The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 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 Memorandum and Articles 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).
Yorkshire Youth & Music is a community music and education company working across the whole of Yorkshire. We aim to be as diverse in both perspective and people as the communities we work in, and to reveal unheard talent, voices and stories. We offer high quality creation, participation and learning opportunities in music making and creative arts for disadvantaged young people in challenging circumstances, across all music styles, and according to young people’s needs and aspirations. We also provide excellent training and development opportunities for musicians, and other people who work in young people’s music making and learning.
The young people who participate in our projects make and learn about music that they want to make, because they find it relevant and meaningful. We encourage young people to explore, discover and find inspiration across all kinds of music and to widen their musical horizons. At the same time, we want them to feel safe, encouraged, and confident to explore the world. We want music making to be enjoyable, creative and for it to make a positive contribution to young people’s lives, and we find the best music creators, producers, instrumentalists, and singers to be our Music Leaders.
We work with partners to address social, educational and health priorities – for example, helping to reduce knife crime. Our partners are varied; music and arts organisations, health, care and education providers, local authorities, youth services, Arts Council England and Youth Music.
We follow Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when we reconsider our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. The trustees regularly review our Business Plan and consider how activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set, how they align with our values and how they contribute to our Vision.
We want young people to be inspired to lead musical lives, because music makes lives better.
In 2025–26, we:
reached 550+ young people
provided around 390 young people with at least 10 music making sessions
expanded use of our Safe Space Studio from 25 to 36 hours per week
increased our earned income from partners, reducing reliance on grant funding per session
signposted and supported young people into college, employment and sustained education
offered 8 new music leaders training and placement opportunities
We measured impact through participation data, partner feedback, reflective practice by music leaders and qualitative case studies. Feedback from parents, social workers, hospital staff and young people consistently highlights young people’s increased confidence and self-belief, engagement, emotional regulation and reduced isolation.
Our production hub in Huddersfield, Safe Space Studio, continued to grow. It is now in use for 36 hours a week, up from 25 hours a week in 2025. The studio is used by young people from all parts of Kirklees, and some from further afield, who work with our Music Leaders to create original tracks, and cover songs by their favourite artists. Young people are able to create music with guitars, drum kits, keyboards, brass, woodwind and string instruments, and with digital music-making equipment; synthesisers, drum pads, DJ decks and to use microphones, amps, interfaces and professional standard software and hardware.
“I didn’t just benefit from being able to come to the studio, it changed my life, kept me out of trouble and helped open my mind to new people and new opportunities giving me a safe space to speak on my emotions, trials and tribulations through my art and gave me the chance to meet other amazing talented people who share the same drive and ambition as me to create music, music has been like therapy to me and has helped keep me out the way of the never ending violence going on in Huddersfield and has also helped keep other people who have been somewhat involved in that away from it, giving not just me but a lot of people like myself a voice to speak on what they go through and how they feel also giving them links, constructive criticism and help from people like Dan that know about the music industry and what to expect and to strive for.”
Our young people are often in residential care or foster homes, are neuro-divergent, attend a Pupil Referral Unit, or are under the supervision of Youth Justice or Youth Engagement Services; working with us, they’re able to explore their creativity in a supportive environment, tell their stories and express their feelings.
Our delivery over the year included working;
In the Mother and baby units in HMP New Hall and Askham – 1 visit per fortnight to each unit, plus additional visits for family visit days and special occasions – musician, ukulele, shakers and puppets, encouraging babies and toddlers to shake, rattle, roll (and sing!) with musical games and nursery rhymes.
In two Secure Children’s Homes – 2 days a week at Aldine House and 4 days a week at Adel Beck. Music continued to be a feature of everyday life for residents. Five music leaders with different skills worked across both homes, so that young people could learn the music they wanted to learn; making original music and raps, learning cover versions and some serious digital and instrumental skills development
The Kingfisher Academy school at Becton Young People’s Centre, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Chapel House School – 3.5 days a week across the three NHS sites. Our musicians worked with participants who have significant health needs, working in small groups and 1:1. A grant from The Freshgate Trust was used to buy musical equipment that can be moved around the hospital as the Music Leaders make their visits
At Safe Space Studio in Huddersfield with Kirklees Youth Engagement, Youth Justice Services and Alternative Education providers – over 4 days each week young people and their care workers attend our studio spaces to make music alongside our talented producers and creators
At the Pivot Academy and Becker School alternative provisions, half a day a week at each school, with DJ skills, production techniques, singing and instrumental playing with young people with challenging behaviour and/or neuro-divergence conditions which means they are unable to participate in mainstream education
At Safe Space Studio providing weekly drop-in sessions for young people who had previously participated in our more formal projects – 1 evening per week
To develop new Music Leaders with placements across projects and CPD events – new Music Leaders were offered placements across our projects, alongside mentoring and training offers in First Aid, Mental Health First Aid and other useful skills and knowledge development
In Dewsbury Moor Youth Club Provision, with Kirklees Youth Alliance – 1 evening per week at a drop in Youth Club, where DJ skills, keyboards and digital drum pads are on offer
Over the course of the year we reached over 550 young people, and 70% of them had at least 10 sessions and around 35% having more than 20 sessions.
Almost all our young people have daily challenges; physical or mental ill-health, being Looked After, at risk of criminal exploitation, being neuro-divergent, having a learning or physical disability, needing protection from others, or being a young offender. Many young people had more than one factor affecting their life. Our Music Leaders are well trained to support young people, and treat them with respect, dignity, empathy and compassion.
We provided 18 music leaders with regular paid work, including 6 trainees who were new to YY&M. Of those, 6 were female, 11 male, and 1 trans. Almost all were white, with 9 in their 20s, 4 in their 30s and 5 over 40. Over the course of the year our music leaders were paid over £171,000, delivering almost 800 full days of music making to disadvantaged young people across the region.
We received donations and grant funding that enabled us to invest in new equipment, including a Moog Thermini, a Loop Station, Drum Pad kit, and mini keyboards. We also received donations of instruments including guitars, amps, and some digital kit.
As in previous years, many of the young people who came to us had missed substantial parts of formal education and had limited social and community engagement. We supported them to re-engage with formal learning, finding courses and institutions they could apply to, and working with others as they found their first employment.
We strengthened our relationships with funders, including West Yorkshire Combined Authority, whose Violence Reduction Partnership supported our work with young people at risk of becoming involved in violence or crime, and foundations including Keith Howard Foundation, who supported our mental health work. The National Lottery Community Fund supported Safe Space Studio, and Youth Music supported our work in youth justice. A grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation supported our core costs, and a grant from Creative Minds supported our work in Pupil Referral Units. A grant from the Freshgate Trust paid for new equipment to use in Sheffield Children’s Hospital with the Radcliffe Trust supporting delivery there, and Bentley Foundation supported our work in the Mother and Baby Units. A Wharfedale Foundation grant of £11,000 enabled us to offer subsidised activities to schools and alternative education providers across Kirklees, and £2000 from ASAMAA supported music sessions for young people at risk. A number of smaller grants and donations came from Holme Valley Orchestra’s ‘Carols and Barrels’ Christmas fundraiser, from In Memoriam donations, and we received many smaller donations through our website.
The charity had income for the year totaling £258,395 (2025: £279,902), expenditure for the year was £269,537 (2025: £262,058) leaving a deficit for the year of £11,142 (2025: £17,844 surplus), the deficit is split between unrestricted funds £6,401 and restricted funds £4,741.
The fund balances carried forward at the year end were unrestricted funds of £77,677 (2025: £84,078) and restricted funds of £42,798 (2025: £47,539), totaling £120,475 (2025: £131,617).
It is proposed that the company will endeavour to maintain a minimum of £61,000 in reserve.
This is an estimate of core costs for a 6 month period of £42,000 and total redundancy costs of £19,000.
The level of reserves at 31 March 2026 is £120,475 with unrestricted reserves being £77,677 (2025 : £84,078).
A summary of reserves is as below:-
£
Total Reserves per Statement of Financial Activities 120,475
Less : Restricted Reserves (42,798)
Less : Unrestricted Reserves held as Fixed Assets (1,230)
Less : Designated Reserves (15,418)
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Amount Available as Unrestricted Reserves 61,029
Reserves Policy - Wind Down Costs (61,000)
Reserves Policy - Contingency (5,000)
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Deficit Reserves (4,971)
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The reserves are currently in deficit of the minimum requirement of £61,000 by £4,971.
Our work in Youth Justice services will continue in 2026-7 across Secure Children’s Homes, the Mother and Baby Units and in the community in Kirklees and elsewhere, and our partnerships will continue. This is supported by a new three year grant from Youth Music, which begins on 1 April 2026
We will continue to grow and develop the use of Safe Space Studio for young people from Kirklees and beyond, offering flexible use depending on young people’s own skills, experience and confidence. All sessions will be supported by a music leader, and individual or small group sessions for young people in challenging circumstances.
We will be continuing our work at Becton Centre, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Chapel House School for the next year.
Our partnership with Kirklees Youth Alliance at Dewsbury Moor will continue, with KYA securing a three year funding agreement to support it.
For the first time we will have a small project to support three young people to become Youth Mentors – to work alongside our music leaders as role models and supporters of young people in challenging circumstances.
Yorkshire Youth and Music became a registered charity on 14 January 1982, charity number 512222, it is also a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 2 December 1982, company number 01601451.
Governance
The board of trustees meet quarterly and communicate via email and telephone on an ad hoc basis. The Director and Deputy Director report to the Board and Chair who maintains liaison with them.
All trustees are appointed on a voluntary basis, and do not receive any remuneration for their time. All expenses reimbursed to trustees are disclosed in the accounts.
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 board members are given company policies and information to familiarise themselves with the charity, and opportunities to discuss the work with the Director and Deputy Director. They are invited to spend time viewing project work and in the charity offices to fully understand the work and meet some young people.
Appointment of council or management
The members of the council of management have the authority to appoint new members either to fill a casual vacancy or to provide additional members. A member so appointed shall retain their office only until the next Annual General Meeting, but will then be eligible for re-election.
Key Management
The key management personnel of the charity has been identified as the Director. The salary of the key management is set and reviewed by the trustees.
The Organisation
The staff of Yorkshire Youth and Music, report to the Council of Management ("the board") at quarterly meetings and to subcommittees on an ad-hoc basis. All project participants are asked to review and evaluate project work, and regular reports on each project are prepared for funders, project steering groups and the Board.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Yorkshire Youth And Music 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 UK and ROI, 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.
Yorkshire Youth And Music Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Lg31 Kirklees Media Centre, Huddersfield, Northumberland Street, HD1 1RL.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles 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).
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.
Grant income
Partnership Fees - Schools and Local Partners
National Foundation for Youth Music
Partnership Fees - Schools and Local Partners
National Foundation for Youth Music
Partnership Fees - Schools and Local Partners
Premises costs
Office and administration costs
Repairs and maintenance costs
Motor and travel costs
Artists fees
Marketing and PR
Training and placements
Finance costs
Other costs
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Included in wages and salaries costs above are costs relating to freelance and temporary project staff.
The remuneration of key management personnel is 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.
Transfers between departments are being made to streamline and centralise all financial reporting relating to activities delivered through the Safe Space Studio for members of Kirklees communities. Funding for these activities is received from a variety of sources, with many grants restricted to specific time periods or community groups. Within the department, income and expenditure will continue to be allocated to individual projects, ensuring accurate tracking and robust financial reporting for each funding stream and project.
A description of each restricted fund is included in within the trustees report, explaining the nature of activities undertaken during the year.
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.