YOUNG ACTORS' THEATRE ISLINGTON

Registered charity 266765 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q29378705 · Wikipedia · also known as THE ANNA SCHER CHILDREN'S THEATRE LIMITED · filing overdue (register status)

Promotes and advances the education of children and young people, particularly in the art of drama, by means of giving instruction in and promoting a study practice programme and teaching of all subjects connected with theatre and drama.

Objects

TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICULARLY IN THE ART OF DRAMA BY MEANS OF GIVING INSTRUCTION IN AND PROMOTING THE STUDY PRACTICE PERFORMANCE AND TEACHING OF ALL SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH THE THEATRE AND 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: Islington, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£447k

Latest spending

£600k

Registered

1974

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit for the year ended 31 December 2024, with free reserves dropping significantly to £15,857 against a policy target of £300,000. Despite this financial challenge and a reduction in fee income, the Trustees maintain that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £16k; policy: six months expenditure)

“At the year end, the charity's free reserves amounted to £15,857.”

Per its FY2024 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 policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media 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 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 5
Government income: £2,045 — grants £2,045 (1); under 1% of the £558,838 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2022

Government income: £8,475 — grants £8,475 (2); 2% of the £435,194 total gross income on the same return

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

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

1 annual return is past its due date with no recorded received date (Charity Commission register).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Young Actors Theatre Islington (matched by registered charity number).

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (1 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2023)

Total income

£559k

Total spending

£547k

Cost of raising funds

£3k

Reserves (reported)

£163k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~3.6 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 7.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (83% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Paul Cartwrightchair
Jodie Suzanne Woolfson
Miriam Jordan Keane
NEIL VICKERS · trustee of 1 other charity
Nicholas Brown
STEPHEN ROBERT ARTHUR COLEGRAVE
Tristan McCarthy

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

Operates in: Throughout London

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	—	—
31/12/2024	£447k	£600k
31/12/2023	£559k	£547k
31/12/2022	£435k	£491k
31/12/2021	£437k	£408k

Common questions

Is YOUNG ACTORS' THEATRE ISLINGTON financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit for the year ended 31 December 2024, with free reserves dropping significantly to £15,857 against a policy target of £300,000. Despite this financial challenge and a reduction in fee income, the Trustees maintain that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Its FY2024 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds YOUNG ACTORS' THEATRE ISLINGTON?

Funders whose own accounts filings name YOUNG ACTORS' THEATRE ISLINGTON as a grant recipient include THE ASTOR FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE ASTOR FOUNDATION	FY2025	£2k	Arts, Conservation and Heritage

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	07/02/2018	£67k	"Bards on Boats"
The National Lottery Community Fund	20/09/2012	£10k	Silent Voices-An Urban Opera

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
THE ANGUS LAWSON MEMORIAL TRUST	1	£42k
FRANCIS C SCOTT CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£30k
PETER STORMONTH DARLING CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£28k
WEST HACKNEY PAROCHIAL CHARITY	1	£27k
THE DAVID SNOWDON TRUST	1	£10k
THE HADFIELD CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k
THE COLE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k
CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with CARLTON LITTLE THEATRE TRUST.

CARLTON LITTLE THEATRE TRUST income £54k
IMMEDIATE THEATRE income £708k
ACTORS WORKSHOP YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY income £49k
STAGE 2 YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY income £178k
LONDON YOUTH THEATRE income £101k
THEATRE WORKS income £159k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
YOUNG ACTORS' THEATRE ISLINGTON	£447k	—	below	—	no doubt
CARLTON LITTLE THEATRE TRUST FY2025	£54k	—	below	—	no doubt
IMMEDIATE THEATRE FY2025	£708k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
ACTORS WORKSHOP YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY FY2025	£49k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
STAGE 2 YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY FY2025	£178k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
LONDON YOUTH THEATRE FY2025	£101k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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