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2024-08-31-accounts

Stretford Children’s Theatre

REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 1175334

2023 / 2024 Annual Report

Financial Year End 31.8.24

(Period covered 01.09.23-31.08.24)

Stretford Children’s Theatre

Stretford Public Hall

Chester Road

Stretford

Manchester

M32 0LG

Email: stretfordchildrenstheatre@gmail.com

Instagram: stretfordchildrenstheatre

Website: www.stretfordchildrenstheatre.org.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCTStretford/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPoAngRLXIhN6h__u57i4fA?app=desktop

X: @SCT_Stretford

Mission Statement:

To inspire, educate and enrich our community by providing high quality accessible performing arts sessions and through public productions.

Our Vision:

To build a valued community organisation that is well-known for its high quality, inclusive, participant-led performing arts offer; an environment where everyone feels valued and supported to unlock talent and reach their potential.

Our Values:

Our values , below, inform our work and guide our attitudes and behaviours :

Our Aims:

Page 2 of 22

Our Charitable Objects:

To advance education for the public benefit among children and young people aged 4 and above and adults in all aspects of the performing arts by the provision of workshops and opportunities to participate in artistic performances.

Established in 1945 by Bertram H. Holland, Stretford Children’s Theatre became an integral part of the community for over 35 years. However, it ceased operations in the early 1980s. In 2015, a dedicated group of local individuals successfully revived the theatre, choosing one of its original venues, Stretford Public Hall, as the backdrop for its resurgence.

Stretford Children’s Theatre [SCT] is dedicated to offering accessible, high-quality drama experiences for individuals aged 4 and above, extending to adults within our community. Our drama sessions are delivered by professional theatre practitioners, specialists at working with our different age groups. We think we meet our aims at every session we deliver and hope that everyone feels the same. If you feel differently, please speak to the any member of the Board or staff and highlight any concerns you may have.

As a foundation CIO, we are governed by our Constitution. If you wish for a copy of the

Constitution which details more information about our group’s governance and rules, please ask any of the Board Members who can give you a copy, it can also be found on our website.

We have had no serious or reportable accidents or incidents this year.

Our public liability insurance is held with Markel Insurance.

All our drama practitioners are DBS checked and follow our child protection policy and procedures. All our policies can be found on our website.

We conduct risk assessments for each group, and each place we visit to ensure everybody’s safety.

We continuously review policies during the year, our financial controls are monitored and adjusted accordingly to ensure robust processes are adhered to and trustees remain accountable.

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Our registered address is: Stretford Public Hall, Chester Road, Stretford, M32 0LG

Our active bank details are:

Natwest, Trafford Park, Third Avenue, Trafford Park, Manchester, M17 1NW

Natwest Business Account

Thank you from us all for helping to make Stretford Children’s Theatre work.

If you are able to support us any further, through donations, volunteering your time or offering specific skills that might be useful, please do get in touch via email at stretfordchildrenstheatre@gmail.com or get in touch through our Facebook page (Stretford Children’s Theatre), or speak to any of the Board Members, staff, volunteers, or leaders.

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Group Structure 2023/2024

Our Charity Trustees / Board Members are:
Trustee Name Date of
appointment
to the board		 Current Term of
Office		 Date of office up
for renewal		 Number of terms
Position served currently
held
Kirsty Thomas 23.10.17 Treasurer 3 years 23.10.25 2
Sophie Bowden 21.02.22 Trustee 3 years 21.02.25 0
Shelly Quinton-Hulme 23.10.17 Chairperson
3 years		 29.04.26 2
Niall Brennan 19.01.23 Trustee 3 years 19.01.26 0
Rachel Stevens 08.02.24 Trustee 3 years Retired 04.07.24 0
Ian Beard 08.02.24 Secretary 3 years 08.02.27 0
Michelle Calame-Bell 12.08.20 Trustee 3 years 12.08.26 1
Keith Broom 10.05.18 Trustee 3 years Retired 17.01.24 2
Janice Rendel 23.10.17 Trustee 3 years Retired 28.12.23 2
Jessica Loveday 29.04.20 Trustee 3 years Retired 30.10.23 1

No changes to the Board are known about at this time but strengthening our capabilities is on the agenda and this may mean increasing the number of Trustees to the Board. We will advertise for new trustees looking for skills we need that have been identified using a trustee skills audit and any appointments will be made by the current board members.

If you need to contact any of the Board Members please email: stretfordchildrenstheatre@gmail.com stating who you would like the email to go to.

Natwest Cheque Signatories are: Kirsty Thomas; Shelly Quinton-Hulme; Niall Brennan

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A Year in Review

This has been a hard year for us as trustees to keep the group moving forwards with few resources at our disposal – but we have managed it and we hope for a better year next year.

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We have opportunities for volunteering within our groups, as well as wider opportunities within the charity, and we love assisting our volunteers to be the best they can be and for what they help us to achieve.

Volunteers, we need you!

We're on the search for volunteers to help our fabulous facilitators deliver our fun, energetic drama sessions.

Sessions run each Thursday during school term times

from 4-8pm hourly for our infant and junior classes

Seniors run from 6-7.30pm

Youth Theatre and Adult Community Theatre run from 7.30-9pm

If you're looking to learn new skills, work with your local community, and have a passion for drama then get in touch! Contact us via our website or email us

at stretfordchildrenstheatre@gmail.com

We can't wait to hear from you. We will carry out all DBS checks.

Page 7 of 22

Stretford Children’s Theatre - 12 week Young Person Volunteer Programme

This programme will give a minimum of 22 hours volunteering over 12 weeks. There will be more opportunities for the young person to volunteer if they so wish such as coming to observe a board meeting, or carrying out a fundraising project for the group, and the programme can be extended to 6, 12 months or longer if so desired.

Our experienced Board members, Sessional Leaders, Sessional Manager and Fundraising Staff will support the young person whilst they are volunteering with us and ensure they are well looked after, safe, happy and learn as much as they can. You can find more information at our website: www.stretfordchildrenstheatre.org.uk

We are based at Stretford Public Hall in the heart of Stretford town centre and the building is fully accessible.

This would be a perfect placement for those doing the Duke of Edinburgh scheme or a young person wishing to enhanc their CV for college or university or their first job. We ask that the young person is aged 14 years as a minimum.

Week More Detail
1 Initial Meeting with
Board Member – 1 hour		 This meeting will be about what the young person hopes to achieve whilst
volunteering with us, and how we can best support them, and introductions to the
team and sessions themselves. Plus identifying any specific additional areas they
are interested in, planning how they might gain experience in those areas with
SCT.
2 Understanding our
charity – 2 hours		 Who we are; why we formed; our history; vision/values/aims; what we do; what a
board does; our constitution; The Charity Commission & our responsibilities;
policies and procedures; managing personnel/ volunteers; management systems
[OSM, Go Cardless ,iZettle]; financial management; funding/ fundraising; health
and safety;safeguarding;monitoring,evaluation;measuringimpact.
3 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours		 These weekly volunteering sessions will be spent in either the infant or junior
drama sessions assisting the Sessional Leaders and the attending children.
The young person will never be left alone with the children and will not be
responsible for anything other than their own behaviour. We would expect them
to follow all our policies and procedures as discussed with them in weeks 1 and 2.
These sessions are fun and consist of drama games and often involve producing
pieces leading up to a performance – we hope the young person would get fully
involved in these sessions.
A board member is usually available weekly and as such progress reports will be
gathered and any issues for the young person or Sessional Leader will be
addressed as they arise.
All Sessional Leaders are DBS checked, and SCT is fully insured and has strict H&S
and safeguarding policies in place.
4 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
5 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
6 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
7 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
8 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
9 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
10 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
11 Sessional Volunteering
– 2 hours
12 Close out meeting with
Board Member – 1 hour		 This meeting will be to evaluate how the sessions have gone from the volunteer’s
perspective, and provide feedback from the Sessional Leaders and the Board to the
young person and complete some impact monitoring forms and case study
information and complete anydocumentation required.

The sessional volunteering hours are either Thursdays from 4-6pm or Thursdays from 5.30-7.30pm.

We can accommodate 2 volunteers on each of the sessions at any one time. Other volunteering opportunities are also available that do not involve being in the sessions, such as communications & social media, fundraising, policies and procedures if that is of interest to any of the young people.

Please get in touch if you wish to discuss any of the opportunities with us: stretfordchildrenstheatre@gmail.com

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S1'O11'1C; OUR YEA ERS 241 voLvMY•e•• 31 240 ZMCOM• TYP•• A•C•IV• 3596 xp•MDrTUA• TVPQ• 74% o•oup eosy •oct X FOLLOW 831 Page 9 0122

S1'O11'1C; SURVEY SAYS <iLRiIIL SCT IN 3 FuNjj 4IENP T()Rl)fi! Wh•t m•kM SCT dlff•r•n 96% of par•nt8/ear•r• ggr•• that SCT IS GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY kn wel th•1¢ you p•r50n inclusive local ga f a WIIG•MIIIG New skills Performances THE BENEFITS OFS •• flCR fft3eL￿sT TDJ CONNECTID TO OTH YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COAIIAUNITY eeNTWFUTE I(EèS ANf) FEEI I18TENEY) T8 To learn new skills fflpro¥isatioD MEMORY SKIL REMEMBE R Ll Express myself ::" Self Confjdence Page 10 of22

S1'O11'1C; Our Im NICOLA'S STORY act si, 'El'ro Her mum has lov•d s•elni the chan8e In h•r daugh- ter and credlts much of her Pr￿reSS to (￿r drama sesslons. When Nlcola Joln•d Stretford Chlldren's Theatre she was so shy and wlthdrawn that she would not say h•r nam• wh•n It was ¢•lied out ¢)n reilster. In Just a coupl• of months. the me5 •nd Im•qlnatlon-led storytellln8 In the sessl¢Jns allowed Nlcola to 'c*im• out "Drama club 15 the best '•ctl¥tty Nlcola doe5 and Is • hl8hll8ht of her w••k" "Now I have been In school assemblyg n In shows for nts and won a In 'Seusstcal' our stmas 5howl" Nkoia's mum and school to see 4 re41 Improv h•r s•lf<onfidenc•. H•r school embrac￿ thls change. r￿0￿751n8 Ni£0 love of storytelllnq thls to help Increas• l•f. In December 2019. Nkola perf three sold-out shows of 'Seu55kal J In elive¢￿ a brilliant pèrformance In that Is about standlng up for bellefs, havlng confldence In If and makin8 Sure every voice. atter how small. 15 115tened to fully. Nlcola's flrst tlme actlng and ng In front a publlc audlence and as thrilled to be part of It. Th15 photo was taken backstage she went on stage to perform a how much her confldence has ompared with when She fi attending Stretlord Childre ore eatre. Page 11 of22

S1'O11'1C; DAISY'S ￿oRy Dalsy Ilkes to have fun and has a playful sld• to h•r, she Is also qulte anxlous and struggles wlth seff4wbt. Dalsy'5 anxlety and self-d04tht w raly51. past. she often gave up wtpiy do somethlnq. Her parents ar￿. 8randparents have / notlced how much her confldence and Sèlf-￿17ef have In- creased slnce at- tending our ses- slon5. and thls 15 41- so beln8 reflected In her school work. Now. hèr anxl•t aff•cts h•r work much less becaus her confldence and self-bellef have Improved so much. FUN In tle¢¢mbtr 2019, Dalsy P•rfOrm￿ In three sold-out shows L)f S•ussl¢•l Jnr. Sh• play•d a a key ens•mble part In a show th)t Is about st•ndln8 up for your bell•fs, havlry confld•n¢• fjn yourself and makln8 sur• •v•ry ￿l¢e, no matt*r how sm)11, Is Ilst•n•d to and Included. It was h•r flrst tlme actln8 and sln8ln8 In front a pub- Ik audlence, and wall never for8et the exper1e￿9 and the ap- plause from thos• kn. SAFE Page 12 of22

Creativity

Imagine

Page 13 of 22

S1'O11'1C; I Iq ORLA'S STORY Orla one of our orlglnal members and has tyspraxfa. Thls means sheh challenges around spatiatrawarene5s and learnlng skills. She Iso th 50rne difficulties sociall￿.11$, whkh led to her bein8 bullled at primary school. Drarna enabled Orla t0.cwm•￿ prafound negative effects of the bullying and ga deal vlth it. Belng in a group of Ilke-mlnded tease beneflts her greatly. udge The physkal challen8ei'OrLI faces are never belSttl•d by the 8roup or facllltators. and she has found ways to work artwnd th•m and ensure sh• Is able to fully Joln In all the Ktlvltles. Both her parents report that there has been • great change In confldence and abllltf•s. H•r confldenc• has lrnproved so much thrt she t¢)ok part In our ' ulded Mlsflts. fllm project. somethlng she would never hav• b••n •vlously. In December 2019. Orla (left) performed In three soldryout shows of Seusslcal Jnr. She worked hard and dellvered a brllllant p•rfor In a show about standlng up for your bellefs, having confid•vKyT yourself and makire sure every volce. no matter how srnall. ts lis- tened to and InCI￿￿ed. It was her flrst tlffl¢ and SI￿1￿ in f a public au ce, whlch shows h¢M mukn the dence has Irnp•Y,t.. nt Page 14 0122

I S1RETFORD CMIIDREMS Age 4-16 Led by experlenced fxilitators and practitioners Committed to provlding fun. rdable and high quallty r drama and theatre experiences for young people All •bllltl# TMlc•m• Support chlldren's learnlng and encouraging r; creativity 10 Creating confident young people SCAN ME For more information: Theatre Trtalreb4fA*fw¢4 CtsrUwAL 1175331r Page 15 of22

S1REIFORD Supportln i .young people's l•arnlng, creatlvity nd experienc _ Young People changing their lives through the Arts Theatre for change Theatre for All Led by experienced facilitators and practitioners. Committed to providing fun, affordable and high quality drama and theatre experiences for teens and young adults All ab511tles welcome For more information: 10 SCAN ME C￿lIty. 1175JJ4 Page 16 0122

----- Start of picture text -----
These classes, led by Rosarie, a familiar face
from our board of trustees, garnered positive
feedback and have successfully continued
without additional funding. The overwhelming
popularity of the sessions has solidified their
place as a permanent fixture.
Moving forward into the next financial year, the
group plans to organize small performances,
with funding provided by the charity. As part of
a broader strategy aimed at engaging larger
sections of the community, we will actively seek
grant funding to expand and enhance this
particular aspect of our charitable activities.
Below are some comments from the attendees
I love that it feels like
a safe and supportive
space.
I love this class
– I really like the ad lib games
and acting.
I always go home with a smile
on my face – I’ve made friends
and look forward to the
I like all of the laughing weekly sessions.
and the fun. It’s great.
Rosarie is brilliant at
leading the group.
This is a perfect way to meet
new people with similar
interests, I’m looking forward to doing a
performance.
----- End of picture text -----

These classes, led by Rosarie, a familiar face from our board of trustees, garnered positive feedback and have successfully continued without additional funding. The overwhelming popularity of the sessions has solidified their place as a permanent fixture.

Moving forward into the next financial year, the group plans to organize small performances, with funding provided by the charity. As part of a broader strategy aimed at engaging larger sections of the community, we will actively seek grant funding to expand and enhance this particular aspect of our charitable activities.

Below are some comments from the attendees

Page 17 of 22

Treasurer’s Report

This financial year ended with a surplus of £4,651 which is an increase of £3,407 against prior year. We have been fortunate enough to receive four separate grants from a variety of funders;

Awards for All, GMCVO and Forever Manchester have been used towards the running of the Adult and Infant classes during the year. These grants are all closed out as per the restricted grant spend highlighted as £12,303 allowing for £500 of Groundworks unspent.

Groundworks monies are expected to begin use for the performance in the next financial year.

Our subscriptions increased by £5,271 against prior year. This is due to an increase in our attendees and a change in the pricing structure beginning in September 2023.

Our total expenditure increased by £2,471 which is inline with the increase in grant funding for the adult classes.

Our GiftAid claim looks to be reduced against prior year, however, we made a decision in 2022 to ensure that our GiftAid claim for the academic year was submitted before the end of the financial year. In 2022/23 our claim spanned over two financial years which gave us an inflated amount. This has skewed the figures as if our claim is less, actually, in a single year it has increased in line with the attendees and increased subscriptions.

In addition to the positive impact of GiftAid, our organization experienced a healthy amount of donations in the year. The bulk of these funds have been generously donated by locals within the community that see the good works we do. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all involved for their consideration and support. For anyone who would like to donate or find out more about donations please see below.

Page 18 of 22

Ways to donate

Give as you earn/Donate as you earn

As an employee you can set up a direct payment from your gross pay to Stretford Children’s Theatre under a scheme called ‘Give as You Earn’ – ask your HR or Payroll Manager whether your company has signed up to CAF Give As You Earn and if so, how you can join the payroll giving scheme.

In terms of our balance sheet, as of August 31, 2024, our bank holds £4,651 in total. This comprises £4,151 in unprotected funds (free reserves) and £500 in protected funds (remaining from the grant received from Groundworks UK).

Our trustees are committed to a reserves policy, retaining funds to cover 12 weeks (one academic full term). Despite challenges in the past financial year, we aim to restore reserves to the agreedupon value in 2024/25 - £6k?. This plan involves increasing grant applications to cover core costs and allowing subscription revenue to replenish the deficit by the end of the financial year.

Page 19 of 22

Stretford Children's Theatre Stretford Children's Theatre Stretford Children's Theatre Stretford Children's Theatre 1175334 CC16a
Receipts andpayments accounts
For the period
from		 01/09/2023 To 31/08/2024
Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest
£		 Restricted
funds
to the nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to the nearest £		 Total funds
to the nearest £
Subscriptions 16,240 -
12,500
-
-
-
-
-
-		 - 16,240 10,969
Grants - - 12,500 1,000
Donations 2,770 - 2,770 3,622
GiftAid 3,869 - 3,869 4,464
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total(Gross income for
AR)

22,879		 12,500 - 35,379 20,055
-
-		 -
-
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - -
- - - -
Sub total
Total receipts
A3 Payments		 - - - - -
22,879 12,500 - 35,379 20,055
Session Leaders 15,295 5,320
1,638
5,130
-
-
-
-
215
-
-		 - 20,615 21,131
Session Managers 1,286 - 2,924 3,134
Hall Hire 690 - 5,820 3,535
External Activities 100 - 100 -
Insurance 361 - 361 336
Administrative Charges 1,287 - 1,287 903
Payment Charges 650 - 650 462
Equipment Purchase - - 215 -
- - - -
- - - -
**Sub total ** 19,669 12,303 - 31,972 29,501
-
-		 -
-
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - -
- - -
Sub total
Total payments
Net of receipts/(payments)
A5 Transfers between funds
A6 Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end		 - - - - -
19,669 12,303 - 31,972 29,501
3,210 197
3,210 -
3,407		 - 9,446
-
-
-		 - - -
1,244 - 1,244 8,691
4,454 197 - 4,651 - 755

Page 20 of 22

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
B1 Cash funds
B2 Other monetary assets
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
B5 Liabilities
B3 Investment assets		 Details Unrestricted
funds
to nearest £		 Restricted
funds
to nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to nearest £
Bank 4,151 500 -
- - -
- - -
Details
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))		 4,151 500 -
Agreement Error Agreement Error OK
Unrestricted
funds
to nearest £		 Restricted
funds
to nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to nearest £
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Details Fund to which
asset belongs		 Cost (optional) Current value
(optional)
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Details Fund to which
asset belongs		 Cost (optional) Current value
(optional)
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Details Fund to which
liability relates		 Amount due
(optional)		 When due
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Signature Print Name Date of
approval

Page 21 of 22

Annual Report accepted at the Annual General Meeting

of Stretford Children’s Theatre

on 4[th ] November 2024

Signed: Full Name: Shelly Quinton-Hulme MBE Position: Chairperson Signed: Full Name: Kirsty Thomas Position: Treasurer

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