# Stories with Symbols **Trustees’ Annual Report** For the year ended 31[st] December 2022 11[th] October 2023 14 Hartwell Road, Ashton, Registered charity no. Northampton, NN7 2JR 1193393 07736 275235 info@storieswithsymbols.com ## Table of Contents |Administrative details .......................................................................................................................... 3| |---| |Structure, governance and management ............................................................................................ 3| |Objectives and activities ....................................................................................................................... 3| |Achievements and impact .................................................................................................................... 3| |Financial review .................................................................................................................................... 4| |1.
Position at the end of the period .................................................................................................... 4| |2.
Reserves ............................................................................................................................................ 5| |3.
Income and expenditure account for year ended 31.12.2022 ...................................................... 6| |4.
Balance sheet as at 31.12.2022 ...................................................................................................... 7| Trustees’ Annual Report 11th October 2023 2 ## Administrative details **Registered charity name:** Stories with Symbols **Registered charity number:** 1193393 (England & Wales) **Principal address:** 14 Hartwell Road, Ashton, Northampton, NN7 2JR, UK **Trustees:** Alex Rowe; Katie Kennedy; Samantha Rowe ## Structure, governance and management Stories with Symbols is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its charity trustees. The charity trustees manage the affairs of the CIO and operate according to the Governing Document adopted on 3[rd] February 2021. ## Objectives and activities The objective of Stories with Symbols is to advance the education of individuals, in particular (but not exclusively), children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), through the provision of specialist videos, created by the charity. The videos are free-to-access and are designed from the outset for children with additional needs, to stimulate their interest in books and shared reading, while supporting the development of core communication, language and literacy skills. ## Achievements and impact The charity’s second year of operation was productive and informative: - 4 more videos were published, taking the total in the catalogue to 13. - The partnership with Usborne continues and has become a very positive, collaborative relationship. - In February, our two World Book Day videos were released in partnership with Usborne. Evie Pickerill (known by children as a main ‘anchor’ presenter of CBeebies) presented a Goldilocks story video as well as a companion activity video, designed especially for children with SLCN. - The last of the filming for the World Book Day video for 2023 took place in December. This year, it is a topic video about the importance of brushing teeth, and includes an extended ‘experience’ of a neurodivergent child visiting a dentist for real. Trustees’ Annual Report 11th October 2023 3 - The Stories with Symbols YouTube channel grew from around 13,000 views to almost 68,000. The average daily number of views trebled from around 50 to 150. The number of subscribers more than doubled from 200 to 475. - The Met Office series was more difficult to film than originally expected, and was the worst performing video on the channel by a large margin. On reflection, more filming time and resources were needed. Feedback also suggested that the language and delivery was not grown up enough for the audience who would likely be watching the videos. This has been taken on board and will inform our future choices and strategy. - During autumn 2022, the Stories with Symbols team began an extended research project into neurodiversity affirming practice. This step change in knowledge and understanding has had a massive effect on the charity, as well as on the team’s personal and professional lives. Additionally, we have come to appreciate that many viewers will be ‘Gestalt Language Processors’ (GLP) – a way of acquiring language in chunks, or scripts, rather than building sentences from single words. Combined, these will inform future content. - A grant of £1,831.67 was awarded by ARG West to Stories with Symbols for future video projects. It was used to purchase a second camera and fund professional speech and language therapy research time (see Financial review note 2) in order to inform and improve future content. - The charity continues to be run by its team of three trustees. There are no plans to grow that team, and due to professional and family circumstances, the outlook for 2023 will be a slower pace of video production, with an emphasis on quality over quantity. ## Financial review ## 1. Position at the end of the period - (1) Total income for 2022 was £2,359 and total expenditure was £1,909, representing a surplus of income over expenditure of £450. - (2) The charity paid £400 to its trustee, Katie Kennedy, for her professional time in her capacity as a speech and language therapist, in accordance with section 185 of the Charities Act and the Trustee Act 2000. Advice was sought from the Charity Commission beforehand and the following safeguards were put in place: - (a) Potential conflicts of interest were minimised: - (i) The trustee in question withdrew from the discussion and decision-making process surrounding the procuring of services relating to this project. - (ii) The decision to use the trustee's professional services (taken by the remaining quorum) was in the best interests of the charity because the trustee is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist who knows the charity intimately, and is the most qualified person to carry out the research. Trustees’ Annual Report 11th October 2023 4 - (iii) The number of trustees benefiting were in the minority on the board (one). - (b) The payment was reasonable: - (i) This was a one-off payment for a one-off piece of research expected to take two working days. The fee agreed was £400 in total. - (c) The fee was benchmarked: - (i) Three quotes were obtained for carrying out the research by other Speech and Language Therapy professionals; their day rates were approximately double the proposed payment to the trustee. - (d) The conflict and the statements of compliance are hereby declared in the Annual Report for the year 2022. ## 2. Reserves - (1) Stories with Symbols has no employees or ongoing financial commitments. Reserves of £200 are deemed sufficient to meet the charity’s needs. Trustees’ Annual Report 11th October 2023 5 ## 3. Income and expenditure account for year ended 31.12.2022 |**Notes**
**Income:**
Loans
Donations
1
Grants
**Total Income**
**Capital Expenditure:**
Equipment
Props
**Total Capital Expenditure**
**Non-Capital Expenditure:**
Software
Consumables
Presenter fees
Insurance
Marketing
Professional fees
2
Expenses
**Total Non-Capital Expenditure**
**Total Expenditure**
**Surplus/(deficit)**
**Brought forward**
**Balance C/Fwd**
Notes|**2022**
**2021**
**(£)**
**(£)**
-
1,000
527
2,008
1,832| |---|---| ||**2,359**
**3,008**
1,413
622
-
69| ||**1,413**
**692**
-
165
-
519
-
300
96
96
-
152
400
-
0
509| ||**496**
**1,741**| ||**1,909**
**2,432**
**450**
**576**
**576**
**-**| ||**1,026**
**576**| ||| 1. Includes £25 of Gift Aid via HMRC. 2. See Financial Review 1 (2) Trustees’ Annual Report 11th October 2023 6 ## 4. Balance sheet as at 31.12.2022 |**Notes**
**FIXED ASSETS**
Tangible assets
1
**CURRENT ASSETS**
Balance in current account
**LIABILITIES**
Loans
**TOTAL NET ASSETS**|**2022**
**2021**
**(£)**
**(£)**
1,297
317
1,026
576
(1,000)
(1,000)| |---|---| ||**1,323**
**(107)**| ## Notes - 1 25% per year amortisation of the following items: |**Asset**
**Date**
**purchased**
**Purchase**
**Price (£)**
EF-RF Lens adapter
30/03/2022
104.00
EOS R Camera
30/03/2022
1,308.99
Cayer BV30L tripod
08/09/2021
138.99
Cushion fillings (set decor)
21/10/2021
18.99
Yellow cushion covers (set decor)
21/10/2021
16.99
Zoom F2 microphone/recorder
03/11/2021
136.00
Cayer BV30L tripod
04/11/2021
111.19
**TOTAL:**|**Value 2022**
**(-25%) (£)**
78.00
981.74

78.18

10.68

9.56

76.50

62.54| |---|---| ||**1,297.20**| Trustees’ Annual Report 11th October 2023 7