EPPING An port 2024-25 THE NISBET TRUST NEWBY TRUST FOYLE FOUNDATION Garfield Weston FOUNDATION
Project Co-ordinator’s Report After an incredibly busy year in 2015 – 16, 2016 – 17 • We continued to work with seven poets towards a saw a much quieter year marking the fact that we lost large scale event planned for 2017 when we will our three core funders at the end of a six year funding publish seven new anthologies of poetry by local cycle, and had to replace all of our core funding. This service users. The Director of the Cheltenham was a long, slow process which took over 12 months Poetry Festival and other local poets and writers are and meant that we mounted a much smaller number working with us on this project. of productions than usual along with a reduced programme of activities. • We are currently developing several new projects for production in 2017/18 including two more plays Highlights of the year included; about R. D. Laing, an adaptation of Will Self’s novel
• We are currently developing several new projects for production in 2017/18 including two more plays about R. D. Laing, an adaptation of Will Self’s novel ‘Great Apes’ in collaboration with the writer and a new production of Sir John Vanbrugh’s restoration comedy ‘The Provok’d Wife,’ at Kings Weston House, which Vanbrugh himself designed.
• Two runs of our seasonal pantomime – ‘Cinderella – The Cillit Bang Years’ showcasing the talents of some of our most experienced service user artists as writers and performers. • A national tour of a double bill of new writing ‘Spiders By Night’ which toured to Edinburgh, Bath, Bristol London and Plymouth.
• We continue to help service users locally and across • A national tour of a double bill of new writing the country by setting up and supporting new ‘Spiders By Night’ which toured to Edinburgh, Bath, theatre and arts projects initiatives with service Bristol London and Plymouth. users such as Polar Bear Theatre and Joyofdance in “The work Stepping Out Theatre is Bristol, Arts Etcetera in Kidderminster and Coffee • A comedy sketch night at The Rope Walk in House Theatre in Plymouth. doing should be supported by all Bedminster, Bristol in collaboration with The interested in a society that is healthy. Laughing Ostrich and final year drama students Sadly, the funding for our Deputy Project Co ordinator from the University of West England.Stepping Out understands and does was lost in early 2016, and after six years in post, Ann not shy away from the possibility that Stiddard came off as a payroll worker although she • Alongside these productions, we ran a reduced theatre, the ancient art of these islands continues as very much part of our freelance team. programme of dance and music activities in Funding for the Project Co ordinator post from the North West of Europe, is a collaboration with Mind Your Music and Joyofdance, same Big Lottery Fund grant was also lost, but transformative and healing activity as well as our popular Drama and Devising for fortunately a new grant from the Lloyds Bank Performance workshop with new Associate Artist which brings joy into people’s lives. Foundation will continue funding this post until 2019. Viki Browne. If you want to hear something true,
go and hear what Stepping Out Theatre We were also fortunate enough to secure funding for • The launch of the first ever Stepping Out youth a new post of Development Worker, mainly through a are saying. I only found myself in group, attracting 20 new members aged 16-25 new grant from the People’s Health Trust. Olivia Ware theatre, and I hear that Stepping Out years. was appointed to this post in early 2016. is helping other people do the same.
• A cabaret event showcasing short pieces featuring I have great hopes for this company 2016 - 17 was our nineteenth year as a group and our individual members was organised for the AGM in and deep respect for what they are tenth year of operation as a registered charity. July. Further cabaret events are planned for 2017. doing right now.”
Mark rylance, patron
----- Start of picture text -----
Mother Christmas
----- End of picture text -----
COnTenTS OF annUaL repOrT 2024 - 25
-
2 Reference and Administrative Details
-
3 Structure, Governance and Management
-
4 Project Co-ordinator’s Report
-
5 Progress on the Aims and Objectives of the Group 2024 - 25
-
6 Financial Report and Accounts for 2024 - 25
Graphic Design; Ann Stiddard
Photography by Peter Hall and group members
1
reference and administrative Details
‘Stepping Out Theatre’ is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose
aims are benevolent and philanthropic. We have been registered as a charity with the Charities Commission since February 2007.
Charity Registration Number 1179310
The group’s name is sometimes lengthened to ‘Stepping Out Theatre Company’.
‘Stepping Out Theatre’ was founded in 1997.
Principle Charity Office:
Flat E, 3 Lodge Street, Bristol, BS1 5LR
Tel. 07896 684097 E mail; info@steppingouttheatre.co.uk
Bankers: Co-operative Bank, P.O. Box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT
Independent Examiner of Accounts: Dheera De Alwis, 12 Fry Close, Bristol, BS37 7JW
----- Start of picture text -----
Mother Christmas
----- End of picture text -----
Mother Christmas
Structure, governance and Management
Membership
Trustees 2024 - 2025
Membership of Stepping Out Theatre is open to all local mental health service users and their allies with an interest in the work of the group. Involvement in any of our productions or activities confers membership. All members are entitled to attend our Annual General Meeting and vote for the election of a group of Trustees who are responsible for running the group. Copies of the group’s constitution with more information on all this are available from the Stepping Out Theatre office.
Geoff Innoles – Chair Danann McAleer – Trustee Emma Stadon – Secretary Ravi Kullar – Treasurer Maria Falzetti – Trustee Mike Hindle – Trustee Dr. Sue Chambers – Trustee
Trustees have generally been drawn from the existing membership, and we try to have a range of people who reflect the nature of the group – i.e. people who have used and / or worked in mental health services and people who work in theatre and the arts. Any group member can put themselves forward for or be nominated to be a Trustee. The group also regularly advertise for new Trustees to fill skill shortages that the Trustee group identifies.
Governing Document
Constitution, amended and signed prior to Charity Registration 6th October 2006. Subsequently amended to assist with registration as a CIO in 2017.
Governing Body
A Board of Trustees, currently seven in number, elected in accordance with the Constitution at the Annual General Meeting
Staff
Project Co-ordinator (Part time, from February 2024) Mark Breckon Music Projects Manager (Part time) Elliot Hall
Annual General Meeting
Our AGM for 2024 - 25 was held at 7.00 p.m. on 20th November on Zoom. The following seven trustees were either elected for the first time or confirmed to serve the three years for which they were previously elected.
2
3
project Co-ordinator’s report
2024 - 25 was a more uncertain year following the end of previous three-year core funding.
The year’s events included:
-
A full production of ‘Mother Christmas’ written by Project Co-ordinator Mark Breckon involving a large number of group members. This built on some script-in-hand performances of the same show the previous Christmas. We performed in Bristol, Clevedon and Backwell, often to full houses, and the show was hugely enjoyed by audiences and cast.
-
The world première in Bristol of ‘Diary of a Ukrainian Madman’ by Liudmyla Tymoshenko, who co-wrote ‘Refugee Cats’, the children’s show we performed in 2023. This production was a great success with some sell out nights and a very positive audience reaction. It built on other Ukrainian work we’d performed since the war began. It led to connections with local Ukrainians who saw the show and have continued to engage with our work.
-
A programme of workshops for group members including drama and improvisation, comedy, writing and art. In a year where we had only two full productions later in the year, these activities were important in keeping group members working creatively together. In addition, we continued to run regular subsidised theatre trips to shows in Bristol, Bath and one very sunny trip to London.
Diary of a Ukrainian Madman
Stepping Out Chair Geoff Innoles who passed away in February 2025
• A programme of music activities (workshops, gigs and recording) in collaboration with long term collaborators and partners Mind Your Music. This included the sixth one day music festival run jointly by both groups where several different bands with a huge range of musical styles played in support of local mental health service users.
• We had some very sad news in February 2025, when our much-loved Chair, Geoff Innoles, passed away. He left this world to the sound of David Bowie with his daughters at his side. A sweeter, kinder person never graced our company. Geoff was an incredibly active and enthusiastic member of the group, while almost never setting foot onstage. As a professional printer he did all of our printing, rarely charging much if at all, he also videoed our performances. He came away with us to Edinburgh and other places and contributed a huge amount to these trips. He was a positive, stabilising presence in our group for several years. Thanks for everything you gave us Geoff, you were the best of us and will be sorely missed.
2024 - 25 was our twenty eighth year as a group and our eighteenth year of operation as a registered charity.
Diary of a Ukrainian Madman
progress on The aims and Objectives of Stepping Out Theatre 2024 - 25
Our charitable aims and objectives as set out in our constitution are.
1) Mental health service users have been offered a diverse range of therapeutic creative activities, as well as individual mentoring to help with their own creative development. They have also been offered membership of a supportive network and a busy programme of shared activities.
-
1) To relieve the conditions of mental health service users through the medium of theatre.
-
2) To advance the education of the public about mental health in order to raise their awareness, by producing plays which deal with this issue and counter negative stereotypes of people with mental health problems.
2) We mounted a small number of individual productions this year, as in 2023 - 24, but both productions raised public awareness of mental health issues and challenged negative stereotypes. These productions were performed in front of large audiences in Bristol, Clevedon, and Backwell.
-
3) To advance the education and training of mental health service users and their allies to develop their creative talents, build supportive networks and produce high quality theatre on mental health themes.
-
3) As well as producing high quality theatre productions on mental health themes, this year’s work offered more new education and training opportunities to service users and their allies to build their creative talents in the way we do best – by creating good theatre.
As the Project Co-ordinator’s report makes clear, we can claim to have made considerable progress towards these aims this year.
4
5
Financial report and accounts 1st March 2024 - 28th February 2025
In the financial year 2024 - 25, the group received a total of £113,926.63 in income and spent a total of £128,440.36.
Stepping Out Theatre - Reserves Policy
‘Reserves’ or ‘free reserves’ is the term generally used to describe that part of a charity’s income that is freely available for its general purposes. Reserves are therefore the resources the charity has or can make available to spend, for any or all of the charity’s purposes, once it has met its commitments and covered its planned expenditure.
As in the previous year, a relatively low level of unrestricted reserves at the beginning of 2024 -25 was reflected in the amount of theatre produced – with two full productions this year.
As usual, the largest items of expenditure were salaries and payments to the freelance artists and service users involved in our ambitious programme of productions and workshops. These costs include redundancy payments to the former CEO and are likely to fall overall in 2025 - 26.
It is the policy of Stepping Out Theatre that any unrestricted income which the charity is in possession of may, at the discretion of the Trustees, be spent in any way which advances the causes of the charity. These free reserves may also be carried over between accounting years, for example when the group is trying to build up reserves in order to finance a large production or project such as the trips to Finland (2018) and France (2023) to take part in mental health theatre. Building up of reserves is sometimes a prudent measure but should not be seen as an end in itself, and for this reason, it is Stepping Out Theatre’s policy to have reserves set at a maximum of half of the charity’s annual income.
In 2023 - 24, our unrestricted reserves at the end of the year stood at £18,654.28. Our reserves were much lower at the end of 2024 - 25 at £4,354.61.
This was temporary, we had unrestricted funding due at this point, and we had just completed a production. Once this funding was received, from March 2025 onwards, we were on target with reserves in subsequent months.
Restricted funds cannot form part of Stepping Out Theatre’s reserves as the spending of these funds is laid down in the funding applications and signed contracts upon which they were granted. For this reason, although restricted funds may be carried across at the end of an accounting year, they do not constitute free reserves. At the end of 2024 - 25, the group carried across no restricted funds.
| Section a - receipts | Restricted | Unrestricted | 2024-2025 | 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People’s Health Trust | - | - |
- | 2,268.00 |
| The Foyle Foundation (1) | 10,000.00 | - |
10,000.00 | - |
| Paul Hamlyn Foundation | - | - |
- | 27,500.00 |
| Charitable Donations (2) | - | 42,872.40 |
42,872.40 | 32,816.27 |
| Box Office Receipts (3) | - | 1,044.15 | 1,044.15 | 2,898.32 |
| Small Grants (4) | 5,000.00 | - | 5,000.00 | 8,500.00 |
| Tudor Trust | - | - | - | 33,364.50 |
| Garfield Weston Foundation (5) | 15,000.00 | - | 15,000.00 | - |
| Newby Trust (6) | 10,000.00 | - | 10,000.00 | - |
| The Big Give Trust (7) | - | 30,010.08 | 30,010.08 | - |
| Interest and Refunds | - | - | - | 886.26 |
| Loans Advanced by Supporters | - | - | - | 10,000.00 |
| TOTAL | 40,000.00 | 73,926.63 | 113,926.63 | 118,233.35 |
Section B - payments
| Section B - payments | Restricted | Unrestricted | 2024-2025 | 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll | 15,000.00 | 37,545.29 |
52,545.29 | 53,178.37 |
| Rent (incl. Theatre Hire) | 1,500.00 | 3,033.21 |
4,533.21 | 3,022.60 |
| General Running Expenses | 1,500.00 | 7,023.20 |
8,523.20 | 6,746.92 |
| Miscellaneous Production Costs | 3,000.00 | 4,636.04 |
7,636.04 | 1,474.75 |
| Travel for Staff, Service Users and Volunteers | 1,500.00 | 1,392.90 | 2,892.90 | 13,484.56 |
| Subsistence | 1,500.00 | 6,021.82 | 7,521.82 | 5,305.62 |
| Theatre Trips | - | 962.28 | 962.28 | 954.36 |
| Charitable Donations | - | 270.00 | 270.00 | 2,444.00 |
| Freelance Workers and Artists | 16,000.00 | 27,555.62 | 43,555.62 | 22,024.85 |
| Fixed Assets | - | - | - | 499.95 |
| Loans Repaid to Supporters |
- | - | - | 10,000.00 |
| TOTAL | 40,000.00 | 88,440.36 | 128,440.36 | 119,135.98 |
| Section C - Balance Sheet | Restricted | Restricted | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | 2024-2025 | 2024-2025 | 2023-2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Balance at Start of Year | - | 18,654.28 | 18,654.28 | 19,556.91 | |||||||
| Prior year adjustment (8) | - | 214.06 | 214.06 | - | |||||||
| Bank Receipts | 40,000.00 | 73,926.63 | 113,926.63 | 118,233.35 | |||||||
| Bank Payments | 40,000.00 ( |
) |
( |
88,440.36 | ) |
128,440.36 ( ) |
119,135.98 ( |
) |
|||
| Bank Balance at End of Year | 0.00 | 4,354.61 | 4,354.61 | 18,654.28 | |||||||
| Cash Balance at Start of Year | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Cash Receipts | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Cash Payments | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Cash Balance at End of Year | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| Fixed Assets at Start of Year (9) | - | - | 11,816.32 | 15,088.50 | |||||||
| Purchases | - | - | - | 499.95 | |||||||
| Disposal (11) | - | - | ( |
8,487.28 | ) |
- | |||||
| Depreciation (10) | ( |
2,954.08 | ) |
- | ( |
2,954.08 ) |
3,772.13 ( |
) | |||
| Fixed Assets at End of Year | - | - | 374.96 | 11,816.32 | |||||||
| Net Assets at End of Year | 0.00 | 4,354.61 | 4,729.57 | 30,470.60 |
6
7
Financial report and accounts 1st March 2024 - 28th February 2025
Section D - notes
-
1) Restricted fund grant received from The Foyle Foundation towards the production of new work by Ukrainian playwrights.
-
2) Donations include contributions from major donors, charitable appeals, fundraising events, and Gift Aid.
-
3) Box office receipts relate to all productions, including those staged in London and Bristol.
-
4) Includes a grant from the Quartet Foundation towards the Christmas production.
-
5) Restricted grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation towards the operational expenditure of the charity in furtherance of its objectives.
-
6) Restricted grant from the Newby Trust towards the operational expenditure of the charity in furtherance of its objectives.
-
7) Income raised from donations and matched funding through participation in Challenges run by The Big Give Trust.
-
8) An adjustment of £214.06 has been recorded under receipts to reconcile the opening bank balance reported in the 2023 - 24 accounts (£18,654.28) with the actual balance confirmed by the bank statement (£18,868.34). This adjustment results from a review of prior-year transactions, which identified minor discrepancies including duplicate and missing entries, as well as a small opening balance error. This correction does not affect the accuracy of income or expenditure reported for the current financial year (2024 - 25).
-
9) The charity owned a vehicle and a laptop. The laptop was purchased on 27/02/2024. In line with the charity’s depreciation policy, no depreciation is charged in the year of purchase, and the asset should be charged for a full year in the year of disposal.
-
10) The charity depreciates its assets at 25% per year using the reducing balance method.
| Charity Vehicle (HX05HNF) | Laptop | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Openingbalance 01.03.2024 | 11,316.37 | 499.95 | 11,816.32 |
| (+) Additions | - | - | - |
| Depreciation charge for the period | (2,829.09) | (124.99) | (2,954.08) |
| (-) Disposal | (8,487.28) | - | (8,487.28) |
| (0.00) | 374.96 | 374.96 |
independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of Stepping Out Theatre
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Stepping Out Theatre (the Trust) for the year ended 28 February 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
1) Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
2) The accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: Dheera De Alwis
Address: 12 Fry Close, Bristol, BS37 7JW
Date: 9th December 2025
- 11) During the year, the charity settled part of the statutory redundancy payment due to the ex-CEO. The total redundancy payment was £19,290.00 As part of the settlement, the charity transferred its 80% of remaining share of the vehicle. The vehicle had:
Net book value (charity’s 80% share): £11,316.37
Market value of the vehicle (charity’s 80% share): £11,200.00
The transfer resulted in a non-cash gain of £2,712.72 (Market value the net book value).
The vehicle transfer reduced the redundancy payment liability, leaving a remaining cash payment of £8,090.00, which was subsequently returned by the ex-CEO as a non-cash donation to the charity.
Section e - approvals
Signed: Ravi Kullar (Treasurer) Date: 9th December 2025
Signed: Dheera De Alwis (Independent Examiner) Date: 9th December 2025
8
9