2025-10-31-accounts - The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

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COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2863136 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1041989

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Unaudited Financial Statements

31st October 2025

NUVO ACCOUNTANCY LTD

Accountants 14 Beech Hill Otley West Yorkshire LS21 3AX

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Financial Statements

Year ended 31st October 2025

	Page
Trustees' annual report (incorporating the director's report)	1
Independent examiner's report to the trustees	7
Statement of financial activities (including income and
expenditure account)	8
Statement of financial position	9
Notes to the financial statements	10
The following pages do not form part of the financial statements
Detailed statement of financial activities	17

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report)

Year ended 31st October 2025

The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31st October 2025.

Introduction

The Trustees of The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited are pleased to present their annual report, together with the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 October 2025. These statements are prepared to meet the requirements of both the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, and in compliance with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102 (effective 1 January 2015).

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited Charity registration number 1041989 Company registration number 2863136 Principal office and registered 68 Kings Road office Ilkley LS29 9BZ The trustees Mr I.L. Williams Mr A.D. Hewitt Mr J.M. Clark Mr J. Cocker Mrs S.M. Lister Mr A.J. Tarbett Ms H Whiteley Mr C Whiteley Ms L.A Williams Independent examiner Mr Michael Rathmell 14 Beech Hill Otley West Yorkshire LS21 3AX

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

Structure, governance and management

Governing Document

The charity is a company limited by guarantee, governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 18 October 1993. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Appointment of Trustees

Trustees are nominated and elected at the AGM. Specialist co-options are made as needed to strengthen the board's expertise. Trustee recruitment continues to reflect the need for diverse skillsets and active engagement in the charity's mission.

Organisational Structure

The Board of Trustees meets quarterly and delegates day-to-day responsibilities for finance, operations, and artistic delivery as appropriate.

Induction and Training

New trustees receive orientation covering legal responsibilities, governance structures, the business plan, and recent financial performance.

Related Parties

No Trustee received any remuneration or expenses during the year. Any potential conflicts of interest or related party transactions must be declared and managed in line with policy. None were reported in the period.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

Objectives and activities

The charity's principal activity remains the provision and maintenance of property for youth theatre and community groups. These affiliated groups include Upstagers Theatre Group (Community Youth Theatre) and Upstagers Academy (Performing Arts Teaching Group).

This is delivered through:

Maintaining 'The Barn' in good repair;
Promoting health and safety practices for all users;
Evaluating and improving the building's public use;
Supporting user groups with a clean, safe, welcoming environment;
Fundraising and financial stewardship;
Ensuring comprehensive insurance of property and equipment;
Enabling community groups to access the space where possible;
Identifying and applying for additional funding streams.

Safeguarding

A Child Protection Policy is in place and monitored by Dr Andrew Hewitt, the named safeguarding trustee. Enhanced DBS checks continue to be coordinated accordingly. Access to the building is managed through secure coded locks, and risk management procedures are reviewed regularly. Security systems, including CCTV are professionally maintained. Accessibility provisions remain in place and under review to ensure inclusivity for all users.

Volunteers continue to play a vital role in maintaining the building and supporting operations, and the Trustees remain extremely grateful for their continued commitment and expertise.

Strategic report

The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review form the strategic report of the charity.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

Achievements and performance

The 2024-2025 year has been another exceptional period for both affiliated groups and for the charity as a whole.

Upstagers Theatre Group

Our January 2025 pantomime, 'Dick Whittington', proved to be an outstanding artistic and commercial success. Out of fifteen nominations at the Wharfedale Festival of Theatre Awards 2025, the production secured an impressive nine awards, including:

Best Pantomime
Best Director(s)
Best Choreographer(s)
Best Stage Presentation
Best Programme
Best Villain
Best Dame
Best Principal Girl
Best Comedy Support

In July 2025, we presented 'Disney's The Little Mermaid'. The production was met with strong audience support and enthusiastic feedback. The set and props were almost entirely constructed inhouse with support from volunteers and Friends of Upstagers.

Upstagers Academy

Upstagers Academy continues to expand both in scale and in ambition.

During the year, we delivered three highly successful 'Show in a Week' holiday workshops:

'Tale As Old As Time' (April 2025) - 'Breaking Free' (July 2025)
'I'm A Believer' (August 2025)

Our Academy showcases at Yeadon Town Hall continue to be a highlight. In November 2024, we presented 'Spirit', a Christmas-themed production written by Academy Principal Bethany Gregory. In July 2025, students performed in 'A Night of Stage & Screen'. These professionally staged evenings provide an important platform for students to demonstrate their progress.

In September 2025, we launched a new arm of classes - Actors' Studio, including Monday one-to-one coaching and structured Friday evening classes with long-standing Upstager George Scaife. The programme supports acting technique, LAMDA preparation, audition skills, scene work, accents, character development and self-taping.

We welcomed Charlie Clarke as our new singing teacher following the departure of Maeve Wood due to relocation. Plans are in place to integrate Charlie further into the Wednesday evening team.

Facilities and Community Use

Work was undertaken to repair a roof leak caused by loose slates, and a new air fryer and fridge were

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

installed in the kitchen area. We were pleased to welcome The Healing Alternatives Festival to The Barn in April and September 2025. In addition, many of our members make regular use of The Barn's facilities to create self-tapes for auditions to performing arts colleges, dance schools and professional productions. A significant number of Upstagers pursue further study or careers in performing arts, dance and drama, and the availability of rehearsal space, recording facilities and peer support fosters a strong sense of community and mutual encouragement. The Barn has become not only a rehearsal venue but a creative hub where young performers support one another in taking their next steps into the industry.

Digital Engagement and Reach

Upstagers continues to maintain a strong digital presence, with over 1,200 followers on Instagram (@weareupstagers) and approximately 2,300 followers on Facebook at the year-end.

Financial review

The charity had net expenditure of £10,020 this year against net income of £20,052 last year. The property operating costs were £16,393 compared to £16,049 last year and donations to the affiliated group were £83,000 compared to £41,200 the previous year.

Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between the spending and receiving of income. At 31st October 2025 the trustees consider that the ideal level of reserves would be between £10,000 and £25,000. This covers six months of property operating costs and donations to its affiliated group to cover preproduction costs for its theatrical productions.

The charity had cash reserves of £56,468 at 31st October 2025 which means the charity is in a satisfactory financial position to continue its operations.

Plans for future periods

Plans for the future:

Plans include staging 'Snow White' in January 2026 and 'The Addams Family' in July 2026, continuing to expand Academy provision, and beginning preparations for Upstagers' 40th anniversary in March 2027.

Small company provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

The trustees' annual report and the strategic report were approved on 23rd February 2026 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

Mr I.L. Williams Trustee

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Year ended 31st October 2025

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited ('the charity') for the year ended 31st October 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006, and

 to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been met, or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Name of principal: Mr Michael Rathmell

Mr Michael Rathmell Independent Examiner

14 Beech Hill Otley West Yorkshire LS21 3AX

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)

Year ended 31st October 2025

		2025	2025	2024
		Unrestricted
		funds	Total funds	Total funds
	Note	£	£	£
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies	4	92,491	92,491	76,506
Investment income	5	882	882	795
		``	``	``
Total income		93,373	93,373	77,301
		``	``	``
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities	6,7	103,393	103,393	57,249
		``	``	``
Total expenditure		103,393	103,393	57,249
		``	``	``
		``	``	``
Net (expenditure)/income and net movement in funds		(10,020)	(10,020)	20,052
		``	``	``
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward		391,052	391,052	371,000
		``	``	``
Total funds carried forward		381,032	381,032	391,052
		``	``	``

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 10 to 15 form part of these financial statements.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Position

31st October 2025

		2025	2024
	Note	£	£
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets	10	320,458	320,458
Current assets
Debtors	11	4,856	5,133
Cash at bank and in hand		56,468	66,163
		``	``
		61,324	71,296
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	12	750	702
		``	``
Net current assets		60,574	70,594
		``	``
Total assets less current liabilities		381,032	391,052
		``	``
Net assets		381,032	391,052
		``	``
Funds of the charity
Unrestricted funds		381,032	391,052
		``	``
Total charity funds	13	381,032 ``	391,052 ``

For the year ending 31st October 2025 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476;
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime.

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 23rd February 2026, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

Mr I.L. Williams Trustee

The notes on pages 10 to 15 form part of these financial statements.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements

Year ended 31st October 2025

1. General information

The charity is a public benefit entity and a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is 68 Kings Road, Ilkley, LS29 9BZ.

2. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statemant of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. The Charities SORP (FRS 102) Update Bulletin and the July 2015 amendments to FRS 102 have been early adopted.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited meets the definition of a public benefit body under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the entity.

Going concern

There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.

Disclosure exemptions

No cash flow statement has been presented for the company.

Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. These estimates and judgements are continually reviewed and are based on experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The judgements (apart from those involving estimations) that management has made in the process of applying the entity's accounting policies and that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are as follows:

In the opinion of the directors the length of the estimated life and the estimated residual value of the building would make any depreciation immaterial.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

2. Accounting policies (continued)

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes. The unrestricted funds are all forms of income from grants and donations from organisations and the general public together with contributions from the associated groups other than those included within the restricted funds.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds. The charity's restricted funds are represented by the Grant from The Arts Council of England supported by the National Lottery together with a transfer from Unrestricted Funds as Partnership Funding for the purchase and refurbishment of the property in Station Road, Ilkley and net proceeds from a charity collection, subsequently donated.

Incoming resources

All income is included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity, it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

income from donations or grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable and its amount can be measured reliably.

Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:

expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.

Tangible assets

Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Any tangible assets carried at revalued amounts are recorded at the fair value at the date of revaluation less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

An increase in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of a revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, unless it reverses a charge for impairment that has previously been recognised as expenditure within the statement of financial activities. A decrease in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, except to which it offsets any previous revaluation gain, in which case the loss is shown within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

2. Accounting policies (continued)

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Furniture and fittings - 15% straight line basis

No depreciation is provided with respect to freehold buildings. In the opinion of the trustees the residual value of the property at the end of the period over which the company will continue to hold the property is likely to be at least as much as the original cost so no deprecistion is required. The company maintains the property to a high standard.

Impairment of fixed assets

A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.

For the purposes of impairment testing, when it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cashgenerating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.

Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments.

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs, unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where it is recognised at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.

3. Limited by guarantee

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited is a charitable company founded in 1993, charity registration number 1041989, company registration number 2863136, with the liability of members limited to £1 each by guarantee.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

4. Donations and legacies

	Unrestricted	Total Funds	Unrestricted	Total Funds
	Funds	2025	Funds	2024
	£	£	£	£
Donations
Donations	92,491	92,491	76,506	76,506
	``	``	``	``

Donations of £46,000 (2024: £58,000) were received from the Associated Group.

5. Investment income

	Unrestricted	Total Funds	Unrestricted	Total Funds
	Funds	2025	Funds	2024
	£	£	£	£
Bank interest receivable	882	882	795	795
	``	``	``	``
Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type
	Unrestricted	Total Funds	Unrestricted	Total Funds
	Funds	2025	Funds	2024
	£	£	£	£
Charitable expenditure	102,631	102,631	56,534	56,534
Support costs	762	762	715	715
	``	``	``	``
	103,393	103,393	57,249	57,249
	``	``	``	``

6. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type

7. Expenditure on charitable activities by activity type

	Activities
	undertaken		Total funds	Total fund
	directly Support costs		2025	2024
	£	£	£	£
Charitable expenditure	102,631	–	102,631	56,534
Governance costs	–	762	762	715
	``	``	``	``
	102,631	762	103,393	57,249
	``	``	``	``
Independent examination fees
			2025	2024
			£	£
Fees payable to the independent examiner for:
Independent examination of the financial statements			750 ``	702 ``

8. Independent examination fees

9. Trustee remuneration and expenses

The trustees received no remuneration or other benefits during the year and no reimbursement of expenses.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

10. Tangible fixed assets

			Freehold	Fixtures and
			property	fittings	Total
			£	£	£
	Cost
	At 1st November 2024 and 31st October 2025		320,458	17,153	337,611
			``	``	``
	Depreciation
	At 1st November 2024 and 31st October 2025		–	17,153	17,153
			``	``	``
	Carrying amount
	At 31st October 2025		320,458	–	320,458
			``	``	``
	At 31st October 2024		320,458	–	320,458
			``	``	``
11.	Debtors
				2025	2024
				£	£
	Prepayments and accrued income			4,856	5,133
				``	``
12.	Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
				2025	2024
				£	£
	Accruals and deferred income			750	702
				``	``
13.	Analysis of charitable funds
	Unrestricted funds
		At			At
		1st November		31st October
		2024	Income	Expenditure	2025
		£	£	£	£
	General funds	391,052	93,373	(103,393)	381,032
		``	``	``	``
		At			At
		1st November			31st October
		2023	Income	Expenditure	2024
		£	£	£	£
	General funds	371,000 ``	77,301 ``	(57,249) ``	391,052 ``

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31st October 2025

14. Analysis of net assets between funds

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds	Funds	2025
	£	£	£
Tangible fixed assets	56,206	264,252	320,458
Current assets	61,324	–	61,324
Creditors less than 1 year	(750)	–	(750)
	``	``	``
Net assets	116,780	264,252	381,032
	``	``	``
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds	Funds	2024
	£	£	£
Tangible fixed assets	56,206	264,252	320,458
Current assets	71,296	–	71,296
Creditors less than 1 year	(702)	–	(702)
	``	``	``
Net assets	126,800	264,252	391,052
	``	``	``

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Management Information

Year ended 31st October 2025

The following pages do not form part of the financial statements.

The Upstagers Theatre Charity Limited

Company Limited by Guarantee

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31st October 2025

	2025	2024
	£	£
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
Donations	92,491	76,506
	``	``
Investment income
Bank interest receivable	882	795
	``	``
	``	``
Total income	93,373	77,301
	``	``
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
Rent	6,244	5,835
Rates and water	1,229	1,042
Light and heat	450	454
Repairs and maintenance	247	708
Insurance	4,837	4,728
Other establishment	1,769	1,733
Legal and professional fees	762	715
Telephone	821	821
Other office costs	34	13
Donations	87,000	41,200
	``	``
	103,393	57,249
	``	``
	``	``
Total expenditure	103,393	57,249
	``	``
	``	``
Net (expenditure)/income	(10,020) ``	20,052 ``