2025-08-31-accounts - Creative Opps CIO

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 01/09/2024 To 31/08/2025

Charity name: Creative Opps CIO

Charity registration number: 1190916

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The object of the CIO is to advance in life and relieve the needs of young people aged 6-30, with a focus on young people who are socially and/or economically disadvantaged, through: (a) facilitating their access to knowledge, learning opportunities and experience; (b) providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as responsible individuals.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	During 2024 - 2025, the charity delivered three core programmes; Mentoring, Membership, and Paid Placements, supported by an expanded communications strategy. Through the Mentoring Programme, 25 young people from underrepresented backgrounds were matched with professionals from organisations including New Scientist, ATC Live, LNZRT, Sony Publishing, and Red Bull Racing & Technology, as well as freelancers in design, production, and music for film and TV. Mentors and mentees met monthly over six months, concluding with an end-of-programme mixer and industry panel hosted by Handle Recruitment. The charity also brokered 9 paid placements with partners such as Off the Kerb, Whitefox Publishing, Little Angel


		Theatre, Sound Without Sight, Humans in
		the Office, and Studio Atara, providing
		valuable creative industry experience.
		The Membership Pilot, launched in January
		and redeveloped in June, attracted 129
		applicants and engaged 74 active members
		through Creative Circles and workshops
		with Type1 Magazine and hate-zine.
		Creative Opps strengthened its
		communications, growing its LinkedIn
		audience to over 1,000 followers and
		expanding digital storytelling to highlight
		members, placements, and partner
		achievements.
Statement confirming	Para 1.18	The Trustees have had regard to the
whether the trustees have		guidance issued by the Charity
had regard to the guidance		Commission on public benefit.
issued by the Charity
Commission on public		All activities during this period focused on
benefit		increasing access, inclusion, and
		opportunity for young people from
		underrepresented backgrounds in the
		creative industries. The experiences
		provided through mentoring, membership,
		and placements have enabled participants
		to develop skills, confidence, and
		professional networks, empowering them to
		create positive change within their
		communities and contribute to a more
		equitable creative sector.

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	In 2024 - 2025, Creative Opps supported young people aged 16 - 30 from working-class and underrepresented backgrounds to build confidence, skills, and networks in the creative industries. The charity’s Membership and Mentoring programmes reached over 329 young people, including 129 applicants, 25 mentees, and over 70 additional participants engaged through workshops and In Conversation sessions. The Paid Placements programme supported nine young people with hands-on employment experience. Outcomes included two promotions, two extended placements, one transition to higher education, and ongoing freelance work with host partners. Participants reported significant development, with over 90% gaining new skills, confidence, and industry knowledge. Employers also noted positive impacts, including increased diversity, creativity, and confidence across teams. Creative Opps strengthened its communications reach, growing its LinkedIn audience to over 1,000 followers and achieving a 7% engagement rate, amplifying youth-led stories and the charity’s sector-wide impact. Creative Opps’ Instagram presence also saw major growth, with reach up 8,693%, views up 7,985%, and interactions up 3,400%. All metrics peaked in August 2025, reflecting stronger storytelling, increased visibility, and deeper audience engagement. Follower numbers remained stable, highlighting strong retention and scope for further conversion growth.

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	Creative Opps’ income in 2024 - 2025 came primarily from grants, partnerships, and donations supporting mentoring, membership, and placement activities. Expenditure focused on direct programme delivery, staffing, and operational costs, ensuring that resources were used efficiently to maximise public benefit. Funds were managed carefully to sustain activity across the year, with a focus on maintaining stability and responding to short-term funding challenges. The charity did not secure multi-year funding during this period but continued to diversify income sources and explore new partnership opportunities for future growth.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The Trustees have established a reserves policy whereby unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets (‘free reserves’) should be maintained at the equivalent of approximately three months of core operating costs. At this level, the Trustees believe the charity could continue current activities in the event of a temporary drop in income while considering how to replace lost funding or adapt activities.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	N/A
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	N/A
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	The Trustees are confident that there are no ongoing concerns and that the organisation will be able to sustain and grow its programmes.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Other		We are deeply grateful for the support of our funders and partners who have enabled us to continue our work during this reporting period.

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	The charity trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new charity trustee, whether in place of a trustee who has retired or been removed. A new trustee is selected via an open recruitment process, whereby a specific role (for example, Chair) is advertised. Applicants take part in an interview, and one person is selected, provided there is a quorum of the sitting Board. The charity trustees make available to each new trustee, on or before appointment: (a) a copy of the constitution and any amendments made to it; (b) a copy of the CIO’s latest Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts. The Board met quarterly and was supported by a small staff team responsible for programme delivery, communications, and administration. Volunteers contributed to specific events and activities under staff supervision. In 2024 - 2025, the Board continued to strengthen youth participation in governance, developing opportunities for members to contribute to decision-making and trustee recruitment processes.

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Creative Opps CIO
Other name the charity uses	Creative Opps
Registered charity number	1190916
Charity’s principal address	Mildmay Community Centre Woodville Road London N16 8NA

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

	Trustee Name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee
1	Joshua Pugh
2	Emer Morris
3	Tavana Hutchinson
4	Stefanos Dimoulas
5	David Kennedy
6	Ibrahim Salawu

Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	N/A
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	N/A
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	N/A

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

T.Hutchinson Signature Tavanna Hutchinson Full Name Trustee Position (e.g. Chair, Treasurer) 12/01/2026 Date

Signature Stefanos Dimoulas Full Name Trustee Position (e.g. Chair, Treasurer) 12/01/2026 Date

Creative Opps CIO No (if any) Recei ts and a ments accounts p p y For the period Period start date Period end date To from 1/9/2024 31/8/2025

Creative Opps CIO

CC16a

Section A Receipts and payments

A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 37,753 7,224 19,975 322 - - - 65,275	Restricted funds to the nearest £ 23,836 1,059 - - - 24,895	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 61,590 8,283 19,975 322 - - - 90,170	Last year to the nearest £
Grants	37,753	23,836	-	61,590	95,889
Charitable Activities	7,224	1,059	-	8,283	700
Access to Work Payments	19,975		-	19,975	22,940
Donations and Legacies	322		-	322	1,925
			-		-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
(	-	-	-	-	-
AR)	65,275	24,895	-	90,170	121,454

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).		- - - 24,895 r	- - - -	- - - 90,170
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					121,454

Salaries and Employer's costs	20,725	44,312	-	65,037	75,377
Dues and subscriptions		-	-	-	-
Other expenses	1234	2,231	-	3,465	2,787
Small Equipment		-	-	-	-

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

Otherprofessional services	932	30	-	962	993
Interms	3,826	20,262	-	24,089	16,506
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
**Sub total **	26,718	66,835	-	93,553	95,664

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)		- - - 66,835 (41,939.6)	- - - -	- - - 93,553 (3,382.9)
	-
	-
**Sub total **	-				-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
					95,664

	38,557	(41,939.6)	-	(3,382.9)	25,790
	0	-	-	-	-
	10,925	43,854	-	54,779	29,888
	49,482	1,914	-	51,396	55,678

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

Funds to nearest £	Funds Funds to nearest £ to nearest £	Funds Funds to nearest £ to nearest £
59,188	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
59,188	-	-

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

B2 Other monetary assets

B3 Investment assets

B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use

to nearest £	to nearest £	to nearest £
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-

Details

Fund to which asset belongs	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
		-		-
		-		-
		-		-
		-		-
		-		-

Details

Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
Details	Fund to which liability relates	Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)

CCXX R3 accounts (SS)

B5 Liabilities

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Signature Print Name Date of approval

CCXX R4 accounts (SS)

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Creative Opps CIO members of On accounts for the year 31[st] August 2025 Charity no 1190916 ended (if any) Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. responsibilities of The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year trustees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: • examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, • to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and • to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner’s statement by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

March 2012

IER

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *)

which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
have not been met; or
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Date: 25/11/2025

Signed:

Name: Genevieve Jones

Relevant professional Association of Accounting Technicians qualification(s) or body (if any):

Address: 71 St Marks Avenue

Gravesend Kent DA11 9LN

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.

March 2012

IER

N/A

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

March 2012

IER