Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ending 31[st] December 2023 ## **Contents** |Introduction|3| |---|---| |Reference and Administration Details|3-4| |Structure, Governance and Management|5-6| |Objectives and Activities|7| |Achievements and Performance|8| |Financial Review|9| |Statement of Accounts|10| |Independent examiner’s statement|11| |Declaration|11| 2 ## **Introduction** The Trustee’s present their report and financial statement for the year ending 31[st] December 2023. This report is presented in accordance with the statement of recommended practice, “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (SORP), issued in March 2005. A Charitable Incorporated Organisation (the CIO) registered number 1167521 was established on 7[th] June 2016, to use the creative arts to proclaim the Good News, equip Christians through training and provide them with resources to tell the Big Story of God. The financial year for the charity runs from January to December and this is the fourth annual report covering the period between 1[st] January 2020 – 31[st] December 2020. ## **Reference and Administration Details** **Charity Name:** The Big Story Trust **Registered Charity Number:** 1167521 **Registered Address:** 80 Broadview Avenue Rainham Kent ME8 9DE **Bankers:** Lloyds Bank PLC Uttoxeter PO BOX 1000 Andover BX1 1LT 3 ## **Trustees:** |Trustee Name|Office|Date Started|Date Ended| |---|---|---|---| |REV SUSAN VALLENTE-KERR|Chair|7.6.16|N/A| |REV NATHAN WARD||14.9.21|N/A| |CLIVE ARUNDELL||14.9.21|N/A| |Rachel Shortland||13.11.22|N/A| 4 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The Charity is governed by a constitution and is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. The trustee’s are fully committed to safeguarding and therefore have made ‘The Big Story Trust’ a member of CCPAS (The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service) which is an independent Christian charity providing professional advice, support, training and resources in all areas of safeguarding children, vulnerable adults and for those affected by abuse. The trustees have adopted a full set of policies and procedure which are all published on the charities website under the governance section. The policies include: - Volunteer management policy - Risk management policy - Reserves policy - Paying staff policy - Investment policy - Grant-making policy - Expenses Policy - Equal Opportunities Policy Statement - Conflict of interest policy - Complaints handling policy - Code of Conduct Policy - Anti money-laundering terrorist financing and bribery policy - Safeguarding Policy 5 ## • Volunteer Agreement The trustees review all major risks facing the charity at each meeting of the trustee’s and believe that there are no major risks facing the charity at this time. New Trustees are provided with a copy of the Charity Commission’s leaflet “The Essential Trustee – CC3’’. ## **Public Benefit** The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion, when reviewing the Trust’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year. The Trustees have, in their view, met the public benefit requirement by holding a variety of events which are open to the general public and which seek, in accordance with their vision, to transform lives and thus enable people to live as responsible citizens in their community. 6 ## **Objectives and Activities** The Big Story Trust is a Kent based charity aiming to uses the creative arts to proclaim the Good News, equip Christians through training and provide them with resources to tell the Big Story of God. Its objective is to advance the Christian Faith by communicating the Good News through evangelism and the teaching and training of Christian disciples. ## **Vision** Our Vision is to transform lives by communicating the truth of Christianity. ## **Mission** To have an impact in every region of the UK, locally and nationally - by presenting the truth of Christianity in a way that enables people to make an informed decision about Jesus Christ. - by teaching and training Christians to do the same - by developing resources to support the above The Big Story Trust has done this through: - Proclamation – communicating Christianity using the creative arts - Training – equipping Christians to communicate Christianity and Disciple others - Producing resources for evangelism and discipleship 7 ## **Achievement and Performance** Trustees continued to implement the operational plan to deliver key projects over the next year which included the delivery of: - The Wacky Science Show - Redesign of the website, - Delivery of the ProKids Show, - Writing of Fragile Wonder book and subsequent show - Continuation of Life at the Vicarage social media presence All the projects will be embedded in the coming year. ## **Financial Review** The charity had sufficient resources to deliver the objectives within the financial year without seeking external support. ## **Policy on reserves** Due to the small size of the charity and the fact that it does not own any assets or buildings and has no employed staff, the trustees have concluded that it does not need to hold any reserves however this policy will be continually be reviewed as and when the charity grows. ## **Deficits** The charity does not have any deficits at the time of reporting. 8 Statement of Accounts CHARITY COMMISSION Ff* WALES ReceSpts and payments accounts CC16a 31 1223 SectK>n A Recelpts and payments Unr••trid• R•sifKi•d luThd$ Endowm•nt funds T9￿ funds Las1 yoa¥ r•w•il E | 11• Glt Sub toi*l(GFots1ncort￿ fi)rARI 1S• A2 A*w lty¥•*thiwi s¥ 1* 192 1•Z J7• sJ• $10 s￿t0￿1 A4 A•¥•¢ 4nd lnv••tm￿l purth•¥•K l*••t*l•l Tdtsip•yrn•nts 11.192 •¢olrK*lptslpoym•rts) . A5 Tr￿11•r4 b•lw••n lund• A6 C••h fund• la•t y￿•nd 11.542 J4.$14 J4.514 ## Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report and annual accounts above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees: 10 th Rev'd Sue Vallente-Kerr 28 October 2024 li