OpenStoryTellers ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2025 OPENSTORYfELLERS LIMITED (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) COMPANY NUMBER 06829975 CHARITY NUMBER 1130148
Open StoryTellers Our Objectlves The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. The structure and content of this report is designed to reflect the requirement to explain how the charity has operated within that guidance. The objects of the charlty are To advance the educatlon for the publlc beneflt and preserve and protect the health of persons who have learnlng and communication disabililies. thelr familles and carers by providing opportunities to develop storfes and storytelllng. To advance the education of the public in the knowledge of the art, practlce and value of oral storytelling and in knowledge of the form and content of the oral tradltlon of people and cultures.
Message from the Chalr °IROUl¥N '.li- FRONT DOOR OPEN STORYTELLERS Friday. 31st Junuury •w--- It is a pleasure to write my first message to you as the new Chair of the Trustees. And I must start by paying tribute to Sarah Talbot-williams, who stepped down in January of this year- for much of this reporting period she was at the helm! Sarah's departure after 4 years amazing service rounded off a year of change with our board of trustees. We bade a deeply fond farewell to Jane Flood who has long been an important fellow storyteller carrying the torch for this artform amongst other board members for many years. Claire Edgar and Jackie Lucas also stepped down as their careers took impressive uptums with Jackie making a welcome retum to the workplace and Claire taking up a senior position at Surrey council- our loss is their gain. l am delighted to introduce Emma Mee who we welcomed in January and will be supporting the leadership team with her extensive experience of project management and delivery for the National Trusl. We are indebted to existing trustees: Ben Banks for stepping into the treasurer role and Elanor Steele for taking on a safeguarding lead. Trustees are the unsung heroes of all charities and we are grateful for their time and expertise so freely given. You will see from the image I've chosen for this message that our National Lottery Heritage Fund funded project. Through the Front Door. has been a key focus this year. Fellow Fromies will recognise the iconic Memorial Theatre yellow posters that we see around our town. It was a touching moment when artists arrived at the theatre for rehearsals and saw this. More than a few audible gulps were heardl This was the most ambitious project we have ever delivered a show and a film researched, devised and performed across all our
companies of artists. including those who had never met until performance day. It was a scale of ambition merited by the extraordinary, forgotten stories we uncovered. Despite the sheer amount of work that went into this project- our year has also been full of other accomplishments as well as a tentative venture into a whole new area of work. It was a year where we challenged ourselves to be better as an organization - innovating our inclusive governance processes. building on inclusive employment and co-creating our new 5-year strategy alongside all our artists and other stakeholders. As ever, I send a huge vote of thanks to our funders and donors who have supported us to deliver these outstanding projects and continue to partner with us to deliver our vision of a world where every voice is heard. In particular, I want to acknowledge and thank The Edward Gostling Foundation for choosing us as a legacy partner earlier this year. We are thrilled to have their continued support. It has been an exciting time to jump aboard and I look foporfard to what the coming years will hold. Sally Davenport
Table ol Contents Message from the Chair.. Arts and Eyession.... Through the Front Door- research, devising and production....... South West Leaming disability theatre network .......... Frome Festival.... Pigeon Productions ... Vaccines fllms- your choice:. Supported Internship film: .... other Pigeon projects: ... An all rovnd Hullaballoo- Green and Healthy Frome .. OST & Me.... Self-Advocacy and Camerados,. Hugo & Co.... Where are we now? .. What next? ....... Directors and Trustees.. structure, Govemance and Management..... Financial Review .... Reserves Pollcy and Risk Management .. Transactlons and Financial Position ... Trustees, responsibilities in relation to financial statements . 10 10 12 17 .20 .22 .22 .22 .22 .23 .23 .24 .24 .24
Arts and Expression Creative arts and expression are the 'engine room, of what happens at OpenStoryTellers. Each week. 4 companies of artists (about 30 people each week) and a Wellbeing company {about 8 people) come together to create and to connect artistical at our base in Frome. Here are some words and pictures to give you a flavour of that work in 20242025. Through the Front Door - research, devlslng and productlon The purpose of this major National Lottery Heritage Fund funded project was to rolse (Thvareness of people with leaming disabilities in the local area. to preserve the heritage of storles and places belonging to that community, and promote inclusion and diversity. We shared hidden histories and stories were created and told about people with o learning disability by people with a leaming disability. The creative phase was underpinned by a research board created by our small inclusive research team that could be accessed by all everyone. It included tactile and visual resources to help bring the fragments of history to life. 27 artists explored common themes of language. community and place. investigating the relationship belween the past and the present and how understanding the past can help us change attitudes today. We displayed the information we had gathered following the timeline of leaming disability histcry and then looked at the national level at la¥Ys and care acts that influenced people's
lives, and at a local level wt)at was hoppening in our chosen areas of Bristol. Wells. Taunton and Frome. We looked at every aspect of the research from r the places we found that people with learning disabilities lived in. the clothes they wore, the food they ate and the law5 which governed their live5 during the period. The next phase was taking this research and working inclusively and creatively with our groups to devise o theatre performance with original score and a film. There were 30 devisers and 27 cast m8mbers. Artists worked with our muslcal dlrector to create an origlnal body of work inspired by the research. This has now been recorded to provide a legacy of their WO together. Each artist now has a cd wlth all the muslc created ond devised by themselves for the performonce and original artwork. Each song title was taken from the 'record of entertainments, _ books which we found in the Southwest Heritage archives. The artists worked with costumi6r Dulcie Best on historically accurate clothing. which included hand-crocheted collars lovlngty made by our community volunteers, a nod to the collars wom by the woman in the asylums who were allowed that small bit of personalisation into their uniform. The artists also collaborated on props. stage sets, programmes and posters as activity and rehearsals ramped up ahead of ourtheatre perfomance. Performance and Sharlng In January 2025 the results of everyone's hard WO came together in a one night only performance at the Frome Memorial Theatre for an audience of 305 people. 26 staff, volunteers and supporters of OpenStoryTellers were working on the night in addition to theatre staff to ensure. the wellbeing and access needs of our cast were met. The cast included 27 people with learning disabilities who delivered a truly original and inspirational performance. "Entertaining. informative, powerful, creative. inspiring. ambitlOU5 and really impressive." Audience feedbacL
The show was followed by a 'meet the cast, event and an exhibition of the research that inspired the performance. We were also able to showcase some of our amazing project partners at the event including Bath Spo University's 'We ore the People, project and the wonderful work of the Mendip Cemetery Volunteers. We Worked with Suited and Booted Originals {filmmaker51 to capture the parts of the live show thot would be used in our film. We then shot additional material on location in the buildings and places we had researched. This beautiful. unique pce of art ts now available for everyone to view and has been submitted to the Oska Bright film festival. Click on the picture below to watch the film: htt vim We also worked with local friend and filmmaker, Julian Hight. to document the behind-the- scenes Fxocess of our research and creative phase of the project. This accesslble film Is an important part of the digitaljoumal we have created tlyoughout the project which includes podcasts. blogs, photos and film. Click on the picture below to watch the film: htt vimeo.com 1060 14 We have forged new and ongoing working relationships. throughout th5s project, including:
Frome Museum Bath Spa university Mendip Hospital cemetery volunteers Wells and Mendip Museum Frome Memorial theatre . all new partnerships which are already bringing richness and new ideas. Special thanks to the team of volunteers at the Memorial Theatre who responded with energy and creativity as < artists grappled with the neNvness of stage lights and a less than accessible old beautiful building, not to mention a surprfsingly steep rake on the stage which tested the strength of wheelchair brokesl The generosity of their time and their passion for making our show work was a testament to their commitment to the power of theatre made by and for the community. Our local MP. Anna Sobine came to see the show and took the time to vlte to us. In her letter she said: "l am 50 glad I was able lo See the perfomiance, to flnd out about what you all thlnk aboul the hhlory ol how we treat people wlth mental Hlness or learnlng dlsabllllles. It gav• m• a lot lo thlnk about." After Ihe show... In early February we celebrated with each other. Each day. artists talked about the show and shared their experiences through conversation, voice recordings. on-camera interviews, artwork and movement. We were even sent an Oscar(l) from the custodians of Mendip Hospital Cemetery. Every artist presented and received the Oscar naming and valuing what they saw in each other. Artsticolly, Through The Front Door elevated OpenStoryTellers to a new established "basecamp" from which future WO can be created at a variety of scales.
New understandings ond vocabulcri entered our wortd. Having had lived and vivid experiences of chorus work. devising, ensemble, these practices have become even more readily available in people's repertoires. After a period of reflection (which would be picked up again in March) we continued to create day to day work. Artists have been creating original work individually and collaboratively - which has seen fruition daily: We have explored such themes from outer space to the longing for the forest from the finding of fossils An original devised piece on the subject of story Itself called Psamathe {a goddess of stories invented by the group). We play music together and continue to explore improvisation (with one artist designing and leading two workshops on spontaneity). On the 271h March Joe and Simon attended an event at Frome Tovm Hall by invltation from Anna Sabine and hosted by her team. This was a round table meeting with other local arts organisations and the Arts Council officer for the South West. south.west Learnlng Dlsablllty Thealre Network In March, Simon. Alex. Meghan and Corrie met 5 other southwest theatre I creative organisations and artists at an event at the Watershed. It was convened by Blue Apple (Winchester) on behalf of Arts Council England to explore whether working together more would be a good idea. Other groups were: Firebird IBristoll Twocan Icheltenham) Blue Apple (Winchesterl Shallal {Cornwall) Reach Inclusive Arts {Swindon) It is very early days but it was clear immediatety that artists and performer5 are very keen to meet up more often and share work with each other. Organisationally. we are wcx*ing out the best way fopward and we have enthusiastically agreed to stay part of thls collaboration whlle we all work that out. Frome Festlval We continued our new tradition of premiering a new devised plece. performed at our base at RISE. This year we showed The Story Snatchers and welcomed over 40 people to watch these performances. natcher 10
Plgeon Productlons Pigeon productions is the social enterprise wing of our organisation. We take on commissions from extemal clients which in tum allow us to provide jobs for any artist who comes to OpenStoryTellers. We started Pigeon productions to help raise money for OpenStoryTellers, but over the years this has chonged. Pigeon productions is now an important way we tackle social inequalities facing people with a learning disability. This has clearest impact in the area of employment with 8 artists working as creative consultants, I who chooses to volunteer as a creatNe consultant, and l freelance artist - Robin Meader. But the topics we work on also address inequality in health, employment and other areas. Here's a selection of our WOTk from this year. Vacclnes fllms - your cholce: A commission from Somerset NHS for films to help people decide about vaccines. Click on the picture to play one of the films: Ccine SuPpted Internshlp fllm: Pigeon consultants worked with Devon Council to create a tllm promotlng supported internships. Click on the picture to play the film: Olher Plgeon projects: Southampton Unlverslly. We ran consultancy sessions for the university on the topic of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on easy read materials. A21: We continue to support A21 by consulting and checking their easy read materials. 11
Go Easy Read: Our partnership with Katy Brickly at Go Easy Read continued this year with a range of projects. 2 of these projects required some particularly careful thought as the topics covered serious safeguaTding issues. This raised some impan1 elhical issues and o work on separate projects with Bath Spa Uni helped us to navigate this. with the outcome that each consultant hod from a wellbeing session run by Becky Abiyah, our extraordinary wellbeing coordinator. Hate and Male Crlme: Following Plgeon's films from last yecr. we have run 4 workshops using the films to raise awareness and an5vr questions in colleges and gateway clubs. Frome Police station and other leaming disability services. Fiome Town Councl: We are supporting them with a small piece of work to help explain their new engagement strategy. This was part of a lorger. really useful conversation where the engagernent lead expressed real interest in working with us an engagement experts for the town. We will keep developing this working relationship. An all-round Hullaballoo- Green and Heallhy Frome A 'Hullabaloo"_ a noise or fuss mode by people who are ongry or excited about something. Sometimes our Pigeon work allows for largei scale artistic projects acr055 OpenStoryTellers. In collaboration with Green & Healthy Frome. we bought together four local creative practitioners to work alongside our collective of talented artists with learning disabilities, to explore how the changlng environment impacts on their world. In November 2024. we took over the Black Swan Gallery in Frome for an exhibition telling the story our community alongside the anxiety and anger evoked by waste and global warming. Over 500 people visited the exhibition. There were 5 parts to the project. each led by an extemal local artist. 12
We Return lo Earth - Becky Abhaya with Elanl. Hanrkih, Flona. Andrew & Paula We shared how being in nature makes us feel and explored the cycles of life: birth. life, aging. decaying. death and again life. We created art at Heaven's Gate. Welshmlll River Walk and in OpenStoryTellers overthe following months. using both plants and waste rubbish and recording how all that we created slowly retumed to the earth. We emphasised the Importance of our connection to nature. We offer a gentle reminder of the impact that microplastics are having. The Wool Influenceri - Jade Ogd•n with Peler. Sluart, Lucy, Megan. Blle, Jacob, Mark, Lauren & Paul We looked at locally grown fibres and how we could use them for fashion. We explored the issues around fast fashion and plastic based clothing and how we could make something different and good for the planet. Wool fleece is playful and It Inspires creativity because of its shape and the way it feels. We talked about the story of the Emperor's New Clothes and thought about they could become 'influencers' in their local community by making locally grown, biodegradable accessories. 13
Joylul Feast- Mel Day wilh Charfotte. Sarah. Allce. Brandon. Dan. Clemma. Flona, Jacob, Elle. Robln & Ilm The making of Joyful Feast certainly made us happy. Food brings people together. it gives us comfort when we are sad and weary. We show we care by making food. giving to strangers and loved ones alike. While we made the food our joyful feast we shared our happy food memories. everyone had a story. Some came out almost as verse, ready to pass on to you. 14
Journ•ys Through Tlme and Cllmate Howard Vause wlth TIM, Clemma, Robln & Charlotte We explored how the everyday can become extraordinary when seen through the lens of nature, climate, and time. What might seem like a routine bus trip becomes something far morHin exploration of how climate change will impoct future travel, and how nature shapes their experience through the changing seasons. Stories were woven into every ride, where the mundane is magical, where the joumey is more than just a destination ,Ilkl A I 15
Theslory of a StoneTlvown In Ihe Rlver- OpenSl¢xytellers' creative facilltators and arllsts: Kat. Dora, Kale, Dan, Hayley, Ellle. Stuart, Ruth, Robert, Willlam. M. A. C This piece is o creative response to the river Frome,. o place that we often frequent. appreciating the flow and the ripples created as we go. We explored our relationship with the river from blue skies and whistling birds to deep below where the bubble5 burst. We are inviting you to listen and see the water from a new perspective. 16
OST&Me The National Lottery Commun/ Fund is sUPPOrtlng us to take a deep dive into OUT ovm practice and govemance to explore what it truly means to be a 'user-led' organisation where everyone has a voice when not all of us use words to speak. What we did: Inclusive team and board away day Created a new accessible feedback tool called a Thoughts board and held 4 feedback sessions at team meetings New Artictes of 00Cla110n embedding the vieNv5 of artists into Trustee decision making 4 new Artist Advocate roles - they will be each company's fink person with a named trustee - 4 meetings have already happened New inclusive strategy (vision, mission, values and strategic ovtcomes) The new strategy has been the subject of a creative audit led by Terrestrial CIC New theory of change. impact indicators and measures Inclusive employment resources shared with 3 national leamlng disability organisations Inclusive govemance leaming shared with 4 other leamlng dlsability arts organisations How we changed what we do: Our 2 supported interns are now permanent positions People with a leaming disability are now a core part of team meetings. away days and staff messaging We work across all of soMet {the Ourself Advocacy project). expanding our potential impact to the more than 30(KJ people who have a leorning disability. We are a key partner with Somerset Council in rStablIShIng their partnership boards A fully inclusive creative sun4ey about how well our bullding works for people - leading to new refurbishment plans and design A new. updated website with a strong focus on active allyshlp Trustees building relationships wtth artists and staff to support their decision making and bringing us closer to a 'user-led' ideal. How it has changed how we will work in the fvlure New 5 year plan. visionary. c¢>FYoduced. evaluated and boldl Framework for inclusive governance that embeds voices of OST leaming disabled artists at every level of the organisation - a truly inclusive form of a 'user led, organisation. A board of trustees more embedded into day-t¢xlay busine55 and the lives and voices of LD artists. See our website and our leaming fcw fuller expression of our commitment to active allyship and why that Is such a crucial port of being as 'user-led' as we can be. 17
o • o x ..FxFIts.n¢t¥ Tkn5 P The tearn strategy day highlighted impoct on inclusive govemance of having employees with a leaming disability. Whilst employment will not be f everyone, it Is another essential Strand in ensuring that we elevate people's voices at all levels of decision making. As this project nears its end, we found a truly unique and creative way to end exactly where we begon wlth the views of our artists. We partnered with local community arts organisation, Terrestrial and they had a residency with us for 4 weeks. Here is an excerpl of their report: Terrestrial arh'sts spent time with Open Storytellers over the course of four weeks in Spring 2025. We each visited on a different day of the week so that befvieen us we could colkjborate with all the cuffent regular Open Storyteller5 orhsts. Our approach was rooted in being 'active listeners and obsen/ers'. The goal was to discover and explore from within the groups of Open Storytellers artists, rather thon sitting oude the activities. So we didn't tng any pre- determined questions or provocations to the group - we simply joined in as fellow artists with the day-to-day creative work. Over the coutse of our time working with Open Storytellers, each Terrestrial artist became involved in 5UPPOrting a distinct small creative project- these emerged organically from conversations and explorations amongst the groups. 18
Still from Thw8doy group 8 film. which can be seen at OST At several points during the residency. Terreshial artists gathered to reNect on our experiences - and we were in regular communication with the Open storytellers staff team about the best ways to support the groups. We were fortunate that hvo public Open Storytellers events also took place within this period." o screening of OST regular Robin Meader, s latest professionally produced ortist film. and the premiere of 'Through the Front Door, (the film version of osr s major theatre production from eartier this year). Attending these events allowed us to consider the wider impact of the organisation's wo. Open Storytellers Artists evidently feel deeply connected to the organisation. Every conversation we witnessed was threaded with references to previous projects, memories of fellow artists past and present. experiences shared as a group. While they ore united as Open st¢yYtelle and sometimes come together for specific projects - such as their recent large-scale theatre piece 'Through the Front Door, _ a different collection of arhsts attends each day of the week. Some people have been involved for many years and conh7bute gaty as artistlc elders.. others are relatively new to OST. 19
11 Baby Drcwns., (m autho adtUr& is aviMld)le to listen to at Open Storyteller& Within each group there are hugely varied arh.stic interests.. some people love noisy group work - big dances, octing and singing - while others prefer gentler solitary tasks such as research and crafts. There are also very different communicotion styles. physical needs and sensitivities amongst the groups. We all noticed how readily the artist5 made space for one another- listening carefully. adjusting their activitie5 to include anyone who wonted to join. Openstorytellers Staff are incredibly skilful ot combining bold creative provocations with flexibility and care. fime and again through our time with OST. Teffestrial's arhsts marvelled ot the myriad levels of communication at play in the room and the Lead Creative Facilitators, ability to stay in the loop with oll of them. In any given moment, a staff member might be addressing the group. giving space to an individuol who needs to Interrupt, and simultaneously gesturing to a colleague. This allows for each artist's interests and need5 to be met while the group rernain5 in a creative flow. All this, and more in ther report. assures u5 that our new strategy and purpose reflects the priorities of Ihe artists who come here - whether those artists use words to speak or not. By approaching this flnal phose in a creative. norFlinear way, we have put out learning into practice about how to approach ovrwhole community in on equal and engaging way. Seff-Advocacy and Camerados: The project's purpose is to research and reinvigorate self-advocacy in Somerset. Since July 2024 we have been exploring, nefv40rting and leaming about what is already happening. where we have gaps and how it works in other parts of the country. Somerset Community Foundation fUnd d this project. Click on this link to find out more. htt vimeo. 7218096 20
Ellie Ben openst0e1leYs OpenStoryTeller8 two interns, Joe and aemm&'irL' . We want to make sure people can speak up but we also want to make sure they are heard. We have plans to work with the 'audiences' in Somerset too - eycially the statutory bodies and providers. So far we have mapped over 40 Somer5et orgonisations and are now heoding out on vtsits to encourage groups and indNiduals to come together and speak up together. Good mental health and young people with leaming disabilities: We olso had success with a £1 0,000 grant from Frome Town Council. This grant is aimed towards supporting the mental health of young people with a learning disability in Frome. Clemma supported Alex with our presentalion to the communities, team at the council. Our proposal includes the Camerados model of POF>UP community living rooms. You can find out more about the Camerados approach by following this link and watching the wonderful short animation on their homepage. htt Ben. Joe and Ellie (and supported by Clemma) are driving both these projects forward. 21
Hugo & Co In 2023, a Frome family approached OpenStoryTeller5 to ask for help. They wanted to find a place like OpenStoryTellers where their son could cary on with education when he left school. We could not rind a place that would be right for him. We decided to test out whether we could become an education and care provider. At the beginning of this year, the boaid of trustees approved a pilot project to research and develop a brand-new area of work for OpenSt(xyTellers. With other families also coming to us and artlculating problems with further education and support ser+/ices, we think there could be a better way of providing care and support and further education. We think we could be the right people to do it. Where are we now? Hugo now has a personal budget for his education and funding for his care and sUPPOrt. This is being managed like an individual seprfice fund so that there is transparency and control over how the money is spent. We are partnering with Beyond Limits In Plymovth to employ a team of 4, sp8cifically for Hugo (support staff and team leader). Beyond Limits have huge expertise around CQC registration and are supporting the development of our service - we would be lost without thelr support and knowledge. We have engaged 4 people to work as specialist tutors. All 4 have particular skills in areas that Matter to Hugo (music. performance. movement. nature) and they have begun teaching on a weekly basis in various community locations. What nex17 We plan to set up a new company called The Allyship. It wlll be o trading arm for OpenStoryTellers. It will need to be CQC registered - we have more research to do before we know exactly what th8 new company will look like. Solicitors ore helping us wlth the legal trading agreement belween OpenStoryTellers and The Altyship. We wlll need to secure some social Investment funding to set up our new company. We have learned that we need more infraslructure than we thought to do this property and well for more people than Hugo. For Hugo- we need to find more warm and welcoming places where hrs tutoring can happen. Hugo teaches us lots every single day. It has been a lot of new stuff oll very quickly for him. We need to give him time to get used to hts new reality. Directors and Trustee5 The directors of the charitable company (Yhe charity") are its trustees for the PLxpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees. The 22
trustees who served during the period and up to the date the accounts were approved are as follows: Sally Davenport (ioined June 201h 2024, elected chalr from January l $1 2025) Benjamin Banks ITreasurer) Elanor Steel (Safeguarding lead) Emma Mee tioined January 27th 2025) Sarah Talbot-williams (Chair- stepped down 31$1 Dec 2025) Jane Flood (stepped down - 18th Feb 20251 Claire Edgar {stepped down - 22nd Oct 2024) Jackie Lucaslstepped down- l Oth Feb 2025) Four trustees stepped down this year. Iwo new trustees were appointed. The registered office Is RISE, Whittox Lane, Frome BAI 138Y. The bankers are HSBC plc. 24 Market Place, Frome BAI I I AJ The Independent Examiner is Tim Green The patrons are Nick Hennessey, Storyleller and Taffy Thomas MBE. The full name of the Charfty is Openstorytellers Limited. Charity number 1130148, Company number 0682997 Struclure, Governance and Management The Charlty was Inc(xporated on the 23rd September 2009 as a Company Limited by Guarantee. It is govemed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Charity registered with the Charity Commission on 12th June 2CKTr. The Directors of the charitable company ("the charity") are Its Irustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout ths report are collectively referred to as the trustees. The Board meets four times a year. The ttrffee longest serving twstees retire each year but are subj8Ct to reolection. The Board of Trustees 15 responsible for deternining the overall policy direction of the charity, for fixing and reviewlng its annual budget. and for approving annual accounts. The Charity Director is responsible for day-to-day management in occordance with determined policies. Flnanclal Revlew The Trustees are pleased to present they report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 sl March 2025. Reference and administrative details set out on pages 23 & 24 form part of this report. For financial statements comply with current statutory requirements. the Memorandum and Article5 of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting arKI Reporting by Charities. 23
Reserves Pollcy and Rlsk Management The charity's reserves policy aims to maintain a level of free reserves that will provide a buffer against unexpected events. bridge gaps in funding and will enable the charity to respond to new opportunities. It also covers our key fiabifities should the charity no longer be able to continue. The reserve policy hos been reviewed and in response to the current unpredictable economic. political and fundraising climate. the trustees have agreed a free reserve5 target of £72,223 which is equivalent to six months, core operating expenditure. At the end of the reporting period, the charity held £149,184 in total funds, of which £34.447 was restricted, £54,737 was unrestricted. and £60.[ was designated as an endowm8nt. After accounting for these. the charivs free reserves were £50.205. The Trustees are confident that the long-term financial plans generate sufficient free reserves to satisfy its reserves policy over the coming 12 months and beyond. The Trustees have examined and addressed the financial risks to vthich the Charfty Is exposed and in association with its insurers, has mitigated those risks to the best of its ability. Transacllons and Flnanclal Posltlon During the year the Charity incurred total expendlture of £341,060 of which £307,237 was directly charitable. Over the year the Charity received income of £406,762 leading to an overall surplus of £65.702. The Balance sheet shows total reserves on 31 sl March 2024 of £149,184. Trustees, re5ponslbllllles In relallon to flnanclal statements Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the Company's stote of affairs at the end of the financial year and of its income and expenditure for that year. In preparing those financial stotem8nts the Trustees are required to: Select suitable accounting policies and then apply these consistently Make Judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent state whether applicable accounting standards and Statements of recommended practice have been followed subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements. Prepare the financial statements on a going concem basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Chaiity will continue in business The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records whlch disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charitable ComF)any ond 24
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 Charitoble company and hence f(y taking reasonable steps for the eventiOn ond detection of fraud and other Irregularftles. S*•W ?AKJE tsfpo(2T 25
OPENSTORYTELLERS LTD INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORTTO THE TRUSTEES I report on the accounts of the company for the 12 months ended 31° March 2025 which are set out on pages 27 to 32 RESPEcfivE REPONSIBIUTIES OF TRUSTEES AND EXAMINER The trustee5 (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparatlon of the accounts. The trustees conslder that an audit is not required for this year under sectlon 144 of the Charitles Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examlnation Is needed. Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to an audit under company law and is eligible for Independent examlnation, it is my responsibility to; Examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act To follow the procedures laid down in the general dlrectlons gNen by the Charlty Commlssion under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention BASIS OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT My examlnatlon was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity CommlssSon. An examinatlon Sncludes a review of the accountin8 records kept by the charlty and comparison of the accounts presented wlth those records. It also includes a conslderation of any unusual issues or dlsclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concernin8 any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evldence that would be requlred in an audit and consequently no oplnion Is glven as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair viev/ and the report Is limlted to those matters set out In the statement below. INDEPENDEKf EXAMINER'S STATEMENT In connectlon with my examinatlon, no matter has come to my attentlon which gives me asOnable cause to belleve thaL In any material respect, the requirements To keep accountlng records In accordan wfth section 386 of the Companies Art 2CK)6; and To Prepa accounts whlch accord with the accountin8 records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2(XJ6 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charlties have not been met. No other matter ha5 come to my attentlon In accordance wlth my examination to whlch, In my oplnlon, attentlon should be drawn In orderto enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Timothy Green FCMA Date: 16th July 2025 26 10
tl)nthns & Lewle• Actlt4ltl88 Othw TradiTrJ Invegtmrts Othw IrK(m 2&3 61.824 104.247 124.W 278.813 3.341 e8,088 114.912 174.388 4311 I071 4C6.7O2 ÉXPElTuRE (¥¢ RALrylng Fundi 20,196 200,576 617 1se,442 148.795 307.23T TOT ExpeNCITURE 111.514) 17.278 25.135 T I1)vEIKr111 FWIDJ 17,278 .702 25,136 •e.311 17,171 68,347 J4,447 140.114 JI Irom 27
FIXED ASSETS Tangible Assets 11 6.275 Lkbto Co8h 81 bwtk ond In hand 12 26.112 135.839 16,289 95.842 161,gS1 112.131 CREUTORB ArTr)unt8 faling duo y••r 13 17.299 34.924 NET CiMIREpif ASSErs 144,652 77,207 NET A8SEr8 149.184 83.482 Unre6lTlcl8d lund8 R•8trS¢tad lundo End(MThnt furKIs 54,737 34,447 80,(0 86,311 17.171 TOTAL FUND3 149,184 83,482 Tho qccountl hav• b••n w•w•d kn •c¢crfd•nc• th th• •p•cld of P•t 15 of tl A¢t 2006 relBllrvJ to Wrpanth. ond ¥Alh tha Fmn¢bal R8r#>lkng Standwd 102 Th• ¢ory>wy hal tsk•n a(fvanlag• ol th• frL¥n aiKlIt d•r SKtkn 477 d th• Ctyry>•nkn Act 2CI)6 12 Ihs ended 31st M•r¢h 2025 Tho have r¥)t reQrea the c(ry8ny to ot¥kn 8n a(wJlt lry the 12 rrK¥l en1 31st 2024 In 8cccwd8ne8 %%lth 476 of the Curpwi05 Act 20(. Th8 Tw$tw 8ckncMledg0 Ihelr resp(ThILtlQs far: 8Ufkng thal lh8 coThp•ny ke•p accolIj TAih Sactlon 3&3 387 of the Cryonl88 kt 2006: ond w)Èrhw kcount• lch a true aNI fatr vlthv ol t1 8iat• of thD c(ryony's affatrs al tho erKi of tho flnanclal ye8r and ol it8 iWF4u$ ty dofKII lor th• y••r kn accordanc• tAllh th• r•wlr•n)Int of 8•¢llon 394 and 395, orKI thl¢h alherWAo th• rowtr•nrt• Ciffiywl•s Act 28 r•lallrvJ lo •c¢rMil8. •0 for a• •ppll¢abl• lo the ¢mwny. Tfttee The ndaB on p8ges 29 to 32 fom wi of tr8fr a¢¢(xmt8 28
A¢t 2C OdThJ co•rn Chwlty Opr411ry L••b Th• co•t$ ol I•1 arn ctr•9•J u ltr• T•Y4ty• Flx•d A•••l• &357 Gr•nl• R••trkt•d Jly•l• from CtrArll•il• A111• YJ2S CW S•rvk•• 119.319 YB.1VJ 1fj.2aS 119.W4 37.fQl 116,764 I9,5 Cwrrtwnly 12,211 21.708 12.217 21.7e8 ZJ.413 &102 12,558 47. 47.e49 1214 49 14 Olh•r 12 120 M•I¢h•ThJo lol 248 433 29
tliv•¢t Tthl Tol•l 2024 1X.032 41. 2&447 146.479 12a. 31081 1127 &435 16. 21.919 1&457 16.484 115.785 Lb 10.124 1Z7 16.046 1019 10.4 I7 .447 5.1 2,127 22,956 & Co G>Mwnlly + 2.031 1.574 671 1.1 187 2.679 St•ff Iw• •pvd y•w I¢•• kn•12Q24. SKurtty 11 T•vJlA• Ax•J A•••l• ql I 21 A• •t 31$1 2025 A• •11 lknch 2tr24 Ch0 Iht Al al 31•1 klwch 2016 12,232 12232 975 •t V4u• A• 411 X24 A8 •131 2028 12 10 2.9YJ FffjWl8 8 A¢md Iroyrn 30
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