## **EPIC Annual Report**
## **6[th ] April 2025 – 5[th] April 2026**
**Charity No.** 1193713
**Email:** info@epiccharitybristol.org.uk
**Address:** City Hall, College Green, Bristol, BS15TR
**Web:** www.epiccharitybristol.org.uk
EPIC Charity – Bristol
Charity No. 1193713
## **Objectives and Purpose**
The EPIC Charity – Bristol was formally established in 2021 and is - commonly known as EPIC. EPIC is a small grant giving charity that - exists to support Bristol’s care experienced children and young people.
The charity’s primary objective is to improve the wellbeing and life chances of care-experienced children and young people by providing small grants of up to £500 to access positive activities, opportunities and experiences.
In exceptional circumstances, the charity may also provide larger grants to organisations or groups whose work directly benefits Bristol’s care-experienced young people.
EPIC’s grant-making is guided by a commitment to:
- Promoting access to activities and opportunities
- Inspiring positive and lasting memories
- Building confidence and independence
- Raising aspirations among care-experienced children and young people
- Full details of EPIC’s grant making policy and eligibility criteria are published on the charity’s website.
In setting these objectives, the Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
## **The Need for EPIC’s Work**
Both nationally and locally, the number of children in care and care leavers continues to increase year on year. In Bristol, there are currently over 1,700 children in care and care leavers.
EPIC Charity – Bristol
Charity No. 1193713
Care-experienced young people face significant and well-documented inequalities. National evidence indicates that 30% of care leavers report low wellbeing, and 26% report low life satisfaction, compared with 3% of the general population[1] . Levels of loneliness are also disproportionately high, with 22% of care leavers reporting feeling lonely often or always, compared with 10% of their peers[2] . Research consistently shows that access to hobbies, nature, friendship-building activities and meaningful routines can . significantly support mental health and reduce isolation[3]
## **Activity and Impact During the year**
During 2025–26, EPIC approved 25 grants with a total value of £8,386. These grants funded a range of experience-based opportunities, including:
- Driving lessons
- Sports equipment, including cricket kit
- Creative activities, including music lessons
- Educational and leisure experiences, such as visits to Longleat
- A caravan holiday
- A laptop to support learning and development
As part of the grant-making process, young people were invited to attend a grant-awarding workshop. These workshops celebrated young people’s achievements and supported them to plan and book their activities. Young people were coached through practical skills including planning, budgeting and organising logistics, supporting confidence and independence.
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> 2 1883-CV-What-Makes-Life-Good-Summary5.indd
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## **Communications and Digital Development**
During the year, EPIC invested in improving its online presence. Activity on EPIC’s social media channels increased, supporting awareness of the charity and its work.
The EPIC website was also updated to ensure it:
- Clearly communicates the charity’s vision and values
- Demonstrates the impact of grant-giving
- Provides clear, accessible and up-to-date grant application information
## **Financial Review**
EPIC is primarily funded through payroll giving and small‑scale fundraising activities. During the year, EPIC received a £10,000 donation from Newton Europe Consulting, representing the largest single donation received by the charity to date.
A summary of cashflow for 2025 - 26 is set out below:
|Total Income|£16,407|
|---|---|
|Total Expenditure|£9,795|
|Cash funds atyear end|£14,418|
The trustees have agreed that a formal Reserves Policy is not yet necessary due to the nature and consistency of current funding. This position will be kept under review as income becomes more established.
Achieving a sustainable income through fundraising, grants and corporate partnerships remains a key priority for 2026–27, enabling ‑ ‑ EPIC to increase its grant giving and reach more care experienced young people across Bristol.
EPIC Charity – Bristol
Charity No. 1193713
## **Trustee Statement**
During 2025–26, EPIC experienced changes to its Board of Trustees.
Two new trustees were appointed and two trustees resigned, resulting in a total of nine trustees at the year end. The new trustees strengthened the Board’s overall skill mix, particularly in relation to fundraising expertise and lived experience.
The Board of Trustees meets six times per year to provide strategic direction and oversight of the charity. EPIC has a Finance and Grants Sub-Committee, comprising three trustees, which meets following each grant application window to review applications and make funding recommendations in line with the charity’s grant-making criteria.
Trustees are recruited based on skills, experience and commitment to EPIC’s aims. Recruitment is undertaken through a combination of existing networks, advertising via volunteer forums and other appropriate channels. The Board regularly reviews its composition to ensure it remains appropriately skilled and representative. New trustees receive an introductory briefing and are invited to observe a Board meeting prior to formal appointment.
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable charity law and accounting standards. In doing so, the Trustees:
- Apply accounting policies appropriately and consistently
- Comply with Charity Commission requirements
- Confirm that relevant accounting standards have been followed
- Prepare the accounts on a going-concern basis
- Have due regard to Charity Commission guidance on public benefit
EPIC Charity – Bristol
Charity No. 1193713
The Trustees are also responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records that accurately reflect the charity’s financial position, safeguarding the assets of the charity, and taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees have reviewed key risks to the charity and are satisfied that appropriate controls are in place.
Trustees serving during the year: Liz Small, Mike Starr, Rosie Fortune, Richard Thomas, Peter MacNamee, Yolanda Munyira, Candi Williams, Jo Morrell, Charmaine Edwards Lynch.
Trustee who stepped down during the year: Cenzina Barclay and Samiya Hussein.
## **EPIC Priorities Looking Ahead**
- Secure a more sustainable income stream
- Expand our grant giving programme
- Raise awareness
EPIC Charity – Bristol
Charity No. 1193713
## **Trustees’ Declaration**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Annual Report and the accompanying financial statements for the year ended **31[st] March 2026** .
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duties under charity law, including their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 6[th] July 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
## **Name:** Michael Starr
## **Role:** Chair of Trustees
**Signature:**
**Date:** 6[th] July 2026.
EPIC Charity – Bristol
Charity No. 1193713
**Epic Charity Bristol**
**No (if any) 1193713**
## **Receipts and payments accounts**
## **CC16a**
|**For the period**
**from**|Period start date
4/6/2025|**To**
|Period end date
4/5/2026|
|---|---|---|---|
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**A1 Receipts**
**-**
**-**
Donations,legacies andgrants
**16,407**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**16,407**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_||**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Restricted**
**funds**|**to the nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**
**Restated**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**
**-**
**16,407**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**16,407**|**-**
**-**
**2,368**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,368**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|||
|Donations,legacies andgrants|**16,407**|**-**|**-**|||
||**-**|**-**|**-**|||
||**-**|**-**|**-**|||
||**-**|**-**|**-**|||
||**-**|**-**|**-**|||
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_|**16,407**|**-**|**-**|||
|||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**|
|||||**-**|||
|||||**-**|||
||||||||
|||||**-**|**16,407**|**2,368**|
||||||||
||||||**464**
**792**
**43**
**8,496**
**9,795**|**1,872**
**-**
**-**
**543**
**2,969**
**5,384**|
|||||**-**|||
|||||**-**|||
||||||||
|||||**-**|||
|||||**-**|||
||||||||
|||||**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**|
|||||**-**|||
|||||**-**|||
||||||||
|||||**-**|**9,795**|**5,384**|
||||||||
|||||**-**|**6,612**
**-**
**7,806**
**-**
**7,806**|**- 3,016**
**-**
**10,822**
**10,822**|
|||||**-**|||
|||||**-**|||
||||||||
|||||**-**|||
||||||||
|**14,418**||**-**||**-**|**14,418**|**7,806**|
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B4 Assets retained for the charity’s**
**own use**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all
the trustees|**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Signature
#VALUE!
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**14,418**
**-**
OK
OK
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Elizabeth Small
Michael Starr
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||Elizabeth Small|6th July 2026|
||#VALUE!|Michael Starr|6th July 2026|