STOKE YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY

Registered charity 1144349 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as STOKE YOUTH, SYMTC, SYMTA, Stoke Youth Musical Theatre Academy

Development of young people, primarily through the medium of performing arts - running training, workshops & theatrical performances

Objects

THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE TO EDUCATION THE PUBLIC IN THE DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC ARTS, AND TO FURTHER THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC APPRECIATION AND TASTE IN THE SAID ARTS, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF MUSICAL THEATRE.

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 · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Newcastle-under-Lyme, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Received the assets of STOKE YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY (charity 1117716) — merger registered 21/12/2017.

Source: Charity Commission register of merged charities (OGL v3.0).

Latest income

£110k

Latest spending

£123k

Registered

2011

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The charity reported a net expenditure of £12,900 for the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in a decrease in total funds from £40,181 to £27,281. Unrestricted reserves fell to £24,834, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of around £30,000. The trustees confirmed there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: around £30,000 of unrestricted reserves which is estimated to be enough to cover a loss on a show and around a year’s running costs for the premises if there is a close down period. (reserves figure: £25k)

“The policy of the charity is to aim to hold around £30,000 of unrestricted reserves which is estimated to be enough to cover a loss on a show and around a year’s running costs for the premises if there is a close down period.” — page 5

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
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Risk management
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
Volunteer management

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 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 60

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 50

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 60

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

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 07768331

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

COOPER, Laura Elizabeth — director, appointed 01/10/2024on trustee list
SHONE, Zoe Louise — director, appointed 07/04/2023on trustee list
BOLAM, Paul Trevor — director, appointed 19/03/2020on trustee list
BELL, Charles Christopher — director, appointed 05/04/2017on trustee list
DOWNWARD, Kevin John — director, appointed 09/09/2011on trustee list
HASSALL, Paul, Dr — director, appointed 09/09/2011on trustee list
MASON, Ann Winefride — director, appointed 09/09/2011on trustee list
DOWNWARD, Kevin John — secretary, appointed 09/09/2011

Official officers record.

Register events

Received assets from another charity (20/01/2015) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

KEVIN DOWNWARDchair
ANN WINEFRIDE MASON
Christopher Bell
Laura Elizabeth Cooper
PAUL HASSALL
Paul Trevor Bolam
ZOE LOUISE SHONE

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

Operates in: Staffordshire · Stoke-on-trent City

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£110k	£123k
31/12/2024	£123k	£123k
31/12/2023	£94k	£95k
31/12/2022	£60k	£72k
31/12/2021	£45k	£34k

Common questions

Is STOKE YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The charity reported a net expenditure of £12,900 for the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in a decrease in total funds from £40,181 to £27,281. Unrestricted reserves fell to £24,834, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of around £30,000. The trustees confirmed there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds STOKE YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY?

Funders whose own accounts filings name STOKE YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY as a grant recipient include STAFFORDSHIRE COUNCIL OF VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
STAFFORDSHIRE COUNCIL OF VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES	FY2023	£500	40th Anniversary Grant

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
COMMUNITY & VOLUNTARY SUPPORT CONWY	1	£22k
THE HEADLEY TRUST	1	£20k
THE COLE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k
THE W E DUNN TRUST	1	£2k
LILLIE JOHNSON CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£2k
THE NORTON FOUNDATION	1	£2k
THE JOHN THAW FOUNDATION	1	£1k
THE YOUNG BARNET FOUNDATION	1	£250

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ST. IVES YOUTH THEATRE.

THE ST. IVES YOUTH THEATRE income £26k
CROYDON YOUTH THEATRE ORGANISATION income £140k
STAGE 2 YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY income £178k
CENTRESTAGE PRODUCTIONS YOUTH THEATRE income £131k
THE LLANDUDNO YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE income £28k
STOS THEATRE COMPANY income £88k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
STOKE YOUTH MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY	£110k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ST. IVES YOUTH THEATRE FY2025	£26k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CROYDON YOUTH THEATRE ORGANISATION FY2025	£140k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
STAGE 2 YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY FY2025	£178k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CENTRESTAGE PRODUCTIONS YOUTH THEATRE FY2025	£131k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE LLANDUDNO YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE FY2025	£28k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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