our achievement has

been acknowledged as
one of the most significant
successes for human rights
advocacy in recent years
We have also been actively supporting access to books
in prison, following new regulations that restrict
families and friends from sending books to prisoners.
In partnership with the Howard League for Penal
Reform, and with the support of leading authors
including Carol Ann Duffy, Mark Haddon and Ian
McEwan, we have led a campaign that underlines the
vital importance of reading in prison.
All of English PENs campaigns in the UK support our
advocacy internationally. Our credibility and integrity
depends on our commitment to challenge restrictions
and threats to freedom of expression in our own
backyard as vigorously as overseas. We are grateful
to the journalists, lawyers and authors, many of whom
are English PEN members, who have generously given
their time and expertise to ensure that our protests do
not go unnoticed.
Giving voice to communities

English PENs outreach programme, Readers & Writers,
works with a diverse range of communities and writers,
taking the opportunity for creative expression to school
children, refugees, asylum seekers, prisoners and young
offenders in England. Young people remain our target
audience, but we are excited to be developing a new
programme with older people, in recognition of the
growing challenges facing an ageing population and
the potential for tapping the potential of reading and
writing for this age group.
Our translation workshops have continued to be a
dynamic source of creative engagement for young
people, refugees and asylum seekers, bringing together
the skills and expertise of our Writers in Translation
programme with our community work leaders. In 2013,
the Brave New Voices project ran for ten weeks, funded
by Calouste Gulbenkian, which included a workshop led
by the young French-Algerian writer Faza Gune and
translator Sarah Ardizzone at a sixth form college in
Greater London. This included a significant population
of Francophone young people from West and North
Africa along with young people from Arabic-speaking
communities. Online learning resources accompanying
the programme, including animation videos about the
fundamental concepts of translation, are now available
on the English PEN YouTube channel. This represents
a new opportunity to take our dedicated workshops to
a wider audience, giving young people, teachers and
community workers the chance to use English PENs
resources for their own projects and teaching.
We also made learning resources widely available

from our successful project on Faith in Free Speech,
which engaged young people of a faith background in
the free speech debate, one of the most challenging
and contentious areas for freedom of expression in
society today.
Our work in prisons has included flash fiction
workshops, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, with
young offenders and prisoners in four prison estates.
We have directly reached 200 offenders in 16 prisons
and young offenders institutions across England,
donated 1,000 books and, in partnership with Oxford
University Press, enabled 600 dictionaries to be
delivered for free. We have collaborated with National
Prison Radio, Writers in Prison Network (WIPN),
Inside Time, the Arts Alliance, the Prison Education Trust,
Quickreads and many publishers.
The English PEN prison writing competition
celebrated its third year, judged by author Jackie Kay.
As an established annual event, it offers an important
opportunity for English PEN to reach across the prison
population on an ambitious scale and is a showcase for
talent and ability that encourages creative and original
expression. More than 400 offenders from 60 prisons
submitted entries. A new category for flash fiction
was added to the competition in response to interest
expressed from young offenders involved in English
PEN workshops. The winners and commended entries
were published in a pamphlet, Running to Stand Still,
which was launched at a public event at the Free Word
Centre in January.
Workshop leaders
and participants in the
Brave New Words project
Credit: English PEN
Translating world literature

English PENs Writers in Translation programme has
now supported nearly 100 books, available on our
dedicated website World Bookshelf, launched this
year in a new partnership with Foyles. We are proud
to be at the heart of a thriving and creative network
of translators, authors, publishers, booksellers, readers
and academics in the UK, supporting outstanding
literature in translation. English PEN is a lead partner
in the annual event International Translation Day (ITD),
at the British Library. ITD sold out in 2013 and is a
unique forum, bringing together the leading figures in
the translation sector. We also supported the Literary
Translation Centre at the London Book Fair, another
important annual series of events for translators
and publishers.
Our PEN Translates

programme supported the
translation costs of 32 titles
from 15 different languages
Through our PEN Promotes programme, funded
by Bloomberg, we helped to publicise ten titles in
translation from ten different languages (Arabic,
Chinese, Czech, French, German, Polish, Russian,
Spanish, Tamil and Ukrainian). Our PEN Translates
programme, funded by Arts Council England, supported
the translation costs of 32 titles from 15 different
languages (Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Finnish,
French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Occitan, Polish,
Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish).
We have supported 38 events featuring over 60

international writers, translators and literary
professionals in 35 venues across the UK (including
Bath, Birmingham, Canterbury, Edinburgh, Ilkley,
Norwich, London, Manchester, Oxford, Stratford-uponAvon and York) and have reached a total of around
3,000 participants. Highlights include an event
at the Mosaic Rooms to celebrate the publication
Writing Revolution, which featured readings from
leading actors Jonjo ONeill and Sam West, as well
as a discussion with visiting authors and editors
about new writing in the Arab world, which was
another great success.
We have published 57 original PEN Atlas dispatches
on English PENs website. This included writing from
Africa, Argentina, Austria, Burma, Chechnya, Czech
Republic, Egypt, Equitorial Guinea, France, Greece,
Iran, Italy, Kurdistan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands,
North America, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Russia,
South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey and Ukraine.
Contributors ranged from emerging writers and
translators to literary heavyweights such as Otto de
Kat, Hannah Krall, Andrey Kurkov and Mikhail Shiskin.
In May 2013 we partnered with The Reading Agency
and Booktrust on the first ever Independent Foreign
Fiction Readers Prize, which gave readers a chance
to shadow the prestigious prize and select their own
winner. This project was over-subscribed and included
a readers day event at the Free Word Centre which
was well attended by reading groups from around the
UK. In March 2014 we also partnered with Oxygen
Books on a Readers Day at the Library of Birmingham.
Ngg wa Thiongo
interviewed by English PEN
trustee Amanda Hopkinson at
International Translation Day
2013 at the British Library
Celebrating writers
at public events
English PEN runs events throughout the year, featuring
leading authors, new talent and international writers.
We engage with the major challenges for freedom of
expression and reach a diverse audience through our
literary programme. We also award prizes for excellence,
including the PEN Ackerley Prize for literary biography,
which Richard Holloway won for Leaving Alexandria:
A Memoir of Faith and Doubt and the Hessell-Tiltman for
history, awarded to Keith Lowe for Savage Continent:
Europe in the Aftermath of World War II.
The PEN Literary Cafe at the London Book Fair featured
writers from Turkey, the 2013 market focus. We held a
sell-out event at the Arcola Theatre in East London with
leading Turkish authors including Murathan Mungan,
Oya Bayder and Ece Temelkuran. It was well attended
by the local Turkish and Kurdish community. We were
also delighted to host talks with Lionel Shriver and Will
Self at the London Book Fair itself.
Highlights of the year included a screening of Under

Milk Wood to mark the anniversary of Dylan Thomass
birth at the Tricycle Cinema. Musician and broadcaster
Cerys Matthews interviewed screenwriter and
director Andrew Sinclair about the making of the film.
Celebrated poet Linton Kwesi Johnson continued our
annual series Inspirations, selecting the literature
that has influenced him in his career, in a memorable
evening with Patience Agbabi. In June, English PEN
took part in the two-day Nordicana Festival at the
landmark Farmiloe Building in London with a sellout discussion chaired by broadcaster and author
Mark Lawson. Panellists included Borgen screenwriter
Adam Price. We were also delighted to see another
event sell out with Mexican author Juan Pablo
Villalobos and DBC Pierre at the Rich Mix in London.
This included a bilingual reading with live performance
art, a discussion about Mexican politics and writing and
a DJ set from Moshi Moshi records.
In an outstanding programme of creative and
popular events, our fundraising auction at Sothebys,
First Editions, Second Thoughts, was a unique evening.
Fifty leading authors annotated first editions of their
work a revealing and fascinating endeavour. This was
an exceptional literary enterprise, adding to the sum of
our knowledge about the creative process and creating
new artworks, as well as a significant fundraiser for
the charity. We are grateful to former English PEN
trustee Rick Gekoski for his energy and dedication. The
board of English PEN has recognised Ricks significant
contribution by giving him the title of Honorary
Vice-President of English PEN.
Linton Kwesi Johnson

continued our annual
series Inspirations,
selecting the literature
that has influenced him
in his career
Patience Agbabi, Burt Caesar, Sheila Reid and

Linton Kwesi Johnson perform Inspirations at the
Tricycle Theatre, 2 February 2014.
Grants and donations

English PEN would like to thank all those
who have supported us this year
The Members and Friends of English PEN
Arts Council England
Silver PEN Partners
Canongate
Faber & Faber
Hachette UK
HarperCollins
London Book Fair

Penguin Random House
Simon & Schuster
Trusts & Foundations
AB Charitable Trust
Big Lottery Fund
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Esme Fairbairn Foundation
European Commission
The Foyle Foundation
John Lyons Charity
The Monument Trust

The Neil Kreitman Foundation
The Open Society Foundations
The Phoenix Charitable Trust
The Sigrid Rausing Trust
The Thompson Family Charitable Trust
Corporate Donors
Bloomberg LP
Bob & Co
Four Colman Getty
Sothebys, London
FT Weekend
Islington Council
Benefactors
Ken and Barbara Follett

Michael Henderson Flowers Johnson
Ruth Maxted
Ian Townend (in memory of his son Robert Joseph Townend)
10
Participants at the PEN Quiz, November 2013.

11
Report of the Trustees

and Financial Statements
for the year ended
31 March 2014
12
Structure, governance and management

Governing document
Organisational structure
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 on 24
January 2014.
Membership of English PEN is open to poets,

playwrights, essayists, editors, journalists, novelists,
translators, publishers and other persons similarly
engaged who share the organisations 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 PENs voluntary
activities. The Board of Trustees, chaired by the
President, is responsible for the organisations 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 Management Committee, the Readers
& Writers Committee, the Writers in Prison Committee
and the Writers in Translation Committee, each of
which has Terms of Reference setting out its purpose,
membership and reporting structure.
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. The company is one
limited by guarantee as defined by the Companies Act
1985, and 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 18 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 PENs 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 and a copy of the Charity
Commissions guidance on the role and responsibilities
of trustees. At an annual away day all trustees come
together to monitor the charitys progress, to agree
future targets for development, and to monitor their
own performance as a board.
Related parties
English PEN is the founding centre of PEN International,
and has voting rights at the Assembly of Delegates,
which constitutes PEN Internationals 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 PENs 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 charitys policy to hold reserves to cover
operating costs for six months. Current reserves are
sufficient.
13
Public benefit
English PENs registration as a charity on 26 August 2008
marked the Charity Commissions acceptance of the
organisations 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 Commissions Board made three noteworthy
points in their review of English PENs 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
PENs 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
PENs 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:
14
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 companys 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 companys 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 companys auditors are aware of that
information.
Auditors
The auditors, Messrs. Grant Harrod Lerman Davis LLP,
will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming
Annual General Meeting.
On behalf of the board:
Maureen Freely President
9 October 2014
Report of the Trustees for

the year ended 31 March 2014
The trustees, who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with
the financial statements on the charity for the year ended 31 March 2014. The trustees have adopted the provisions of
the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) Accounting and Reporting by Charities issued in March 2005.
The Board of Trustees

R S Abdulla MBE
E P Allfrey
C L Armitstead
M Freely
R Gekoski
P Gwyn Jones
C L Goodings
D Hahn
E A Hoffman
R Holmes
A T Hopkinson
C Jarvis
R N Kent
B P W Kernon
C M King
N Lalwani
L F M Mackie
D P Miller
H Matar
G A Proudler
P Sands
R Schwartz
K N Shamsie
F S Shihab
G Slovo
S J Tripathi
Resigned 11 March 2014

Appointed 2 December 2013
Appointed 11 March 2014
Resigned 2 December 2013
Resigned 31 January 2014
Resigned 12 April 2014

Resigned 2 November 2013
Resigned 2 November 2013
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
Bankers
Grant Harrod Lerman Davis LLP

Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
49A High Street
Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 7BD
HSBC
76-78 Kings Road
London SW3 4TZ
15
Report of the Independent Auditors

to the Members of English PEN
We have audited the financial statements of English
PEN for the year ended 31 March 2014 on pages 17-28.
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 companys
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
companys 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 companys
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, 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 Boards Ethical Standards for Auditors,
including APB Ethical Standard - Provisions Available for
Small Entities (Revised), in the circumstances set out in
note 13 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
companys 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. If we become aware of any apparent
material misstatements or inconsistencies we consider
the implications for our report.
16
Opinion on financial
statements
In our opinion the financial statements:
give a true and fair view of the state of the
charitable companys affairs as at 31 March 2014
and of its incoming resources and application of
resources, including its income and expenditure,
for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; 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 in preparing the Report of
the Trustees.
Jeremy Harrod FCCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of Grant Harrod Lerman Davis LLP
Chartered Accountants
Statutory Auditors
49A High Street
Ruislip
Middlesex
HA4 7BD
9 October 2014
Annual accounts 2013-2014

Statement of Financial Activities
for the year ended 31 March 2014
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
Funds
Year ended
2014
112,252
441,168
8,400
244
112,252
441,168
8,400
244
107,627
54,545
10,021
117
151,408
1,214
287,957
-
439,365
1,214
622,143
3,555
714,686
287,957
1,002,643
798,008
44,509
44,509
42,531
513,480
23,098
-
123,788
63,592
188,920
40,189
(170,936)
-
123,788
63,592
188,920
40,189
342,544
23,098
-
115,691
50,380
135,837
51,017
266,909
13,652
-
581,087
245,553
826,640
676,017
133,599
42,404
176,003
121,991
24,550
24,550
Net Movement in funds for the year
158,149
42,404
200,553
121,991
Funds Brought Forward
288,939
109,244
398,183
276,192
Funds Carried Forward
447,088
151,648
598,736
398,183
Note
Incoming Resources
Incoming resources from generated Funds
Voluntary income
Activities for generating funds
Income from investments
Bank interest receivable
Incoming resources from charitable activities
Grants receivable
Other income
Total Incoming Resources

Resources Expended
Cost of Generating Funds:
Costs of generating voluntary income
Charitable Activities
Readers and Writers
Writers at Risk
Writers in Translation
Campaigns
Other Charitable expenditure
Governance costs
Other resources expended
Total Resources Expended
3,4
Net Income/(Outgoing Resources)

Other recognised Gains and losses
Gain/(Loss) on revaluation of investments
The notes on pages 19 to 28 form part of these financial statements.

None of the companys 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.
Total
Funds
Year ended
2013
17

Balance sheet as at 31 March 2014
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2014 Total
funds
2013 Total
funds
5
6
34,836
209,629
244,465
34,836
209,629
244,465
6,348
185,079
191,427
77,490
300,652
378,142
151,648
151,648
77,490
452,300
529,790
109,874
220,310
330,184
(175,519)
(175,519)
(123,428)
Net Current Assets
202,623
151,648
354,271
206,756
Total Assets Less Current Liabilities
447,088
151,648
598,736
398,183
151,648
255,718
191,370
109,244
288,939
598,736
398,183
Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets
Investments
Current Assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year
Funds
Restricted
Unrestricted Designated
Unrestricted
9
10
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 9th October 2014 and were signed on its behalf by:
Maureen Freely

Barry Kernon
President

Treasurer

Company Registration Number: 05747142
18

1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
Fund 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.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in

accordance with specific restrictions imposed by
the donor.
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.
Unrestricted funds are funds which are available for

use at the discretion of the trustees in futherance 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.
19

2 Grants receivable
Deferred
income
brought
forward
Grants
received
Deferred
income
carried
forward
Total 2014
Total 2013
Restricted
7,500
7,500
120,000
120,000
120,000
Bloomberg L.P.
50,000
50,000
50,000
AB Charitable Trust
1,000
1,000
30,000
Esme Fairbairn
27,083
European Commission
19,541
19,541
18,456
Foyle Foundation
10,000
10,000
John Lyons Charity
MB Reckitt Trust
8,000
Open Society Foundations
17,166
17,166
60,720
Booktrust
19,500
3,500
3,500
2,774
15,000
10,000
5,000
5,000
1,000
10,000
5,000
5,000
The Big Lottery Fund
8,250
8,250
The Limbourne Trust
5,000
The Logos Trust
1,000
The Monument Trust
16,000
16,000
16,000
Other Restricted Grants

PEN Pinter Prize Fund
Swan Mountain Trust
Phoenix Charitable Foundation
5,000
25,000
25,000
25,000
25,000
25,000
58,500
269,457
40,000
287,957
394,533
Arts Council England Revenue
106,190
70,000
36,190
110,000
Arts Council England GftA
105,218
105,218
107,610
The Pack Foundation


Unrestricted
The Neil Kreitman Foundation
10,000
10,000
10,000
221,408
70,000
151,408
227,610
58,500
490,865
110,000
439,365
622,143

Total Grants Receivable
20

3 Staff costs
The aggregate payroll costs were
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
2014
2013
312,319
283,887
30,844
27,268
6,755
15,077
349,918
326,232
During the year three trustees were reimbursed 1,143 expenses for travel (including 848 for travel to one PEN International
conference in Krakow) (2013 : 936 to four trustees).
During the year, three trustees received a total of 840 for translation work (2013 : 680).
No employee received an annual remuneration in excess of 60,000 (2013: nil).
The total number of employees calculated on a full time equivalent basis during the year was 9.5 (2013 - 9.5).
Staff are allocated as follows:
2013
2012
Readers and Writers staff
2.0
2.0
Writers at Risk staff
1.5
1.5
Writers in Translation staff
1.5
1.5
Campaigns staff
0.5
0.5
Other charitable activities
2.0
2.0
Management and Administration
2.0
2.0
Total
9.5
9.5
21

4 Total resources expended
Other
Charitable
Campaigns Expenditure
Readers
& Writers
Writers
at Risk
Writers in
Translation
Governance
2014
2013
46,586
56,788
61,825
30,266
154,453
349,918
326,232
Temps/recruitment/training
175
192
156
8,601
113
9,237
6,030
Rent and other office costs
880
4,804
213
61,628
1,498
69,029
61,593
Printing and design
8,307
1,030
45
61
12,898
7,692
30,033
26,334
Travel, subsistence and entertaining
4,120
393
791
1,036
7,929
486
14,755
14,464
Advertising and marketing
1,200
1,200
1,975
Writers fees and expenses
44,251
18,799
1,030
64,080
60,210
4,718
1,934
96,018
102,670
55,101
546
546
32,185
Prizes, events/workshops and room hire
9,538
500
4,030
70,067
192
84,327
56,625
Research and Professional Costs
4,660
2,184
8,050
9,275
4,483
28,652
5,492
Audit costs
4,800
600
5,400
5,100
Accountancy costs
481
481
415
Legal fees
7,370
7,370
Bank charges
51
51
395
17
3,456
3,970
1,106
Depreciation
15,752
15,752
2,100
502
129
17
37,599
38,247
18,886
Bad debts
(760)
(760)
Miscellaneous expenses
385
840
(156)
664
1,733
2,169
Total Resources Expended

and Support Costs
123,788
63,592
188,920
40,189
387,053
23,098
826,640
676,017
2013
115,691
50,380
135,837
51,017
309,440
13,652
676,017
Staff Costs (note 3)
Grants to Writers
Campaign costs
Subscriptions, publications and

conferences
22

5 Tangible fixed assets
Fittings, Computers and Software
Cost
At 1 April 2013
Additions
Disposals
12,424
44,240
-
At 31 March 2014
56,664
Depreciation
At 1 April 2013
Charge for the year
6,076
15,752
At 31 March 2014
21,828
Net Book Value

At 31 March 2014
34,836
At 31 March 2013
6,348
6 Fixed asset investments

Market value as at 1 April
2014
2013
185,079
185,079
Unrealised gain on investment
24,550
Market Value as at 31 March
209,629
185,079
Historical Cost
158,548
158,548
Market Value 2014
Cost 2014
Market Value 2013
Cost 2013
City of London Inv Trust
56,023
31,397
43,792
31,397
M&G Investment (Charifund)
70,056
44,160
55,047
44,160
COIF Fixed Interest (CCLA)
83,550
82,901
86,240
82,901
209,629
158,458
185,079
158,458
23

7 Debtors
Trade debtors
FEST Auction costs paid in advance
Other debtors
2014
2013
70,725
20,850
29,558
6,765
59,466
77,490
109,874
8 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Social security and other taxes
Deferred income - Restricted
2014
2013
26,554
24,898
8,504
8,412
110,000
58,500
Deferred income - Voluntary
Accruals and other creditors
30,461
31,618
175,519
123,428
24

9 Restricted funds
Balance at
2013
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
Balance
at 2014
7,500
3,450
4,050
78,568
120,000
96,800
101,768
Bloomberg L.P.
10,490
50,000
36,875
23,615
3,286
3,286
Esme Fairbairn Foundation
5,637
5,637
European Commission
1,220
19,541
16,210
4,551
10,000
10,000
John Lyons Charity
6,241
6,241
MB Reckitt Trust
1,000
1,000
Open Society Foundations
17,166
17,166
Other Restricted Grants
9,500
9,500
PEN Pinter Prize Fund
5,000
5,000
2,655
1,534
1,121
The Big Lottery Fund
8,250
8,250
The Monument Trust
147
16,000
9,604
6,543
25,000
25,000
109,244
287,957
245,553
151,648
AB Charitable Trust
Foyle Foundation
Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund
25
The AB Charitable Trust (ABCT) funded Living Words,

our pilot project for older people with dementia and
for marginalised young people, in partnership with
the Orwell Prize. ABCT is an independent, UK-based
grant-making organisation founded in 1990 that is
concerned with promoting and defending human
dignity. ABCT supports charities that defend human
rights and promote respect for vulnerable individuals
whatever their circumstances.
Bloomberg LP contributed to English PENs Writers
in Translation PEN Promotes programme. Bloomberg
is a global business and financial news organisation
whose philanthropic arm supports literacy and the
arts among other interests, with an emphasis on
global reach, effective engagement and innovation.
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.
This short form of writing proved especially popular
with the young men and women participants and, in
response to their interest, a new category for flash
fiction was introduced for the 2013 annual English
PEN writing competition for prisoners.
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation funded our Brave
New Voices programme, which gave 30 young people
from refugee backgrounds the chance to write
creatively and learn translation skills. The project
resulted in video learning resources which PEN will
promote to teachers and youth clubs in the next year.
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. The Foyle
Foundation is an independent grant-making trust that
distributes grants to UK charities. The Foundation
supports charities in three main areas: Arts and
Learning, Libraries, and small charities.
26
Esme Fairbairn Foundation funded our Speak For

Yourself! training programme for young people
from disadvantaged backgrounds. The programme
resulted in the young people creating their own free
speech projects.
European Commission Representation in the United
Kingdom funded a project (under the Readers &
Writers programme) called Big Writing For A Small
World, which enabled English PEN to work in 10
refugee centres across the country, bringing writers
together with refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.
John Lyons Charity funded the youth element of the
Big Writing For A Small World project, enabling English
PEN to bring a high-quality literature programme to 40
young people from disadvantaged schools in Brent.
The Open Society Foundations (OSF) contributed
to English PENs UK campaign for libel reform.
Established by George Soros, the OSF works to build
vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments
are accountable to their citizens.
The Monument Trust funded (under the Readers &
Writers programme) our ongoing work in English
prisons, sending writers inside to run workshops and
give readings.
The Sigrid Rausing Trust funded English PENs
advocacy for freedom of expression in the UK and
around the world.

10 Designated fund
The success of English PENs FEST auction (First Editions, Second Thoughts) in May 2013 was reported in last years
Annual Report. The auction provided a profit of 344,570 that the trustees immediately designated for use in
(1) upgrading and developing English PENs computer infrastructure and associated systems to enhance our reach
to potential members and improve the development of membership services; and (2) supporting and developing
our charitable activities for the benefit of our beneficiaries in the medium and longer term. The designated fund
was utilised as follows during the year to 31 March 2014:
2014
2013
Designated fund created from proceeds of FEST auction
344,570
Funds utilised in upgrading and developing

computer infrastructure
(22,888)
(50,000)
- Writers at Risk
(1,860)
- Campaigns
(6,650)
Office supports costs - paid internship
(7,454)
255,718
Funds utilised in charitable programmes:

- Readers and Writers
Total Designated Fund at 31 March 2014
27

11 Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds
Investments
Net
Current
Assets
Total 2014
Total 2013
34,836
209,629
(53,095)
191,370
288,939
Designated Funds
255,718
255,718
Restricted Funds
151,648
151,648
109,244
34,836
209,629
354,271
598,736
398,183
Tangible
Fixed Assets
General Unrestricted Funds

Total Funds
12 Limited Liability
English PEN is a company limited by guarantee. Liability is limited to 1 per member.
As at 31 March 2014 there were 1,047 members.
13 Operating Lease Commitments

At 31 March 2014 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 Entities

In 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
English PEN
Free Word Centre
60 Farringdon Road
London EC1R 3GA
T +44 (0) 20 7324 2535
Design
Brett Biedscheid, statetostate.co.uk
Printed by McAllister Litho Glasgow Ltd
English PEN is a company limited by

guarantee, number 5747142 and a
registered charity, number 1125610
Registered Office
Free Word Centre
60 Farringdon Road
London
EC1R 3GA
www.englishpen.org
Registered Company Number

05747142 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity Number
1125610

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Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

About English PEN

Cover photo: Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip

We seek to bring as much of the worlds writing to as

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Campaigning for writers at risk

Giving voice to communities

Translating world literature

Celebrating writers at public events

Grants and donations

English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

Welcome from Maureen Freely, President

English PENs growth depends on the funds to match

John Hegley at the launch of

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Introduction from Jo Glanville, Director

Young people remain the core beneficiaries of

English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

Campaigning for writers at risk

Jail Verse is the latest

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Campaigning for freedom

Author Simon Singh, solicitor Kate Briscoe of Legal Beagles,

In recognition of the importance of freedom of

Our achievement has

English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

Giving voice to communities

We also made learning resources widely available

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Translating world literature

Our PEN Translates

We have supported 38 events featuring over 60

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Highlights of the year included a screening of Under

Linton Kwesi Johnson

Patience Agbabi, Burt Caesar, Sheila Reid and

English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

Grants and donations

London Book Fair

Trusts & Foundations

The Monument Trust

Ken and Barbara Follett

Participants at the PEN Quiz, November 2013.

Report of the Trustees

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Structure, governance and management

The charity is controlled by its governing document,

Membership of English PEN is open to poets,

English PEN was incorporated on 17 March 2006 and

Recruitment and appointment

Induction and training of new trustees

English PEN Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

select suitable accounting policies and then apply

observe the methods and principles in the Charity

make judgments and estimates that are reasonable

prepare the financial statements on the going

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper

there is no relevant audit information of which the

the trustees have taken all steps that they ought

On behalf of the board:

Maureen Freely President

Annual Report 01 April 2013 - 31 March 2014 English PEN

Report of the Trustees for