REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE033867 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1205148
Report of the Trustees and
Unaudited Financial Statements
for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
for
START TO STIR
Maven Accountants Limited PO Box 1882 Southampton Hampshire SO15 9JZ
Doc ID: dfdc5f37e35b5608b77c901d163b8cc7bcc71f59
START TO STIR
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 to 5 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 6 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 7 |
| Balance Sheet | 8 to 9 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 10 to 13 |
Doc ID: dfdc5f37e35b5608b77c901d163b8cc7bcc71f59
START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Report of the Trustees
for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
INCORPORATION
The charitable company was incorporated on 10 October 2023.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The purpose of the charity is the advancement of the Christian faith by encouraging the education, mentoring, coaching, training and teaching of the Christian faith. Objectives are for the benefit the public, which trustees have received guidance on during the setup of the charity as a CIO.
The charity seeks to meet its objectives through the following activities:
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Creating practical, relevant resources for church and charitable organisations to use in their efforts to encourage people to explore spirituality in general and the Christian faith in particular.
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Creating practical resources and curriculum for schools' workers and chaplains who assist in leading acts of worship and collective worship.
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Delivering spirituality and faith-exploration sessions in schools, churches, and community groups.
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Delivering digital and in-person training for Christians, Christian organisations, and churches who are seeking to be more effective in their efforts to invite people in their communities and spheres of influence to explore the Christian faith.
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Raising awareness regarding the benefits of exploring spirituality and the Christian faith through printed media, radio, podcasts and social media platforms.
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START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Report of the Trustees for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
1. ESTABLISH KEY SYSTEMS AND RHYTHMS
Many of the achievements in our charity's first budget year are related to establishing financial systems and governance rhythms that will enable us to employ staff, enable regular donations, track income and expenditures, set priorities, monitor activities and fulfil our duties to report on all the above. We feel all these goals have been achieved and we continue to build on them to help ensure a successful future.
2. PROMOTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STIR COURSE
The main emphasis of activity during this reporting period involved launching and promoting our first resource, The Stir Course, which was created at the inception of Start to Stir's establishment as a charity. This was delivered by Start to Stir's staff, including the full-time Director, a half-time Head of engagement, and a half-time Head of Creative who joined in November of 2024. Beneficiaries of the activity included churches, church and youth leaders, Christian organisations, schools, and individual Christians. Highlights of outcomes achieved include:
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200 churches used the Stir Course, primarily in the UK, with a few groups in Australia, Europe and the USA.
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*15 schools used the Stir Course for assemblies, lessons and lunch clubs.
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*2 secondary schools used for Collective Worship, representing 2200 students.
These activities had a significant impact on current and future beneficiaries of our charity. Those who used our tools reported, via several feedback mechanisms, that The Stir Course had transformed their youth work and led to deeper engagement from their participants than ever before. This not only helps our beneficiaries achieve their mission, it allows those in wider society to have access to spaces and groups where they can more easily and effectively explore faith and spirituality.
The activities will also benefit future beneficiaries as we intentionally gained feedback, both on what was working and what needed to improve, and are now adapting contextualised versions of the course.
Feedback from beneficiaries has also helped to set the priority for our charity's 2025 activities and budget which will be creating a shorter version of this tool, made especially for schools and universities and for those working with individuals who have shorter attention spans and learning difficulties.
3. OPEN NEW TRAINING PATHWAYS
The launch of The Stir Course also enabled us to achieve a second major aim of this reporting period, which was to open up opportunities for our charity to offer in-person and digital training to churches, Christians, Christian groups and organisations. Highlights include:
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Over 550 leaders were trained in-person
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Training was delivered to a variety of key organisations and denominations including:Boys Brigade, Cliff College, The Diocese of Oxford, Elim, Youthscape, and Young Life
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Training was delivered via social media and our main platform grew to 2100 followers.
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START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Report of the Trustees for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
- Repackaging and Relaunch of 8 Session Video Training Series
Individuals who received our training communicated that it helped build confidence to initiate conversations about faith, particularly with those who have no religious background. Churches who engaged with our training reported that it improved the effectiveness of their mission efforts and gave them crucial 'soft skills' necessary for sharing faith, such as listening, caring and creating open-ended conversations.
One training pathway that continues to need improvement is our digital Video Training Series, which was created before our official establishment as a charity. The series did not meet our projected numbers for income and participation in this period of reporting. Through this we learned to offer our training in smaller, bite-sized formats and led us to repackage this tool as a shorter introductory series, which we are now promoting more widely.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Results for the year
The Statement of Financial Activities records income of £169,036 and expenditure of £76,435, resulting in a net income of £92,601. This surplus of income is reflective of the reality that our first reporting period included two end-of-year calendar periods where donations to the charity are typically and significantly higher. These funds put the charity at a stable and positive financial position moving forward into the subsequent budget year and will allow us to achieve our objectives and deepen our impact by launching a new resource, hiring new staff, increasing existing staff hours, and making significant progress towards our reserves policy.
Reserves
The Trustees aim to retain sufficient financial reserves in order to meet the charity's financial commitments, demonstrate its sustainability into the future, and manage future unforeseen financial difficulties. These aims are reflected in the charity's Reserves Policy. The specific goal of maintaining three months' total staff salary plus two months operating expenses in reserve is stated in the 12 July 2024 minutes. This amounts to £22,400.
The surplus funds held in the charity's bank account at the end of the 2024 financial year more than covered this figure. In future budget years, reserve funds will be kept in a separate, unrestricted bank account.
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START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Report of the Trustees
for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
FUTURE PLANS
Our charity desires to build upon the success of our first tool as well as improve engagement with our digital and in-person training. We were launched out in the youth sector, but we seek to widen our impact beyond the youth work sector in order to reach into the student and adult demographic.
Our key objective for the next season is to create a new, short, shareable video resource that will help our beneficiaries, as well as the general public, to explore human spirituality in general and the Christian faith in particular.
Our goal, over the life of this tool, is to see 100,00 youth and students engage with the video series through 1000 churches and 500 schools. We also want to see 150,000 people of all ages view the videos online and share them with their friends.
We expect the videos to open up opportunities for our charity to follow-up individuals, churches, and organisations with our unique brand of support and training. Specifically, we would like to see 10,000 viewers engage with our follow-up website and the number of churches using our Stir Course more than double to 1000. We also want to train 15,000 more Christians to share their faith through delivery of our digital and in-person workshops.
The charity is in a startup phase, but finds itself in a strong position financially. This includes a base of committed and regular donors, sufficient finances to cover our reserves policy, and banked or pledged funds that nearly cover the next budget year. We are committed to reflect upon and learn from the main activities we deliver as we set priorities for the next season. Our direction for the next season is in direct response to consultation and feedback from current and potential future beneficiaries who have asked for even simpler and shorter tools that can be used in their unique outreach contexts. Future engagement from a wider base of beneficiaries will be pursued in collaboration with our current beneficiaries and network partners.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
Organisational structure
The charity's Board of Trustees consist of five British residents, who meet a minimum of four times per year. Darin Stevens serves as the Director who oversees the day-to-day operations of the charity and reports directly to the Board of Trustees.
The charity must maintain a minimum of three trustees. Trustees chosen for this initial setup period of the charity and who served during the reporting period were approached by the Director based on their breadth of skills and experience as well as their resonance with the charity's mission and purposes.
Potential new trustees will be identified through a combination of personal relationships with the Director and Trustees, referral, and communication of needs and opportunities via Start to Stir's email and social media channels. New trustees will then be appointed by resolution of convened trustees and on-boarded via the governing document, recent annual reports and statements of accounts, personal guidance, as well as the Charity Commission's online help for trustees.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number
CE033867 (England and Wales)
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START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Report of the Trustees for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
Registered Charity number
1205148
Registered office
9 Millers Mews Witney Oxfordshire OX28 1QT
Trustees
D N Williams (appointed 10.10.23) M Mason (appointed 10.10.23) A Moxham (appointed 10.10.23) Ms B A Hunter (appointed 10.10.23)
Independent Examiner
Maven Accountants Limited PO Box 1882 Southampton Hampshire SO15 9JZ
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 25 September 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
D N Williams - Trustee
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Start To Stir
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Start To Stir ('the Company')
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
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the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).
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.
Maven Accountants Limited
Maven Accountants Limited PO Box 1882 Southampton Hampshire SO15 9JZ
25 September 2025
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START TO STIR
Statement of Financial Activities for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
| Unrestricted | ||
|---|---|---|
| fund | ||
| Notes | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | ||
| Donations and legacies | 161,305 | |
| Other trading activities | 2 | 5,097 |
| Investment income | 3 | 12 |
| Other income | 2,622 | |
| Total | 169,036 | |
| EXPENDITURE ON | ||
| Raising funds | 73,813 | |
| Other | 2,622 | |
| Total | 76,435 | |
| NET INCOME | 92,601 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 92,601 | |
The notes form part of these financial statements
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START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Balance Sheet 31 December 2024
| Unrestricted | ||
|---|---|---|
| fund | ||
| Notes | £ | |
| FIXED ASSETS | ||
| Tangible assets | 7 | 189 |
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||
| Debtors | 8 | 800 |
| Cash at bank | 92,124 | |
| CREDITORS | 92,924 | |
| Amounts falling due within one year | 9 | (512) |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS | 92,412 | |
| TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT | ||
| LIABILITIES | 92,601 | |
| NET ASSETS | 92,601 | |
| FUNDS | 10 | |
| Unrestricted funds | 92,601 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 92,601 | |
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the period ended 31 December 2024.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
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The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
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(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
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(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
The notes form part of these financial statements
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START TO STIR (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE033867)
Balance Sheet - continued 31 December 2024
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 25 September 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:
M Mason - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
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START TO STIR
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
Computer equipment - straight line over 3 years
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
2. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES
| Sales Training Income INVESTMENT INCOME Deposit Account Interest NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting): Depreciation - owned assets |
£ 4,997 100 5,097 £ 12 £ 37 |
|---|---|
3. INVESTMENT INCOME
4. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
5. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the period ended 31 December 2024.
Trustees' expenses
During the period expenses relating to mileage were reimbursed to the following trustees:
A Moxham, totalling £63 B Hunter, totalling £71 D Williams, totalling £44
6. CEO REMUNERATION AND EXPENSES
During the period Mr D Stevens received a salary totalling £36,667 for his role as CEO.
During the period expenses totalling £756 were paid to Mr D Stevens, £312 was owed by the company at the 31st December 2024.
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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
7. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| COST Additions DEPRECIATION Charge for year NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2024 8. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Other debtors 9. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade creditors Other creditors 10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Unrestricted funds General fund TOTAL FUNDS Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 169,036 TOTAL FUNDS 169,036 |
Net movement in funds £ 92,601 92,601 Resources expended £ (76,435) (76,435) |
Computer equipment £ 226 37 189 £ 800 £ 395 117 512 At 31.12.24 £ 92,601 92,601 Movement in funds £ 92,601 92,601 |
|---|---|---|
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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 10 October 2023 to 31 December 2024
11. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
During the period expenses relating to mileage were reimbursed to the following trustees:
A Moxham, totalling £63 B Hunter, totalling £71 D Williams, totalling £44
During the period Mr D Stevens received a salary totalling £36,667 for his role as CEO.
During the period expenses totalling £756 were paid to Mr D Stevens, £312 was owed by the company at the 31st December 2024.
During the period CEO Mr D Stevens wife, Mrs J Stevens was employed by the company. Mrs J Stevens received a salary of £15,125 for her role. Expenses totalling £50 were paid to Mrs J Stevens with £12 owed by the company at the 31st December 2024.
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To, The Trustees Start to Stir
9 Millers Mews Witney Oxfordshire OX2 1QT
Dear Sirs,
Independent Examination of Start to Stir for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2024
The purpose of this report is to set out certain matters that came to our attention during the course of the independent examination of the financial statements of Start to Stir for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Our objective is to use our knowledge of the business gained during our routine independent examination work to make useful comments and suggestions for you to consider. However, you will appreciate that our routine independent examination work is designed to enable us to form an opinion on the financial statements of the business and it should not be relied upon to disclose all irregularities that may exist or to disclose errors that are not material in relation to the financial statements.
Our report is designed to include useful recommendations that may help improve performance and avoid weaknesses that could lead to material loss or misstatement. It is your obligation to take the actions needed to remedy those weaknesses and should you fail to do so we shall not be held responsible if loss or misstatement occurs as a result.
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The report is provided on the basis that it is for the information of the trustees and management of the business; that it will not be quoted or referred to, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent; and that we will accept no responsibility to any third party in relation to it.
This report is set out in three sections. The first section addresses our observations from this year’s independent examination and the second section is our recommendations in each area. These matters have been discussed with the Chair of Trustees and their response is included in the third section, as appropriate.
We have graded our management report observations:
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Grade 1 observations are those where there is a risk of a significant financial impact on the business that must be addressed immediately.
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Grade 2 observations are those where there is a risk of moderate financial impact on the business, for example a control failure or the absence of a control in an area of moderate risk.
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Grade 3 observations are those that relate to minor control deficiencies or enhancements in control efficiency.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this report.
Yours Faithfully,
MAVEN ACCOUNTANTS
Maven Accountants Ltd- Chartered Accountants
MANAGEMENT LETTER TO THE TRUSTEES OF START TO STIR
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GRADE 3 POINTS
OBSERVATION – As the charity grows and more resources are produced for sale it will be necessary to obtain a stock figure at the year end.
----- Start of picture text -----
Recommendation Trustee Action
Response
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A full inventory of start to stir resources available for sale at the year end date to ensure a correct stock valuation can be included in the accounts.
03 / 10 / 2025
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01 / 10 / 2025 Sent for signature to David Williams 17:23:21 UTC (david_n_williams@yahoo.co.uk), Matt Mason (mmason@smeguk.com), Maven Accountants Ltd (andy@mavenaccountants.co.uk) and Darin stevens (dstevens@starttostir.com) from andy@mavenaccountants.co.uk IP: 185.60.5.63 01 / 10 / 2025 Viewed by Maven Accountants Ltd 17:26:21 UTC (andy@mavenaccountants.co.uk) IP: 185.60.5.63 01 / 10 / 2025 Signed by Maven Accountants Ltd 17:26:53 UTC (andy@mavenaccountants.co.uk) IP: 185.60.5.63 01 / 10 / 2025 Viewed by David Williams (david_n_williams@yahoo.co.uk) 18:19:25 UTC IP: 148.252.129.18
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| 02 / 10 / 2025 | Viewed by Darin stevens (dstevens@starttostir.com) |
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