New Inheritance Tax rules mean that everyone will be better off giving 10% to charity rather than a lower percentage. Peter Shand explains why.
As part of the government’s Big Society initiative, Chancellor George Osborne stated that he wanted to make the habit of giving 10% of your estate to charity “the norm in our country”. The catalyst for this has been to introduce a tax break for individuals who choose to leave at least a tenth of their estate to charity when they make their will.
Inheritance Tax is usually paid at the rate of 40% on the net value of your estate at the date of death on anything above the tax free band (... more
Are you vaguely aware of pensions auto-enrolment but not sure who it affects, what employers need to do, and by when? Eleanor Deem outlines the steps employers need to take.
Ian Patel asks who benefits exactly from ‘outsider art’, the work of vulnerable groups such as offenders and psychiatric patients.
Town and city centres after dark have long been perceived as places of contention, places to control and regulate, but more recently they are being viewed as drivers of positive change, says Martin Blackwell.
What is the value of the arts exactly and theatre-going in particular? Ben Walmsley asks why we engage in this mysterious pursuit and looks at the ‘evidence’...
Andrew Lock describes two architectural projects at the Southbank Centre that reveal the benefits of participation by users in the development of public spaces.
Why do we see the world’s finest contemporary dance companies in our theatres across the UK? Because Dance Consortium has made it possible and viable, says Heather Knight.
London 2012 revealed the dedication of the voluntary arts sector – and the artistic quality it produces – to a worldwide audience. Robin Simpson celebrates the achievements.
The Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust uses 450 regular volunteers in various roles from demonstrating crafts to litter-picking. Lucy Andrews Manion describes how she keeps them all happy.
Clayton Shaw describes how a volunteering project in digital technology appealed to young people in Birmingham.
Where would you see Juliet played by an English student and Romeo by a Polish cage fighter or ‘Much ado about nothing’ performed by serving sailors? In the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Open Stages initiative, says Ian Wainwright.
The success of Harrow Arts Centre’s 100% programme of events and festivals is based on the many young people involved in both production and performance. Cate Gordon tells how it has evolved.
What should a patron be able to offer an arts organisation? Louise Coles suggests that expectations need to be clear from the outset.
Paul Richards recalls how a dedicated team of volunteers, including performers, created UpRise, London’s anti-racism festival, after the demise of its predecessor.
Groups in the voluntary music sector are often privileged to premiere a new piece of music. Henry Bird looks at how composers and voluntary musicians can best work together.
What are the issues facing community theatre today? The National Operatic and Dramatic Association can name quite a few of them...