## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Charity number 1201197
## Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 November 2025
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 November 2025
|**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 9|
**Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO**
1
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Trustees' report for the year ended 30 November 2025
## **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** Jayne Shepherd Treasurer Amanda Rhodes Secretary Mira Fadel Chair Gemma Blagborough Joanne Campbell Kathy Trout
Appointed 7July 2026 Appointed 7July 2026 Resigned 7 July 2026
## **Charity number**
1201197
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.
2
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 30 November 2025
## **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 an 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.
We provide Peer Support Mentoring where individuals use their own experiences and testimonies to help other Service Users address numerous issues across a wide sector.
## **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.
3
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 30 November 2025
## **Achievements and performance (continued)**
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.
For this Financial Year only, we obtained three “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 £18,111, including net receipts of £3,357 on unrestricted funds and net receipts of £14,754 on restricted funds.
## **Reserves policy**
The charity's free reserves, at the year end were £1,046.
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 (equivalent to between £20,500 and £82,000). The charity's free reserves are substantially below the lower level of the policy, and we continue to seek additional funding in order to strengthen our future resilience.
Approved by the board of trustees on 17/7/2026
J Shepherd (Trustee)
4
## 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 2025, which are set out on pages 6 to 9.
## **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
17/7/2026
## **West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO**
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
5
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Receipts and payments account
## for the year ended 30 November 2025
|Notes
2025
Unrestricted
funds
£
**Receipts**
Grants and donations
(2)
3,857
Fundraising
41
**Total receipts**
3,898
**Payments**
Salaries NI and pensions
-
Welfare
-
Artist fees
-
Administration, office rent, IT, telephone
-
Workshops, room hire and refreshments
157
Independent examination of accounts
-
Volunteer expenses and peer support
-
Insurance
-
Van expenses
-
Travel
134
Publications
-
Office equipment
-
Marketing and promotion
250
Project evaluation
-
**Total payments**
541
**Net receipts / (payments)**
3,357
**Fund balances brought forward**
(2,311)
**Fund balances carried forward**
(3)
1,046|2025
Restricted
funds
£
95,573
652
96,225
32,543
15,743
1,200
6,208
9,480
792
3,230
312
4,648
2,895
457
947
1,016
2,000
81,471
14,754
18,626
33,380|2025
Total
funds
£
99,430
693
100,123
32,543
15,743
1,200
6,208
9,637
792
3,230
312
4,648
3,029
457
947
1,266
2,000
82,012
18,111
16,315
34,426|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|
|---|---|---|---|
6
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Statement of assets and liabilities
|as at 30 November 2025
2025
Unrestricted
£
**Cash funds**
Cash at bank
1,046
**Total cash funds**
1,046
**Debtors and prepayments**
Other debtors
Prepayments
**Assets retained for the charity's own use**
Mercedes-Benz 207D camper van
HP A10 computer
**Liabilities**
Accruals|2025
Restricted
£
33,380
33,380|2025
Total
£
34,426
34,426
2025
£
173
429
602
2025
£
816
816|2024
Total
£
16,315
16,315|
|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 17/7/2026
J Shepherd (Trustee)
7
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 30 November 2025
## **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.
## **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.
8
## Serendipity Creative Writers' Group
## Notes to the accounts continued
## for the year ended 30 November 2025
|**2 Grants and donations**
2025
Unrestricted
funds
£
Jo Cox Foundation
1,050
Kirklees Council
550
National Lottery Community Fund
-
One Community Foundation
-
Third Sector Leaders
-
Yorkshire Building Society
1,000
Marsden Community Trust
-
SW Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
-
Yetton Together
-
Other donations
1,257
3,857
**3 Restricted funds**
Balance b/f
Incoming
£
£
National Lottery Reaching Communities
18,626
59,323
National Lottery Awards for All
-
10,000
One Community - Household Support
-
25,000
One Community - Yetton Project
-
1,000
Third Sector Leaders
-
250
Woven Book Publication Project
-
652
18,626
96,225|2025
Restricted
funds
£
-
-
69,323
26,000
250
-
-
-
-
-
95,573
Outgoing
£
61,187
3,137
15,245
1,000
250
652
81,471|2025
2024
Total
Total
funds
funds
£
£
1,050
-
550
-
69,323
41,463
26,000
7,800
250
2,550
1,000
-
-
1,000
-
540
-
591
1,257
630
99,430
54,574
Transfers
Balance c/f
£
£
-
16,762
-
6,863
-
9,755
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
33,380|
|---|---|---|
## **Fund name**
National Lottery Reaching Communities
National Lottery Awards for All One Community - Household Support
One Community - Yetton Project Third Sector Leaders Woven Book Publication Project
## **Purpose of restriction**
Project expenses, workshop expenses, project manager salary and expenses, peer support and volunteer expenses, travel Monday evenings weekly workshops in Kirklees
To supply Supermarket Vouchers to help our Service Users pay Food and Household Essentials.
Workshops Volunteer Expenses A celebration of innovation in textiles across Kirklees
## **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.
9