CYGNET TRAINING THEATRE & CYGNET RESEARCH LIBRARY

Registered charity 1081824 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as CYGNET, CYGNET TRAINING THEATRE

Dedicated to the training of professional actors and to continue presentation theatre and theatrical experience, and to providing research opportunities for Artists in Residence.

Objects

(A) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF STUDENTS OF THE DRAMATIC ARTS SO AS TO ENABLE THEM TO REACH THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE.(B) TO ADVANCE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATION OF THE ART OF DRAMA.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Exeter, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£91k

Latest spending

£118k

Registered

2000

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred a net outgoing of £27,376 for the year, reducing its total fund balance to £207,648. The trustees report that the charity is reliant on trustee support and loans to continue in operational existence, noting a commitment to securing other funding sources. Additionally, the charity is looking to sell a property to raise funds and cut costs following the death of a life tenant.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Fundraising cost ratio: 3.0% of fundraised income, as disclosed

“Fundraising and publicity expenses decreased by £161 to £2,705 (2024: £2,866).” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: three months of unrestricted expenditure (reserves figure: £196k)

“The Trustees aim to hold sufficient reserves to cover running costs for 3 months. This equates to approximately £27,000.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Going concern: noted by the trustees or auditor

“The charity is currently reliant on support from the trustees to continue in operational existence. The trustees have indicated their ongoing commitment to supporting the charity through unrestricted funding and loans, and their commitment to obtaining other sources of funding to secure the financial future of the charity and further the charitable objectives.” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Free use of theatre

“The charity has free use of the theatre which is owned by a discretionary trust of which Mary Evans was a trustee until her death.” — page 22

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2025

Volunteers: 40

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

Volunteers: 30

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

Volunteers: 30

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Trustees · trustee networks

GAIL PARFITT
Lucy Hermione Vanner Corley
Nigel Damien Paul
ROSALIND MARY WILLIAMS

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Devon

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£91k	£118k
31/08/2024	£92k	£116k
31/08/2023	£97k	£98k
31/08/2022	£115k	£151k
31/08/2021	£139k	£103k

Common questions

Is CYGNET TRAINING THEATRE & CYGNET RESEARCH LIBRARY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a net outgoing of £27,376 for the year, reducing its total fund balance to £207,648. The trustees report that the charity is reliant on trustee support and loans to continue in operational existence, noting a commitment to securing other funding sources. Additionally, the charity is looking to sell a property to raise funds and cut costs following the death of a life tenant. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds CYGNET TRAINING THEATRE & CYGNET RESEARCH LIBRARY?

Funders whose own accounts filings name CYGNET TRAINING THEATRE & CYGNET RESEARCH LIBRARY as a grant recipient include THE DORFMAN FOUNDATION, MOTHER AND CHILD WELFARE ORGANISATION, Moto Foundation.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE DORFMAN FOUNDATION	FY2021	£180k	General charitable purpose donations
THE DORFMAN FOUNDATION	FY2022	£13k
MOTHER AND CHILD WELFARE ORGANISATION	FY2022	£2k	General Donations
Moto Foundation	FY2022	£250	Community Grant

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	21/08/2024	£20k	New Moodz

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
EAST END COMMUNITY FOUNDATION	1	£14k
FRAZER TRUST	1	£8k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THEATRE CHAPLAINCY UK.

THEATRE CHAPLAINCY UK income £33k
THE THEATRE IN PRISONS AND PROBATION CENTRE income £247k
CYGNETS PRE-SCHOOL income £346k
POLLYANNA TRAINING THEATRE income £103k
THE BRIDGE THEATRE TRAINING COMPANY income £293k
ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE TRUSTEES LIMITED income £50k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
CYGNET TRAINING THEATRE & CYGNET RESEARCH LIBRARY	£91k	—	0	unclear	3.0%	noted
THEATRE CHAPLAINCY UK FY2025	£33k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE THEATRE IN PRISONS AND PROBATION CENTRE FY2025	£247k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
CYGNETS PRE-SCHOOL FY2025	£346k	—	0	unclear	—	noted
POLLYANNA TRAINING THEATRE FY2025	£103k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE BRIDGE THEATRE TRAINING COMPANY FY2025	£293k	—	0	below	—	material uncertainty

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.