Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Charity number 1201197
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 November 2024
Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 November 2024
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 4 |
| Examiner's report | 5 |
| Receipts and payments account | 6 |
| Statement of assets and liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the accounts | 8 to 10 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Trustees' report for the year ended 30 November 2024
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position Dates
Position Kathy Trout Chair Amanda Rhodes Secretary Mira Fadel Jayne Shepherd Treasurer Martin Hemingway 1201197
Appointed 1 November 2024 Appointed 12 July 2024 Resigned 17 June 2024
Charity number
Registered in England and Wales
Registered and principal address
Bankers
4 Fenay Lane Barclays Bank Almondbury York 2 Huddersfield Leicestershire HD5 8UL LE87 2BB
Independent examiner
Alan Dodd FCCA
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) foundation formed on 2 December 2022 and is governed by a constitution.
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
The trustees of the charity are appointed by the trustees at a duly convened meeting.
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 30 November 2024
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects
The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, poor mental or physical health, disability, financial hardship or other social or economic disadvantage in Yorkshire for the public benefit by providing supported opportunities to explore and practise creative writing.
For the purpose of this clause ‘those in need’’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one of more of the following factors: unemployment; financial hardship; old age; ill health (physical or mental); substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender re assignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and family breakdown; poor housing (that is housing that does not meet basic habitable standards; crime (either as a victim of crime or as an offender rehabilitating into society)
The charity's main activities
We run Serendipity Creative Writing and Mindful Workshops across Kirklees and the broader West Yorkshire area, as cathartic and therapeutic outcomes of working through various mediums of the Arts, in particular, Creative Writing and Mindfulness. These are leader & service user led, are free and include free refreshments. We operate an open-door policy and also receive referrals from the NHS and other Organisations.
Creative Writing is the core service provided, at workshops throughout the Kirklees District. Various topics and prompts, music and artwork are presented to Service Users to stimulate ideas for writing.
Workshops designed to be welcoming, with Service User involvement a core function. In effort to motivate and drive wider mood and self-belief, Serendipity encourages Service Users to be drivers of our workshop formats design and delivery.
This is a vital mental health improvement principle.
We help by sign-posting to authorities. Service Users with current problems are directed to relevant authorities to help get them resolved.
Public benefit statement
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular the advancement of health.
Achievements and performance
Over 500 Service Users attended workshops over the last year.
Regular measuring and monitoring with progress reviews, ensure we continue to meet our objectives and can demonstrate Public Benefit.
We have achieved tremendous wins. Service Users report an increase in motivation, improved quality of life, feeling less lonely and isolated and increased self-esteem.
Our rigorous outcomes monitoring is viewed by our Trustees as good evidence reflective of the Service Users’ personal stories. It has proved better quality of life resulting in understanding our communities better, putting central to our core objectives the voices of those we serve.
The consistent, “across the board” statistically significant improvement in the mental health and positive outlooks of our Service Users shows demonstrable community benefits for a significant number of people.
By entering into cross-community engagement we help the NHS and other Third Party Sector Partners. This involves our Service Users in helping other groups, and opportunities for our workshops to be delivered to those groups.
In recognition of the vulnerability of people with mental health issues, all our activities are strongly underpinned by risk management and safeguarding policies.
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 30 November 2024
Achievements and performance (continued)
For this Financial Year only, we obtained two “one-off” grants to provide Cost of Living Crisis / Welfare Support against food and utility bills for those of our Service Users who are most in need.
Financial review
The net receipts for the year were £10,473, including net payments of £6,403 on unrestricted funds and net receipts of £16,876 on restricted funds.
Reserves policy
The charity's deficit on free reserves, at the year end was £2,311.
To maintain ongoing sustainability, it is the policy of this Charity to where possible maintain Unrestricted Fund Reserves between an upper and lower level to ensure that liabilities are covered. The upper level roughly approximates to 12 months and a lower level of 3 months’ worth of costs and liabilities.
Approved by the board of trustees on 22/7/2025
Kathleen Trout (Trustee)
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 30 November 2024, which are set out on pages 6 to 10.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the CIO 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 CIO's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. 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 charity as required by section 130 of the Charities Act; 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.
Alan Dodd FCCA
23/7/2025
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Receipts and payments account
for the year ended 30 November 2024
| Notes 2024 Unrestricted funds £ Receipts Grants and donations (2) 1,720 Transfer on incorporation - Fundraising 100 Total receipts 1,820 Payments Salaries NI and pensions - Welfare 163 Artist fees 450 Administration, office rent, IT, telephone 876 Workshops, room hire and refreshments 2,100 Independent examination of accounts 720 Volunteer expenses and peer support 40 Insurance 99 Van expenses 1,038 Travel 2,481 Sundry expenses - Publications 256 Office equipment - Total payments 8,223 Net receipts / (payments) (6,403) Fund balances brought forward 4,092 Fund balances carried forward (3) (2,311) |
2024 Restricted funds £ 52,854 - - 52,854 4,988 8,400 4,640 4,182 9,846 - 2,117 - - 1,805 - - - 35,978 16,876 1,750 18,626 |
2024 Total funds £ 54,574 - 100 54,674 4,988 8,563 5,090 5,058 11,946 720 2,157 99 1,038 4,286 - 256 - 44,201 10,473 5,842 16,315 |
2023 Total funds £ 32,928 1,883 - 34,811 - 9,476 1,185 2,679 6,688 - 1,480 96 1,242 3,576 89 1,640 818 28,969 5,842 - 5,842 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Statement of assets and liabilities
| as at 30 November 2024 2024 Unrestricted £ Cash funds Cash at bank (2,311) Total cash funds (2,311) Debtors and prepayments Prepayments Assets retained for the charity's own use Mercedes-Benz 207D camper van HP A10 computer Liabilities Accruals |
2024 Restricted £ 18,626 18,626 |
2024 Total £ 16,315 16,315 2024 £ 445 445 2024 £ 792 792 |
2023 Total £ 5,842 5,842 |
|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 22/7/2025
Kathleen Trout (Trustee)
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 30 November 2024
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
The previous accounting period was from 2 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 30 November 2024
| 2 Grants and donations 2024 Unrestricted funds £ Marsden Community Trust - National Lottery Community Fund - National Lottery Reaching Communities - One Community - SW Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust 540 Third Sector Leaders (TSL) 550 Yetton Together - Assura Community Fund - Kirklees Council Community Plus Fund - Sir George Martin Trust - Sovereign Healthcare - West Yorkshire Combined Authority - Other donations 630 1,720 3 Restricted funds Balance b/f Incoming £ £ TSL Healthy Hearts - 1,000 One Community - Crisis Fund 869 6,800 National Lottery Community Fund - 12,500 Yetton Together - 591 Marsden Community Trust - 1,000 SW Yorks Partnership 753 - National Lottery Reaching Communities - 28,963 One Community - Grassroots Fund - 1,000 TSL Health Inequalities - 1,000 TSL - bool launch event 128 - 1,750 52,854 |
2024 Restricted funds £ 1,000 12,500 28,963 7,800 - 2,000 591 - - - - - - 52,854 Outgoing £ 1,000 7,669 12,500 591 1,000 753 10,337 1,000 1,000 128 35,978 |
2024 2023 Total Total funds funds £ £ 1,000 - 12,500 - 28,963 - 7,800 7,987 540 1,000 2,550 5,150 591 - - 2,000 - 5,000 - 2,000 - 1,000 - 8,000 630 791 54,574 32,928 Transfers Balance c/f £ £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18,626 - - - - - - - 18,626 |
|---|---|---|
Fund name
TSL Healthy Hearts One Community - Crisis Fund
National Lottery Community Fund
Yetton Together Marsden Community Trust
SW Yorks Partnership National Lottery Reaching Communities
One Community - Grassroots Fund TSL Health Inequalities TSL - bool launch event
Purpose of restriction
Funding to support community conversations
For goods, amenities, food and supermarket vouchers for service users and their families
Workshops expenses and vouchers to help our service users pay utility bills and food.
Creative writing workshop expenses Deliver creative writing workshops in Marsden and the surrounding area
Health promotion workshops in Batley for six months Project expenses, workshop expenses, project manager salary and expenses, peer support and volunteer expenses, travel Deliver workshops April to June 2024
To deliver health inequalities community led programme Initial book launch event, Dewsbury
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Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 30 November 2024
4 Related party transactions
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
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