Reflecting on Settle Stories’ work, achievements and challenges in 2025/26, it is clear that the Charity has continued to make significant progress across its programmes:
● Stories for Schools has grown strongly, with over 200 professionally produced videos now on the platform and new content added weekly. The publication of ‘Start With Story’, written by Sita Brand and Emma Thompson, will be brought to the attention of every primary school in the country through its feature in the Teach Primary magazine.
● The Storyful Way completed its delivery phase, and its independent evaluation, peer reviewed by Sheffield Hallam University, confirms statistically significant improvements in the emotional wellbeing of the 155 pupils who took part across 11 schools. The programme is now in its concluding stage.
● Our international project Lost and Forgotten, a British Council-funded collaboration with Msitu Wa Ndoto in Kenya, was performed at the Panga ya Saidi caves and live-streamed globally, a first for Kenya. 200 people attended in person across two nights, 65 local people took part in making the work, and a further 164 joined online. The documentary made about it is now entering the film festival circuit.
● We delivered a successful final Yorkshire Festival of Story in November 2025. The Board had agreed that 2025 would be the last iteration of the festival in its current form, and the event closed well, with strong schools attendance and a clear sense of the organisation’s direction of travel.
● We launched a single consolidated website bringing together all of our programmes under one Settle Stories brand, and completed a new three-year Business Plan.
● We have completed our third year as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Our NPO funding has been confirmed at £160,000 per annum for 2026/27, an increase on the previous year, and we are preparing for the forthcoming NPO application round.
The full detail of our work in the last financial year is given in the various sections of this Trustees’ Report. From the Storyful Way evaluation results and the Lost and Forgotten project in Kenya, to the growth of Stories for Schools and the conclusion of YFOS, I believe Settle Stories is well placed to continue developing its programmes and building its reach. The Board has also given serious attention this year to its own governance and succession, agreeing a structured approach to trustee and Chair recruitment that reflects the organisation’s confidence and momentum.
The fundraising climate remains challenging, particularly for smaller charities, and a number of bids were unsuccessful in 2025/26. We continue to develop our earned income streams and to broaden our funder relationships.
We would like to restate our thanks to all our funding organisations and individual funders, without whom Settle Stories would not exist:
● Arts Council England
● Paul Hamlyn Foundation
● National Lottery Heritage Fund
● British Council
● North Yorkshire Council
● The Foyle Foundation
● The Settle Quakers
● Cranfield Trust
Finally, I would like to thank the Settle Stories staff team, including all volunteers, and my fellow Trustees for all their hard work in maintaining and developing the range and quality of the Charity’s programmes throughout another demanding year. Through their continued commitment, Settle Stories goes on finding creative ways to strengthen its position within Craven and far beyond.
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026. The annual report serves the purposes of both a Trustees' report and a Directors' report under company law.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)". Since the charity qualifies as small under section 382 of the Companies Act 2006, the Strategic Report required of medium and large companies has been omitted.
Policies and objectives
Settle Stories is a storytelling charity based at The Joinery in Settle, in the Yorkshire Dales. Since 2010 we have used story to build empathy, strengthen communities and spark curiosity. We work with children and the teachers who serve them, with artists and with our own rural community, broadcasting from Settle to audiences around the world.
We challenge perceptions of what rural arts production can be. In every classroom reached, every artist supported and every story heard, we are working towards a gentler, more curious and more courageous world. This was our third year as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
Strategies for achieving objectives
Our vision is a world where every voice, empowered by story, helps build our shared future.
Our mission is to create storytelling experiences that educate, empower and endure, enriching emotional intelligence, artistic confidence and community connection.
In January 2026 the Board approved a new Business Plan for 2026 to 2029. It sets our direction for the years following the final Yorkshire Festival of Story, and responds to the Hodge Review of Arts Council England and to the government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, both of which call for excellence in arts education, cultural provision in under-served rural areas and sustainable mixed-economy models. The plan is built on three pillars:
● Educate. Story-based learning for primary schools through Stories for Schools and The Storyful Way, supporting emotional intelligence, literacy and wellbeing.
● Empower. Training and development for artists, educators and communities through our courses, Settle Writers Group, masterclasses and community projects.
● Endure. A year-round Events Programme of hybrid storytelling from unusual cultural locations, alongside heritage preservation and international partnerships.
Children, families and the schools that serve them are our primary beneficiaries. Our other activities are designed to support, deepen and sustain that focus.
Aims
● Create socially relevant, narrative-driven art across a wide range of media.
● Inspire learning and creativity in children and young people through storytelling.
● Foster connection and collaboration within our rural community and beyond, both in person and online.
● Empower people to share their stories, deepening self-understanding and cultural expression.
Values
● Be open and inclusive
● Encourage curiosity
● Be the best you can be
● Be mindful
● Think creatively
Public benefit
In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to public benefit, including the guidance 'Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)'.
2025/26 was a year of endings and beginnings. We said goodbye to the Yorkshire Festival of Story after sixteen years, and in the same breath began building what comes next.
Yorkshire Festival of Story
The final Yorkshire Festival of Story ran from 3 to 9 November 2025 on the theme of Courage. 5,676 people came, four-fifths of them online, from 21 countries across five continents. Almost three quarters gave the festival a five-star rating, and 11% of the audience identified as D/deaf, disabled or living with a long-term health condition.
Closing the festival was a choice rather than a loss. It frees us to spread the same artistic energy across the whole year, and to tell stories from unusual places rather than from one week in November. The festival evaluation was completed in the final quarter, and its learning now shapes the year-round Events Programme that succeeds it.
Stories for Schools
Stories for Schools brings professionally filmed storytelling and curriculum-linked resources into primary classrooms. The platform passed 200 professionally produced films this year, with more in production and a new story added every week.
Our free digital resource was viewed nearly 20,000 times and downloaded 1,329 times, and six online events reached schools across National Storytelling Week and World Book Day, with strong teacher feedback gathered through a new feedback form. Start With Story, written by Sita Brand and Emma Thompson with a foreword by education and SEN expert Jean Gross CBE, was published and later featured in Teach Primary, putting our work in front of teachers nationally. A new pricing policy was completed with support from a Cranfield Trust mentor.
The Storyful Way
The Storyful Way combines storytelling, mindfulness and creative activity to support emotional wellbeing in schools. Its two-year delivery phase completed during the year, and the independent evaluation, peer reviewed by Sheffield Hallam University, is now being finalised as the project concludes.
The evaluation followed 155 pupils aged 9 to 11 across 11 schools, using two validated tools: the Stirling Children’s Wellbeing Scale and the Children’s Values in Action Scale. It found statistically significant improvements in seven areas, including fairness, social intelligence, love and connection, bravery, perspective, and overall emotional wellbeing, with gains clearly outpacing a comparator group of children who did not take part.
The most telling evidence came from home. Parents described children using the Star Breath technique on their own to steady themselves when they were angry or tired. That is a tool a child keeps. The content is now being incorporated into the Stories for Schools platform.
Lost and Forgotten: international collaboration
With British Council support, UK and Kenyan artists worked alongside Msitu Wa Ndoto to create a sound and light work drawn from the storytelling traditions of Kenya’s coastal communities. It was performed at the Panga ya Saidi cave complex, the site of the world’s oldest known human burial at 78,000 years, and live-streamed globally on 13 September 2025, a first for Kenya.
200 people attended in person across two nights, 65 local people took part in making the work, and a further 164 joined the livestream. The documentary made about it premiered at the Yorkshire Festival of Story and is now entering the film festival circuit.
Artist development, community and heritage
Our free Children’s Story Competition, run in partnership with libraries, received 139 entries against a target of 120 and was judged by Anne Fine, with the teacher resource pack downloaded 444 times, more than six times our target. Settle Writers Group and the StoryLab course ran throughout the year, moving towards becoming an independently run group that we oversee. Your Art is Your Business was delivered with Cumbria Arts and Culture Network and
The Listening Gallery, the world’s first audio gallery housed in a telephone box, refreshed its exhibitions and welcomed regular visitors through the year. Development work began with The Folly on the Eddie Percy archive project, with an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in preparation.
Digital development, brand and environment
In February 2026, ahead of schedule, we brought four separate websites together into a single Settle Stories platform, tested extensively by volunteers and staff, and rolled out our new brand in stages. Google Ads performance improved following the launch. An Environmental Management Plan was drafted, and Settle Stories was chosen as a case study in the Arts Council England Environmental Annual Plan following an invitation from Julie’s Bicycle.
Volunteers
97 volunteers gave their time this year, between 25 and 70 hours each, across illustration, animation, digital asset management, business advice, education, heritage projects, community programming and events, supported by partnerships with Lancaster University, South Wales University and Red Ochre Internships. Their contribution is recognised in these financial statements at £157,200, calculated at £30 per hour. It is worth far more than that to us.
The charity had income for the year of £408,579 (2025: £404,463) and expenditure of £449,828 (2025: £344,945). The net movement in funds was a decrease of £41,249 (2025: an increase of £59,518). Funds carried forward at 31 March 2026 totalled £119,366, made up of unrestricted funds of £106,881, of which £49,561 is designated, and restricted funds of £12,485.
The movement reflects the planned delivery of two major restricted projects, The Storyful Way and Lost and Forgotten, both funded by grants received in earlier years and largely spent during 2025/26. Restricted funds therefore reduced by £63,484 as that work completed, while unrestricted funds grew by £22,235 through tight cost control, so the charity ended the year in a stronger unrestricted position than it began. Both income and expenditure include £157,200 of pro bono and volunteer work, which passes through each side of the statement of financial activities with a nil net effect on funds.
Arts Council England National Portfolio funding of £152,415 was received during the year and has been confirmed at £160,000 for 2026/27, an increase on the previous year.
Fundraising
We raise funds through applications to public bodies, trusts and foundations, through earned income from schools, training and events, and through donations from individuals and community groups. All fundraising is carried out directly by our own staff team in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice and our Ethical Fundraising Policy, working without professional fundraising agencies or commercial participators. The charity received no fundraising complaints during the year.
The climate for grant fundraising remains demanding for smaller charities and several applications were unsuccessful. In response we are broadening our funder relationships and building earned income, particularly through Stories for Schools and through training, where income grew from approximately £2,500 to over £3,000 during the year.
After making appropriate enquiries, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further detail regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies.
The trustees aim to hold free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level sufficient to meet the charity’s ongoing commitments, cover support and governance costs, and allow the charity to respond to applications for grants and to variations in income. Operating costs currently run at approximately £15,301 per month before recharges, and £2,887 per month after salary and overhead recharges to projects.
At 31 March 2026 unrestricted funds stood at £106,881, of which £49,561 is held as a designated reserve and £57,320 as general funds. The trustees consider the current reserve level and see no concerns from a going concern perspective.
Following a review by the Finance Committee in May 2026, the trustees agreed a near-term target of three months of overheads including salaries, with a stated ambition to build towards six months of reserves through an incremental annual plan. The designated reserve will be recalculated on this basis and the policy updated accordingly. The reserves policy is reviewed annually at the AGM.
Principal risks and uncertainties
The trustees review risk through the Finance Committee and the full Board. The main risks currently identified are the pace of earned income growth from Stories for Schools, the capacity of a small core team, and the outcome of the next Arts Council England National Portfolio round. Project budgets are constructed so that income and expenditure are matched, meaning that where a project does not proceed both the income and its costs fall away and the charity carries no unfunded project risk. Trustee networks support engagement with schools, while volunteer capacity, documented procedures and selective use of AI tools protect the core team. A risk tolerance framework is in development for Board consideration during 2026/27.
Constitution
Settle Stories Limited is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee without share capital.
Methods of appointment or election of trustees
The management of the charity is the responsibility of the trustees, who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Trustees serve an initial term of three years, with the possibility of a second term. The Board meets four to six times a year including the Annual General Meeting, supported by a Finance Committee, which meets quarterly and reports to the full Board, and a Remuneration Committee, which meets annually to consider salaries and related employment matters.
Policies adopted for the induction and training of trustees
The Board gave real attention to its own future this year. A Board Skills Framework was introduced in January 2026 to identify the skills the Board needs as the organisation’s digital and commercial activity grows, and shaped discussion at the away day in March 2026.
Staff and organisational structure
The charity has a small core team of 3.6 full-time equivalent staff, comprising the Chief Executive, an education and programme role, an Executive Assistant and a part-time Digital Officer, with an average of six employees during the year. Bookkeeping is provided on a contract basis and freelancers are engaged as programmes require. An intern joined during the year and quickly became able to operate live streams independently. Policies were reviewed and updated with support from Peninsula, including new AI, Digital and Fire Safety policies.
The Chair confirmed his intention to step down when his current term concludes in January 2027. Where trustees had reached the end of their recommended term, appointments were formally extended to 31 December 2026 to allow an orderly succession. Recruitment for a new Chair and up to five trustees launched in April 2026, advertised widely, with applications particularly welcomed from women, from people from BIPOC backgrounds and from people based in Yorkshire and the North. Non-voting Advisor roles were also promoted to those able to contribute expertise without taking a Board seat.
2026/27 is a transition year and the first full year of the new Business Plan. We will grow Stories for Schools towards its pilot target, with outreach to schools and multi-academy trusts supported by trustee networks, and establish the year-round Events Programme, including research and development at Hoffmann’s Kiln for delivery in 2027 and a Story and Landscape Film Weekend in February 2027.
We will complete the rebrand rollout, and prepare for the next Arts Council England National Portfolio application by extending the Business Plan two further years so the evidence is in place ahead of the bid. We will deepen our international partnerships in Kenya and Namibia, welcome a new Chair and new trustees, continue to pursue the Small Town of Culture 2028 opportunity for Settle, and advance planned applications to the Garfield Weston Foundation and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Settle Stories Limited for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Settle Stories Limited (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2026.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies.
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 that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements 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 financial statements 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 financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Settle Stories Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Settle Stories, The Joinery, Dawson's Court, Market Place, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 9ED, England.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grants received
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation supported Storyful a programme for schools using story for well-being.
National Lottery Heritage Fund supported the George Horner project.
The British Council supported Lost and Forgotten our collaboration with Msitu Wa Ndoto in Kenya.
The Spark Fund supported Stories for Schools.
Transfers in the year represent unrestricted funds used to cover over-spends on restricted projects.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2025 - none).