Company registration number.. 03278236 Charity ￿gIstratIon number.. 1063928 CIRCUS ERUPTION TRUSTEES. REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 Clearway Accounting Circus Eruption Contents Page Trustees, Report Independent Examiner's Report 12 Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) 13 Comparative Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Accounti 14 8alance Sheet 15 Notes to the Financial Statements 16-24 The following pages do not form part of the statutory accounts.. Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditu￿ Account) 25-26 Circus Eruption Company No. 03278236 Trustees, Report For The Year Ended 31 August 2025 The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2025. Objectives and Activities Aims and Objective5 Circu5 Eruption is managed by a board of trustees numbering no le55 than 3 unrelated per50nS, Wlth the day to day running carried out by staff who undertake roles including running activities and workshops, development, management, volunteer coordinatlon, admlnlstration, outreach and facilitieslbuildlng oversight. Volunteers support our clrcus workshops, and our building/garden upkeep. The young people play an active role in planning activities and deciding the future development of their circus workshops and the organisation more widely. Objectives and activities Circus Eruption Is a ￿gIStered charity Ino 10639281 and was originally founded as a projert in 1991 a5 the first integrated youth circu5 In the UK. We are a '50cial circus, we use the medium of circu5 5ki11s to enable children and young people ICYP) of all abilities to maximise their potential through inclusion, participation and empowerment,. we focus on childfftn and young people facing disadvantage and the￿rore can find themselves otherwise excluded for a variety of reasons. Inc￿0$e$ in self-esteem, self-confidence and resilience lead to empowered young people who flourish as active citizens and can make a difference In the world. Our non-judgmental and accepting environment also encourages positive attitudes towards others and respect for diversity- In this way our values and methods challenge inequality and discrimination. As a well established local charity, we enjoy orking c105ely with others towards the common good. OUR AIMS, IMPACT AND VALUES We challenge s￿regatIOn through active integration of those, particularfy young people, who might otherwise fa challenges to inclusion. These challenges include - but are not limited to - statement5 and labe15 of disability, care exper1ern￿. refugeelasylum seeker backgrounds, being young carers. Each person, whatever their label or ability, is able to alise their potential through the diverse range of activities and adaptability that circus pmvides. Participants in our Circus workshops experience inC￿aSe$ in confidence, ￿$111ence and a sense of belonging, as well as hèvlng funl For some CYP, our work Is Iifechanging., we see low expectatlons, lack of eye contact, Ilttle or no interactlon with peers tnnsform over time. We see young people whose challenges have diminished their social intenction skills regain trust in peers and adults. We see isolated children and young people forming genuine, 13Sting friendships which develop a life of their own outside our work5hop5 over time. But we don't call those things out during our session5,' there's so much fun to be had when everyone'5 cheering everyone else on, learning new skills, learning to fail a lot and keeping going. having funl We work inclusivelyi Sustainably and collaboTrtivelyi which ￿SuIts in.. empowerment of young people inclusion and participation challenges to inequality, discrimination and disadvantage an artive welcome for everyone, with a particular focus on ensuring we ￿mOVe barriers to participation We have a pool of 30+ skilled volunteers who work alongside our staff to ensure the project is ufe and the young people are supported. Significant Activities HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE Our biggest focus, 3nd alw3ys our headline success, is that we've kept all four long term projects going in an incredibly challenging funding climate. This is In no small part due to the ten3cIty and commitment of our staff and volunteers, and to the diligen￿, support and direction of our Trustees. This is the core work which enables hundreds of children and young people every year to experience meaningful shifts in confidence and resilience, to have fun, to connect with peers and have a pla￿ they ￿allY belong and have a voice, which is especially important when they face barriers to doing that elsewhe￿. We've noted once again that all our projects and our trading interrelate,. con5i5tency of trained, experienced Staff, volunteers and a handful of 5e55ional worker5 (all of whom are known to Us, some of whom are also Eruption volunteer5 On our long term projects, and freelance on our t￿ding) means that everyone receives the same high quality, bespoke, person centred support whether we've known them for 10 years or are meeting them for the firyt time al funded outreach or a trading gig. .CONTINUED Page I Circus Eruption Trustees, Report (continued) For The Year Ended 31 August 2025 Significant Activities - continued Exciting development number one is that we flnally had heatlng Instslledf This was switched on in late January 2025, and was much needed, having been open since October 2021 with no heating installed, and running from a former church. It was a massive undertaking but the background work and the funding search was all worthwhile, as it works well and is in¢￿diblY efficient. The second major development was our ability to set up for formal 'youth volunteering.. A5 our original and longest project (now in its 35th yearll has always been about youth Vol￿ and empowerment, a5 projects 5UPPOrting younger people have developed, it's been on our minds to enable the young people from youth circus to volunteer on Bubble and Junior circus. Because of our reflective prnctice and commitment to keeping everyone safe, a lot of background work and training had to take place before we could open this opportunity up, and It's brilliant to be able to offer this now. PROGRESS AGAINST OUR 2024-2025 OBJECTIVES- SUMMARY Our 2024-2025 objectives, as stated in our annual report last year, were to.. Continue our four central integrnted circus v40rkshop projects, with a focus on those facing challenges, to ensu quality of delivery and impact, contlnuing to ensure children and young people are central to all projects and developments. Research and develop additional sources of revenue income for the charity, with a view to Increasing our reserves to reach our aim of 3-6 months running costs plus an emergency building works fund. Continue with repair and restoration of both parts of our building, including installing heating in the main space. Collaborate, partner and remain generous In our approach to working with others, to maximise positive Impact for Ensure any growth Is modest, and that plans are realistic, achievable, within our means, and that our staff, t)oard and volunteer5 are equipped to deliver. These objertives were largely about sustaining our work, participation, govemance, and ensuring quality and long term sustainability. Our four central projects rely on a dedicated team of staff and Voluntee￿ who are trained and experienced in supporting children and young people with bespoke, person centred. trauma informed and ￿flectiVe practice. Highlights and detail come5 later in the'activities, section, but We'￿ proud to have continued all four project5 With no break, despite a difficult year for funding. Our unrestricted funding fmm UK Youth and the Postcode Lottery kept our Junior and Youth Circus afloat this year, longslde a grant from the Moondance Foundatlon for essential core costs In admin and management. These grants represent truly 'tru$ted and open, funder practlce and slmply meant we could keep going,. It's brllliant funding practice and is $0 appreciated. They also enabled us to keep on considering 'why It works, as we continued to explore the Wellcome Trust's'Active Ingredients, in young people's mental health, by which they mean -aspects most likely to make a differen in preventing, treating or managing mental health difficultie5" This was a feature of the UK Youth funding and we loved the insights and sharing that wefft available through that funding. The Austin Bailey Foundation continued their ongoing support for Bubble Circus Iwith a small grant which covers some costs), and the ￿st was met through our first Big Give campaign - a runaway success1 Awards for All supported a new weekly pilot workshop for 18-25 year olds, developed in collaboration with various partner organlsations. The West Glamorgan Regional Partnership continued to fund our Development Work vvith children and young people who are care experienced or on the'edge of ¢are' Our ability to deliver everything was also underpinned by brilliant volunteer coordlnatlon, which was continued with our Volunteering Wales grant from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action until M3rch 2025. We were 31so able to develop vouth volunteering this year our volunteer coordinator did a raft of background work in order to ensure we can safely support young people aged 14+ who are part of our youth circu5 to volunteer for our Bubble and Junior circuses. Thanks to Swansea Council for Voluntary Service Alun Evan5 Memorial Fund for the support which enabled us to launch thi5 timely ork. .CONTINUED Page 2 Circus Eruption Trustees, Report (continued) For The Year Ended 31 August 2025 Significant Activities - continued We completed all work on time relating to our three Shared Prosperity Funding ISPFI grantsl The fI￿t was through the Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, and we completed our'train the trainer5, incIu5ion/participation training in De￿mber 2024. This unlocked the opportunify for 20 staff, volunteer5 and a550ciates to up their skills in participative facilitation as well as learning rn0￿ about the bedrocks of all our work, equity in participation and inclusion for all, which we hope will be the basis for a new tTrining offer from Eruption Repalr and Restoratlon of our bullding contlnued apace,. SPF grants played thelr part In this too as work on our groundbreaking 'air to air, heating continued to completionl Alongside this, a 'Transforming Counties, SPF grant supported a feasibility study and some capital work on our as yet unused spaces (tower, spire, mission hall) the capital works also part funded with grant income from the Pilgrim Trust and the Community Facilitie5 Pmgramme, with an additional commitment from Cadw. Our go¥ernance and development were supported with another a5pert of our SCVS SPF grant. with external support overseeing our Trusted Standard evidence and worklng wlth us to ensu￿ our board, strategy and monltoring and evaluatlon are fit for purpose now and fit for the future too. Whilst we are stable at year end, and supported by a number of excellent funders as well as having a tftding income, it is worth noting fomially that this year has been our most challenging yet for fundraising. At the tlme of writing (spring 20261, we are back on our feet, but a string of application failure mixed with a lower than anticipated trading Income meant that we were making more applications for the same or lower returns, and that we've now got a higher number of smaller grants, Increasing the work of grant management. The summer and early autumn of 2025 were a time of great challenge for our finances and we want to acknowledge the additional pressure and work this is placing on staff at this time. We are pleased that the planning tenacity, Skill and teamwork acr055 the organisation has enabled stability and continuation of all projects. We did not replace a valued team member who left employment In May 2025, and whilst we did make use of our freelancers on our trading work in particular so as not to exhaust staff, we further acknowledge the substantial efforts of the remaining team both staff and volunteers - in keeping everything going. OUR ACTIvrtIES - September 2024 - August 2025 We work with children and young people ICYPI from age 5 to 18 through four projects we label 'Eruption Workshops,: Bubble Circus, Youth Circus Junior Circus and our projert for Care Experienced CYP. Our sessions have always been free at the point of use and anyone can join. We sometimes run short term, funded work5hop5 to specific groups if requested and if funding allows (for example, the new project this year with 18-25 year old51. To 5UPPOrt these workshops, we also run an 18+ skill share (primarily aimed at Eruption Voluntee￿), trading lincluding one-off workshops, commissioned prlvate workshops, team building and tTrlning to exgernal organisatlonsl, ¢ollaboratlon and networklng. For Bubble. Youth and Juniors we ensure that amund one third of those who join have some kind of statement or label of disabilityi and those with Ca￿ e%perlence, refugeelasylum seeker backgrounds and young carers a￿ also over- represented. The point of us Is integration and inclusion, and so we work hard to ensure that those who might otherwise find themselves excluded find friends and a pla￿ to belong in Circus Eruption. and that they never experience isolation or stigmatisation he￿. Crucially, we can support CYP in the long term. Because we welcome everyone, we provide sUPPOrt and signp05ting for those who drop out of eligibility elsewhere - and for those who never meet criteria, or are a5 yet not labelled or eligible. It also means CYP become familiar with being 5UPPOrted byi and 5UPPOrting, those facing different challenges from themselves, or without any partlcular challenges we know about. Eruptlon Workshops: lal Youth Circus - The original work of Circu5 Eruption {e5tablished in 19911 and still a cent￿1 part of our activity. A weekly Int￿rnted 2 hour workshop during term tlme for up to 50 young people at a tlme (aged 11-191, with a dedlcated welcome for those with statements/labels of disability, those from a refugee / asylum seeker background and those who are care exper1ern￿d. Ibl Junior Circus - as Youth Circus but for up to 30 children at a time, aged 7-1 l. Established in 2017. Icl New opportunities and route5 to support for children and young people who are care experienced or on the edge of care developlng partnerships with pmfessionals as well as direct circus workshops with CYP to increase engagement and access to services, and to build trust in order to enable CYP to engage with our long temi work (for ongoing support, and prevention of future service requirements}. Idl Bubble Circus - a fortnightly workshop for 5-13 year olds and their adults, also with Identical inclusion principles as Youlhljunior Circus. .CONTINUED Page 3 Circus Eruption Trustees, Report (continued) For The Year Ended 31 August 2025 Significant Activities - continued We've once again supported over 180 children through our Junior, Youth and Bubble Circus projects, and a further 154 through the 'care experienced CYP, outreach. We've supported 79 more on shorter term/ Out￿aCh projects lup to 4 se55ionsI and over 1000 yearly on 'one off, occasions, usually connected to trading. Technically that's 1409+, but that doesn't tell you about the depth and difference - child￿rn and young people grow in confidence and re5ilieno, have Somewhe￿ they can be themselves and belong, and flourish and connect in a way that would have otherwise been Inaccessible for them. 413 of these are N(rr 'see them once and count that, engagements (although that often can make a POSltive difference, It'5 not the heart of what we dol). They've enjoyed workshops, residential, paTrdes - It's been a wonderful, full, glorious, exhuasting year. Youth Circus and Junior Circus: These a￿ run by two experienced Circus Workshop tutors, who are in tum supported by a team of volunteers. These CYP also have the opportunity to participate in a residential and local parades. They grow in confidence and resilience, have fun. with 680/0 of these faced one or more challenges le.g. dlsabllity, neurodiversity, care experience, being young ca￿rS, belng from a refugeelasylum seeker background). Development project with children and young people who are care experienced lor at risk of becoming sol.. Our dedicated development worker on this project continues to develop relevant networks and partnerships and create new ones, increasing our ability to support and signpost, and to embed a welcome in Circus Eruption for children and young people who are care experienced, or on the edge of care. This project was conceived through working with some young people in this situation and recognising the strength of what we had to offer as an Organi￿lI0n which can provide ongoing, familiar contact and support throughout various stages for children and young people who might find themselves in a variety of locations and with many different adult5. Thi5 project is currently funded until March 2026 although continuation funding has pfftviously been achieved. Our development worker has this year actively conneded with 10 other organisations on this project (last year 101 and has run workshops with 154 chlldren and young people (last year 1691 and 28 families Ilast year 351, On￿ again far exceeding the target of 50 chlldren and young people per year. Most Importantly, CYP are engaging and asking for more, and feedback tells us that they're growing In confiden￿, more able to focus, having fun and looking forward to more engagement. cyp, profession31s and parents/c3rers have reported positive outcomes across the board. An Important part of this work is at>out building trust, on this project and, of course, permanently on the long term projects which take place in our building. Six children and young people from this project are currently part of our long term wod<. Often the training and experience of our staff and volunteers proves crucial, as by this point the staff/ vols are'trusted adults, and we are glad to respond posltively to the additional tlme - both durlng and outside of sessions - that the CYP engagement represents. 'Bubble Circus.: This fortnightly Sunday afternoon workshop Is for chlldren and young people aged 5-13 and their associated adults. The Austin Bailey Foundation and our Big Give campaign keep this going, and this year a Trnge of people attended once again attended and flourished. 'Sunday Sklll Share,: A weekly opportunity for our volunteer5 and others aged 18 and over to practice their ski115 and use our kit in a friendly, info￿nal environment. There 15 a modest donation charge for this. Number5 Steadily InC￿aSed during the year, ending with 78'on the books,, and 40 ￿gUlar attenders. One-off Projects: This year we we contlnued 'Love Clrcus, for the In February and August following its success last year. This was funded by Swansea Councll 'COAST' fundlng In August and with unrestrlcted fundlng (allocated from postcode/UK Youth) in Feb. It's two open 'community afternoons. each time, which were Incredibly well attended on both occasions, with 284 participants over the 4 days. Our busiest day was 104 peoplel Our older young people were keen to support these events and shared circus skills, greeted and welcomed people. Commissioned private workshops: We provide tailored social circus workshops for a wide range of community groups and organisations throughout South Wales. These contribute to our financial sustainability, and also help to ftise our profile. Much of thls work Is wlth chlldren and young people facing dlsadvantage as we are well known locally for expertise In this area. An additional 2647 Iminimutnl people participated in these bespoke external workshops, with most of these being Child￿rn nd young people, many of whom were facing some kind of disadvantage, label or stigma. This number is a minimum approximation due to the high number of open access, open alr workshops we run,. we have tallied minimum approximations of the numbers we worked with at each of those kinds of event. Tralnlng: .CONTINUED Page 4 Circus Eruption Trustees, Report (continued) For The Year Ended 31 August 2025 Significant Activities - continued Training continued this year, including youth work, safeguarding {all levels as required, including mandatory safeguarding introduction for all new volunteer5, plus yearly refre5herl, first aid. We also completed our'train the trainers. facilitation ork in partipation/inclu5ion, with the dual intention of lal embedding the principles of inclusion / participation among staff and volunteer5, to ensure it isn't lost and to keep up with p￿ctiCe and Ibl developing a second 'training' trading offer to complement our existing have-a-go circus workshop offer. We also delivered training for pftctitioners who work with ca exper1ern￿d young people in using circus as part of their engagement. Coll?boratlon and Networklng: We continue to actively connect with other organisalions (we aren't listing them all here just highlighlingl}. Our Director continued to be active at a core level In the Wales branch of the Heritage Network, and also continued to be a Trustee of that UK umbrella body lin a personal capacity, but due to her professional experience of bringing a disused listed building back into use at Circus Eruption. We are members of the Heritage Trust Network. the Council for Wales Voluntary Youth Services ICWVYSI, the Wales Councll for Voluntary Actlon IWCVAI and Swansea Council for Voluntary serv1￿5 Iscvsi. Our work with care experienced young people continues to evolve partnerships with a huge range of organisations, both statutory and voluntary. Investing in these fftlationships over years - sometimes through staff changes in other organisations - has resulted in many young people experiencing our staff as consistent adults, and has enabled that bridge to our long term work. Our dirertor continues to attend the health, social care and wellbeing forum run by SCVS, and our volunteer coordinator has been connecting with other volunteer leaders across Swansea and south Wales through SCVS and WCVA as well as her own initiative. and snowballing from those connertions. Our outreach worker support5 Other organisations as they arrange oUr't￿ding, workshops, which are often supporting people facing challenge5. We love looking outwards and doing our best to ensu￿ that the way we do clrcus can be of benefit to as many people as possible, whllst still retaining the quality and community of our core work. This leads nicely onto 'funding kitchen,! That's our peer supr4)rt group, open to anyone in Swansea fftsponsible for fundrnising for a nonprofit,. we meet approximately quarterly. At our regular gatherings we consider various topics depending on group interest, and engaged in crucial peer support. We move venues, using various locations. This was initiated and Is held together by Circus Eruption but is peer led and run, and Is a crucial part of several fundraiser's diaries locally now. M05t of us run very small charities and are also the directorlCEO as well as main fundraiser. Achievements and performance CHRONOLOGICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF SEPT 2024- AUGUST 2025 There'5 always much to celebrate and this year was no exceptionl Whilst the central feature and focus of our work is always our long term funded projects, around and within these are variou5 notable moments. Staff and Tru5tee5 began thi5 year with our third 'away' away day in early Septemberl We were fortunate that the new owners of Glansevin Mansion, Llangadog, were willing and able to support us by allowing us to use their wonderful self caterlng space at a significant discount as'charity partners,. With a few fftmote Trustees, havlng everyone In the same place was once again a great opportunity for all of us to plan and plot for the year, strategise, get excited about everythlng we were planning, and get to know one another better. It was also good for a very hardworking small staff team to relax a bit. Mid September always sees the restart of our regular circus workshops - Junlor Clr¢u$, Youth Clrcus and Bubble ¢I￿u$ after the summer break. Numbers were once again up at the start of the year and we were delighted to welcome everyone back and Introduce new members of the groups too. November highlights included started our trio of Christmas parades at Swansea and GO￿el￿onI We bring various projects together at parades and it's an exhausting, exhilarating experience for all concerned - all the Cf P ab501utely amaze us with their tenacity and sparkle every year lit 5 hard to be on Stilts for four hours, for example!). Behind the scene5 there'5 a lot of battery testing for the Ilght up equipment, but it s all worth itl The building was also hired for the third 'AII About Hats, symposium - an unique couple of days of all things performance 3nd skills related, connerted to circus hatsl December we contlnued to be busy with workshopsi projects, and tralnlng (including youth work tralnlng, Inclusionlparticipation training, neurodiversity training) and the Cwmbwrla parade, a wonderful local event. January 2025, all projects restarted after the Christmas break, and heating works cracked on 3pacel As It's a quiet month, let's remember that our volunteers work YEAR ROUND, particularly Including making Youth, junior and Bubble Circus possible, and also we have a few faithful volunteers who come weekly year-round to tend to our outside spaces, Including memorial garden and planter5. We really appreciate ALL of their incredible effort5 we literally couldn't do it without theml 'Love Circus. was the highlight of February. with people of all age5 coming in over two afternoons to enjoy trying something new and having loads of circus funl .CONTINUED Page 5 Circus Eruption Trustees, Report (continued) For The Year Ended 31 August 2025 Significant Activities - continued In March, Karen and Amanda (director and development worker) loved attending the UK Youth 'staff residential,, where they met many of their fellow grant recipients, and ran a workshop introducing circu5 and exploring the ways Eruption meet5 Wale5 5 pillars of Youth Work,, which afft Empoweringi Expressive, Educative, Inclusive and Participative. We also ran a short ski115 workshop as part of this, and even ended up teaching skills in an impromptu session later on in the eveningl It as brilliant to learn from and shafft with others in the youth work fielL1 from all across the UK. Volunteers enjoyed thelr resldential, once again at a bunkhouse, and had a great time with some tralnlng, and a lot of relaxing, a fair bit of circus, and some lovely walks, once again volunteer ledl In Nay, the YP resldentlal took place on Gower once again; always a highlight of the young people's yearl It's somehow always transformative,. an opportunity for friendships to form or strengthen and for the group to gel. For some young people this is their first or only opportunity to be away from home. We actively include Junior Circus, who vi51t for 4 hour5 on the Saturday, and as always there was a LOT of prep, amazing food, lifetime memories, a 'midnight' walk, fire tTrining and fire skills, and unbelievable sleep deprivation for some of the incredible staff and volunteers who make it possible, and love it tool Like everything else, the resldential is always free to attend and we pmvide transport if needed. May was busy as it also included once more at the behest of a large number or the young people in our Youth Circus, participation in the Swansea Prlde parade as Clrcu$ Eruptlon, which we gladly agree to facilitate and support. Whilst this Is a classic example of young people in the lead lin LGBTQ+ YP and allies driving this happeningl- It also meant a lot to a number of our volunteers and Staff, some of whom have been part of Eruption for a long time and can acutely recall different times, when it would have been unimaginable that they could have participated in a Pride parade a5 Eruption. Our YP do love a parade but this one meant a lot to many of them, and we We￿ Int￿diblY proud once again not just of those who led the charge, but also of the large number of allies who are equally proud to stand wlth them. For the third tlme, in June, Circus Eruptlon rnn games and workshops In the 'Green Klds. and 'Theatre and Clr