The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2026.
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 deed of trust and memorandum of association, the Companies Act 2006 and "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).
The charity's objective and its principal activity continues to be that of the promotion, maintenance, improvement and advancement of education in the Borough of Congleton by means of the provision of a theatre.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Each year we review the quality and range of the in-house facilities which we make available to our users. During the past year more than £15,000 was spent to install LED stage lighting which will significantly reduce future energy usage and bills. New solar panels have been used from the beginning of the year to help with energy costs. The installation of air conditioning equipment in the auditorium and dressing rooms was completed towards the end of the year at a cost of more than £33,000. New bar tills were purchased and the theatre bar moved to a cashless payments system which reduces the work needed from our volunteers.
The general upkeep of the Theatre and its facilities have been maintained throughout the year.
The Theatre was again granted a Mandatory Rate Relief from Cheshire East Council, which significantly reduces the costs the Theatre must pay.
This year we have been fortunate to receive the following grants and donations:
The Estate of Mrs SM Clarke £670
Cheshire East Council £10,000
Congleton Pantomime £10,000
In Memory of Clair Lawton £100
The donations were used towards the costs of new LED stage lighting and air conditioning equipment.
We are always looking for new and innovative ways in which the Theatre can be used for the benefit of the people of Congleton, and we will continue to offer productions staged by both amateur and professional groups. During the past year the theatre had 17 separate amateur productions, 7 shows from visiting professional groups and 9 dance shows.
We also showed 17 films which continue to be well supported. We screen a variety of films that appeal to a wider audience, and this encourages different age groups to attend.
The Daneside Studios are now fully open and are being used by various groups in the local area.
A big thank you to everyone for using the bar on show nights, the income from the bar goes towards the upkeep of the Theatre and helps to keep the hire charges down.
The local societies, amateur groups and dance schools receive a lot of support from the people of Congleton for the excellent and wide variety of shows they stage.
The Theatre is grateful for the support they receive and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a successful season in 2026/27.
The trust holds surplus capital on deposit with UK bank and building societies. It is not the Trust's policy to take
investment risks any accumulated funds will be held in deposit accounts offering best terms.
On 31st May 2026, the charity held reserves of £995,250 of this £674,232 is held in fixed assets and £343,354 is held as cash in the bank.
The amount the Trust has determined should be the minimum held as reserve is £50,000. There should be sufficient funds available to ensure we have 24 months to cover our outgoings and to protect the Trust against unexpected high costs. This could be a business continuation issue due to flood or fire, or an urgent repair bill for any part of the building or the building infrastructure.
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.
The trust was incorporated on 31 May1978, and registered as a charity on 14th July 1978. The company was established under Memorandum of association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company.
The liability of full members of the society is an understanding to contribute to the assets of the Trust in the event of it being wound up while a member, or within one year after ceasing to be a member, a sum not exceeding one pound.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
New Trustees are appointed from theatre groups, friends of the theatre and members. The Trustees retire by rotation, any Trustee offering themselves up for re-election, or a new person wishing to become a Trustee are voted onto the Trust at the AGM by the members of the Company.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Daneside Community Theatre Trust Limited (the charity) for the year ended 31 May 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 the 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.
Daneside Community Theatre Trust Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Daneside Theatre Trust Ltd, Park Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 1DP, England.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's deed of trust and memorandum of association, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) 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)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
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. 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).
Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing the stocks to their present location and condition. Items held for distribution at no or nominal consideration are measured the lower of replacement cost and cost.
Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.
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.
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.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
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).