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York Schools and Youth Trust (YoYo)
The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ending 31° July 2025.
York Schools and Youth Trust, also known as YoYo, is Charity Number 1057991 first registered on 19" July 1996.
Operating address throughout this year has been: Holgate Methodist Church Acomb York YO24 4AE Tel: 01904 798941
Email: office@yoyotrust.org.uk Website: www.yoyotrust.org.uk
Trustees serving during the year: Mrs Cathy Roberts Chair Mr Adrian Fuller Treasurer Rev Peter Horsley Vice Chair (Resigned November 2024) Mrs Dot Bevington Vice Chair (Elected as Vice Chair November 2024) Mrs Deborah Blue Secretary (Elected November 2024) Professor Bryony Beresford Rev Chris Ray (Resigned November 2024) Mrs Alexandra Hale Mrs Mandy Smith Mr Lawrence Rab Elected March 2025 Mr Paul Edwards Elected May 2025
Staff team: Tony Bower Executive Officer Andy Barthow Isobel Barthow Tamsin Nihill Janine Gray Emily Elks (Resigned July 2025) Isobel Embleton Hannah Hayden (Appointed July 2025) Kate Lamb Administration and Communications Officer Judith Summerfield Finance Administrator
Independent Examiner of Accounts
Keith Dixon 4 Crabtree Drive, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 7FQ
Bankers
Lloyds PLC, Pavement, York YO1 9LB CCLA Fund Managers Ltd Senator House, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4 4ET
YoYo Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Structure, Governance and Management
York Schools and Youth Trust is administered and managed as a charitable trust by the trustees under the Trust Deed declared in July 1996.
The board of trustees comprises Christians from a range of churches and denominations across the City of York. The Charity is non-denominational and trustee recruitment is by an informal process. Potential trustees are recommended from within the local Christian community, they meet with some existing trustees and are given time to consider the possibility of joining the trust. Trustees are elected at the AGM or a Special Meeting called for this purpose. Trustees are elected for a three year term and can serve no more than three terms of three years. Office holders are elected each year at the AGM.
Trustees meet once or twice each school term, with an annual strategy half day and additional meetings as required. Interim meetings are held by sub-groups of trustees when required, with minutes available to all.
The Principal Staff member (Executive Officer), to whom day to day management is delegated, is in attendance at all trustee meetings.
The trustees consider risks affecting the trust from time to time. Such risks include:
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e Issues relating to the safeguarding and protection of children and young people with whom the trust’s workers are in contact. The trustees appointed Dr lan Richardson, a retired OFSTED inspector, as their safeguarding officer. lan stepped down from this role in July 2025. The trustees appointed Mrs Cathy Roberts, Chair of Trustees as their safeguarding officer to succeed lan from July 2025.
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e Financial risks: The trustees have remained vigilant in their monitoring of budgets in 2024/2025 to ensure a good financial position.
In respect of these and other matters that may arise the trustees seek to have in place policies and procedures to deal fully with the possible effects of such risks on the trust.
No serious incidents have occurred this year related to finance or safeguarding.
2024-2025 a year of continued development and growth of schools’ work
During 2024/2025 the schools’ team has worked with the vast majority of primary and secondary schools across the city with thousands of children and young people hearing about the Christian faith through projects, assemblies, lessons and clubs.
The schools’ team has responded to school requests for specific topics to be covered as well as offering our usual programmes at Christmas and Easter, “It’s Your Bible” and the Transition programme “Your Move” during the summer term. The reshaped and reimagined “It's Your City” project introduced last year to help children understand York’s Christian heritage took place again this year. In addition, the team have led Collective Worships, RE lessons, lunchtime clubs and Prayer and Reflection Spaces. Some of the requests by schools have been topics relating to their RE syllabus for example ‘Getting to know Jesus’, ‘Jesus the bread of life’, ‘Who is a Christian and what do they believe?’, ‘Why is the Bible important for Christians today’, ‘Why do people pray?’ in primary schools and ‘Radical Jesus’, ‘Life after Death’, ‘Sanctity of Life’, ‘Teenage Believers’, Christian Responses to Poverty’ in secondary schools to name but a few. Schools have also invited the team in for “Question and Answer” sessions.
YoYo Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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The schools’ team have been involved in delivering lessons on Holocaust Memorial Day and National Poetry Day and have also continued to support schools in developing Harvest, Christmas and Easter services. The schools’ team has initiated a number of lunchtime clubs for Years 7 — 11 in secondary schools and a Christian Union in a local college this year. The number of clubs has grown from six last academic year to eleven in 2024/25 each running weekly. Many clubs are run by YoYo with volunteers from local churches helping whilst others are led by the local church supported by YoYo. The number of young people attending these clubs has grown throughout the year, for example one club had three young people attending last year; the numbers attending this club rose to over fifty young people during the course of the year.
YoYo has continued to work in partnership with churches across the city. Team members were involved in running holiday clubs for children and young people during the summer with local churches. They were also involved in a “Christmas Journey” project run by a local church which invited local school children to experience this interactive journey, meeting the characters in the Christmas Story. Prayer and Reflection spaces have taken place in local churches giving children and young people the opportunity to visit their local church, and children and young people have written prayers in sessions led by YoYo in school which have subsequently been read in church services. Young people have also visited a local church to learn about how the church helps the community.
The schools’ team are continually producing new materials for sessions with children and young people, for example, new Prayer and Reflection Spaces were created and offered to schools to mark 100 years since the death of Joseph Rowntree, and also with a focus on David. New lessons for Reception classes were created; new materials were created for Easter and many of the topics schools requested were new to the team this year.
Trustee meetings have all taken place in person throughout the year.
Objectives and Activities
The trustees continue to apply the trust’s funds to the objects as set out in the Trust Deed:
“Working with York Schools and Churches to bring the Christian faith alive.”
In carrying out this objective the YoYo team has supported and served schools by communicating the Christian faith in ways relevant and effective to York’s children and young people by:
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e Taking RE lessons in both primary and secondary schools e Leading assemblies and collective worship in primary and secondary schools e Providing reflective spaces
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e Supporting and encouraging staff and students through lunch time and after school clubs
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e Developing resources that help and enhance the delivery of religious education e Recruiting, training and supporting volunteers who assist in the delivery of the work in schools
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e Offering pastoral support for staff and students at times of crisis and stressful situations e Developing and delivering creative ways of communicating the Christian faith that are cross curricular
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e Sharing about the work in local churches who are supporters of the Trust
YoYo Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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e Being involved in city wide youth work with local youth workers and other youth organisations
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e Preparing resources for schools, churches, children, young people, parents and teachers to use
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e The Executive Officer has also been continuing to build relationships beyond the City of York boundaries with various new potential projects emerging.
Regular prayer meetings have been held to support the work of YoYo. These have been attended by team members, trustees and interested supporters from the local churches. They have been held electronically, using zoom and have also taken place in person in local churches.
Staffing
All staff, except the part time Finance Administrator, work directly with the young people of York to advance the Christian religion. Staff changes that took place during the year were Emily Elks resigning from her post as Schools’ Worker in July 2025. Hannah Hayden being appointed on a full-time contract in July 2025 to succeed Emily. Tony Bower, Executive Officer being granted permission by trustees to reduce the number of days he works for YoYo from 5 days to 4 days per week for a fixed period from 1° March 2025 to 31% July 2025. Trustees subsequently granted Tony an extension to this new working pattern in May 2025 for a further fixed period from 1% August 2025 to 31S March 2026. Kate Lamb primarily works in the office but has on occasions been into school with other team members. Kate continued in the role as secretary to trustees until January 2025 to ensure a smooth transition with the new secretary of trustees who was elected in November 2024.
Achievements and Performance
One of the main and ongoing achievements of YoYo is its regular clubs which are attended by a variety of students, from both a faith and no faith background. The schools highly value the opportunities that a Christian club gives to their communities.
The year-round assemblies and lessons are also highly valued by both the primary and secondary schools. This can be evidenced by the fact that YoYo works in virtually all the schools in York.
The Executive Officer has continued to develop relationships with some schools and churches outside the City of York boundaries leading to some new projects being planned in these areas.
Online resources and books produced by YoYo continue to be well received.
New volunteers continue to join YoYo to support the work of the team.
Public Benefit
YoYo’s provision of lessons, assemblies and clubs is available to every child, in every school in the York area, without discrimination or distinction of class, socio-economic background, colour or religion, and without charge. YoYo provides valuable support to the schools of York in meeting the requirements of the Religious Education syllabus and by their contribution to a variety of discussions within lessons in other subject areas. YoYo’s online resources have been available to anyone free of charge, in keeping with YoYo’s policy of free access.
A full Statement of Public Benefit is available.
YoYo Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Financial Review
A set of accounts for the year ending 31 July 2025 are annexed to this report.
During the financial year ending 31 July 2025, the trust incurred expenditure of £217,100 which funded a team of four full-time staff and five part-time staff, and the trust’s accommodation at Holgate Methodist Church. During the year, the trust received donations from churches in the York area, grant making bodies and individuals totalling £206,273, together with investment income of £1,646 and trading income of £6 to give a total income for the year of £207,925. There is therefore a net operating deficit of £9,176 for the year. The value of the trust investment has gone down during the year by £610 which meant the total net deficit was £9,786. With the opening reserves balance of £98,352 the trust finished the year with a reserves balance of £88,566.
The majority of the trust’s funds is held in a general fund. This fund received £207,403 income during the year and expenditure totalled £216,579. This meant there was a net deficit of £9,176. The value of the investment decreased in the year by £610. The total net deficit was therefore £9,786. The general fund reserves reduced from £97,426 at the beginning of the year to £87,640 at the end of the year.
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A small amount of income and expenditure related to restricted funds, as follows:
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e £522 was received specifically for the Trust’s “It’s Your City” project and spent on that project during the year, with no balance held at the end of the year.
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e There was an opening and closing balance in the fund connected with our support for Ukraine of £926. We are looking for suitable projects to use this balance.
The trust’s policy is to try and ensure that there are sufficient cash reserves to meet the following three month’s expenditure. This comes to approximately £55,000. The year ended with the general fund reserves at £87,640 which meets this policy. Additional reserves of £926 were held to fund the ongoing work and aid for Ukrainian refugees.
- A claim for gift aid of £2,152 was made after the financial year end.
Where possible, cash reserves in excess of half a term’s expenditure are held in a high interest account or charity investment fund managed by CCLA Fund Managers Ltd. This is in order to maximise our return whilst minimising risk. The amount invested at the end of the financial year was £60,850 based on the valuation of the fund on 31 July 2025. A total of £1,646 in interest was received during the year. There has been a decrease in the market value of £610. In November 2024 and in February and May 2025 £10,000 was transferred from the investment fund to undertake the work of the charity in the year and in July 2025 £25,000 was transferred to the investment fund to fund the work of the charity in the year ahead.
The trustees are extremely grateful to our supporters. Their generosity has once again enabled the trust to carry out their objectives during the year. The trustees will be looking in the coming year at ways to increase the regular income in order to strengthen the general fund for future years.
YoYo Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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The Way Ahead
The team and trustees continue to look ahead and explore how the work can be built upon. Schools work and partnership working with local churches is reviewed each half term. Following on from our Team and Trustee Away Morning last year which focused on ‘Communication’: how we communicate the exciting story of YoYo and widen our supporter base to build on our current financial support, many visits to local churches have taken place this year, with the Executive Officer and the team contributing to church services and also sharing about the work of YoYo. Testimonies relating to the work of YoYo have been well received and many folders containing information about the work of YoYo and postcards which include key information about YoYo have been given out. Our Team and Trustee Away Morning this year focused on how we could increase our finances. A range of fund-raising ideas were shared which we will look to implement during the course of next year. New materials have been developed as outlined above in the information included under the heading ‘2024-2025 a year of continued development and growth of schools’ work’.
In all matters the board of trustees continues to operate well and looks forward to continuing the Charity’s objectives.
Mrs Cathy Roberts Chair
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ED MU 4 :
Mrs Dot Bevington
Vice Chair
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November 2025
YoYo Annual Report & Accounts 2025
Paxton
Charity Commission SOFA Report as at 31/07/2025
Page 1 of 1
Charity no. 1057991
YorkSchools and Youth Trust
Printed: 18/08/2025
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|a|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|Total|funds|Prior year|
|fands|Income funds|funds|funds|
|£|£|£|£|£|
|imcome and endowments|from:|
|Donations and legacies|205,751|522|0|206,273|209,927|
|Charitable activites|6|6|0|6|170|
|Other trading activities|0|0|0|0|0|
|Investments|1,646|0|0|1,646|1,854|
|Separate material|item of|0|0|0|0|0|
|income|
|Other|0|0|0|0|0|
|2)|
|Expenditure on:|
|Raising funds|13|0|0|13|1,179|
|Charitable|activities|216,566|522|0|217,088|207,432|
|Separate material|item of|6|8|6|0|8|
|expense|
|Other|0|0|0|0|0|
|||
|__ aire|||208.60 ||
|Netbeforeincome/{expenditure) investment gains/(lesses)|BE|.|8|aan|=|
|Net gains/(losses) on|610|0|0|610|4,886|
|investments|
|Net income/{expenditure)|-9,786|8|6|||-9,786|$,227|
|Extraordinary items|0|0|0|0|0|
|ransfers between fands|@|tt)|9|8|0|
|NciMovemeatinFunds|[ao|ot||r |e ||
|Reconciliation|of|Funds|
|otal|funds brought forward|97,426|98,352|
|otal funds carried forward|87,640|926|6|88,566|
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Paxton Charity Commission Balance Sheet as at 31/07/2025
Page 1 of 1
Charity no. 1057991
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|YorkSchools and Youth|Trust|Printed:|18/08/2025|
|ee|SSS|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|Total|funds|Prior year funds|
|Funds|Income|Funds|Funds|
|ixed|assets|
|Intangible|assets|0|0|0|0|0|
|Tangible|assets|0|0|0|0|0|
|Investments|0|0|0|0|0|
|Totalfixed assets|0|0|0|0|0|
|urrent|assets|
|Stocks|0|0|0|0|(0)|
|Debtors|0|0|0|0|0|
|Investments|60,850|0|0|60,850|66,460|
|Cash|at bank|and|in hand|26,790|926|(0)|27,716|31,892|
|Total current assets|87,640|926|0|88,566|98,352|
|reditors:|amounts|falling due|0|0|0|0|0|
|ithin|one|year|
|Net current assets/(liabilities)|87,640|926|0|88,566|98,352|
|iepaengliabilities|87,640|926|0|88,566|98,352|
|reditors: amounts|falling due|0|0|0|0|0|
|after more|than|one year|
|Provisions|for|liabilities|0|0|0|0|0|
|Funds|of the|Charity|AS|od|EE|
|Endowment|funds|0|0|0|0|0|
|Restricted income|funds|0|926|0|926|926|
|Unrestricted funds|87,640|0|0|87,640|97,426|
|Revaluation|reseerve|0|0|0|0|0|
|87640] 926|88,566|98,352|
|Signed|by|one|or two|trustees|.|.|Date|of approval|
|on behalf of all|the trustees|Signature|Brink Naune|dd/mm/yyyy|
|a|od|Psloo =|Canickive|cxorveRW|Ze injzozs|
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Paxton
Page 1 of1
Charity Commission Movement of Funds Report
| Charity no. 1057991 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YorkSchools andYouthTrust Printed: 18/08/2025 pa Ee SE Year to 31/07/2025 |
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| ERE SS SS RS SS | a SB | SSS | SS | SE | ES RS | ||
| Fundname | Fundbalances | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | Gainsand | Fundbalances | |
| brought | losses | carried | |||||
| forward | forward | ||||||
| General fund | 97,426 | 207,403 | -216,579 | 0 | -610 | 87,640 | |
| YC | 0 | 522 | -522 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ukraine | 926 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 926 | |
| Totals | 98,352 | 207,925 | -217,100 | 0 | -610 | 88.566 |
gers CHARITY COMMISSION Independent examiner's ‘a? | FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trustees/ members of York Schools and Youth Trust On accounts for the year | 31 July 2025 Charity no | 1057991 ended (if any) st | report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act’). | report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: e accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records | have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. * Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Relevant professional | Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: | 4 Crabtree Drive, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 7FQ
IER
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October 2018